Do you guys clearcoat everything?

I will clearcoat after assembly and befor decals/weathering. I don't see a need to clearcoat everything. I will typically clearcoat the completed project to protect the finish, especially if I use oils or pastels.

I used to clearcoat subassemblies prior to weathering/decaling, but I have found new materials for painting and weathering that make it unnecessary for the most part.  Although I still clearcoat after decals are applied to protect the decals.

Most of the paint I'm using now is MRP acrylic lacquer, most of which is semi-gloss and has such a smooth finish that decals readily adhere to it without silvering.  For weathering washes, I'm using water/clay-based Flory washes which don't attack paint.

I personally do not clear coat every single piece of a model. On a car for example of course the entire body and any small body color parts ( mirrors,spoilers,etc.). If the interior components have decals ( gauges,etc.) I will clear after the decals. If I'm using acrylic paints either airbrushed or airbrushed, I will clear over the first color before masking off for the next color to avoid the tape peeling up the acrylic paint ( two tone seats and door panels for example). Clear coat is too pricy to cover every single piece of a model with, imo.

Here's a Viper I did a while back. The engine was painted without the use of any type of clearcoat. The dash was painted and I gave it a shot of satin for a subtle sheen. The body of course received a few coats of gloss. So the only clearcoat applied was to the body, dash, and seats.  No clearcoat was applied to any of the chassis components either.  Typically when it comes to aircraft, the only time I ever apply any kind of clearcoat is a coat of gloss before I lay down the decals then a final coat of flat. 

I definitely do not clearcoat Alclad- it changes the sheen.   On a flat finish I only clearcoat assemblies that need to have decals.

On older cars the factory paints were not overcoated, so the wet look is not appropriate for factory stock until late 20th century

 

Hi;

    I normally clearcoat( Semi-Gloss) everything. This preserves the Paper model better than anything else. As far as plastics, No, I rarely clearcoat any plastic model. I may do a brush on very thin clearcoat Semi-Gloss or Flat, Over the decals on models of Planes and Armor. 

 No clear-coat Hi-Gloss on anything But Cars. Only to preserve the Foil-Chrome details mainly. I really don't like Clearcoating cars because, to me the paint is too Glossy.

Teenage Modeler

...What I'm asking is, do you clearcoat every single part, even the tiny ones?...

No, that's overdoing it.

I'll clearcoat as the last step, after assembly & painting, weathering as necessary, decaling.  I don't worry about sealing the joystick in a cockpit, for example, or the seats in a car (unless I want an effect on a piece).

rocketman2000

On older cars the factory paints were not overcoated, so the wet look is not appropriate for factory stock until late 20th century

I feel like this is a really important point. Keeping this one in mind for my builds. That "dipped in glass" look is great for modern cars, or I suppose vintage cars if you're going for a modern modded look. Maybe something more understated would look better on the muscle car builds I have lined up. 

Sometimes with armor if it's just a few decals,I will just do an area,same thing with a ship like bow numbers, but with planes the whole thing gets the gloss.

 

wow, very interesting

rocketman2000

I definitely do not clearcoat Alclad- it changes the sheen.   On a flat finish I only clearcoat assemblies that need to have decals.

On older cars the factory paints were not overcoated, so the wet look is not appropriate for factory stock until late 20th century

 

 

Not so if you use Gauzy Shine Enhancer from AK. Unlike Future and any other clear that will dial down the metallic tone, this Gauzy goes on like glass with no tonal change. I recently discovered it when I needed to protect the fragile Alclad polished aluminum paint from masking tape lifting.

+1 for Gauzy Shine Enhancer.  The stuff does exactly what AK claims it does.  After seeing how well it worked for PJ on his F-84, I tried it on the bare metal items on the interior of a Spitfire I'm building, and if anything it made the bare metal parts look even more like bare metal.

Eaglecash867

+1 for Gauzy Shine Enhancer.  The stuff does exactly what AK claims it does.  After seeing how well it worked for PJ on his F-84, I tried it on the bare metal items on the interior of a Spitfire I'm building, and if anything it made the bare metal parts look even more like bare metal.