Dull Coat Looks Crappy !

Sorry to hear the bad news!
What kind of dullcoat did you use?

Sounds like you are using Testors Dull Coat. That is one of the reasons I stopped using it. Tamiya flatening base can cause that also if the ratio is too high. I have best results with Polly Scale clear flat.

I had a similar problem once with Aeromaster flat coat - I believe I was too generous with the thickness that I put on and am now sparing (very). The affected model was largely black (an Avro Lincoln) and I was able to bring it down considerably with meths (on a tissue) so that it could be resprayed. I have since been told that a coat of gloss (thinly applied) can help but have not tried it to date. Of course the Lincoln has fairly large unobstructed areas - the Camel does not, alas.

First, welcome to the Forum, glad to have you aboard. Not sure what paint you were using as a flatcoat, but sounds as though it was either thinned too much, or the AB was too far from the model, which can allow some of the atomized paint from the AB to dry before it hits the model. It leaves a whitish, gritty appearance on the model. Only way I have ever been able to remove it was with a light sanding with very fine micromesh pads & repainting. With the rigging & all on your model, that might be a bigger problem. If you were spraying over Future, there is a slight chance that the Future reacted to the flat coat & clouded. If thats the case, another coat of Future might, stress might, help.

first welcome to the forums, second i have never had a problem with the testors dullcoat. i always spray with normal flow or high flow.

Welcome to the forums i hope that you can fix you plane.

I have found that if Testors Dullcoat is sprayed either "wet," or is not thinned enough, it can lead to a frosty white covering. Try polishing the surface with 1500 grit sandpaper or a polishing stick. I thin Testors Dullcoat with lacquer thinner 50:50, and apply several LIGHT coats. Don't spray so much as to cause the surface to look wet.

Hope this helps.

Welcome! I think everyone has a 'dullcoat nightmare' story, so I'll tell you about mine. Microscale flat was the problem product for me. Did much the same as you noted. After hearing that a couple of my local club member had the same problem with the same product, I vowed never to use the product again (all users knew very well how to thin properly).

Sounds like Swanny had similar problem with Testors dullcoat. The interesting thing for me is that this is the only stuff I've used and found 'never' had a problem with. I use the dullcoat lacquer, and thin it with lacquer thinner. Perhaps that's something different than what Swanny used.

Murray

Try mixing Dull Coat with Gloss Coat, say 50/50 or 60/40, depending on just how "flat" you want the finish to be. The Testors clear coats, Dull and Gloss, are lacquers so thinning with lacquer thinner is OK. Use a lacquer thinner with a 65 degree F, to 80 degree F "flash point" when spraying at room temperature. It dries quickly and has less chance to "haze", and has less time to attack the finish under it. Spray iy on in light coats and let the thinner flash between coats.

It is very important to completely mix your flat coat, and keep it stirred while using it. The flattening agent settles quickly.