Hi Ya'll;
We have been talking about compounds to prep a surface or Buff one. There have been two mentioned.Comet Cleanser(With or without Bleach, Doesn't matter) And good old Colgate White Toothpaste(NOT GEL!). Pepsodent works too!
There are many others that are around the house maybe. I used to do NMF aircraft and Cars without chrome with Rub "N" Buff Natural Silver. Then there's various Auto compounds available in Wally World(Wal-Mart, to the uniniated) and the Auto Parts Stores as well. These range to Mequires finishing Compounds and Polishes to 3-M brand Polishing compounds. Some would clean and others would smooth and lastly there was the polishes.
I don't know who started using Future , but that was a boon too. Now for Canopies you have those, Plus a myriad of Headlight Cover polishes that will bump clarity up there like magic if prepped right! The Point? When looking for something to use on a model, look outside the box. Just because it doesn't say, perhaps, Micro-Mark, Tamiya or Vallejo etc. that it won't work.
Yes, these are made for models, BUT sometimes they carry extra baggage. Such as you can only use other of their products after that. Then there's the Cost and Availability. Which in some places is non-existant! The cost is a factor in shelf life too. Did you know a Tube of Colgate or Pepsodent will outlast a tube of The major brand of tubed speciality products. By 10-1. Amazing isn't it? Now there are wood polishes out there that contain Bee's wax. Best protectant, Neutral Polish and Gloss surfacer you can use!
You must be careful of Clearcoats though. the Craft clear Glosses in the spray cans will work better for you. Why? Well I have a Triumph Curbside (Monogram) that I reviewed years ago for the Central Arkansas Modelers Society when Jack Elliot had his shop in Jacksonville . Yes, we had a news letter even then. The Clearcoat has turned the car almost a tea colored silver undercoat car. It was TESTORS! The car was molded in a medium level pewter colored plastic, it has remained that color inside the body all these years!!
The only drawback to any Bee's Wax containing product is this, In U.V. light they will get a golden hue to the color. There are others there too.The standard Silver polish will work for polishing a BMF plane Before applying decals and stuff! Just don't use to much pressure! Fibreglas polishes for Cars and Boats,will work on many models and paints. Remember it's made to work on Gel-coat which is a plastic!