A year back Geoff Illsley made an hour long video on You Tube - (check "Expert Model Craft - Realistic WWII Aircraft Finishing Techniques") Mr. Illsley is a veteran modeler and the chief judge at the "prestigeous" Euro-Militaire show. Very neat video: a little old school but includes some very thoughtful tips.
Illsley paints with enamels and recommends Windsor Newton Artists Matt Varnish to complete the build. That particular brand is designed to protect oil paintings and is thinned with mineral spirits: not sure if it's enamel or lacquer itself. It dries in half an hour so. (Like many other art companies Windsor Newton also makes an acrylic varnish: both as a kind of medium or UV protector: but this isn't what Illsley uses.) He claims that this stuff gives an added depth to the model and when applied with an airbrush is kind of an "eggshell" satin which he claims is accurate for Luftwaffe planes. (I don't doubt that.) He also likes the "color shift" it provides - lightening the surface and thus creating scale effect and unifying the finish.
I'm sure everything said is true, but the question is whether it is any different from any one of a number of acrylic matt varnishes. I think the "color shift" is inherent in matt as opposed to gloss. But if the product really gives a richer finish, it would be worth a shot, even though I'm not real keen on using solvents for anything.
Anyone out there used this stuff or it's equivalent made by other artist paint companies?
Eric