GLOSS/MATT...A " REALISM" DOUBT

I can't say i have seen many military models finished in a gloss or semi gloss finish, not that i have noticed. Of course, some people prefer an artistic finish rather than realistic, useing colour modulation for example, so some may well prefer a touch of shine to their builds.

In the end, its your choice, personally, i go for a matt finish and aim for my builds to be as realistic as possable under the circumstances.

There are always exceptions to the "matt" military colours rule. Consider that US Navy aircraft have often had gloss finishes, from the gloss dark blues of the post WW2 era to the gloss gull grey over gloss white finishes of the 60's through mid-80's. Late WW2 Spitfires were sometimes polished to a high gloss to gain a few MPH to aid in intercepting V1's.

Also consider that for ground vehicles, a coating of dust from traveling a mile or two down a dirt track  or road would quickly ender any gloss finish dull.

I have seen military aircraft on this forum finished in what I think is a semi-gloss.  Maybe eggshell is more accurate.  It is certainly not a high gloss, but not truly flat either.

I have to say I like the effect, though I have not tried to re-produce it (yet).

I agree with Phil.  This wouldn't work for ground vehicles.

Many of the military paints are indeed more of a semi-matt or eggshell when brand new, but they do weather to a full flat after awhile.  Also, older paints did not weather well, so even something painted glossy would weather to a full flat if not polished frequently.

Hi,

I suppose that it may also be possible that since many modelers like to put a gloss coat on their model before applying decals and then apply a matt coat after that (if I am understanding correctly) that this may give the completed model a little bit of a different appearance than if it were painted solely with matt paints throughout the build - but thats just a guess.

Pat