Dumb Question maybe about finishes

No, it's not bad—it's supposed to look like that. The flat base is meant to be mixed either with Tamiya Clear Gloss (or a Tamiya gloss paint) to produce different levels of sheen. You can also mix it with Future rather than the Tamiya gloss.

The flat base is slightly thixotropic—a fancy word that means it will become slightly more liquid when  you stir it, which you should before mixing with Future or Tamiya.

I have found I get better results thinning the Tamiya Flat Base + Future mixture with about 10 percent isopropyl (80 to 90 percent) by volume. I use a ratio of flat base to Future of about 1 to 4 for very flat. Play with it. One large bottle of flat base will last a long time.

BlueBlaster wrote:

I got some  Tamiya  flat base . my question is it seems  aweful thick  kinda  like  a  semi gel...does  that mean its  bad?

No not at all.

Tamiya X-21 Flat Base is not intended as a clear coat in its own right. It's sole purpose is as an additive, to be mixed with gloss finishes (both clears and colours) to make them "flat".

Once again,  DO NOT attempt to use the flat base on its own as a clear flat coat. If you do this, you will get a sometimes sticky, chalky white goo all over your model. However, mix it with X-22 Clear Gloss, (approx 4 parts clear, 1 part flat base) and this should give you the desired result. (as always, experiment a bit with the mix ratios to get the desired level of "flat")

Phil_H wrote:

Once again,  DO NOT attempt to use the flat base on its own as a clear flat coat. If you do this, you will get a sometimes sticky, chalky white goo all over your model.

This is SO true! Been there, done that, have the sticky, chalky white gooey tshirt!

Properly mixed with Tamiya Clear or Future and you get a lovely satiny to matte finish.

There are no dumb questions, only dumb answers. My wife tells me I have plenty of those!

Frosty, the Corsair, didn't have a shiny nose!
(or anything else, for that matter.)

Mine actually dried to a frosted glaze—severe icing conditions, that's it! Really, that's what I was trying to model…



I wonder how many have made this mistake?

Thanks folks for the replies I was wondering, so gonna spearament with some future/flat base thanks again