Need Advice on painting sequence

How I do armor is this.

Paint the road wheels and assemble. Set aside.

Assemble the hull and paint the base color. Paint any tools, cables, etc. Set aside.

Assemble the turret and paint the base color. Set aside.

Add road wheels to the hull and put the turret in place. Paint the camo colors.

Paint the tracks and assemble runs and add to the road wheels.

Glosscote and add decals.

Apply wash to panel lines, recesses, the base of raised details, etc. Let dry.

Dry brush to bring out highlights.

Seal with Dullcote.

Add smoke stains and dust with pastel chalk.

 

 

 

 

I'm working my first model in 20 years as well.  I'm building a Panzer III (oddly enough) and have a question about gloss coats and armor.  What is the purpose of doing a gloss coat before decals and then doing a dull coat at the end?  Is it that decals set better on gloss verses flats?

The reason for putting a clear gloss coat under a decal is to prevent "silvering" of the clear parts of the decal.  If you were to look a coat of flat paint w/a microsope, you'll discover that is very rough (making it so it doesn't reflect light).  If you apply a decal over flat paint, the decal (even after being softened) will very often remain on the tops of the rough surface, leaving air bubbles between the points, which shows up as silver, especially in the clear areas of the decal.

Gloss paint (clear or pigmented) gives  a smooth surface (which reflects light).  By applying a coat of gloss clear, you smooth the surface the decal is applied to, which eliminates the airpockets under the decal (thereby eliminating silvering).  Applying a clear coat (gloss, semigloss or flat) over the decal does a couple of things.  First, it makes the decal appear as if it were painted on with the same type of paints as the origional paint.  Secondly, it seals the decal to the surface and protects it.  

That's kinda what I figured.  Thanks for the response and great explaination.

 

cheers

O.Z.