Which order to apply clear on

[Guest]

I'm up to painting the main body on the Lotus 49 I'm building. I haven't attached the engine yet as i plan to paint and decal the body before putting the wheels/engine on. My question is: I've primed the body and going to paint it Tamiya Racing green spray, which is already fairly shiny i'm guessing. Would I buy Tamiya gloss clear spray to put over the paint to make it shiny like a real race car, or is a matte or something else better? Also do I paint > decals > clear, or is it paint > clear > decals > clear? I've never used clear before on a model.


-Is there a way to apply clear spray on the model or is it just like painting with spray? Scared of stuffing the coats up!

[Guest]

Paint > clear > decals > clear


The gloss coat will help to avoid any silvering of the decals

[Guest]

Would I use the Tamiya TS-80 Flat Clear, TS-79 Semi Gloss, or TS65 Pearl Clear? Semi gloss i'm guessing if I want it shiny?

[Guest]

You want it really glossy? What was the real car like? Do you intend to hand polish?


If it was glossy then do what dubster said using ts-13 clear ( the ones you suggest are all variations on this but less shiny->Matt. ) No good for polishing really.


The Tamiya polishing cloths are totally the dogs danglies and soft enough not to marr and hologram the paint as long as they and the paint are properly clean. The Tamiya compounds are also amazing but have to be imported in the UK. I have a good few compounds for my car buy I feel they may be too abrasive and possibly have something in them that can react with the paint.


Finish with wax. If your really anal you can use a sealant as well before the wax.