I'm just about done painting my first full custom. Is there something I should be putting on over the paint to protect it? I used citadel paints.

There are many different products out there. I think you should use something to protect the paint.

I hit mine with this to protect it:

http://www.michaels.com/americana-duraclear-matte-varnish/10196007.html#start=42

Then after that dries thoroughly I hit it with this to make it dull which is the look I prefer as opposed to the glossiness of the clear coat:

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/3-ounce-dullcote-spray-lacquer-358978/

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Echo the Duraclear love. I have a real problem with humidity in this apartment, and I have tried all of the various sealers, from brush on to aerosol. So far, the only one that stood the test of time and environment has been Americana's Duraclear Matte and Satin varnish. It is good to go right out of the tube after a good shake and dries non-tacky and seals so good, even dips in boiling water some time after doesn't loosen it. It is a ployurethane based sealer.

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I avoid finishing my figures because I've never found a product I like the result of. Might have to try these. How do they hold up on joints?

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the good news is that using a premium paint like citadel, you are pretty good shape either way.

that said, I'm not overly fond of spray on clear coats. The best luck I've had so far is to use watered down Mod Podge (matte finish), and brush on a couple of coats, letting it dry between each one.

But I think Cap touched on a good point - the climate you are in might affect what choice you make. I'm in the midwest where you get virtually every type. What I like best about Mod Podge for this is that I've been customizing Joe since '07 and other figures even longer than that, and I think I am only now on my 2nd jar of the stuff.

I prefer the brush on aspect, as I can do it without going to my spray area.

Oh, and when I say water it down, I put some MP in a small jar, mix in water til it's the consistency of milk, then brush on. Easy peasy.

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having just participated in a JC customizing panel, I will add this however - there is no one right way to do anything in this hobby. Just have fun finding out which approach works best for you, and run with it. That's true of every technique.

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I tend to mix model masters clear coat into my paints, and I like the finish I get, but I feel like my paint jobs aren't very durable. I've heard some claim there are sure fire finishing methods out there, but I've erred on the side of better looking and less durable, until I find a better compromise.

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Dan, that was the very reason that I started changing my customs from fully painted, to finding or having casted parts in the colors I need, then just having minimal painting required such as the head, hands, or minute detailing. I hate painting on a grand scale, for the most part, and if I can accomplish what I want with a LBC or 90 percent LBC, then I am happy.

It is the temperature here in this apartment that facilitated the need. We for the most part have a constant 85 degrees in the apartment (not by choice) and near 100% humidity in Florida. Barring these smaller cool spells of 75 to 80 degree weather, most of the time it is like breathing under water here. You'd figure a state with this high humidity would sell dehumidifiers. Nope, humidifiers, and space heaters. Damn binky, that.

With the customs, paint takes longer, even acrylics, due to the humidity. That is why I started airbrushing for large jobs and priming. The heat makes the layers dry fast (sadly the airbrush mechanisms too but I am really quick with the unit), and the micro fine spray really leaves a smooth finish to every custom I use it on. Especially the fleshtones. Doc Rob turned me on to Model Masters paints, which I can thin for airbrush use using Daler and Rowney arcylic inks. I prefer this to thinning with water or thinner because the inks have a binder in them as well and this offers twice the protection without lessening the pigment.

But finding parts where I can use the color of the plastic was the way to go for me, especially with the dreaded issue of the joints. Take a UV lamp to any figure and you'll see just how different those joints are in terms of plastic. Some are oil impregnated and try as you might, paint just peels off even with a sanded joint, which I am not a fan of because I pose my figures, a lot. Drbindy taught me years ago to take permanent markers to those joints that one can to prime them, and this worked great for those odd joints where the figure I am making is dark, but the joints are bright yellow, white, or green. The sad reality is that the parts I prefer, were on figures where they were plentiful in smaller towns across America, but scarce as Hell in the cities, like the Ms. Marvels, Mary Jane Watsons, Storms (comic pack/single pack), Kraven the Hunters, Absorbing mans, and so on. About the only flesh figure that was plentiful were the Namor/Imperious Rex figures.

You know who makes a paint that is good to go straight from the tubes? Martha Stewart. I tried a couple of her tube paints for various customs and man, they go on smooth, are as permanent as FolkArt metallics, and were not too shabby on the price.

So yeah, I will definitely shill the Duraclear matte varnish. I use the brush-on variety and have a set of brushes that I use just for sealing. Makes a great sealer for slide decals too.

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