Hello, I am a relatively new 'returnee' to modeling, recently completing and brush painting the 1:72 dogfight double set of Spitfire Mk1a and BF109E. I then went on to the standalone Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero and purchased alternate paints from the Vallejo range... That's where my troubles started. The Humbrol paints included with DD set thinned with water very well and i had no issue with them, however the Vallejo paints behaved strangely. First i was not happy with the initial two coats that i gave, only being satisfied by the the third - but i then realised that the coating was extremely soft and vulnerable to scratching. In all it has takien over 48 hours to feel the paint has fully set. Additionally, I had trouble with decals on this model. I again used the Vallejo range of Decal 'fix' and 'softener' which has resulted in a sticky mess, blemishing the surrounding areas of paint. I have some Humbrol clear satin. Just wondered if i might risk brushing this over the model to improve appearance - Which leads to the question: Do people usually finish a model with varnish? Is it usual to protect a finished model with some sort of coating to protect from dust etc?
