[Editor's Note: This is part of an ongoing series of articles originally written by the talented Kyun for his late, lamented Wee Toy Soldiers site. Since he's had to step away from the hobby for the foreseeable future, he's kindly given permission for his work to be reprinted in the interest of keeping it available to the community. The series will continue each Tuesday as long as the supply holds out.]

Future (yes, the floor wax!) is quite possible one of the most versatile and useful non-hobby product ever used for the miniatures hobby. It produces durable and glossy finish, can be tinted with inks and paints, and is non-toxic. The latter point is very important to me, as I like to keep this hobby as safe as possible for me and those around me. I’ve long ago discarded my inventory of enamel/lacquer paints, have moved on to non-toxic glue, and have been trying to move away from spray cans for priming or finishing.

Anyway, when Future is used on a figure, it produces a super shiny finish. Now, some people like that. Not me. I prefer a semi-gloss/satin-y finish or a completely matte finish. So I’ve been looking for a brush-on flattening coat.

Now, perhaps you’ve read my experiment with the Tamiya Flat Base elsewhere on the blog. That was a disaster! I then tackled the same project with Testors Flat Clear Acryl, from their Model Master Acryl line:

Mmm… “water wash-up” and “non-toxic,” two of my favorite hobby phrases…

Here is our volunteer Tau Fire Warrior, all nice and shiny in Future glory:

… and here is the same figure, after the solution of Flat Clear Acryl had dried! I mixed it 1:1 ratio with distilled water, and used a brush to apply it. Front view:

Back view:

The bright spots are the flash glares. The miniature in person is quite flat.

Here’s a close up of an area along the gun barrel where I missed applying the solution:

Obviously, this worked a lot better than the Tamiya Flat Base. Heck, this worked, period, and that one didn’t! The only difference I can think of is that the Testors Acryl is a flat coat, whereas the Tamiya Flat Base is designed to be mixed with paint. Perhaps the pigments and opacity in the paints would “hide” the whitening effect.

This is perhaps just as well, as the Testors lines are more readily available here in the States than the Tamiya lines. Pretty much every hobby store I’ve ever walked in stocked Testors paints, and the same can’t be said about the Tamiya paints.

P.S. By the way — checking the Testors website shows that this particular sized bottle may have been discontinued. The one I have (that I bought 4-5 years ago) is a 1 fl. oz. bottle, part no. “FM02015 Flat Clear Acryl”. However, a search turned out an enamel flattener under that stock number, and the Acryl line clear coats they list now only come in 1/2 fl. oz. bottles. I would venture to guess that the latter is the same formula as the one I have, only in a smaller bottle.

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