It's too late now, but...

[SnowCrash]

What is the best surface to begin weathering over? A flat dullcoat or a gloss coat?

I just finished weathering an x-wing (so it's too late now!), but after I added the decals I sprayed the whole thing with testors dull coat. Once I started in on the pastels, I couldn't wip them off, and the whole thing got a little *too* dark. It doens't look bad, just darker than what I was going for, and not 'mottled' enough.

I just wanted to ask if you guys generally apply a coat of Future floor polish or something prior to hitting it with the pastels. So, I'm thinking my next project steps will be like this:
1. paint hull
2. add decals
3. coat with future
4. pastels
5. oil wash (opt)
6. dull coat
Sound good?

[Kylwell]

Paint
Gloss
Decals
Wash
Flat coat
Weather

That's generally how I do it. Decals & washes are best over gloss and pastel adhear better to matte finishes.

[Lt. Z0mBe]

Paint
Gloss
Decals
Wash
Flat coat
Weather

That's generally how I do it. Decals & washes are best over gloss and pastel adhear better to matte finishes.

What Rob said. Washes over flat = ugly stain. Pastels over gloss = dirty orange peel.

Also, to lock your pastels down, use a very light flat mist. I mean VERY light mist as in "spray-flat-coat-in-the-air-and-fly-the-subject-through-the-mist" light mist. Understand?

Kenny

[Mr. Badwrench]

There are times when you can apply a wash over a flat coat, but it's dangerous as heck. Once the wash is down, you can't wipe it back off, so you have to be very selective on how and where you place it. It isn't a wash so much as a stain. But it works pretty well, especially on Star Wars subjects, where you want the model to look stained and filthy.