Thomas Stock Varnished and other Projects

[Cheeky_ULP]

Lately I have been putting matt varnish on my Thomas engines and some wagons. I figured I would share their changes here to show what a difference it makes. I'll post more as I varnish more:

[Metal]

That looks great. I'm curious, can it be used to clean off the weathering? If you happened to weather them.

[Anthony P2]

wow....it's amazing what a simple coat of matte varnish can do! great work! I might try this with my stuff now.

[Cheeky_ULP]

If you want to try it out for yourself, the brand I use is Testors. It should look like this in your hobby store:

Doesn't cost more than about 5 dollars. It's a spray and I applied a gentle coat to each engine, let it dry, then applied another gentle coat. It's a good idea to hold the can about a foot away from the engines and rolling stock, as per the instructions.

As for removing weathering, no it's not an eraser. It simply covers the models in a matt finish.

[Anthony P2]

Well I already have the varnish from an experimental weathering project I did a while ago, I just need to find the time. considering the fact that I'll be on spring break this week, I might do it while I have some time on my hands! 

[Blackfive1994]

great idea to prevent the black lining on the James model from being scratched.

[Cheeky_ULP]

Next up is Henry, Duck and Diesel.

[thomasj219]

Very nice! I'm considering doing this myself.

[PasqualeCS96]

This is going to sound ignorant of me but what does varnish actually do for the models?

[DoggySporty]

They look just like the post-Thomas and the Magic Railroad models!  So clean and soft looking.
I know most people prefer the glossy classic era models but I like both styles in different ways.

[Cheeky_ULP]

This is going to sound ignorant of me but what does varnish actually do for the models?

Matt varnish specifically gets rid of the glossy shine on whatever its sprayed on.

I applied matt varnish to my last three Bachmann Thomas engines; Bill, Donald, and Toby. For Donald and Bill, I kept their nameplates covered so those would not get varnished, and thus keep their shine.

[JD417]

Donald is my favorite one so far! The matte black colour looks so much cooler compared to the gloss..! 

[Blackfive1994]

I prefer my Thomas engines glossy and pristine. the varnish makes them look a little weathered, but look very nice none the less.

[Cheeky_ULP]

Recently I got an airbrush, and am beginning to learn how to use it.


I liked the left color a bit more.


Still a work in progress.


I began working on Annie and Clarabel when I had a mishap with the compressed air can, so I ran out of air early. I also need to get thinner to get paint out of my airbrush. For now, here is Clarabel.