Of course its not the only way to go, there are lots of alternatives, Lakeland do one thats been mentioned round and about the forums, obviously we now know that cobra floor polish, (new to me but maybe a pic of the bottle a supplier sources would be good for the folks interested?), theres another in a blue bottle i've seen but don't recall the name at present, it looks like the new Klear, it lists ingredients the same and I suspect that it'll do the same job.
The irony with the old stuff being so expensive when you see it is that the whole reason for using this stuff in the first place was that IT WAS CHEAP! it's a cheap thin acrylic gloss varnish perfect for a pre weathering / decalling coat, whereas now, it isn't and i'm baffled that some people are so convinced of it's mystical power they'll pay and average of £15 for a bottle.
Some people believe that if you wipe a Klear saturated rag over a 70's
airfix warbird it transforms it into a current
Tamiya 1/32 scale highly detailed warbird, i think, utterly insane.
If the stockpiler is who I think i'd happily buy one or maybe two bottles from him at a reasonable cost which would see me for a long time for my useage of it, the only reason for me as said is the perfumed smell, that aside i'm happy to use the new.
Personally I think what he should do is list them one after the other individually on ebay for £10 start price and rake in the money and laugh his pants off, if I had 16 bottles i'd offer say 6 on here to people you know would appreciate and flog the other ten on ebay to the highest moron, i mean bidder
Re the coats and glossiness Laurie, the more coats, the glossier the finish, (you can also flatten with
Tamiya's flat base for those who like to use it as a finishing coat) 30% dead flat, 20% Satin, 10% Semi Gloss. One coat won't give a high gloss, two will be looking a nice glossy / semi gloss and three will get it nice and shiny, not had any issues with Turps based oil washes getting through it, i always let it cure 24 hours before washing or using decal solvents.
Re alternatives, Hannants own Xtracryl gloss, semi gloss and flat varnishes are great value, £3 ish a big bottle, thiins with water and is gloopy so very economical and the best bit is it dries in 15 min, I didn't believe it either but first try i touched it after 20, bone dry, i oil washed it after 30, not a single hiccup, excellent stuff and I tend to use this for my finishing varnish, not tried the flat and some say it's more satin than flat but the gloss and satin are great.
There is one thing and one thing only it's perfect for, dipping clear parts, i've not found anything else that does the job quite as well., canopies or lenses, dip, sit on kitchen roll to soak up excess and result is a super glossy see through bit, also makes painting of canopy frames better and easier to clean up edges, if you make a complete mess re dip the part and wipe the lot off and start again.
