One of the great things I love about MRP is that it dries to a smooth gloss ready to take
decals and washes. Sometimes I will apply a gloss varnish, perhaps over the
decals as I did with my last build, but this time I have decided to skip a gloss varnish all together and apply the pin washes direct to the paint. MRP is robust enough to do this provided it has been left at least 30 minutes to cure. In this case I did not manage to get to the bench over the weekend so it has had a lot of time to harden.
I do pin washes rather than a sludge wash, using AK or MIG enamel washes. I apply them using a brush that is long and thin which minimises the excess. If I had more patience I suspect I could get a lot less excess than is shown in this picture.
I remove the excess with a large flat brush that is damp (rather than wet) with white spirit. In doing so I brush in the direction of air flow. Remember some streaking is necessary but be careful not to over do it.
After an initial going over I leave it for half an hour and revisit it. I always find odd places when I need to remove a little more excess. In particular I check trailing edges of wings, fins etc. if you miss something then you have applied the varnish there is not much you can do about it.
Here are the brushes I use.
What is important with enamel washes is to leave enough time for them to fully dry before applying your matt varnish. If you don’t then you can get a white bloom.
Usually I leave it for 24 hours to play safe.