Matte or gloss finish on gray ww2 LCI

[Mr.Brightside]

I'm a noob. I'm not very good at this hobby, but I love it!

I need to paint my LCI "light gray" but should it be matte or gloss???

Please forgive my naivete, I searched other forums, but just couldn't find a definite conclusion.


Thank you.


Mr. Brightside

[Timmy C]

What scale is your LCI?

In real life and up-close, paints were glossy. But from far away and in the scales most of us work in here, glossy makes the models appear too toy-like, and a matte/flat finish is preferred.

[Mr.Brightside]

Thank you for replying, Timmy.

The scale is 1/160 static model kit.

Again sorry for being a burden. Like I said I am a greenhorn greener than grass!

[MartinJQuinn]

I'd go with a matt finish.

Again sorry for being a burden. Like I said I am a greenhorn greener than grass!

You can't learn if you don't ask - don't apologize and keep asking questions.

[SovereignHobbies]

I take it the LCI in question here is being modelled in US service?

I only ask because the Royal Navy specified all camouflage paints in matt finish.

[Tracy White]

I'm not very good at this hobby, but I love it!

If you're having fun, you're doing it right!

US Navy paints in World War Two were designed to be flat as reflecting light (glint) could give away a ship's position. However a couple of factors to consider.
1) Kit decals often do not look good on a flat paint. Air gets under the carrier film and causes an appearance called "silvering." The most common way to prevent this is to either spray a gloss paint or spray a clear gloss coat over a flat paint before applying the decals. This generally leads to a flat coat being required over the gloss coat to take the shine down, but this also seals in the decals and protects them from handling, cleaning, etc. There are "flat coats" and there is also the ability to mix flats and gloss coats to get a more precise sheen that looks more in scale, which brings us to....
2) A lot of builders will take "scale effect" into mind when painting and "weathering." Colors loose their intensity the farther away you get from the surface, so a "true" color may make a model look a little off. As has been said, glossy doesn't look right, but dead flat doesn't either. A lot of what gets labelled as weathering may actually be more of a scale-effect (washes to create shadows around some details, for example).

These are things that many like to do, but they aren't necessary - what matters is how *you* have fun. I always say that a model that never gets finished is a worse job that one that gets slapped together and finished.

[raggs]

Mr. Brightside, I surmise from your applying gray paint this LCI was operating in the European theater in WWII.
Otherwise we be discussing shades of green.

I would second with Martin's call on the matte finish. These little ships were workhorses,
they didnt stay pretty for long.

Keep in mind Tracey points, esp about the decals, good stuff.

Have fun building.

Paul