AK Interactive Gauzy Glass Coat & Intermediate Agent

[JeroenPeters]

Gauzy Glass Coat &

Intermediate agent

AK Interactive

Available from AK Interactive for € 6,50 / € 5,95

 

 

 

 

Gauzy Glass Coat

Let’s start with the little green jar. To put it simple: this is the equivalent of Future / Klear. To be quite honest I’ve stopped using this technique due to a couple of faul ups of my canopies. I’ve tried several brands, asked around, but still noticed an uneven effect on the surface. I somehow never managed to get it right. So when I received this product I put it aside, reluctant to give it a go. When cleaning out my stash I stumbled on a big box of spare parts, including many transparent parts.

 

Un-treated canopy of 32nd scale Ki-43:

 

 

Treated canopy:

 

 

 

 

I took the canopy of a Hasegawa 32^nd scale Ki-43 and dipped it in. Gauzy has the same colour and thickness as Klear. The diameter of the jar enables most canopies in 32^nd scale to fit in, which saves you pouring a small cup full of the stuff, only to pour it back in the bottle or jar when finished. Besides: you don’t want to do that too often, since that is a good recipe for fouling up the agent! When you take out the canopy, you’ll notice the fluid is milky in colour. Just put it on a tissue first, allowing the superfluous Gauzy to be sucked from the glass and then put it on a surface where the canopy has the least possible contact with the surface. Let’s say a small open box, so it only touches the edges of the box. The Gauzy dries up completely transparent. It’s like using Micro-sol. Don’t touch it when it’s doing it’s work: even though you really want to. My Ki-43 canopy dried up very evenly, with great transparency. Since the canopy had been in a spares box, amidst other plastic parts, it suffered some small scratches. These were almost completely filled up by the Gauzy, making them almost invisible. What the Gauzy (but Klear alike) also does, is make the surface much harder and more resistant to scratching. So what it does is:

-       Enhance clarity

-       Fill small scratches and dings

-       Protect the glass

After the canopy is treated with Gauzy and completely hardened out over night, you can easily mask the canopy, without lifting or removing the Gauzy coat.

 

What I can’t quite make out is the actual formula that was used. How much does this product differ from Future / Klear? My sample works great and I appreciate the jar that allows for easy dipping. I also appreciate the fact I don’t have to pour the stuff from a big bottle to smaller cups.

 

 

One small tip: make sure the fluid is completely air-bubble (or foam) free on the surface. Let is settle, before you dip the canopy in. Otherwise you’ll pull the canopy out with the small air bubbles on the surface, risking an en-even finish.

 

What it says on the jar:

 

 

Side by side: Two 32nd Scale Mosquito canopy panels. The right one is treated:

 

 

Intermediate agent (Shine Enhancer)

This stuff is (I reckon) almost the same as the Gauzy Glass Coat, but it’s intended for model coating. Presumably prior to decal-time. I’ve shot it through my airbrush on an old model and that flowed perfectly. The drying time seems a bit longer than standard Klear. Which I like, because sometimes small drops / splatters of Klear can dry too quickly before getting a chance to settle smoothly. I also used a wide brush to apply the agent and noticed you need to brush slowly to prevent air bubbles from forming on the surface. The name 'Shine Enhancer' is a little mis-leading, because it does more than that. It adds a gloss coat, rather than polish up a satin or matt finish.

 

Half wing of an old abandoned build treated with air brush applicated Shine Enhancer:

 

 

What it says on the bottle:

 

 

Verdict

Is this stuff better than Klear? Or is it even different? Difficult to tell. All I know is that after an unfortunate series of mishaps with dipping canopies in Klear, I now managed to get great results with Gauzy on the first go. I’ll let you decide for yourself!

 

Our sincere thanks to AK Interactive for this review.

To purchase Gauzy Glass coat directly, click THIS link.

To purchase Gauzy Intermediate Agent directly, click THIS link.

 

Jeroen Peters

Large Scale Modeller

 

 

 

 

 

[rkranias]

Clearly, a great review Jeroen.

[Dave J]

Interesting! Never had great results with Future..

 

How does the Intermediate Agent hand oil washes etc?