Polishing is the last step on any model that should look factory-fresh — racing cars, airliners, anything that left the production line gleaming. Compounds level the clear coat in stages, from coarse through medium to fine, removing spray texture and small blemishes before bringing the surface up to a mirror. The section holds polishing compounds in several grades, modelling wax and the finest finishing abrasives.
Below: how to tell when a clear coat is genuinely ready, and why skipping a grade always shows in the final shine.
Tamiya Polishing Compound FINISH - Leštící pasta jemná
7.56 €
Tamiya Polishing Compound COARSE - Leštící pasta základní
3.56 €
Compound Applicator
11.16 €
Mr. Water Proof Polishing Cloth - 2 leštící utěrky (6000/8000) 93x230mm
7.20 €
Mr. Water Proof Polishing Cloth - 2 leštící utěrky (2400/4000) 93x230mm
7.20 €
Tamiya Modeling Wax with applicator
14.76 €
Even an excellent spray job has a microscopic texture — orange peel, specks of dust, traces of overspray. On a small model the eye reads this as nearly glossy. Polishing levels that layer mechanically: the peaks are cut down first, then the scratches left by the coarser abrasive are replaced by finer ones until they disappear.
The result is categorically different from gloss paint on its own. Reflections stop being blurred and gain hard edges, which on a racing car cannot be achieved any other way.
The clear coat must be fully hardened, not merely dry to the touch — with some synthetic lacquers that means weeks. Polishing soft lacquer just smears it. The coat also has to be thick enough: on a thin film it is very easy to cut through to the colour beneath.
Begin with the finest abrasive that will still deal with the defect in front of you; starting needlessly coarse only makes more work later. A typical sequence runs from very fine abrasive paper through coarse compound to medium and fine. Each grade has to remove every trace of the one before, or the scratches will reappear in the final shine.
Use a small amount of compound on soft cloth or an applicator, in circular or cross-hatched strokes, and above all without pressure. Wipe the surface clean between grades so coarser grit is not carried into the next step. Ease off on edges and raised detail, which cut through first.
After the finest compound, modelling wax seals the surface and lifts the shine further. It also fills the remaining microscopic scratches and makes dust easier to remove later.
Other finishing products are listed under modelling chemicals. Polishing rewards patience above everything: one skipped grade shows up in the final shine immediately.
