I have been wondering about whether Testor's Dullcote, or any other specific brand, are really completely matt. I have been using Rust-oleum "Crystal Clear" matt varnish, but I would not say it is totally matt; it imparts a slight sheen. If there is a brand that is completely invisible I'd much prefer to use it.

Also, is the "new EU legal formular" of Dullcote any different?

I have also found that varnish eliminates some of the subtle drybrushed highlights, have others found that too?

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I know it's illegal to own and use in EU because of its toxicity:
Don't use that crap indoors ..

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In response to the "any other specific brand" part: I don't find the army painter anti-shine matt varnish to be totally sheen-less either. But then again i tend to just do one coat in any weather, so may well be user error on my part

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I stopped using Dullcote because over several cans it never actually applied a matte coat to my figures.

I use Krylon Matte spray now and it works like a charm.

Looks like there is no consensus on whether Dullcote definitely works, but the weather is certainly a factor I had not considered. I usually end up spraying outside in the evening and leave it out overnight to dry, which means it's cold. The reason I do that is because the Rust-oleum smells hideously toxic. In this regard it sounds similar to Dullcote so perhaps the same temperature restrictions apply.

I guess I will try again with the Rust-oleum, but I honestly can't see myself ever spraying the stuff inside the house, so it's only ever going to be warm enough in the summer really. I'm pretty sure that, even outside, this stuff has killed a few brain cells. In fact I attribute my typo of "formula" in the OP to this very cause.

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Dullcote ... I use it outside or in the garage with the door open ...

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I've found the Dullcote finish to be quite matte.

Just watch the spray. I nearly wrecked a mini because I was using a new can that came out so fast and thick I had to repaint the darn thing and ended up losing some detail.

I know people that swear by it as well as people who have had my experience which speaks to either inconsistent QC or differing formulas in different countries/areas.

I am also a dullcote fan - great finish but do not use indoors....

remember to shake properly and do not inhale.

I like to spray a couple coats of thined Testors semi gloss through an airbrush, then if I think the mini is too shiny I hit it with Testors Dullcoat. A coat or two of Testors Dullcoat will take the sheen off of anything, I have yet to have anything dull sheen down as reliably.

I also spray it inside all the time. I have a small airbrush spray booth now (that is not vented outside), but previously (like for 20+ years) I never had an issue with it.

As you can see from this thread alone that isn't necessarily always the case.

I've seen this discussion crop up on a lot of other forums over the last few years and the general consensus seems to be that there are issues with Dullcote but I've not ever seen any consistency in reports.

I used it religiously for years and then one day all the cans we were able to get in Canada were semi-gloss. Not matte at all and not matte even after multiple coats.

Krylon makes a matte spray that appears to be universally matte regardless of where people live and it is also half the price of Dullcote.

Rustoleum finishing sprays are crap as they yellow and really are not ideal for hobby stuff.

I can't speak to Dullcote in it's UK-friendly format, but I stopped using it awhile back because it was too flat. Essentially it was mucking up metallic finishes.
Most of the complaints I've heard with Dullcote are probably due to not shaking the can enough. In my experience, it takes LOTS of mixing to get the matt agent into solution properly.

Krylon Matte is great for everyday stuff and I have been airbrushing Testor's Flat Acryl for things, like AFVs, that need to be dead flat.

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