not an easy answer for this. i have tried varathane but it has a tendency to yellow the white bottom of the ship when applied. i use an oil based flat paint for the ships white bottom so if you are going to seal it you must use an oil based sealer. because i use an oil based paint it dries quit hard and durable so i do not use any sealer/varnish. for the upper parts i go with acrylic paint or stain and use a product called Saman. its a water-based sealer in a matt finish and they also make about 20 or so stains in various shades also water based. these colors can be mixed and/or diluted to make any color you need.
I use Minwax brand polyurethanes…both the water based and the oil based. Both dry clear. My go to is the water based semi gloss poly. I have not experienced any yellowing or discoloration. My second go to is the matte rub on poly (designed to rub on with a rag and polished as it dries but can be brushed on as well). I often poly every part of a build as I go…given your example, I would poly it all before advancing to the next step.
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Dullcote by 3M was always my absolute favorite, in satin. I grieve the loss of it. It is no longer made and nothing else even comes close, from my experience. I would love to hear any members' suggestions along this line...what alternative is there to Dullcote? I should have bought a case of the stuff back in the 1980s.
One more thought…I find a difference in how the sheen of poly coatings “protect” a model either painted, stained, or natural. My post above I noted semi gloss as my preferred sheen because of the type “hardness” or porosity of the coating, not because of the shiny vs. dull properties. I would also use satin. To explain my reasoning: think of painting wood with a flat sheen paint. The flat sheen is more difficult to, for example, clean with a wet cloth. The flat sheen is very porous. Now think of painting wood with a gloss sheen paint. Very easy to clean with a wet cloth…the sheen is less porous. I use semi gloss poly for the degree of “porosity“ of the protection it offers. In my experience it is the porosity of the sheen that allows for successful adhesion of glues. I am less interested in the degree of “shine.” I hope this makes sense…
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I’m trying matte acrylic varnish: first Model Color varnish and just bought an 8 oz. bottle of Liquitex (art supply store). Artists use it over paintings (protects them from UV). I’ve used it finishing base boards; two/three coats on a raw, sanded and tack ragged base board, burnish with fine bronze wool, and a couple of coats of furniture paste wax. Buff and you’re done. I had Minwax brand so that’s what I used. I most always use Model Color brushing acrylics and once in a while, Model Master enamel. I haven’t yet seen a need to overcoat the paint surfaces.
i bet you’d like matte acrylic varnish. Seems to leave the same degree of shine or flatness as the color paint surface has. It doesn’t seem porous at all to me. You can also buy it in semi gloss or gloss. The Model Color brushed on perfectly and water clean up, too.