Here and elsewhere, I've often mentioned U-POL as an inexpensive substitute for Tamiya TS-13 clearcoat. I can understand why skeptical modelers would be leery of something so cheap. The cost works out to a small fraction of the cost of TS-13.
Not long ago, someone asked for pix. I didn't have anything ready at the time, but now I'm able to post a few shots of the Porsche 356 Speedster I just finished painting.
I'll start with the "unpolished truth."
The color coat is a custom automotive urethane mix; I was trying to replicate Porsche's famous Ruby Red that was available on the Speedster and other 356s. I sprayed about four thin coats of U-POL over the urethane. With both TS and U-POL clears, I tend to make each coat pretty light and on the dry side. That produces a bit of orange peel - and makes for more work polishing - but there's less chance of sags or runs or the dreaded bubbling that sometimes happens when it's sprayed too wet and too thick.
I shoot it straight out of the 500 ml spray can.
Here are some shots taken after polishing.
To polish the U-POL I started with plain ol' 2000 grit paper. Then I followed the standard routine of Tamiya Coarse, Fine and Finish compounds. That "roughness" in the reflections isn't OP; those are some trees outside the window where I took the shots.
I'm a huge fan of Tamiya products, so using something else seemed pretty risky, but it was a risk that is paying off. If you're as impressed as I've been, shoot me a PM and I'll connect you with a source.
Ddms