Panel Lines
Topics: 
Panel Lines
Panel Lines Help
Filling Large Panel Lines
 
 
Panel Lines
 
Posted By: Andrei Koribanics <andreikor@aol.com>
Date: Wednesday, 16 September 1998, at 10:19 a.m.
 
Here's a neat, effective and particularly easy way to 'darken' the actual panel lines in 'addition' to airbrushing...
I use a mechanical pencil and .3mm lead to actually 'draw' the lines in the engraved areas...
this only works on matte surfaced paint, and the resulting 'metallic' graphite lines will require an overspray of dullcoat. 2H lead is plenty dark for light colors (i.e. lt. grey), B or 2B is better for dark colors, the softer lead appearing darker.
 
Andrei
 
Re: Panel Lines
 
Posted By: Mike Good <boneheadmg@aol.com>
Date: Tuesday, 22 September 1998, at 11:49 a.m.  
 
Yo Andrei! Not you again?  
I used to use the old pencil trick back in the old days (dang, am I getting old or what?). Local model guru, Roy Sutherland (of Cooper Details) helped me with some techniques on my last model, and I am sold! He uses Future floor polish for his "gloss coat" before applying decals. This stuff is damn near bullet proof and completely imperviuos to thinners. Apply your decals, and after they dry, follow with another coat of Future to seal them. Now, as long as your model has engraved panel lines, you can go over the panel lines with an enamel or oil paint wash (I use Humbrol). The beauty of this technique is that you can easily control the color and intensity of the wash and, if you are not happy with it, you can simply wipe it off with a tissue moistened with thinner and try again! I also use this technique for general weathering and staining. Just put a dab of very thin paint where you want it and smear it in the direction of flight with your finger. This not only looks great, but it is easy to do and your mistakes are easily and neatly corrected!
Things to avoid:
 
DO NOT make the panel lines too dark! this is a common mistake and results in a model which looks more like a badly assembled jigsaw puzzle than a tightly constructed airplane! Panel lines should only appear slightly darker than the base color......
DO NOT make the panel lines too EVEN in color. The reason panel lines show up at all in photos is because they tend to collect dirt and crud. Obviously, this occurs in a random manner and the lines will visually tend to fade in and out to an extent. Nothing looks more phony and contrived than perfectly even (rapidograph) applied lines dividing up the surface of a model. Variation is the key to realism and regularity is its enemy!
Cheers Guys, Have fun!!
Mike Good
 
Re: Panel Lines
 
Posted By: Dan Salamone <dano@rust.net>
Date: Tuesday, 22 September 1998, at 3:57 p.m.
 
Mike,
Another way to vary the appearance of the panel lines is by using pastel chalks; it also gives the ability to show darker and lighter lines and is a forgiving medium to use. I actually use a combination of artists' oils and chalks for this process for the reason they are easy to use, and give a nice impression of the real thing...
Dan
 
Re: Panel Lines
 
Posted By: Terry Garrard <tgarrard@juno.com>
Date: Friday, 25 September 1998, at 3:59 p.m.
 
Here's another idea. I use a wash of watercolor. It is best to use artist watercolor that comes in a tube. I generally use black with any one of several browns mixed in. Sometimes I add a little white to tone it down. Also, add a little dish soap as an emulsifier. This breaks the surface tension of the water and allows the wash to flow nicely into the tiniest details. It is best to apply the wash after gloss coating and decaling the model. Don't worry about getting carried away with the wash because it wipes right up with a damp paper towel. In fact, I always lightly brush over the surface with the towel to make sure the edges are clean around the details. Once you are satisfied, then just seal it in with the flat coat.
 
 
Re: Panel Lines
 
Posted By: Jay Yosh <jayosh@pacbell.net>
Date: Friday, 23 October 1998, at 12:30 a.m.
   
Great suggestions.
Has anyone tried a Gundammarker? The local hobby shop tried to get me to buy some but they were more than i wanted to spend on an unknown/new product. They were supposed to be "super".
 
Panel Lines Help
 
Posted By: Bill Steinberg <Bsteinbe@genre.com>
Date: Friday, 26 February 1999, at 9:47 a.m.
 
Hi all:
Trying to improve my "beginner" status as a modeler, I recently embarked on highlighting panel lines on aircraft. I have had OK results, but want to know if anyone has any ideas. Some companies are better suited for this process than others. Academy kits, for instance all hve engraved panel lines that are ideal for highlighting. Others, not so much. I'm not interested in scribing my own panel lines.... yet. I have seen that some panel lines are "overdone," especially on kit box photos.
Anyway, I took some tips from another website. I use pastel chalks, grind them into dust, and apply with a paintbrush over the lines. A "dry brush" process. It works well, but sometimes the dust "smudges" where it shouldn't and greatly dulls the finish. Cleaning with water afterwards helps, but it doesn't always remove all dust. Should a clear or dull coat be applied before or after this process? Does anyone have any suggestions or tips? Maybe I just have to be more careful!
Regards, 
Bill Steinberg
 
Re: Panel Lines Help
 
Posted By: Andrei Koribanics <andreikor@aol.com>
Date: Friday, 26 February 1999, at 4:22 p.m.
   
Bill...
Try using a drafting (mechanical) pencil and .05mm leads to actually 'draw' the panel lines in the engraved grooves...works best on lighter, matte colors.
Best,
Andrei
 
Re: Panel Lines Help
 
Posted By: Terry Garrard <tgarrard@juno.com>
Date: Friday, 26 February 1999, at 4:32 p.m.
 
I use either a metal Verlinden template or, for longer lines and curved surfaces, that hard plastic label maker tape. I have pretty good results cutting the lines with either a #11 held backwards or a Squadron scriber.
As far as highlighting the lines, try a watercolor wash after you apply the gloss coat and decals. You may want to shoot one more gloss coat to seal the decals before applying the wash. Use the artist watercolor in the tubes. Depending on the scheme of the aircraft I use a variety of black-brown or brownish-grey combinations. Put a small amount of dish soap in your paint as an emulsifier, otherwise the paint will just roll off the surface and not penetrate the lines. If you get too much watercolor on the plane, just wipe it lightly with a damp paper towel to remove the excess. I like this system because it's hard to overdo, and at contests I probably get more questions about how I did my panel lines than anything else.
Terry
 
Filling Heavy Recessed Panel Lines
 
Posted By: DANIS Jean-Charles <jean-charles.danis@cfwb.be>
Date: Thursday, 1 March 2001, at 11:50 p.m.
 
Hi all,
I wonder what's the best method to fill crude or too heavy recessed lines (for example on old Matchbox and Huma kits) and enough solid in order to rescribe thinner (Hasegawa style) recessed lines on them after they were filled.
Thanks for information!
J.C. DANIS
 
Posted By: Tom Hall <Hall023038@aol.com>
Date: Saturday, 3 March 2001, at 6:35 p.m.
 
Am I the only one who stretches sprue from the same kit and lays it in with tube or liquid cement? This way, there's not too much difference in the hardnesses of the
fill and the surroundings. Messy? Yes, but I'm not too worried about panel lines in 1/72nd. The way panel lines are done on models is a little weird. Today's models have crevices to simulate different sheet metal panels, but most skin on WWII vintage planes wasn't butted end-to-end that way. It was overlapped, like shingles. 
 
Thus, no
crevice, much less one as wide as your nose. Very seldom does a model manufacturer provide anything comparable to overlapping panels of aluminum. However, you can make overlapping panels with masking and paint. The old raised panel lines are really great for this....
 
Posted By: Bill Sanborn <bsanborn@psemc.com>
Date: Friday, 2 March 2001, at 8:11 a.m.
 
I like cyanoacrylate (Super glue) with an accelerator. The material bonds perfectly and sands to a near perfect blend with the surrounding material. It is also fast. It has virtually no drying time, so you can fill, sand and rescribe within a few minutes. The only real trick is to sand soon after accelerating. At this point, the glue is slightly softer than the styrene, but as it ages it will become harder than the plastic and tougher to sand.
However, some other jobs require other solutions. As with Pete I like Mr. Surfacer for some jobs, Milliput, Dr. Microtools or Squadron and even Testor's are also in my tools kit. I find that I'm using cyanoacrylates more and more. Even with clear parts, but that's another story.........
Bill
 
Posted By: Pete Chalmers <pchalmers@carolina.rr.com>
Date: Saturday, 3 March 2001, at 8:01 a.m.
 
I understand that there is a black colored super glue - Loctite 380 "Black Max 38050", which would seam ideal for this purpose, since the contrast would help in rescribing. My main problem with CA in general is the need to sand immediately or face rock-like hardness, but it surely does the job in all other respects.
 
Posted By: Bill (Sticky Fingers) Sanborn <bsanborn@psemc.com>
Date: Saturday, 3 March 2001, at 5:17 p.m.
 
Black colored??? I'll have to give it a try. That sounds like ir would solve lots of problems.
I definitely agree with the sanding immediately. I managed to sand away a wing and not touch the CA. (OK, I'm exaggerating, but it does take much more work if the CA is well aged). My problem is I get impatient at times. If I have to wait for one project to dry, I'll start another. Pretty soon I have a desk full of half started kits and a diffuse interest in all of them. Then CA helps me to stay focused. (And it has nothing to do with sniffing glue) ;-)
Bill
 
Posted By: Pete Chalmers <pchalmers@carolina.rr.com>
Date: Sunday, 4 March 2001, at 3:00 p.m.
 
Another "black CA" brand is Permabond Black Magic C737.
 
Posted By: Pete Chalmers <pchalmers@carolina.rr.com>
Date: Friday, 2 March 2001, at 7:22 a.m.  
 
Round or half-round Evergreen or Plastruct rod of a suitable size, Tenax'd or MEK'd, then MR. Surfacer 500 brush-applied, sanded flush. The white rod will provide a good guide for rescribing. Heat bend the rod in HOT water for fit to curves.
 
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