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raised panel lines


Ronald

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Hello fellow models

I need to know if anyone has built the old aircrafts with raised panel lines such as the 1/48 B24 liberator or Lancaster and if so how do you pre-shade or even paint those aircrafts, I've done several aircrafts in the past but the were recessed panel lines, or should I ask if I should concern my self about panel lines at all I appreciate any suggestions or recommended and ideas thank you

Ronald

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I build those types of models all the time! There's several ways to "shade" raised panel line models.

 

First, if you're building a NMF model, you probably don't need to do it at all, as the lines are stark enough to show up easily. This Monogram MiG-15 I just finished is an example of that. Various shades of metal does the rest, serving to delineate where the lines are.

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By the way, any raised lines lost during sanding can be replaced by simply rescribing the line with an X-acto knife. It shows up nicely!

 

Anther way is to simply "draw" the lines on in pencil. You can run the pencil lightly on the tops of the raised lines and draw them over the areas where raised detail was sanded away (whether you rescribe those areas or not). Another advantage to using pencil is that you can use a finger to lightly "smudge" the graphite in the direction of airflow and gravity, adding some weathering at the same time. Here's a Monogram F-14A I did like that...

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A third, and more difficult way involves preshading all of the panel lines with black, brown, or a very dark gray (much like you'd do for weathering anyway). You then paint the model as normal. Next comes the hard part: you VERY LIGHTLY SAND the raised lines so that the top paint rubs off and reveals the darker preshaded color. This takes a delicate touch, but looks good when done properly as it acts like accenting and weathering at the same time. Here's a Monogram F-8E Crusader I built years ago with that technique...

IMG_20171023_0001.jpg

 

The last way involves an old technique of post-shading/painting panel lines. It also serves to both accent the lines and weather the model at the same time. This involves using an airbrush and a piece of tape (or edge of a Post-It note). You place the tape along the FRONT edge of the panel line you're working. Next, using the accent color of your choice (greatly thinned for very fine spraying) you spray the EDGE OF THE TAPE, allowing just a hint of over spray along the backside of the panel line, which accents and weathers it. You can see an example of that in the brownish lines on the Crusader above and on a Monogram F-80C I did this on...

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Here you can see I actually used a translucent blue to try to accent the metallic scheme (which didn't work as well as I'd hoped artistically). But, you can see how the lines were softly added to each panel line using the technique described above.

 

Raised panel line kits are nothing to shy away from! In fact, they're actually much more realistic and accurate on the big bombers of WWII, where the real metal skins used lapped joins that actually had slightly raised edges. Hope this helps!

 

GIL :smiley16:

Edited by ghodges
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One of our members in our club painted the raised panel lines black. He then painted the aircraft Olive drab. After it had dried he lightly sanded the panel lines to exposed the black paint. It looked really good and sounded very easy.

Eric

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The issue with raised panel lines is not whether they can be made to look realistic. They can, using some -but not all - of the techniques described above. The problem is maintaining a consistent style of panel lines across the entire model. I personally do not think mixing raised lines with rescribed lines or drawn on lines is a good practice. I think they look too different and inconsistent. Inconsistency is a killer drawback on a contest model. So, what to do?

 

One approach to restoring raised lines lost during seam clean up is the use of Archer Fine Detail resin decal panel lines. They come on a variety of widths and are effective on relatively flat surfaces or gentle curves. The are harder to get to stick on shorter radius curves, however. My personal favourite technique for restoring raised panel lines is to apply two strips of Tamiya masking tape very close to each other - the gap equal to the width of the panel line to be restored- and then paint the gap with something. I use Mr. Surfaced 500 or 1000. Let it dry and peel away the tape. A gentle sanding with 600 grit paper will remove the " meniscus" effect- the two raised edges on either side. If it is too thick, sand a little more. Don't like it? Sand it off completely and do it over. When painted over, they look great.

 

There are many great old kits out there that deserve to be built. Overcoming this roadblock has helped a lot in building them to the standard I consider desireable. Rivets are more of a challenge but Acher has these also, as demonstrated a few months age on a wonderful build of an old Monogram DC-3- the '50's one- on this very forum. I have experimented with some other methods of reproducing rivets but this is still a work in progress. Regards, Nick

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Good technique Nick, and indispensable for building a contest model.

 

What I'd like to remind people of is that not EVERY model you build HAS to be built "for a contest". It's ok to build for your shelf, or your own pleasure, or to fill a gap in your collection. Building to be competitive is different in many ways than just building models as a hobby and for fun.

 

One more thing...IF you do want to build to be competitive, there's an old axiom: start with the BEST kit of that subject that you can get. The reasons are many...the best kits usually feature the best fit, the best detailing, the best engineering, etc..In short, you stand to get the BEST result with less technical effort, and certainly without having to used more advanced skills (scratchbuilding, rescribing, drilling/pinning/re-engineering parts). What do most all of the newest, best kits have in common? Indented panel line detailing. And when you do have to rescribe those, you're applying an indented line that better matches the makers panel lines.

 

It's not that you can't compete with a raised line kit, but as Nick points out, due to the need for consistency in your build (all lines looking exactly the same), it's a higher mountain to climb.

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Gil, You are quite right. And you can certainly speak with the authority of one who consistently violates that very sound advice by starting with sow's ears and producing silk purses with enviable regularity - a 1/48 vacu-form Martin B-10 indeed! Beautiful model! Will we ever get a good injection molded B-10 in any scale? Most of us lack your fortitude.

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