Panel lines and weathering

[DARKWIND]

Panel lines and/or weathering. . .

Ok I have been looking around at a lot of you guys pics (over the years) I am as always amazed.

But, I have never taken the plunge myself due to the thought of totaly ruining a perfectly beautiful valk.

I was wondering if any of the top notch modelers/customizers here would take a crack at doing a tutoral of sorts?

Just for those of us that are thinking of giving it a shot.

Give a few tips of which pins/pencils to use, which clearcoat to use (if needed or not) and what tried and true methods worked, if possible which birds were tougher than other's.

Also how to undo any mistakes that could be made with said methods too.

Pics with details or steps would be a great help too.

So there you have it, can you the great masters teach us (or me rather) your craft?

[Skull-1]

You can do amazing things with a pencil and a "thumb smear" on a custom.

I've spent more than a decade around jets. Less is more. Most people *WAY* overdo weathering.

LESS IS MORE.

[Holocause]

1:48 Hiki VF-1A panel lined

To get this desired result, I used a charcoal black acrylic paint. Watered down the paint to a smooth flowing consistency. Took a fine tip brush and applied the paint to the recessed panel lines. Its alright to overlap and I didn't have to be 100% accurate with the application, as long as I was able to fill the recesses. Let paint dry for 2-3 hours, go play some video games or watch a movie. Once paint is dry enough, I get a pack of cotton cue-tips and a water based floor polish. Dipped qtip on floor polish and begin to rub said tip onto excess paint on VF-1. Excess paint will immediately rub off keeping recessed panel lines intact with desired line marks. Rubbing does not have to be done vigurously. Just a few soft gentle swipes and the paint will peel away nicely. Dry-off and enjoy your masterpiece. The great thing with acrylics is that their water based and tend to be gentle with plastics, in that way, if you screw-up and a panel gets wiped away or you don't like how it turned out, simply re-do the process until you get your desired effect.

I have to tell you though, this being my first 1:48, I was bouncing off the wall for a week deliberating whether to panel line this baby or not. I eventually manned up and just went for it. Was happy with the result.

[DARKWIND]

Thanks for the input guys.

I was looking to try anything out first on my vers.1 VF-1 Valks first then mover up to the 1/48's later if I liked the results.

Any othe techiques guys.

Please keep the ideas and suggestions coming.

[Holocause]

I too started out on a ver1 to test it out.

With the ver1 though, not all the panel lines are deeply recessed so its a bit harder to keep all the lines in the straight and narrow, particularly with the sides of the backpack segment. Also the nose/cockpit segment of the ver1 is poorly molded and doesn't play nice with brush panel lining. But the ver1's are a good place to start to get your feet wet.

If you've got old/broken toys lying around, use those to test out your paints and washes. Not all paints and washes are created equal so best to test it on something you have no sentimental attachment to first. Again best to use waterbased solutions as these will be the gentlest on the plastic components of your VF1's.

I've had the misfortune on the past of having Gundams literally crumble on me when I used industrial paint thinners... never gonna do that again.

[Skull-1]

Take a look at this:

http://robotech-aod.com/images/ValkToys/Ha...lur-Fighter.jpg

What you want to do is use very subtle "departures" from the base color scheme. So if you are using Ghost Gray add a few drops of black or a few drops of a darker color to slightly darken it and "trace" the panel lines with that or make streaks in random places. This shows the subtle touchups that often happen in the field, particularly on carrier-based planes.

You don't want the panel lines to be so stark that they overwhelm the model. You want them subtle. This is why pencils are actually very good. You can do them darker or lighter depending on how much pressure you use, etc.

Water based paints are great for this.

Edited April 20, 2010 by Skull-1

[MechTech]

Yeah like Skull-1 said. If you want to make it look like a "cartoon" then use black to fill in the panels. Real aircraft DO NOT have that many panel lines as was said. Flying surfaces stand out more, but that's about it. Keep water based for plastic safety. - MT

[Skull-1]

Gracias, amigo.

I overdid even the model in the link I posted but...........the 1/55 makes subtle lines hard just by the way it is made..........................

MT u offer sage advice. Always glad to hear from you. God bless, brother.

[DARKWIND]

Thanks guys for your help.

Also, I spent two years on the USS Independence and two more years at NAF Atsugi helping park birds on deck.

Big and small birds, (airshows too) so kinda get where you're coming from on the less is more point.

Now about using the pencil technique how do you guys seal it or do you?

Future and a q-tip or paint brush and another type of clear coat?

And please don't let it end here anyone else care to sound of please do.

Any help/suggestions are welcome.

[Vifam7]

Now about using the pencil technique how do you guys seal it or do you?

Well, that depends on you. Do you want it to be permanent? Or have the option of washing it off sometime in the future? If you don't seal it, the pencil markings will rub off with any kind of handling. But maybe that's just as well and enhance the worn-in look?

If you do intend to seal it, I'd recommend using some kind of flat or matt coat. It wouldn't make sense to weather your Valkyrie then give it a shiny glossy overcoat.

Also, if you're going to apply a sealant, make sure to mask the canopy and other clear parts.

[Skull-1]

Look for non-yellowing matte or dull at your crafts store.

For glossy stuff Rustoleum is hard to beat.

[DARKWIND]

Understood, guys again thanks for the insight.

[aurascope]

check out the panel lining tutorials on youtube.

As far as tutorials are concerned,

this is as good as it gets!

[CheeseKing]

Thank you very much for all the tips and advise.

[Macross_Fanboy]

Ok, since I couldn't find my old thread, I have all of my light colored VF-1s (1/60) paneled up with a Gundam pencil, what should I use to remove the lines without disturbing the tampo and all that stuff? I'm thinking of putting up all my stuff on eBay, seriously thinking about getting rid of my collection and moving on to another hobby so returning them and the weapons to "stock form" is necessary.

Edited March 8, 2013 by Macross_Fanboy