I recently purchased a Tamiya 1/48 A-10. It has a mixture of raised and recessed panel lines on it. I want to highlight these panel lines with some sort of a wash. Can anyone help me with ideas about how to apply a wash that wont ruin my paint job? Thanks.
Simply use a wash that’s made up of a different kind of paint as the one(s) you have underneath… Most of my models are painted with enamels, so using a white-spirit based wash is risky… I therefore use water-based colours (the artist kind of stuff that comes in tubes and are to be found in artist/craft stores), mixed with water, a bit of white vinegar and a drop or two of dishwashing liquid. If you’ve overdone it, simply wash the wash away with water!
djmodels has a good idea, and the converse is also true. Acrylic painted models which have been clearcoated with acrylics can use an oil-based wash.