I want a panel line wash that really brings out the detail on WWII planes.I have seen Tamiya’s Panel Line accent color,of which I’ve been thinking of getting the Dark Gray one.Also note I am still quite new to the hobby,as I have only started in November.And thus I have never used Panel Line Accents/washes before.
I have seen Flory washes which many of you fellow modelers use,but they are mainly for weathering,but what color of Flory’s washes do you guys think I should get for better panel lining,but light-to-very moderate weathering?Also,I have heard that you can make them out of dish soap,water,and pastels(chalk to be specific),though I feel that Flory washes have more than that in them,but then again,as I stated earlier,I am still quite a noob.
Another thing I have found is AMMO/MIG’s panel line wash line specifically for different variations of WWII aircraft(Link here:https://bit.ly/3m3rUei).But they cost 14 dollars a pop for only 3 bottles of enamel,which I could buy similar stuff(Testors/Model Master)at my hobby retailer for $1.50 a bottle.
Finally,last but not least,Tamiya’s line of Panel Washes.I feel they are pretty good for the value,considering the price($4.89 once you add it to the cart here:https://bit.ly/3rAE3It)of the washes.I have been thinking of getting the Dark Gray and Brown/Dark Brown ones.
And there we have it,4 paragraphs purely for questions on one simple modeling item.I hope this wasn’t too boring/non-ideal/halfway useless.
Panel line accenting is mostly what I use Flory Washes for. How much of it remains on the rest of the model is entirely up to you. Before switching to Flory, I tried the Tamiya stuff and it would have completely destroyed my F-16 if I hadn’t done just a small section with it. I avoid any and all washes and accenters now that have ANY kind of solvent needed to remove the excess, with the exception of the oil paint washes I like to do on the insides of afterburners. They can be used successfully with care, but to me the risk of damage if I make a mistake just isn’t acceptable. Luckily, the parts on the F-16 that the Tamiya stuff damaged look like they were meant to be because it was only a few spots near the nose which get a lot of wear from air resistance anyway. Just glad I didn’t use it on the whole model.
I think this pic of my F-16 is a good example of how the Flory looks as a panel accenter.
They went right through the acrylic clear coat I had on it (Future), even after the Future had cured for at least 3 weeks, and began removing the Model Master enamel I had underneath. There are a few areas around the front that it took all the way down to the primer. Found Flory wash and have been a happy camper ever since. Each time I use it, I know for a fact that there’s no way in hell that it is going to attack the paint on my model…no matter what kind of paint it is…clear coat or no clear coat…my paint is safe. I can even walk away and forget about it for weeks, come back, and still be able to remove the excess with a damp sponge with no issues.
One thing not mentioned hereto keep on your mind, the types of kits you are building. you didnt mention the brands you typically build. For example, Tamiya have recessed panel lines, that a wash will flow into, but many of the older Revell kits have raised panel lines. Those same panel line washes have nothing to flow into, and as such, will be almost useless for what you have in mind…
Hi Justin,I am building a Tamiya Zero right now,and with the high quality,I feel that I will be buying more (new) Tamiya molds/kits.I have never really built Revell kits because of the problems I have heard from their models,such as the raised panel line problem you were explaining.But even then,if you had a kit with raised panel lines,you could easily take a scribe and carefully recess the raised panel lines.
Yes, with the Tamiya kits, the panel line washes will work perfectly! As for the Revell kits, they don’t ALL have major problems. Yeah, sure, they aren’t the highly engineered marvels from tamiya, eduard and the like, but nice builds can be made from them!
as for “easily scribing” panel lines…you OBVIOSLY haven’t actually tried rescribing panel lines…
Scribing new panel lines is easy. Making them actually look good? That’s another story. I’ve finally gotten good enough to re-scribe a tiny section of a panel line that got removed by sanding and not have it look like a**, but doing much more than that isn’t something I’d be even remotely interested in attempting. I still think people who do that on a regular basis ain’t right in the head. LOL
I am trying to learn how to do this well, myself. IMO: It is really easy to get carried away. It’s personal preference, but it seems in small scale one can cross the line between improved definition and overdone real quickly. Yes, aircraft on the line are not Thunderbirds/Blue Angels spotless, but they generally don’t look like something out of a dystopian future, either.
I hope to develop a technique that finds the correct balance.
