Scribing complex surfaces

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hi Has anyone got any tips for scribing complex and rounded shapes on the fuselage of a Italeri C-130 I’m working on. I can manage the straight panel lines pretty easily with some label tape, but this doesn’t work so well for curved lines going over rounded surfaces.

Also, can anyone suggest a good scribing template available on the net.

Thanks for any help.

2

Lloyd;

When I re-scribe my old kits and they have some unique panel lines I use a sewing machine needle in a pin vise and slowly trace the panel line with the orignial raised panel line present, I do this proceedure over until I get the correct depth I want or if it looks correct for that scale, if you already sanded the panel lines down then use a fresh exacto knife blade and slowly trace the line then follow it up with the scribing tool.

How I re-scribe the older kit I DO NOT do any sanding until the re-scribing is done, I use the raised panel line as the exacto knife blade or sewing needle guide, then I follow the fresh panel lines up with my re-scribing tool, then sand the kit down starting with 320 grit, to 400 grit, to 600 grit, to 1200 or 1500 grit, I sand the kits so that the could be ready for a BMF paint job even though it’ll be painted camouflaged.

3

Thanks, thats close to the approach I am using. I have a Bare Metal scribing tool and I am getting nice results using the label maker tape as a guide along the raised panel lines. Obviously the curved lines are giving me headaches, but the approach youve suggseted might solve it. I’ll see how I go, thanks.

4

An eraser shield that you find in office supply stores (by the drafting pens, kits) is flexible enough to curve to surfaces but can provide a good edge to scribe against.

5

Dymo tape works really well.

Just cut it into strips, the thinner the better for really complex surfaces, stick it to surface to scribed, and off you go.

There’s a section on Swanny’s site on how to use this technique.

http://www.swannysmodels.com/Scribing.html

Karl

6

thanks, I did ok freehand on some of the trickier lines. That article was a great help.

I also ordered some scribing templates from Hobbylink, the Hasgawa Tritool ones, and the Verlinden one from Internet Hobbies which is very good apparently.

7

I have used the scrap trees left over from photo etch parts sometimes to rescribe on curved surfaces. The brass is very thin and will hold its shape once you get it to the shape you want. It is still a pain in the but to keep it from slipping or getting it exactly where you need it on the model. I do not think you will find anyone who thinks rescribing is easy. You can tell this by how many times the topic comes up and all of the different ways people go at it.

Soulcrusher

8

[#ditto] I use the same freehand technique as Cuda, only my method differs in that I use jewelers files to dig out my depth and not scribing picks. The needles in pin vise are great for preparing your scribed line after cutting a starter line with xacto blade.

Air Master

9

Well, after completing a couple of dozen panels I started using the exacto blade to create a guideline first and that made a huge difference. I can freehand very long curved lines this way without much problems. I never thought I attempt a scribing job like this on a model (its the 1/48 C-130) but the finished result should be worth the work.

Thanks again!