scottabe,
Your post raises two questions for me. First, are the panel lines raised or recessed? If they're raised, you have to be more careful when removing the wash because the wash doesn't have anything to "hide" in. It's a lot easier to wipe off all the wash when the detail's raised verses recessed. If it's raised, I'd suggest wiping perpendicular to the line, and not too vigorously, to make sure you don't wipe off all the dried wash.
Secondly, if the detail's recessed, how long are you waiting before you start to wipe off the wash? With either raised or recessed, don't be afraid to load it on like AdeB says. Also, make sure you your wash is completely dry before you start to wipe it off. If it's still too wet, capillary action can pull the wash out of your lines as the paper towel runs over the line.
If you're interested, here's a short video about Flory washes that might be helpful to you.
Hopefully this helps. Good luck with your builds!
Cheers,
-O