Ideas to simulate hull plating lines on 1/200 scale USCGC Eagle?

Thanks for the input guys. I think I will give the primer and tape, and the decal methods a shot, and see which I like better. (Lord knows I have a bunch of thick decals from old Tamiya kits in the scrap bag!) One other note: I can confirm that the Imai 1/200 kit is the correct length-- it is not based on the plans of the shorter Gorch Fock like all the other plastic kits are. (The late John Tilley posted at length about this in mutiple threads on this forum about Eagle and her sister ships.) The kit is also the only one that is a decent representation of the ship in the "modern" age- it looks like the ship when I sailed on her in the early '80s. -Bill

At 1/200, I'm not sure I'd bother.

But, this is not about me, it's about solutions.

To that end, perhaps squares/rectangles of decal film or bare metal foil, and then priner over those?  That would give a teeny little edge to weather/dry brush against.

Alternately, a person with a decent art program (like gimp) could make a bunch of black rectangles with "spattered" edges, and print those on to decal film.  Laying those over a white hull would give a black hull with mottled white edges.

rcboater

I have the 1/200 scale Imai USCGC Eagle kit in the stash, that I’m thinking about building...

 

Any thoughts or experiences to share?

 -Bill

 

I seen a video of a guy using the tape for finger nails women use to decorate their nails.  The tape is very thin and after painting it look quite convincing as hull plates.

Marcus

I'm not sure I can see that detail in the photo. At 1/200 a plate that's 1/16" or so is going to be so thin that it's a small fraction of a mil. Also, any overlay means replacing all of the other detail such as port hole frames.

What I do see is a lot of "oil canning" between the frames. While there are various ways to achieve that, again it will affect a lot of other detail that Imai included.

That Imai kit is the one really accurate model available, and as it's no longer easy to find, if it ever was, I'd work with it as is.

Here's a great thread from days past, in which you and I participated.

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/117041.aspx

Both methods will work.  The tape and heavy primer is certainly easier with any hull.  The difficulty with the styrene stock depends on the lines of the hull.  I generally use that on lakers (great lakes freighters) that have simpler, fuller lines, so it is not as much challenge there.  I have also done a composite- styrene above waterline where hull has fewer compound curves, masking tape/primer below waterline.

Paul Budzik, in his Scale Model Workshop youtube series, demostrates a technique where he uses masking tape as a straight edge and protective layer to scrape a slight bevel into a coat  of heavy auto primer.   Results in a slight ridge in the paint making a shadow line

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xXbmPilmBWA&feature=youtu.be