Erasing seams on textured plastic

is the detail engraved into the plastic or raised panel lines out of the plastic?

If it is engraved into the plastic it is fairly easy, sand the joint, watching the panel line, when the line begins to become faint, use an exacto knife with a new sharp blade and scribe along the panel line with the blade at an angle to the surface of the ship... say 45 degrees or so. this will bring it back out... if you sand some more and it begins getting faint again then repeat... Here is an article on it, but you may or may not have all of the tools available... just use what you can to get the panel lines back on your model right!
http://www.swannysmodels.com/Scribing.html

if there are gaps in the seam and this is why you are sanding, make sure you fill them with some type of putty first... there is a good article on it here:
http://www.swannysmodels.com/Seams.html you can't go wrong with the advice on that page.

Note: if model putty is unavailable I have heard people here using CA glue (super glue), wood filler available from the hardware store and a host of other things... be creative! (but always test your filler material on spare sprue from the kit to make sure it will not damage the plastic AND won't be too hard to sand off without sanding the plastic off around it first)

Good luck!!!

---Tom---

Ok, there are a few options open to you.

Most detail will be a pattern replicated. To duplicate the pattern you will need to make yourself a "pattern" stamp. Easily done, take a ball of Putty press it onto the surface to get an imprint let it dry and harden.

Next problem will be to transfer the pattern onto the area you want it, again there are options lay down a thin layer of putty and press the stamp into it to transfer the pattern let it harden.
Or soften the plastic by applying a thin layer of glue(Tamiya thin cement works well) and press the stamp directly into the softened plastic.

If it is a recessed pattern than get the photo-etch saw out and rescribe it carefull, same as panel lines.

Hey guys!
Thanks for the speedy replies.
The detail in the hull that I'm trying to preserve resembles burlap; it's a surface texture.
Think I'll try the pattern stamp idea and see how it goes. Probably try it first on sprue material to see if I can replicate the pattern OK.

Thanks again for the tips, and thanks for the references on seams, Tom. It seems like I spend 90% of construction sanding out seams.
Marty