Detailing panel lines ... ?

Its all Illusion actually, tricks with colors to make the eye believe its seeing shadows, and its pretty easy with some practice.

Read this under tools and tips, weathering.
In fact read the whole site.
When your done you'll be 100% more model savey, I know I was.

http://www.swannysmodels.com

There are many techniques to shading panel lines. Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages. Decided what what effect you're going for. Fresh out of the factory or war taddered veteran? For a cleaner look I usually go with oil washes. Add a drop or two of liquid dish soap to the mix for easy clean up. For heavly weathered finishes I like to shade panels with pastel chauk dust. The pastels are easy to work with and give a great look. Use darker shades of dust around areas that would attract more dirt and leass cleaning.

You're talking about the "clean look" I think. I normally achieve this using an aritist oil wash thinned with mineral spirits. This is a very permanent and risky wash, so some may prefer to go with the safer acrylic sludge wash.

I cannot count how many models I have seen whose panel lines are overdone. It's good to bring out the personality of the model, but the effect I try to acheive is subtle. You don't want the model to be so visually complex that your craftsmanship is hard to see.

hey tankmaster,
may i ask u why using mineral spirits with artist oils are risky and pernament?
cheers!

1. Preshading: airbrush a black thin line over the panel lines. This will color the panel lines as well as the edges of the panels. You'll recognize models with this technique. as the shade effect also effects the panel edges.
After the preshading apply the camouflage scheme or whatever. Don't spray too thick, as the preshading still has to be visible.
This technique certainly doens't have my favour, because of the IMHO cartoonlike effect it delivers.

2. Washes: After all the paint and decals are fitted, use heavily diluted paint, and let the capilary effect run trough the panellines. This will only work proparly with engraved panellines. Otherwise the panelline itself will be accentuated standing uprigt from the hull. WIth these upstanding panel lines, drybrushing probably will work out better.
Be carefull in chosing coloring: applying a black wash on a white or sandcolored aircraft will end up in a cartoonlike finish. I don't like it that way, so always choose a wash-color a few teints darker than the overall paint job.

3. marker/pencil: use a marker or sharp pencil to retrace the panellines. That simple. A blackbird retraced with pencil will look silly though as it will - again - make the panellines seem to stand up. Be wise in choosing color (seems to be moral of the verhal)