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I was flipping through models on line and saw the Revell 1/48 Hellcat picture on the box. All of the panel lines are really visible. How is this done after painting?
Mars I was flipping through models on line and saw the Revell 1/48 Hellcat picture on the box. All of the panel lines are really visible. How is this done after painting?
I am about to attempt this for the first time. This is achieved using a wash, which uses paint of a different medium than used prior to the clearcoat for decals. So if you used acrylics, you can use enamel or oil paints. Tamiya sells panel washes ready to go out of the bottle. The wash will be very thinned paint that will fill in panel lines by "wicking" into them. There are very good video and online tutorials. Just google "model aircraft wash", and take a look.
Be sure to gloss coat your plane before attempting a wash. First, this helps the paint "wick", and second, it will protect the paint underneath the gloss coat, as the thinner used for the wash can damage the underlying paint if not protected.
Hope that helps,
D
Dwayne or Dman or just D. All comments are welcome on my builds.
If you apply the wash to panel lines and then wipe it off the rest of the model be sure to let it dry for awhile. Otherwise, whatever you use to wipe it off will just wick the fresh wash out of the panel lines!
I use a pin wash. This is a technique to get the wash directly into the panel lines with a minimum of the wash getting on the adjacent panels. Some people literally apply the wash by dipping a pin in the wash and then into the line. Because the pin point does not hold much, you have to repeat a number of times along the line.
I like something that picks up a little more paint, so I often use a small sewing needle. I grind the end of the eye off so it leaves a tiny fork. This holds a bit more paint than a point, so I don't need to dip it as often.
Do not use a black wash over light or medium color paint- this makes the panel lines too stark! I mix up a darker version of the color of the panels and make a wash of this. If you are using acrylic paint with water as thinning agent, some folks put a small drop of detergent in the wash to reduce surface tension and help spread the wash in the groove.
Don Stauffer in Minnesota
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