Yeah , It's me .
Listen , I know there's more than a few of you that do Panel lines on Aircraft and Vehicles of all types . I really Don't have a problem with them . What I have a problem with is this . Panel lines that Jump out at you from a foot away !( The Bad)
Really ? When I do panel lines , Rarely .I make sure it does NOT dominate the subject .Now , that said what is the big deal anyway? Some folks like them .I do , when done with restraint . Restraint , What's that ? Well , let's say you have an F-100 " Super Sabre " Now you spend all the time needed to get a perfect airframe and so on .
You then decide to paint it with subtle Camoflage colors .Then add the panel lines .Oh, they'll Pop alright ! Why ? You put them on last !
I do my planes this way .If natural Metal , Well ,The panels explain themselves at their joints because I overlap a wee bit . If a painted aircraft say a Marine Corps bird in Grey . I paint the plane to the required amount to get a smooth finish . Then I spray a darker shade of the same , only around all the panel lines , Like a wash . Then I mist the necessary coats of the lighter color till it is right, with just a hint showing those gorgeous panels . ( The Good )
I do NOT do painted Natural Metal .I just don't like the results ! I recently tried a black wash on a SH 46( 64?) Sea King in Coastie colors . The black wash bled under my mist coats and Wow. The panels on the real bird would've been an inch apart the way she looked ( The Ugly ). So in closing .Do them lines , Just use restraint and you will get the Wows ! T.B.