Panel lines: yes or no?

[Willy iine]

@OoALEJOoO excellent advice!  I also suggest trying masking tape for curves as a guide for Sharpie on complex lines as needed.. 

[M 800STD]

For a crawler that is going to get heavy/hard usage, then no I personally would not bother.

I think one of the key things for panel lines to look good is that you have to use really fine line tape and also not to stretch it.

 

[FoxShot]

100%

https://postlmg.cc/Mvb1NNMM

https://postlmg.cc/9rjGxCMH

https://postlmg.cc/Yj8pPx22

 

 

[Frankster]

Micron tape for body panels on car models make a big difference and closest to realistic car.  Before adding, the body looked like a white blob.  You can skip panel lines for buggies

[Mh1986]

I would like to highlight the panel lines on this hard body, would the tamiya line wash damage the paint underneath? I have used an auto motive acrylic spray paint with a satin clear over the top. Im new to making things look scale and I'm not sure what paints are compatible. 

[Gebbly]

When you say "satin clear" would that be a varnish? If not, one idea when worried about various layers of paint is to put a layer of gloss varnish on before the next layer (I think gloss is supposed to be tougher). A layer of gloss varnish may also help the line wash flow more freely. You could always add a matt or satin varnish afterwards if that is the look your after.

[Mh1986]

I think it's an automotive acrylic lacquer with a satin finish, it's the same brand as the colour. I painted it a while ago, at the time I had not intended on adding as much detail, I just didn't want it to look shiny new. As my old defender was never shiny. 

[simalarion]

1 hour ago, Mh1986 said:

I would like to highlight the panel lines on this hard body, would the tamiya line wash damage the paint underneath? I have used an auto motive acrylic spray paint with a satin clear over the top. Im new to making things look scale and I'm not sure what paints are compatible. 

I believe it would look much better on a hard model shell if you use more shadow effect rather than hard lines (you can buy ready mixed paints for that use), i am also i huge fan off weathering/rust paint jobs on the type off models you have here, but im not good enough to pull that off myself.

[alvinlwh]

.

[Busdriver]

If you want to practice you can make up water based washes by dissolving pastel crayons in water and washing up liquid . Then use a fine brush to pin spot the areas you want the always to go. It will run into the cracks. Let it dry then with either just a damp cloth or some rubbing alcohol wipe away any excess. This works on matt surfaces though is better on gloss. If you don’t like it was it off. You can either then overcoat it with a sealant or leave it as it is to weather in. There’s loads of tutorials on YouTube. Search for pin washing, weathering techniques etc. if you go the water base route you can always add more but also you can also remove it all. 

[Mh1986]

Thank you for the advice, I may have to use some left over paint on a scrap body just to test what happens. My main worry was the solvents/ panel line products. I am having issues with the practice body I have, it was painted by its previous owner and the paint seems to come off easily with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. I have tried water colours before but it didn't look great. 

[OoALEJOoO]

You can experiment painting a scrap piece of plastic painted with the automotive spray paint to try out first. If any of the above recommendations ends up attacking the paint, the gentlest way to get panel lines would be to make wash by mixing acrylic glaze medium + acrylic paint (black or dark blue). Vallejo makes good product of both. The wash will take a full day to dry and, unless the automotive spray is extremely soluble in water (in which case you have a bigger problem), it will turn out nicely. This technique is used when painting mini-figures. The wash will not be very durable (unless sealed with clear varnish) but since it is in the recesses it will likely not be prone to scuffing off. Good luck!

[OnTheTrail]

On 1/9/2023 at 9:38 PM, Rally! said:

One suggestion I'll make is, depending on the subject, use at least 2 different widths of tape. Varying the thickness of panel lines will add some visual interest. (Example: Bumper parting lines slightly smaller than door gaps)

Also, be subtle. These are small scale objects. 

 

Very good advise in my opinion.   It's challenging to get an RC car body panel lines (specially polycarbonate) to look scale when done.  While I haven't tried the tape method yet, I was able to find a very thin charcoal color marker at my local Hobby Lobby craft store.  I also have black ones of varying tiny sizes.   If the area on a real car caused by the absence of light, I use the charcoal color.   In other words the entire door and door jam is painted the same color as the rest of the car.   The dark areas we see is not black paint in the door jam but rather the absence of light. 

Areas of joining two panels together at the factory where there's a small gasket between is better portrayed by the black marker.   Think the fender of a Beetle.   Black rubber gasket between the mating surfaces.   In either situation, it takes a steady hand to do as there's usually only a slight indent in a poly body and the marker will want to hunt on you when applying.   Good news is, you can clean it off and start again.  

[OnTheTrail]

On 1/11/2023 at 7:01 AM, Willy iine said:

@OoALEJOoO excellent advice!  I also suggest trying masking tape for curves as a guide for Sharpie on complex lines as needed.. 

Good suggestion.  I might try that myself as curves can be a little tricky sometimes if the indent isn't rather deep.  

[Rally!]

On 6/13/2023 at 9:22 AM, OnTheTrail said:

Very good advise in my opinion.   It's challenging to get an RC car body panel lines (specially polycarbonate) to look scale when done.  While I haven't tried the tape method yet, I was able to find a very thin charcoal color marker at my local Hobby Lobby craft store.  I also have black ones of varying tiny sizes.   If the area on a real car caused by the absence of light, I use the charcoal color.   In other words the entire door and door jam is painted the same color as the rest of the car.   The dark areas we see is not black paint in the door jam but rather the absence of light. 

Areas of joining two panels together at the factory where there's a small gasket between is better portrayed by the black marker.   Think the fender of a Beetle.   Black rubber gasket between the mating surfaces.   In either situation, it takes a steady hand to do as there's usually only a slight indent in a poly body and the marker will want to hunt on you when applying.   Good news is, you can clean it off and start again.  

Very true. In fact. it's a good idea to try and stay away from black if possible. 

A marker could be a better choice than tape given that it's much thinner and more 'to scale' than using tape. It's a bit of a balancing act in the end. Are you looking at the car up close, or do you want it to look good when in use and at a greater distance?