Panel Lines

I think the thing here is that while clours 'scale' shadows do not and what you are trying to do is to provide a subtle shading effect that gives a sense of depth to things but not necessarily to scale. Like you I have spent time working on aircraft and panel lines are virtually non existant on the real thing.

I tend to agree with you that the lines of 1:1 aircraft generally are not visible when viewed from a distance but... The craze of emphasizing panel lines does add visual interest to a model that would otherwise appear monochromatic and not as appealing. That said, I prefer to accent panel lines with a very, *very*, VERY (did I emphasize 'very' enough?) thin wash of a complementary color to the model's base color. To see dark lines all over a Vietnam-era A-4 Skyhawk is NOT the way to go, rather, you should use perhaps a grey or white shade not too far off from the base color. At a recent contest I attended, a well-built F-4 Phantom was entered. It was a -D model, done up in SEA camo with the darkest panel lines I've ever seen. I'm sorry to say that these aircraft do not look like that, as much as it wouldn't be right to build the kit with its insignia upside-down. Moderation is the key. Restraint will pay off with a more realistic model and a more pleasing replica.

Frank Kranick

I agree with you - I work in a similar environment and prefer things a bit more toward "real" realism. "Weighted" tires are another one of my peeves...but I digress...

What I like to do is use pencil if I want to accent panel lines. The effect is much more subtle, and easy to correct if you stray or make a mistake - you just erase it. And you get more control over how heavy or light you want to go. Works particularly well on kits with recessed panel lines, but the pencil trick still works even if you happen to sand part of a recessed line away.

You got it right. One cannot see panel lines in aircraft, with some few exceptions. That's why panel lines should almost never be accented on a model kit. However, since the current fad is to make them stick out like sore thumbs, don't expect to win a contest without them. It is really stupid.

The same thing can be said for scale ships, especially 1/700 scale. At the scale distance, one would not be able to see railings and lines on the ships at all. However, the current fad is to put all this on anyway. Using the current etched metal sets, the posts would be eight feet in diameter and the railings would be four feet in diameter, w-a-a-a-a-y out of scale. But, folks still love them.

What ya gonna do?

Jerry 47

In hind sight ? I've done the same thing.

I agree with Rufus, subtlety is the key word and same as him I'll digress on figures.

Do "people", "human bodies" look like they are depicted in or painted on the models ? Mostly not, I say.

As of now, and I forget where I picked the idea, obviously here, I am going to "stress" the panel lines with a slightly darker shade of the colour of the panel(s), as opossed to a black wash.

Be well

Many modellers "enhance" the panels lines on their subjects (aircraft mainly), which gives a particulaly effective "depth" to the model. Indeed, some of the best examples at ModelWorld 2003 had had this technique applied. I think it looks very effective...

...but...

Darkening panel lines make sense only where the line would realistically be visible, say, in a overall photo of the real thing. Some butt joints are really very tight and you simply don't see them, other panel openings have real gaps, or skin sections with prominate "sealer" or grime that would be conspicuous even in a fairly small scale. As often as not, I simply don't do anything to the joints that would reasonably be fairly tight but are scribed on the kit, leaving actual darkened lines to access panels or oily areas, usually using "burnt umber" artist's acrylic, which is a good match for oozy oil. I do often do differential shading of panel sections though, using very very thin washes of white or dirt colors, the lighter color at the upper or leading edge, or at both sides of a panel line to increase the contrast of the scribed line without actually putting a darker color in it. The intent is to give a reasonable impression of the look of the thing. Even if the panel line is technically overscale, if it IS visible on the real thing, doing ti, or at least giving the impression of it is all right and good. However, doing a ruling pen over every conceivable line on a model has very little to do with a realistic representation of what the model represents.

I dunno. We drive by a A-7 on a pylon occasionally outside a military base and not only can we see the panel lines while on the road at 40mph, it looks exactly like a preshaded model!

People here have made the argument you would never see the rivets on a

1/72 plane such as the XB-35, yet in photographs *much* smaller than the kit the rivet detail is clearly visible, therefore I don't find it unreasonable.

Using black to outline panel lines is usually a mistake, if not hideous, although some situations exist where it would be appropriate. A darker shade of the surface color gives the subtle shadow appearance of a panel break.

Tom

True...."in theory" such panel lines would be near-invisible in small scales, but you also have to consider the effects such panel lines have. Adjoining panels will often show slight differences in color. Dirt and "crud" will accumulate, and leech out, from said areas. Shadows will be cast by the "line" (as well as catching highlights). Careful accentuating the lines on a model helps replicate all of these things.

I got back from the last tour at Silver Hill, and even the P 40 in original paint which was dark, the panels stood out clearly Shows in the pic's of that, and the He 219 undergoing restoration. The panels do show a dark differentation between frames. Very light, but it is there non the less. Access panels show more.

I use a pencil over gloss for several reasons. First, it is not totally black, and leaves behind a light gray line. Also, is has a sheen to it that actally works in it's favor. Sprayed with flat will darken it, take away the sheen. However, it is still a shade of gray, and a lighter application, will work just fine. It also sharpens toa fine point ! A RapidoGraph pen works well also with a neutral black, or a very thinned out black. IT leaves very fine lines also, depending on the way you use it. Note, make one mistake like pushing it forward, and clog the tip, forget it, it's a write off.

I preffer pencil............

Remember a LOT of modeling is optical illusion !!!!!!!!!!

"Only a Gentleman can insult me, and a true Gentleman never will..."

I drive past lots of aircraft on pedistals too, and I notice that lots of them ARE painted like models - particularly if they have a glossy finish. We have a recently restored and mounted an AV8A here as memorial which is particularly overdone, IMHO...

A "working" aircraft is a different looking animal entirely.

Yeah...what YOU said about the pencil...

This topic crops up fairly regularly here - go with what you feel looks correct. Modelling is artistic expression, after all... or am I mistaken?

RobG (the Aussie one)

You're never mistaken when you agree with me, and always wrong when you differ. There, feel oriented now?

This question really has a lot to do with scale, and with the nature of the underlying finish, and the weathering, or lack thereof, and dare we even speak of scale effect?

If you're doing this for your own satisfaction, there is no right answer but what you think it is. If you're thinking in terms of a contest, get the basics right, and if it really comes down to the judges having to be connoissuers of panel line prominence, then you must have done a pretty good job otherwise; don't sweat the lost trophy hardware. If you're trying to replicate the real thing, and you've got perfect photos and a great memory, then all you have to do is duplicate what you see/recall, and the panel line /anti-panel line partisans can pound sand.

The average panel line on a good 1/72 kit is about a scale inch wide (assuming it's 1/3mm or so). I try to do as little as possible to draw attention to them. But that's me.

Mark Schynert

Here's my take. Imagine the weathering and look of finished model compared to the real thing as being on a scale from 1 to 10. 1 being the model straight-painted and looking like a toy and 10 being somehow magically looking 'exactly' like a perfect miniature rendition of the real thing including scaled down lighting mimicking the sun, etc. You can't ever make the model a '10', but you don't want to leave it at 1 so you do some paint tricks like pre-shading, weathering, panel lines, pastel fading, to get the kit on the other side of '5'. The aircraft doesn't *really and literally* have anything on it's aluminum skin even close to what you just did to the model, but these effects will get you to 5 or 6 or 8 or whatever. They're all just optical tricks, so you can't look at them as literal translations from the A/C to the model.

Heh. You should see the aircraft on display at Camp Robinson ARNG base here in N. Little Rock. Every one of them is glossy gray with completely spurious markings.

I guess I shouldn't complain - at least the snappy paint jobs help protect them from the weather.....

I don't think has been restored, nor am I implying all planes on pylons are all correct or all incorrect... It sat on base for a few years before it was put on the pylon. No restoration work is evident then or now.

Tom

The one (two, actually) examples I'm thinking of came from a test facility that perfomed destructive testing on the carcasses. The airframes have been restored externally, and IMO drastically over painted for effect - the latest AV8A in particular. Really funny looking, as they are 25+ year old jets. We also have some non-mounted ones we roll around as needed for ceremonies...our A-7 is pretty shiney as well - looks "weird" on the line next to the flyers.

I see goodly number of these scattered about SoCal - they don't really start looking like "working" aircraft until they've sat out under the desert sun for a few years...at which point the municipality has them repainted and the saga begins anew...