Help on rescribing panel lines.

[chrisonord]

I would like to know how to go about re-scribing panel lines on on aircraft fuselages, as the curved surfaces I am sure will need a certain knack to get right. I have a Leoman SU-11 that has nasty raised panel lines, and a couple of lines that look like they have been carved with a soldering iron by a drunk child, so I have my work cut out on it for sure. Or, would I be better off just sanding them all flat/fill the canyons etc??
Cheers,
Chris.

[frank2056]

I gave that kit away to some lucky Whiffer!  I think the best solution is to fill in the panel canyons (not gaps) completely and sand down the ridges along some of the so called panel lines until you get a completely smooth fuselage. Add the panel lines with paint - preshading on a primed surface, or postshading. Or just leave them off altogether. The kit shape and fit aren't too bad.

[Army of One]

I have had a reasonable amount of success (tried on 2 kits) with a method I saw in SAMI....chap used DYMO (?) tape or something similar. The hard sticky back plastick used in the hand held punch printer machines. To make it last longer he cut it down the center,wavy line,so you had a straight line on one side. He then stuck it down along the panel line and gently scribed the lines using his preffered tool. If you sand before you can use the sanded line left behind or scribe next to the raised then sand. I have tried it and had some succes on curved surfaces with my limited modeling skills....hope this helps......H

[chrisonord]

Thanks for the info guys  I will have a look for some of that tape, but if its cost outweighs its usefulness, the SU-11 is going slick as regards to the lines.I think I might have some expanding foam for the "engraved" panel lines
Chris.

[Army of One]

App the tape is exy in the shops...eg Rymans.......I found it to be cheap on ebay....although a girl in an office at work gave me a few rolls after I asked if I could have one....she asked what for and I told her n got one....few days later five turn up in an envelope with a note saying great reason...?!?!....pm me ur addy n I'll send u one if you want....H

[frank2056]

I think I might have some expanding foam for the "engraved" panel lines

Chris, most of the expanding foam I'm familiar with is very hard to control and even harder to remove from plastic once set. You may end up with a model encased in foam! I would use regular putty to fill in the lines, or CA glue + talc (although that would be time consuming). On this kit, even very thin styrene rod (or stretched sprue) glued in place might work to fill in some of the trenches.

Frank

[chrisonord]

I think I might have some expanding foam for the "engraved" panel lines

Chris, most of the expanding foam I'm familiar with is very hard to control and even harder to remove from plastic once set. You may end up with a model encased in foam! I would use regular putty to fill in the lines, or CA glue + talc (although that would be time consuming). On this kit, even very thin styrene rod (or stretched sprue) glued in place might work to fill in some of the trenches.

Frank

I was joking Frank 

[PR19_Kit]

A Leoman Su-11?

You'd need a JCB and a few tons of aggregate to fill some of their 'panel lines'! I used Milliput on one I built many years ago, normal putty needed so many applications it sank in the middle, leaving curved panel lines! 

[noxioux]

Electrical tape can also be used.  And it's dirt cheap.  I've been using it for quite some time.

[John Howling Mouse]

You can also use strips of dirt-cheap shim stock taped to your model as a flexible metal ruler.  Like Dymo tape but without the slip-gouge-[swear] you sometimes get with Dymo tape (I re-used my Dymo tape beyond the point I should have many times).