pre-painting panel lines?

[Gary]

I've been debating some paint schemes lately and I started searching about to get some info. This may sound very rude and I honestly don't mean to, but what is this trend towards prepainted soft fuzzy panel lines on every panel of aircraft? I spent a few hours searching about on airliners dot net looking at fighters of all eras, and I found crisply demarked panel lines, panels of differring colours, dirty streaks, panel leading edges that were worn,  heat discolourations, oil or some such stains but after several hours of searching I couldn'd find a single military aircraft that would have 1/8th to 1/16th inch soft fuzzy panel lines (48th scale) anywhere. (I figured that a 1/8th fuzzy panel line, in /48th scale would be nearly 6 inches across on the real thing.)

This appears to be an inaccurate fashion and I would of thought the self proclaimed experts would be howling over this. I've read huge debates over the radius of a corner of an access plate on a 72nd scale P-40 for crying out loud.

Am I really missing something here? For years I have finished model panel lines with a 2h very sharp pencil prior to weathering. This provides an accurate shadow effect and you see the detail. Am I wrong? I want to compete to with a few of the guys who have been crapping on my wiffing efforts, and I really would like to be accurate.

Gary P

[Radish]

I hate prepainted panel lines.

I weather far too enthusiastically with pencil, but to quote Wooksta..."It's my fecking model...."

Most (but not all) in service aircraft don't show panel lines but have other weathering characteristics, but NEVER pre-painted panel lines.

Just my opinion, but in a Whatif world, do what you want

[The Rat]

In one of my write-ups on a model I mentioned that since it was in a tiny scale I didn't want to over-accentuate detail so the panel lines were pre-shaded with Tamiya clear varnish. Nobody commented, but I hope someone got the pointed reference. Pre-shade if you like, or leave it as is, but to obsess over it reminds me of the ongoing debate over recessed and raised panel lines - since many aircraft have overlapping panels then both are wrong!

[philp]

I think the effect you are talking about is called pre-shading by the "experts" (there is also a post-shading school).
When they paint the main color (camoflage, etc) over the shading, they cover most of it up.  It is supposed to give a mored varied look to the color scheme than just painting the colors.
My opinion is that in order to see a panel line on most aircraft you have to be pretty close.  And since I mainly model 72nd scale where looking at the model from a foot away is equivalent to looking at the real thing from 72 feet away, and my eyes ain't that great either 

It is kinda of like the Verlinden method for armor vehicles.  It looks artsey and a lot of people do it so to want to fit in for contests around those crowds more people do it.  However, if you are here, you tend to do things your own way anyway so try it if you want but otherwise, it's just a hobby.

[Sisko]

Not a fan of pre-shading.

I tend to paint the model in the base colour and lighten subsequent coats of paint to give a faded look weathered look.

I am also not a fan of heavy black panel lines. Makes the model look toy like, I tend to use a lead pencil to mark panel lines.

See below



It may not be what some people like but to me it gives a weathered look without going overboard.

See Wooksta rule No1

[Jennings]

When real airplanes start to be pre-shaded, I'll start doing it to my models.



J

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Personnaly, I do pre-shading when I can. That's mainly due to the fact that I have not the skills to do post-shading, particulary on 1/72 models!!

But i admit that the pre-shading is not enough for a good weathering, particulary when the aircraft in painted in dark colors. But well, as a begining, I find it far better than no weathering at all! It's for me the perfect weathering technique to begin, but I hope that later i'll be able to do more elegants weathering.

Personnaly, I don't really care about reality, as I know that my models are not just "downsized reality"! If they were, they would have panel lines 30cm wide and a 18cm high coat of paint!!
All I want is that my model look as real as possible with the limitations of my skills! But I hope one day I could do models like Sisko's F-89, for example!

[mgp]

This appears to be an inaccurate fashion and I would of thought the self proclaimed experts would be howling over this. I've read huge debates over the radius of a corner of an access plate on a 72nd scale P-40 for crying out loud.

Plenty of experts do but they are shouted down by the "artist" brigade who'll post close up pics of grey F-14's as proof. The experts will point out that while the pics are correct, they are only true for part of the time and for some aircraft and that at a distance the panel line shading disappears. The artists will retort that this is just a hobby and hobbies are meant to be fun, you're killing the hobby....blah blah blah.....

Pretty much what happens with most modelling discussions nowadays.

[gooberliberation]

I've attempted preshading at least a couple times. I found that its pretty pointless if you plan on throwing more than one coat of paint on. That and it doesn't look realistic unless you're trying to go for an ultra-weathering job, and by that point you might as make the canopy opaque beige and spatter on bird-poop.

The only real use for preshading would be on a kit with raised panel lines, once its painted the way you want, give the lines a light sanding to reveal the black I started with.

[cthulhu77]

I am a big fan of preshading, though I don't use black, and I don't put on heavy lines, but I really like the scale effect, and it is easy for me to do with a detailing airbrush. Once the topcoats go on, the preshading almost disappears, just a hint of paneling.

[Brian da Basher]

Wow that's one beautiful Jug Greg! I love the camo scheme and the interesting markings. Can you give us a little background?

Brian da Basher

[cthulhu77]

Hmmm, can't seem to find the link page. It was part of a gb on MM, 1/72nd  Revell 47's, of course, I had to do an Ecuadorian interdiction fighter. It was back in '06, so the old whatif thread may be gone.

[cthulhu77]

 Yep, you'd hate to have your kits look good !  Accuracy !

[Gary]

Ahhh, Lee, I think you were a bit too subtle with your response. Could you be a touch more clear about your feelings there?


Bwaaahahahahahahaha!

[jcf]

Here's one for ya Lee. 




Jon