Working with raised panel lines.

[Joe]

I have several older Soviet MiG models that I need to start building. However, they are all raised panel lines and I have no experience in that area. Short of removing the raised panels and scribing in recessed lines (which sounds maddening to me...) what can be done.

My thought is to prime the plane either black or dark grey and then follow up with a lighter base color. Then lightly sand the panel lines (being careful not to remove them) so that the darker primer color comes through, there by creating weathered panel lines in the finish. Has anybody tried something like this before?

How have you worked with raised panel lines.?

Joe

[Stokesy44]

Hey Joe. Feel free to disregard the following if it doesn't hit the mark:

Raised panel lines would drive me mad and I would not enjoy working on those kits. Unless they are of sentimental value, I would consign them to the charity shop and get something I know I will enjoy building. Raised panel lines go against all the painting and weathering techniques I know so creating any kind of decent finish would be impossible for me. I am also not gifted enough to sand and rescribe them.

I'm only being honest and if there's someone out there with a technique that can deal with raised lines then go for it. For me, its all about enjoyment. I like a challenge but I have never felt bad about being off sick the day the Light Brigade charged the guns at Balaclava!!

Happy modelling Dude.

[wookiee76]

One trick ive heard for rescribing is to scribe using the existing lines as a guide and then sand the raised lines off.

[Nige201980]

One trick ive heard for rescribing is to scribe using the existing lines as a guide and then sand the raised lines off.

This is the way I normally deal with raised lines. I've done quite a few kits this way some I do before I put it together and some when the kit is built it can be quite satisfieing one the kit is done.

[wookiee76]

Ive a couple of harriers to practice on.

[PhilsModelMaking]

i build a lot of older kits and to be honest don't mid re scribing raised panel lines, in fact i find it sort of relaxing! my main tool for this is a trumpeter one, it looks sort of like a hooked blade in a plastic handle, sometimes the raised lines are too faint, or missing altogether, for this i use bits of photo etch sprue that have straight edges and are easy to bend around things like fuselage halves.
at Telford this year i bought a proper scribing ruler/template that has circles and squares and such, but i haven't actually used it yet.

the last fully re scribed build i did is this hurricane, which is the 1978 airfix tooling that has raised lines-



have a bit of an experiment, and before long you will find its quite easy to give an older kit a facelift, and don't forget to have fun doing it!

[Joe]

Thank you all for your sound advice. I will consider them all (including the one that says not to do it at all!) when I review these models!

As always, Lots of great help with this forum!

Joe