Panel lines

[The Migrant]

I always highlight the panel lines; I think the effect looks cool, but I can't defend it from an accuracy viewpoint. I think it helps to define the 3-dimensional form of the aircraft and makes it visually appealing (to me) but I'd be the first to admit that it's an artistic interpretation. On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of pre-shading every panel line with black paint, but it's purely my preference and I don't criticize those who do. And there are plenty of modellers who just build and paint the model as per the instructions, with no thoughts of weathering or highlighting. Are their models any less 'valid'? We'd have to be pretty opinionated to think so.

[Alan 45]

Thanks for that Steve that film was quite interesting and surprising in the fact that most of the methods of painting aply to decorating today

Mind you elf and safety wasn't a big priority back then

[stona]

Again, I agree with Mike's post above. Many modellers do something to give what he called '3-dimensional form' to the model. It's what I described as making it appear less toy like. There are all sorts of techniques to do this, including of course the shading of panel lines. Or, as Mike described, highlighting a line with a pin wash or similar.

Others choose not to do any of this and their models are certainly no better, worse or valid than anyone else's. Everyone should feel free to try whatever techniques look best to them and b*gger what anyone else thinks, it's not their model

As someone whose been around a while I do think that the heavy shading/pre-shading of panels became something of a fashion, or should that be fad, a few years ago. It's one I chose not to follow, but each to their own.

Cheers

Steve

[BarryW]

I do like to pre-shade and post-shade as steps in colour modulation to create that feel of paint discolouration, bleaching and the general effect caused by the play of light over a large surface. This is different to washes which in my view are more about the accumulation of dirt in strategic places including panel lines. Using the AK washes I am exploring different washes in different areas of the fuselage to reflect the different look of oil,smoke mud of general dust. I course there are also different approaches needed for WW2 subjects to modern subjects. Likewise the environment in which they operated. A desert weathering effect being different to a North European effect and so on.

[BarryW]

Further to the above. There are pigments as well these can be used instead of washes or as well as washes to create some very interesting effects. In the Aces High magazine produced by AKI there are some pictures where pigments have been used for the panel lines.

[BBdave]

This has provided some interesting reading and the mention of a few techniques I'll have to look up.

Dave

[Guest]

Yes very interesting article Dave.

So many ways of doing things and great to see so many with their different preferences.

I have got to say that I have preferences but due to my nature I look adopt but most important change and experiment as I found and also think up myself.

Although I do have preferences that does not stop me admiring work carried out which is not my preference. I would not criticise any form or discount it.

I think this article has shown that model making is not just sticking bits of plastic together.

I was with a new acquaintance recently and he being an artist and graphic man asked me what I did for pleasure. I said I made plastic model aircraft.

Well there was a sudden break in the flow of the conversation. I said but you obviously do not know what can be achieved. He said no but unconvincingly.

By chance I had my Ipad (a 76 year old up to date character). So I brought up some of my models and showed him a variety of random models on this forum. He was gob smacked to find what could be done and in so many different and varied ways.

So there is an artist, and his work was very good indeed, inspired by what we have achieved. For me I think some of the work here is of a very very high artistic standard and even during the near 5 year on this forum I have noticed the change from not just producing well finished models but the artistic work achieved and put into so many.

Laurie

[Guest]

Always thought of the washing and weathering we do as a kind of arty thing.

[Guest]

Always thought of the washing and weathering we do as a kind of arty thing.

Not wrong there Steve. A creation of your own in which your own senses dictate to give satisfaction to yourself and others.

Laurie

[Gern]

If memory serves, we did a similar discussion recently about hard/soft demarcation between camouflage colours. I suspect there's a similar issue here. We know aircraft are made from panels so there's some sort of expectation that we should be able to see the joins between them. It's your decision as a modeller to decide how strongly the joins should be shown - or whether they should be there at all given the scale factors involved.

[Guest]

........is an instructional film which gives an idea of how carefully finished a high speed aircraft, in this case a Spitfire, was supposed to be. This is at a maintenance unit, not the point of manufacture.

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F02334/

Cheer

I love these old movies in 1940s Britspeak, especiaaly "30 maaalspraa" and similar.