[jlspec]

Anyway to make the panel lines a little more subtle besides a repaint. I got a Dauntless for free and would like to soften the lines somewhat
Thanks

[Captain Eddie]

Lots of paint!?

[Epapazian]

It's not going to be easy, however what I would use is paint about 10-15% darker than what's on the model.So on the top, you need a slightly darker version of that blue/gray, while on the bottom you need a slightly darker medium sea gray. This may require a bit of mixing, like adding a bit of black to the paint you select as a match for the upper surface color. In the case of the lower surface gray, you might opt for a slightly darker shade, such as Gull Gray and lighten it a tiny bit with white.

The hard part is the application of the paint. I use a fairly narrow tipped, pointed brush and dilute the paint about 25-35% with thinner in a side dish or bottle top---anything to hold the concoction so you can work with it.. Then, I go over the lines with the slightly darker paint very slowly and let the paint begin to dry ( about 20 minutes ). Next I take a soft piece of loosely wadded toilet paper and gently start wiping over the panel lines which are indented, removing the excess add-on paint. Sometimes this can be done with gentle dabbing---or a combination of wiping and dabbing, in both cases with a tiny bit of thinner on the wadded paper. Often the wiping process takes off too much paint, so a new dose must be added in the areas affected, and after a slight delay, the wiping process resumes. It's a trial and error process and often looks like you have ruined the model. But remember, so long as the paint you are adding to the model hasn't cured ( that takes hours to begin in earnest ), you can always apply more thinner and brush all of the new paint off.

I know that this sounds terribly complicated, so why not take an IXO model you really don't mind messing with and do a little practicing? Eventually, you will come up with a method you feel comfortable with.

By the way. If you use matt colors for the retouching, you must be prepared to mask the canopy, once you finish, and spray the whole plane with Dullcoat to get a uniform look. Otherwise you will see streaky matt lines and residue where you have done your retouching, clashing with the original paint job's glossy--or near glossy- sheen.

Good luck. Let us know how you made out.

[Cruver Collecter]

This site may have some information that might prove helpful.

Site: Tech Tips: Emphasizing Panel Lines

[jlspec]

Thanks, when I get some time and get my nerve up I will give it a try

[Cruver Collecter]

Originally Posted by jlspec

Thanks, when I get some time and get my nerve up I will give it a try

As a model builder, I think panel lines if done right really help give a model a realistic look. Good luck on your project.