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1/72 VF-4 Lightning III WIP


Dobber

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Dobber, what exactly did you use to get those panel lines? I'm going to be building my first model pretty soon and I think I'd like to give that a try.

Hi Benson13, while there are many ways to do panel lines, they way I am currently doing it is with water based paints that can be bought at any arts and craft stores. I just mix white and black together, sometimes more black than white or visa versa, to get the desired shade I want. It just depends on the color of the model. In this case, since the hull color is very light, I used mostly white with maybe 1 or 2 drops of black.

Once the paint is mixed, I just take a brush and thoroughly go over the panel lines. I'll let it dry for a bit, doesn't need to be completely dry, and use a damp paper towel to wipe off the excess paint. Try to wipe perpendicular to the panel line to help prevent the paint in the lines from being wiped off.

I also use artist pencils if touch- ups are needed or if a line is just too shallow to let paint stay in it. On this model i actually added the rivets with a pencil to give it some added detail. Could have used a scribing tool too but felt the pencil did the job fine. After I 'm happy with the panel lines, I'll steel the model in a clear coat and then use ground up pastel chalk to highlight and weather the panel lines and model as a whole. I use varying shades of dark grey and even brown to get the look I like. Most of my models have a nice subtle weathering detail to the, that just don't show well in pictures. Here are various models I've made over the past several years that have different levels of weathering and panel lining and shading. Remember to always start light and the work darker (it's easier to make something darker than to try and lighten it up. I'll even walk away from a build for a day or two if I'm not sure if I want to make my weathering heavier....it'll let you look at your work more objectively.

Hasegawa custom SV-51: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/SV-51/

Hasegawa Moonshooters VF-22s: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Moon%20Shooters%20VF-22S/

Fan racer: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Fan%20Racer/

Space Battleship Yamato fighters: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Space%20Battleship%20Yamato%20fighters/

Battlestar Galactica MK VII Viper: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Colonial%20Viper%20MK%20VII/

Battlestar Galactica Viper: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Colonial%20viper/

Battlestar Galactica Viper MK IV: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Colonial%20viper%20MK%20IV/

Firefly Serenity: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Serenity/

Babylon 5 Thunderbolt Starfury: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Thunderbolt/

Babylon 5 Warlock class Destroyer: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Warlock%20class%20destroyer/

VF-11 digital camo: http://s137.photobucket.com/albums/q222/cd821/Digital%20camo%20Hasegawa%20VF-11/

Here is a link to another method of doing panel lines that I may try too. http://www.scalespot.com/reference/panellines/panellines.htm

Thanks again everyone!

Chris

Edited by Dobber
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You'll need a small container of some sort...jar, box, or something. Then just crush the pastel chalk stick or part of it ( a little goes a long way) till it's a nice powder. Then take a brush ( suggest a fine brush that'll only be used for this) dip it into the powder, I tap the brush on the side of the container to shake loose any larger chips, and then lightly go over the lines. This will give you the shaded look most modelers get with an airbrush. The more you go over an area the darker it will be, plus black pastel will be darker than different greys. I mainly use a dark grey or a lighter grey depending on how dark the model is. Black I mainly use for heavy stains, burns, and scoring.

Also do small areas at a time as chalk dust can really leave finger prints. I will do the top of a model or the front of a model, so it leaves me with a safe section to hold. Seal it in light mists of clear coat till you get good coverage. Then do the other areas. I would also recommend applying weathering over a flat coat, since gloss goat is smooth and harder for the dust to adhere to...but don't forget that decals need to go on a glossy surface. So you will be applying a few different clear coats.

Chris

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

How could I have missed this thread the first time around! Excellent work Dobber!!

Truly one of the best VF-4 I've seen - I love the traditional canon scheme too. If I had seen this, it would tempt me to buy the kit as well, but you know as soon as I buy the resin, Hasegawa would come out with it!

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