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EastwindS2k

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Amazeballs! How did you go about panel lining? It’s something I want to do but I’m too chicken to try it without some guidance first. This plastic feels different than a regular gunpla kit so throwing down tamiyas panel liner doesn’t seem like the right thing to do immediately. 

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@Grey728, yeah, DO NOT do that!  Tamiya panel liner is VERY brutal to some plastics, ESPECIALLY Bandai plastics. I speak from experience.  Go with clay based Flory's dark dirt wash or something a little lighter, easy water clean up if you make mistakes or just plain don't like it. Or a mechanical pencil, some people I've heard go that route.  

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On 2/28/2020 at 2:42 PM, Grey728 said:

Amazeballs! How did you go about panel lining? It’s something I want to do but I’m too chicken to try it without some guidance first. This plastic feels different than a regular gunpla kit so throwing down tamiyas panel liner doesn’t seem like the right thing to do immediately. 

 

I'll keep it simple. Bewared that my method may not be the best. Also it's not a good idea to do this if you are planning to sell your Valks.

These are what I used for panel lining and coating. Make sure you use them in a ventilated area and wear a mask! 

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A general rule is to use grey on white surface, and black on others. I use both Tamiya and Gunze panel liner. Tamiya is fine but DO NOT use it for weathering wash. It will crack plastic and destroy polyethylene (ex. Gunpla joints). Use mineral spirits (or enamel thinners like Tamiya X20) to wipe off the excessive afterward. 

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Gundam markers are very useful, especially on Arcadia products. Arcadia has shallow panel lines which make the liquid panel liners useless.

After applying the Gundam marker: 

1. Use eraser to erase the unwanted marker (magic!) 

2. Use Mineral Spirits (or any enamel thinner) to soften the color and blend the edge 

3. Use lacquer thinner and fine tip cotton swaps to clean up the details 

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Occasionally, I'll scribe panel lines to better resemble the line arts. BMC 0.15mm and 0.3mm are what I use the most. Make sure you're using the scribing tapes. 6.thumb.jpg.2993f4e37310578a7a06d2aa2860881a.jpg

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After all the hard work (use water slide decals if possible) it's time to coat. I use Tamiya flat (TS-80) on most models and I like it better than the Gunze's. 

Use masking tape to cover places like canopy and sensors. Find spray paint instruction videos on Youtube. I'll only tell you some tips here:

1. You can use a hairdryer to greatly speed up drying  

2. You can warm the spray can with warm water to increase its internal pressure 

3. Wear a mask and spray in front of a ventilation booth. You're more likely to catch dust if spray outside, say, in the garage 

4. Apply a thin layer of coat first. You may notice a bleeding effect if the first application is too thick (apparent on Arcadia products)

5. Be patient. You'll need to partially transform and loosen your Valkyrie to coat all the surfaces. It can be tedious and things tend to break at this point.        

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Here is a before and after comparison. The details are accentuated and look less "plastic-ky". BTW stickers are acceptable if their boarders are trimmed, like the "02" here.  

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That's it for now. Happy modeling and hope this helps!

 

 

Edited by EastwindS2k
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Nice collection!

For peeps who are new to such things, I'd be super careful with the Tamiya sprays and Mr Super Clear. They're lacquer-based and can damage decals and paint (stickers are okay).

If you want to avoid that risk altogether, there's always water-based coats you can use, like Mr Hobby Topcoat. Those are completely safe to use on paint and decals.

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Love that Petite Sharon Apple Figure hiding behind Isamu. :p

I've got my Macross figures still stashed in their corresponding boxes and will bring it all someday. Maybe squeeze the Spirits Kuji Sheryl with the Blue cape with Alto's DX VF-171EX in one shelf.

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On 2/28/2020 at 10:08 PM, Lolicon said:

Nice collection!

For peeps who are new to such things, I'd be super careful with the Tamiya sprays and Mr Super Clear. They're lacquer-based and can damage decals and paint (stickers are okay).

If you want to avoid that risk altogether, there's always water-based coats you can use, like Mr Hobby Topcoat. Those are completely safe to use on paint and decals.

Thanks ;)

I've used them all (except Gunze's latest premium acrylic). Personally, I didn't experience paint or decal damage from the Tamiya, they are quite stable.   

 

ts80.jpeg.0f69f39bbf584109bb9891a3e13a9d1e.jpeg

Tamiya (lacquer‐based) 

Pros: Easy to use, consistent, good flat, fast dry 

Cons: toxic, cost

 

 

415901672_Gunze1.jpeg.685fa4319d6a1ec901d9a2a4e84c48a9.jpeg

Gunze Mr. Hobby (lacquer‐based)

Pros: Strongest flat, cost‐volume effective  

Cons: Easy to get white residual, toxic 

 

 

388378340_Gunze3.jpeg.99956db0c1c38a21b58f6ef51abd2dc1.jpeg

Gunze Mr. Hobby (acrylic‐based) 

Pro: Toxic free, easy to use

Cons: Weaker flat when comparing to lacquer, cost    

 

 

77309952_Gunze4.jpeg.7309f25dfd23f655ef27f618d7087259.jpeg

Gunze Mr. Hobby Premium (acrylic-based)

Pro: non‐toxic

Cons: Inconsistent result, cost

Edited by EastwindS2k
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If you haven't had any damage, then great. I used the lacquer-based stuff for a long time without incident, until something did get damaged. Then I stopped because with such expensive toys you do not want even one incident.

The Tamiya sprays even say right on the label not to use on decals.

So whatever coats you guys want to use is up to you. Just be aware of the risks if you go the lacquer route.

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3 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

If you haven't had any damage, then great. I used the lacquer-based stuff for a long time without incident, until something did get damaged. Then I stopped because with such expensive toys you do not want even one incident.

The Tamiya sprays even say right on the label not to use on decals.

So whatever coats you guys want to use is up to you. Just be aware of the risks if you go the lacquer route.

Thanks for the warning! ;) 

I think I'll switch to Mr. Hobby premium later 

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Nice, I noticed that some Frontier DX are in satin/matt finish. Am I correct or is it the soft lighting that causes it?

 

Really really beautiful sets. Clean shots, really like the usage of acrylic blocks and another case why Yeti Stands are really superior for this hobby.

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14 hours ago, chyll2 said:

Nice, I noticed that some Frontier DX are in satin/matt finish. Am I correct or is it the soft lighting that causes it?

 

Really really beautiful sets. Clean shots, really like the usage of acrylic blocks and another case why Yeti Stands are really superior for this hobby.

Thank you. The Yetis are great :)

You were right and I coated all of them. I posted the how to in one of my earlier reply.

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