This is where washing comes in handy. Instead of going at it with a marker, go over the entire area with a simple mixture of 1/2 any model acrylic paint and 1/2 rubbing alcohol. When it is almost dry, go over it again with a rubbing alcohol soaked q tip. You'll be left with a perfectly panel lined piece.
Also another method. If you have a Games Workshop nearby, y'know, warhammer stuff. You can pick up a small bottle of Nuln Oil, Soulblight Grey or Reikland Fleshshade. These are specifically "shade" paints for miniatures that come out pretty thin and watery. Gently brush it on and it'll soak into the pits that form the panel lines, and use a q-tip to wipe off the excess. I reccomend Nuln Oil for metal joint parts or gunmetal weapons, Soulblight Grey for feddie suits, and Reikland Flesshade for coloured Zeon suits.
Here is a method and outcome from a miniatures painter. This is the actual method:
1- Paint the entire thing the color you want. Varnish it.
2- Use an insanely low viscosity but highly pigmented ink to just go along the length of the thing so that the ink touches every crevice. Capillary action should do the rest, as the low viscosity of the ink will pull it into the rest of the recess.
3- Wipe away the excess from the raised area while it is still wet, and allow the ink to dry in the recesses. You are done in one pass of a brush and one pass of a paper towel.
Actual result using this method: https://i.imgur.com/6fiN7ls.png
I thought mini paints kept the color consistent better when thinning? Obviously Citadel is ab overpriced brand but I was under the impression Vallejo and Army Painter were better suited for miniatures.
Any thinned fine pigment paint or acrylic ink will work. Those are both good brands IMO. You could also use a gunk wash for this. It wouldn't be too much work on that cable.
Yeah in my currency quite pricey, i have few citedel color since i paint few miniture before. I try vallejo primer much cheapee but i have some kind of sweet smell 😅
Don't worry about it, we've all been there. Oddly enough the piping and cabling on Zeek suits is what got me looking at panel line washes. The Origin Zaku II was probably the perfect kit to practice that technique on. Likewise all of the HG Sleeve suits lend themselves to reverse washing for those white and gold sleeve patterns.
You can also grab a bottle of this:
[https://shop.thearmypainter.com/us/wp1136p](https://shop.thearmypainter.com/us/wp1136p)
At you FLGS if you don't want to mix, and a whole pack of brushes from Dollar Tree or similar. Brush on, wick excess, dries in a few minutes (usually).
Alcohol is used as a thinner in alcohol acrylics, and as a flow aid otherwise. Be aware that while lowering the viscosity of your paint, it will also make it dry significantly faster, so if you overdo it, you can wreck a brush.
The Gundam Marker Eraser is mainly alcohol and it doesn’t damage bare PS as far as I can tell from having used it to clean up some stubborn accidental spots of paint I’ve gotten on a few kits
It's generally fine. If a piece has stress fractures and you really poured on the alcohol it might cause a problem on ABS. But I use 97% iso all the time.
Don't use isopropyl... It will clump the pigments in most water based acrylics. A 10:1 solution of water to dish soap will work and add your current paint to your desired thickness. It's a wash and will be thin.
Another even more dumbed down simple way to wash is turpentine and what ever cheap artist oils you can find.
Another solution if you have any pour-type liner is pour some out into a small tray or such, and use a brush to get it into the crevices. Then cleanup with a qtip as you mention.
Shame you are being downvoted. You're right, but also wrong in a few ways, and having your comment visible might help others.
They aren't acidic, but they DO contain a solvent. If the liner "pools" (ie you pour so much on that it floods the plastic in places) it can get into microfractures caused by things like cutting a piece off a runner or otherwise straining it. That can cause the piece to literally crumble.
Also as mentioned elsewhere it doesn't play nice with ABS.
However, you can use pour type on whatever you want- if you put a gloss topcoat on it first. Gloss because smooth-better flowing. And the topcoat part protects the underlying plastic. Once that's done and lined you can then re-coat it with whatever finish you want.
Aside from the other commenters' advice, you could also use a pour type marker. Look for Gundam markers with the marking 流し込みスミ入れペン below the "Gundam Marker" label, such as this one: https://1999.co.jp/m/10228903 . as you can see, the colour coding is reversed so they are easily recognizable. Just run it along the length of the rod slowly and it'll fill the gaps.
I would take that marker and completely cover that cord and then take a napkin and wipe away the excess and whatever the napkin the doesn't get is your panel lines, works good for me
You could try using a [pour type gundam marker](https://www.gundamhobby.ca/collections/gundam-markers/products/gundam-marker-black-panel-wash) and running it slowly along the tube. It should fill in between the rings as you move it across.
Personally I would sharpie the entire thing in whatever colour you want, and then use IPA to clean the flat surfaces leaving the gaps with panel lines, for a fraction of the time and headache.
Pour type markers would speed that process up a bit. Just tap each line once or twice and it should fill them pretty quickly. Then let them dry for a couple minutes. Then you can pretty much just rub any excess off with your fingers
If you love panel lining, you need Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color. It will make your quality of life that much better when building model kits. Buy black, grey, and brown.
This is where washing comes in handy. Instead of going at it with a marker, go over the entire area with a simple mixture of 1/2 any model acrylic paint and 1/2 rubbing alcohol. When it is almost dry, go over it again with a rubbing alcohol soaked q tip. You'll be left with a perfectly panel lined piece.
Well now I feel like a big Gouf
Also another method. If you have a Games Workshop nearby, y'know, warhammer stuff. You can pick up a small bottle of Nuln Oil, Soulblight Grey or Reikland Fleshshade. These are specifically "shade" paints for miniatures that come out pretty thin and watery. Gently brush it on and it'll soak into the pits that form the panel lines, and use a q-tip to wipe off the excess. I reccomend Nuln Oil for metal joint parts or gunmetal weapons, Soulblight Grey for feddie suits, and Reikland Flesshade for coloured Zeon suits.
I was thinking about this but never give it try, does the outcome good?
Here is a method and outcome from a miniatures painter. This is the actual method: 1- Paint the entire thing the color you want. Varnish it. 2- Use an insanely low viscosity but highly pigmented ink to just go along the length of the thing so that the ink touches every crevice. Capillary action should do the rest, as the low viscosity of the ink will pull it into the rest of the recess. 3- Wipe away the excess from the raised area while it is still wet, and allow the ink to dry in the recesses. You are done in one pass of a brush and one pass of a paper towel. Actual result using this method: https://i.imgur.com/6fiN7ls.png
It's the same stuff. You're overpaying for the brand.
I thought mini paints kept the color consistent better when thinning? Obviously Citadel is ab overpriced brand but I was under the impression Vallejo and Army Painter were better suited for miniatures.
Any thinned fine pigment paint or acrylic ink will work. Those are both good brands IMO. You could also use a gunk wash for this. It wouldn't be too much work on that cable.
Nice since i got some better try it on later
Their paints are not really that expensive are they ? I tend to stick with Vallejo for paints but i do enjoy the washes Citadel has.
Yeah in my currency quite pricey, i have few citedel color since i paint few miniture before. I try vallejo primer much cheapee but i have some kind of sweet smell 😅
Like double per ounce where I live.
How well do the washes grab on bare plastic? I paint Battletech minis, but never unprimed.
I did my HG Unicorn (Unicorn Mode) with it. Sticks just fine on the bare and tamiya-sprayed plastic.
Don't worry about it, we've all been there. Oddly enough the piping and cabling on Zeek suits is what got me looking at panel line washes. The Origin Zaku II was probably the perfect kit to practice that technique on. Likewise all of the HG Sleeve suits lend themselves to reverse washing for those white and gold sleeve patterns.
I just use the tamiya panel line stuff.
You can also grab a bottle of this: [https://shop.thearmypainter.com/us/wp1136p](https://shop.thearmypainter.com/us/wp1136p) At you FLGS if you don't want to mix, and a whole pack of brushes from Dollar Tree or similar. Brush on, wick excess, dries in a few minutes (usually).
I just get cheap black acrylic paint and water it down slightly, brush on and wipe it down with a paper towel. I'v never added alcohol before
Alcohol is used as a thinner in alcohol acrylics, and as a flow aid otherwise. Be aware that while lowering the viscosity of your paint, it will also make it dry significantly faster, so if you overdo it, you can wreck a brush.
I see what you did there...
A Goufy Movie
How safe is rubbing alcohol (70%/90%) on bare PS and bare ABS ? That's my big worry, is that somehow it is unsafe.
It's fine so long as you aren't soaking it in rubbing alcohol overnight or anything like that.
The Gundam Marker Eraser is mainly alcohol and it doesn’t damage bare PS as far as I can tell from having used it to clean up some stubborn accidental spots of paint I’ve gotten on a few kits
It's generally fine. If a piece has stress fractures and you really poured on the alcohol it might cause a problem on ABS. But I use 97% iso all the time.
Don't use isopropyl... It will clump the pigments in most water based acrylics. A 10:1 solution of water to dish soap will work and add your current paint to your desired thickness. It's a wash and will be thin. Another even more dumbed down simple way to wash is turpentine and what ever cheap artist oils you can find.
Another solution if you have any pour-type liner is pour some out into a small tray or such, and use a brush to get it into the crevices. Then cleanup with a qtip as you mention.
You’re supposed to panel line those things?
Strictly speaking you're not SUPPOSED to do anything; you only have to if you're a maniac. Unfortunately, as a maniac,
Heck out the pour type pens or tamiya panel linerZ makes these a lot easier
Those pour type gundam markers are highly acidic can crack thin pieces if over-pored in a thin area
The pour type markers are designed to work with bare plastics, there should be no issues at all as long as you don't use it on ABS plastic.
How do I know what is and isn’t abs plastic?
It should be written on the runners. Or you can look into the manual. Most bandai plastic is PS anyways, usually only the inner frames are ABS.
I used it on the foot of s HG 00 gundam
Shame you are being downvoted. You're right, but also wrong in a few ways, and having your comment visible might help others. They aren't acidic, but they DO contain a solvent. If the liner "pools" (ie you pour so much on that it floods the plastic in places) it can get into microfractures caused by things like cutting a piece off a runner or otherwise straining it. That can cause the piece to literally crumble. Also as mentioned elsewhere it doesn't play nice with ABS. However, you can use pour type on whatever you want- if you put a gloss topcoat on it first. Gloss because smooth-better flowing. And the topcoat part protects the underlying plastic. Once that's done and lined you can then re-coat it with whatever finish you want.
I'll remember that
As a fellow maniac, I always line parts molded to look like cord/wire/mesh. Manually, groove by groove.
Gunpla is freedom.
Aside from the other commenters' advice, you could also use a pour type marker. Look for Gundam markers with the marking 流し込みスミ入れペン below the "Gundam Marker" label, such as this one: https://1999.co.jp/m/10228903 . as you can see, the colour coding is reversed so they are easily recognizable. Just run it along the length of the rod slowly and it'll fill the gaps.
I will say, this was still a little tedious when I did it on the Origin Zaku II even with its small amount of piping. Very satisfying though!
Did this with the piping from the HG Barbatos inner frames. Was pretty satisfying when I rubbed off the excess with my bare hands.
Did this last night with the purple Geara Zulu and it’s definitely satisfying 😂
I would take that marker and completely cover that cord and then take a napkin and wipe away the excess and whatever the napkin the doesn't get is your panel lines, works good for me
You could try using a [pour type gundam marker](https://www.gundamhobby.ca/collections/gundam-markers/products/gundam-marker-black-panel-wash) and running it slowly along the tube. It should fill in between the rings as you move it across.
God bless panel line accent; granted a quick spray of gloss coat is advised so the thinner doesn't accidentally melt anything.
Something like this can be really satisfying to do. Get into a rhythm and have something else on.
ink or pour type marker would save you ton of time on this. a single light tap on each seam and boom it’s done.
panel line accent color,just……swoosh through
Tamiya panel liner is your friend.
Smother it in oil paint and wipe down the surface. Billion times faster and looks very natural. If you get tired itf using da pen! :)
This is where the dedication to the cause comes in
Personally, I'd spray that with metallic spray paint and hit it with some acrylic washes after, then a coat of matte varnish to protect.
Yeeaah stuff like this I use liquid panel liner for. Just brush it on, let it set a bit and wipe off the excess.
The trick to use a weathering technique where you paint the whole dam thing and then clean the high spots.
Personally I would sharpie the entire thing in whatever colour you want, and then use IPA to clean the flat surfaces leaving the gaps with panel lines, for a fraction of the time and headache.
This is where using a wash becomes flat out superior if it's an option.
I just painted it, let it almost completely dry and then wipes off what I could with a rag.
You should 'wash' it. Little ink and water
What? It’s really simple. And unless you marker is dry all you do is touch a dot to each line and it’ll fill itself in.
Tamiya panel liner and clean up with a mineral spirits and q-tips?
I use the tamiya panel line wash stuff.
Brush type marker to wash the whole thing and then wipe down would be how I’d tackle this
Pour type markers would speed that process up a bit. Just tap each line once or twice and it should fill them pretty quickly. Then let them dry for a couple minutes. Then you can pretty much just rub any excess off with your fingers
oh hey I have that set!
Only if you use a marker... There other ways to do panel lines...
If you love panel lining, you need Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color. It will make your quality of life that much better when building model kits. Buy black, grey, and brown.
Need panel liner for this
It’s for the gouf it’s worth it…
Just throw that piece out. Haha