I am working on a Ki-61 Hein which is painted silver. I am wondering what I can do to bring out the panel lines more and make it look used.

Thanks,

~Chip

One way I do it is preshading. :Before painting I hand brush or airbrush black or a similar dark color to the panel lines so when you paint the overall color the black underneath stands out a little and accentuates the panel lines.
Or you can give it a sludge wash which Im not very good at so somebody else with more experience will come along and tell how do do that.

I have actually been thinking of a sludge wash, but is there an easy semi-non messy way to do it?

Thanks again,

I'm no expert but when I tried preshading and then airbrushing with silver I found the silver covered it over completely. I used Humbrol enamals and may have had the mixture to thick so had to paint the panel lines again afterwards.

Hmm, familiar faces, maybe we're related.
Anyway, you should check out the Features link of this site, especially this feature should interest you
https://aeroscale.kitmaker.net//features/339

Also check out http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/,
the Tools'n'Tips section, Panel Lines.

Very sharp .5mm mechanical pencil - only on a flat finish

My £0.02

Andy

I use tempera water colors to highlight the panel lines. This is simple water color paint - water based, NOT acrylic paint. You were probably exposed to this as a child as it is real good for finger painting. You can buy a 24 oz bottle at any cratf store and it will last you a lifetime. Many colors are available.

I apply it like others that apply the groundup chalk and water wash or the oil paint wash. It does not soak into the enamel or acrylic paint, unlike some of the other wash techniques I have tried (oil paint, acrylic, etc.). The excess wipes off cleanly with a Q-tip or moist papaer towel - I use a moist papaer towel.

What I do is Postshading. I use chalck pwder applied with a thin soft brush after the mate coat. I use black or dark brown deppending on the airctaft colour. It´s easier than the preshading and I´m happy with the results.
Results =