question about panel lines & weathering powders

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**Ouze**

OK, I got a model in the mail today - a Macross Valkyrie. I thought it would make a nice break from my usual fare, and I'm feeling relatively proficient with my airbrush.

My question for all you military modellers - have any of you used weathering powder to do the panel lines for aircraft? All the tutorials I have read indicate that weathering with washes is an art form that requires practice to develop. I don't have any other models with such fine lines I can use to practice with - just this one. The only 40k aircraft I have, also a Valkyrie, has panel lines deep enough to drop a grot into, so not really relevant.

Is weathering powder easier to get good effects with, specifically for panel lines for aircraft?

**LunaHound**

Hehe ^^ http://www.tisinc99.com/gundammarker.html

**Million**

There's a P&M thread here recently about a guy painting a gundam, and he gets some nice results with panel weathering - have a search, or maybe someone can remember it better than me!?

**Ouze**

I actually have a set of gundam markers that a friend loaned me, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of margin for error with those.

I did check out the dec 09 post of a guy doing a Gundam that he weathered with oils, but he didn't do panel lines, just sponge blobbing to overall weather sections. In any event, it's really the weathering power that's the unknown for me.

**Henners91**

OT:
Heh Ouze, I'm modelling my Valk on your DP

**littleboyblues**

I did to do the lines!!!

I wouldn't recommend powders for doing the thin lines between plating. I would recommend either oils thinned heavily with turpentine or use the markers suggested above. Powders are a great product, however more for discoloration or burnt paint or smoke or carbon build up than tracing very thin lines. Just my thoughts anyways. Good luck on the macross kit.

**Ouze**

Henners91 wrote:OT:
Heh Ouze, I'm modelling my Valk on your DP

I'm not sure what you're referring to by DP?

littleboyblues wrote:I did to do the lines!!! I wouldn't recommend powders for doing the thin lines between plating. I would recommend either oils thinned heavily with turpentine or use the markers suggested above. Powders are a great product, however more for discoloration or burnt paint or smoke or carbon build up than tracing very thin lines. Just my thoughts anyways. Good luck on the macross kit.

OK, powder's out then, at least for this - thanks for the advice.

How long do you have to clean mistakes up with, with the markers?

Also, if I use the oil + turp - will the turpentine eat the basecoat, if I use spray enamel? What if I use airbrushed acrylic? These are new techniques and I don't have any similar models to experiment with, as the details on this are a lot finer then anything else I have.

Side note, is it appropriate to post a WIP to Dakka, or is the subject matter to general?

**GCMandrake**

Personal strategy is to paint the whole model clean, with no weathering on. Then airbrush a layer of gloss varnish over the top, and then weather. For the panel lines, this means you can use a thick oil + turps wash to run into the lines, then let it dry. If any of the wash ends up where you don't want it, turps can be used to clean it off, and the varnish will stop it eating into the basecoat. The gloss varnish also reduces the surface tension of any wash you use, so it's more likely to end up correctly in the recesses, with less blotchyness. Just make sure you've completely painted the model before you use the gloss - gloss can be tricky to paint over, as I found out when i missed off the lights on my GW Valkyrie. Also, transfers go under the gloss layer, or the turps will eat them.

**Major Thom**

In case you are interested this months Fine Scale Modeler has a small 2 page tutorial on using weathering powders.

**Wehrkind**

I found that putting Testor's Dullcote over gloss varnish or just glossy spray paint really helps when you need to paint over it. It puts a little tooth back on the model's surface.

**Ouze**

Major Thom wrote:In case you are interested this months Fine Scale Modeler has a small 2 page tutorial on using weathering powders.

I AM interested - thanks.

**Kanluwen**

Major Thom wrote:In case you are interested this months Fine Scale Modeler has a small 2 page tutorial on using weathering powders.

Which issue are you talking about?

Because February's has a 6-7 page step by step, complete with the kinds of material that works best to ensure the best effect.

**bubber**

If you want to play arround with the powders first -

Airbrush & varnish your model 1st, as GCMandrake suggests (but with satin or matt varnish), then apply the powders either dry or with water as the carrier.

If you don't like the results or want to try different combos of colours, just wash off with water and dry brush (stiff brisstles which aren't too hard).

To fix, varnish again or use MIG's pgment fixer (although I've found this a bit tricky to use - too much & it just seems to wash away my weathering :( ).

Trial & error are the key points & always take time in the news agents to flick through miliray modelling mags while at the news stand - AFV modeller (www.afvmodeller.com) is expensive but does very detailed step-by-step guides.

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you can even shop for individual pdf articles here - http://shop.afvmodeller.com/customer/home.php?cat=263