Questions About Panel Accent Liners

[Deleted member 21002]

After 6 months of getting back into modeling, I have progressed to the point of wanting to detail more. I bought a Bandai X-Wing Starfighter for practice. After assembly, paint, and decals, I will clearcoat the whole model with acrylic gloss coat. After letting it dry and cure, I will attempt to use the panel accent liner. I am using Tamiya Panel Accent Liner. I have AK odorless enamel thinner to use for cleanup. Now to the questions. How long do I wait after applying the panel liner to clean up the excess? I have read a lot of articles on it and there seems to be a myriad of answers. Everything from 10-30 minutes, up to overnight and completely dry. Can anyone narrow it down for me? My other question is after cleaning up the excess, is it advisable to lay down another clear coat to protect the accent color? Thank you in advance for your experienced answers.

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

I don't usually wait 10 minutes before wiping excess and I don't use thinner for clean up. I use a simple wet paper towel after a couple minutes.

Enamel thinner may lift away acrylic paint underneath your paneliner work.

 

[plastickjunkie]

The CURED acrylic clear coat acts as a barrier when using enamel thinner and can be safely used to clean up the panel liner. Lacquer thinner will definitely lift and strip the finish.
A great product to consider is Flory Washes. They are clay/water based and are easily cleaned up with a water dampened paper towel.
As to your question, clean up once dry, usually a few minutes. This makes for easier clean up.

 

[ohbejuan]

I use flory washes as well.

 

[ohbejuan]

After 6 months of getting back into modeling, I have progressed to the point of wanting to detail more. I bought a Bandai X-Wing Starfighter for practice. After assembly, paint, and decals, I will clearcoat the whole model with acrylic gloss coat. After letting it dry and cure, I will attempt to use the panel accent liner. I am using Tamiya Panel Accent Liner. I have AK odorless enamel thinner to use for cleanup. Now to the questions. How long do I wait after applying the panel liner to clean up the excess? I have read a lot of articles on it and there seems to be a myriad of answers. Everything from 10-30 minutes, up to overnight and completely dry. Can anyone narrow it down for me? My other question is after cleaning up the excess, is it advisable to lay down another clear coat to protect the accent color? Thank you in advance for your experienced answers.

I have been trying to figure out Tamiya panel liner for years. First, I switch to Mona Lisa odorless thinner. If you are in the the USA you can buy a big bottle at Michael's. Second, I wait about 20 minutes. I remove the excess by dipping a Q-tip in the thinner and then removing excess thinner with a paper towel so the q-tip is just damp. Third, that Tamiya panel liner will eat through Bandai plastic. I had trouble with testors thinner eating through my varnish, which is why I switched to Mona Lisa . And the thing my local hobby store owner taught me was… if you are using acrylic paint, you can put the Tamiya liner right on the paint with no varnish if you let it cure properly. Like 24 hours. Ok. That is more than you asked for so forgive me, but I ruined several models to learn the above. I hope it helps. This is a Bandai kit with no varnish and panel liner applied as described above.

 

[Jim62]

I remove Tamiya panel liner with odorless mineral spirits.

 

[plastickjunkie]

"if you are using acrylic paint, you can put the Tamiya liner right on the paint with no varnish if you let it cure properly."

Yes but works better over gloss paints cause the liner/wash will flow easier creating sharp details. Over flat paint the wash tends to be wicked like a sponge and details may not be sharply highlighted.

 

[ohbejuan]

"if you are using acrylic paint, you can put the Tamiya liner right on the paint with no varnish if you let it cure properly."

Yes but works better over gloss paints cause the liner/wash will flow easier creating sharp details. Over flat paint the wash tends to be wicked like a sponge and details may not be sharply highlighted.

Yes, and... over acrylic varnish. I have tried to put it over Intermediate gauzy agent and it does not work.

 

[plastickjunkie]

Yes, and... over acrylic varnish. I have tried to put it over Intermediate gauzy agent and it does not work.

So you are saying that the panel liner will eat thru the Gauzy? They claim oils and solvents can be used over it for weathering.
https://ak-masters.com/app/pdf/AK 894 INTERMEDIATE GAUZY.pdf

The panel liner is probably lacquer based and lacquer will eat thru anything.

 

[ohbejuan]

So you are saying that the panel liner will eat thru the Gauzy? They claim oils and solvents can be used over it for weathering.
https://ak-masters.com/app/pdf/AK 894 INTERMEDIATE GAUZY.pdf

The panel liner is probably lacquer based and lacquer will eat thru anything.

Oh no! I am saying it does not flow super smoothly over gauzy. It just does not flow into panel lines as well as it does over just plain paint or glossy acrylic. I have no idea why. I just speak from experience

 

[Deleted member 21002]

I have been trying to figure out Tamiya panel liner for years. First, I switch to Mona Lisa odorless thinner. If you are in the the USA you can buy a big bottle at Michael's. Second, I wait about 20 minutes. I remove the excess by dipping a Q-tip in the thinner and then removing excess thinner with a paper towel so the q-tip is just damp. Third, that Tamiya panel liner will eat through Bandai plastic. I had trouble with testors thinner eating through my varnish, which is why I switched to Mona Lisa . And the thing my local hobby store owner taught me was… if you are using acrylic paint, you can put the Tamiya liner right on the paint with no varnish if you let it cure properly. Like 24 hours. Ok. That is more than you asked for so forgive me, but I ruined several models to learn the above. I hope it helps. This is a Bandai kit with no varnish and panel liner applied as described above. View attachment 107541

That looks awesome and no problems. I am going to do the gloss clear coat, let it dry and cure for at least 24 hours, apply the panel liner (to a small portion of the model), let it dry for about 20 minutes, and then do the clean up using Q-Tips and odorless AK Enamel Thinner. It sounds like everything else model making wise, each has their own procedure that works for them. I was just trying to get a feel for what the best of the forum members does. I appreciate all the answers. Thanks All! I will let you all know how it turns out. Thanks again all!