Tamiya North American F-51D Mustang
This is the eighteenth part of the Tamiya North American F-51D Mustang Korean War 1/32 Scale 60328 with RCAF Markings.
In this post, I’m going to be adding a panel line wash to highlight the details on the model. This stage is optional, and oddly controversial in some modeling circles. But personally, I really love the effect that a panel wash adds to a model.
I’m going to be using Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color Black. I’ve used several of the Tamiya Panel Line Colors throughout this build already, but there are several other versions out there, such as AK Interactive Panel Liner. And Mig Ammo Panel Line Wash.
All of these are enamel based paints, and they need to be applied over an Acrylic or Lacquer gloss coat. I sprayed the model beforehand with Mr Color C46 Clear. The Clear Gloss with protect the underlying paint, as well it will make it easier to remove the excess wash from the model.
These panel liner paints are pre-thinned so that the paint will flow easily into the panel lines. All they need is to be shaken thoroughly, and they are ready to be applied. To help with this, I’ve added one Steel Mixing Ball from The Army Painter TL5041 to each of the bottles.
Under the cap is a small brush, the same one that you get with the cement bottles. You can use this brush to dot along the panel lines, and capillary action should allow the thinned paint to flow freely along the recessed panels.
It’s a very satisfying process to watch, but sometimes it might not flow that smoothly. And this can be from a few reasons, such as the panels weren’t deepened enough by the manufacturer. Or the paint might be too old and not able to flow freely. You may have also used too much paint on the model and unintentionally filled in the panel lines and other details.
Because of all the small recessed rivet details, I’ve decided to paint the entire model using a brush. This will allow the paint to flow everywhere, including the panel lines. This will require more cleanup later on, but it will be a lot quicker than using the small brush inside the cap.
After I’ve painted the Mustang, I’ve left it alone to dry for 24 hours. This will allow the paint to properly dry out, and it will be easier to remove the excess paint from the model while keeping the wash inside the panel lines and rivets.
To clean the wash, I’m going to use Tamiya X-20 Enamel Thinner and a bunch of cotton swabs. Any kind of Enamel Thinner will work for this; I just like the quick drying time of the Tamiya Thinner. It is smelly, so if that bothers you, or you work in a closed room, consider using an odourless enamel thinner.
I’ve dipped the cotton swab in the Tamiya Enamel Thinner. You don’t need a lot of thinner for this process; the end just needs to be damp.
I’m gently brushing the cotton swab over the model, and rotating it as I move around. The cotton absorbs the excess paint, and I’m left with the wash remaining in the recesses.
How much wash you remove is completely up to you. You can remove it all for a factory clean look, or you can leave it a bit dirtier, like I’m going to do here. I’m leaving little bits of the wash behind as it gives the Mustang the appearance that this is a well used aircraft.
Clean up took a good portion of the day, and many cotton swabs were used to clean everything up. If you are having trouble removing all the wash, leave that section alone to dry for a little while. Once the Enamel Thinner evaporates, the paint will once again be dry, so you can go back and clean up more of the wash.
Now that the wash is removed, I’m going to cover the model in a final clear coat, and because this is a bare metal finish, this can be difficult.
You will find some models that will greatly advise against adding a clear coat to a metal finish, as it can greatly alter the color. From my own experiences, I’ve seen a gloss coat overwhelm the color and it becomes too bright. It highlights the silver and produces an unrealistic appearance.
And adding on a flat coat can really dull up the silver, and turn it grey. This can be a useful effect depending on the subject, but it’s not really an effect we want to have.
I’ve found that using a Semi-Gloss Clear does a wonderful job at keeping the originality of the silver while also protecting the finish. In this case, I used Mr. Color 181 Semi-gloss Clear, and it did dull the silver, but just barely. Not enough to really change the overall effect of this color.
I’m not quite done with the Tamiya Panel Line Colors. These paints are also very useful for creating exhaust stains on models.
I’ve added a few drops of Dark Brown into my airbrush, and I’ve lowered the pressure on my compressor to about 15 psi. I want the paint to flow on softly, so I spray very quick, thin passes going from the front, down towards the back of the aircraft.
Once I’m done with the Dark Brown, I wanted to add some more color to the stains. So I lightly sprayed some Grey on top, and this greatly added to the effect of the exhaust stains. Depending on the subject, you can try adding various colors and layering them together to create a unique final color.
And because this is an enamel paint, if you aren’t satisfied with the effect, or you want to try again. You can easily wipe it off with Enamel Thinner and try again.
I would like to add that this paint, sprayed on like this, is incredibly thin and fragile. It’s very easy to rub off or damage, so I carefully and lightly sprayed on some Mr. Color 182 Flat Clear to seal everything in.
I’ve been collecting the Tamiya Panel Line Accent Colors for a few years now, and I just wanted to take a moment to show you how the various colors look on different subjects, and you can see how they can affect the outlook of your model.
I use Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color (Dark Brown) on military subjects that are multi colored, or more earthy tones. The Dark Brown isn’t as harsh as Black, so it helps the panels stand out, while at the same time it blends in more with the rest of the model.
For gray subjects like this F-14, or many sci-fi models, Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color (Dark Gray) does an excellent job at highlighting the panel lines, and not being too dominant on the rest of the model.
For darker subjects like this, all Navy Blue F4U Corsair, I’ve applied a light coat of Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color (Gray). This time, it’s quite a subtle effect, but the subtlety of the color allows you to appreciate the lines and the design of the subject.
And finally, for silver finishes, I use Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color (Black). The black will stand out against the reflective nature of the silver. This is quite a dominant color, so this is why I usually use it on metal silver subjects.
I’ve seen modelers asking questions about these washes, mostly how they are applied and cleaned up. So I hope that this post will help answer any questions you might have. And that you might consider using these on your next project. They do last quite a while as well. The first bottle I ever bought lasted over 10 years before I had to toss it out.
And you can mix your own as well if there is a specific color you want to achieve. All you need is some Enamel Paint and thin it down with Enamel Thinner. I have done this multiple times with the Tamiya Enamel Paint range, but you can also use Testors and Humbrol enamel paints for this process.
Well, this Mustang is nearly completed. Almost everything has been given a wash and a final semi-gloss coating. In the next post, we’re going to begin the final assembly of this Post War Pony. There is going to be quite a lot to do to get it completed, so stay tuned for that.
To be concluded…
About the Author:
Jared Demes is a modeler from southern Alberta. He has been building models since he was 4 years old when his Dad first introduced him to the hobby. He has written for several magazines including, Fine Scale Modeler, Scale Aircraft Modeling, Phoenix Scale Models, and others. He has an interest in all modeling subjects, with a focus on WWII Japanese aircraft and Science Fiction.
Jared has won several IPMS awards for his modeling, and currently operates his YouTube channel rebelsatcloudnine, where he showcases model builds and product demonstrations.
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