Re-scribing Raised panel lines, Good,Bad, Ugly?

[Rogi]

So I have a older Tamiya A6m3 kit, it has most of the panel lines non-raised, but some of the lines are raised to show the detail in the strangest places (wings leading edge etc) I'll post some pics if I get my camera working, but is it better off if I sand off these raised lines and just re-scribe them? Or are some sections with raised panel lines supposed to be like that in the original aircraft from the get go? (Ie my questions mostly do newer kits have any raised panel lines? Or is this a older fad, and should one attempt to re-scribe the kit if there is raised panel lines, or just leave it be if it does not interfere with the puttying process?)


Thank you for your knowledge

Igor

 

[jjp_nl]

I guess raised details is mostly something related to older kits, that's the way they did it back in the days. But, a good manufacturer, depending on what is needed for a particular subject, can probably can do both raised and recessed details nowadays. I guess good research of a particular subject by a manufacturer is essential to determine wether something needs to be recessed or raised. The trend is recessed though these day I think...even when in real life it would be slightly raised. Think rivets and things.

I guess it's a matter of taste wether you want to sand raised details off and rescribe them. Personally, I try to look up if details are depicted somewhat accurately (be they raised or recessed) and then determine what to. My suggestion would be try to look up some references and try to figure out whats there. Compare to your model kit to see what Tamiya makes of it and then determine what you might want or might not want to do about it.

Others may look at it as pure evil and will bring out the sanding gear and strip the entire kit of any raised details and re-do them recessed with scale drawings and the appropriate tools

 

[stona]

It's down to the technology used to cut the molds. It's easier to cut a mold with a "groove" giving a raised line in the positive,your plastic.

Check references as suggested above. Tamiya do lovely recessed lines on the overlapping skins of their Spitfires!

How better to represent overlaps of sheets of 20,22,24 swg thickness in scale is another question. Realistically fill the recessed lines or sand off the raised ones. Those typical aircraft gauges gauges in 1/48 scale are very thin indeed.I make them average around 5 or 6 thousandths of an inch in scale.

I speak as one who has just filled and sanded the surface detail off a 1/32 Trumpeter Me262! I'm currently bracing myself for the same deal on the Tamiya "Mustang" wings.

Cheers
Steve