Tips for painting straight lines on vehicles?

[Monkey]

Does anyone have any tips for painting straight lines on large vehicles please? I am specifically thinking about this awesome model (30mm scale).



I want to paint it, but I'm worried my ineptitude is going to ruin it. Any tips relating to stripes, number markings etc will be gratefully received.

[OSHIROmodels]

Masking tape is your best bet. I use the yellow Tamiya tape but normal masking tape would be fine if you rub it down well.

https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/list.html?genre_item=e_501040

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

plus 1 for Tamiya masking tape.

[has.been]

Thin card / thick paper.
Hold it where you want the straight line & use a pencil (higher lead content = the better) to draw the line using the card as a 'ruler'
Then paint 'between the lines'.

This technique was shown to me by a Sci-fi modeller when I asked how he got the straight lines on the curved hull of his spaceship.

[Aaron]

An artist friend pointed me toward liner brushes. With just a little practice I was painting pretty straight lines with them without needing to mask.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Plus 2 for tamiya yellow masking tape (especially on this particular model that’s nice and flat) - Oshiro knows best (and Mick of course ). As Aaron rightly points out liner brushes are very useful (it’s how the Rolls Royce carriage lines were done) but take more practice (and rely on a steady hand - not something everyone has).

Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain

[Fitz]

I've had to do a fair bit of straight-line painting to replicate the early WWII British "Caunter" camouflage pattern, as on this 15mm (1:100) A9 cruiser tank. All paints are Vallejo acrylics.

I tried masking tape, but the gazillions of lumps and bumps thwarted me, and in the end I found that drawing the lines with a sharp pencil and then following them with a brush was the quickest and easiest method.

Wherever possible, I used a very small liner brush to block in as much of the edges as possible. However, the long bristles of the liner run into the same sorts of issues as masking tape when it comes to surface detail, so much of it had to be finished with a regular pointed brush.

[Pattus Magnus]

Looks to me like a pretty good result, considering how small 15mm tanks are! My experience has been similar to the others here masking works well on truly flat surfaces, but has its own problems on curved or irregular surfaces. That said, on the 28mm van you probably can get a good result with masking since there aren’t a lot of raised details. Another thing to consider with masking is how thinned down the paint is. Thin paint will often run under the tape even if it seems on tight (masking works best with spray or airbrush and several light layers). If using masking with brush painting, try to paint up to the tape as a guideline rather than relying on it to keep paint from crossing the line. If thin paint pools along the tape it will find any flaw in the seal! Also, if paint builds up along the tape edge, when you remove the tape there will be a slightly raised ridge along the line.

Straight lines on miniatures are challenging.

[Cat]

Light pencil lines for me too.

[Daeothar]

If you have access to a (laser) printer, you could do what I've been doing on and off myself: create the approximate graphics you need in a drawing program and then print the stuff on decal paper (mind: there's different types for inktjet and laser, and also white and transparent for both).

I then cut out the shapes to the exact dimensions I need, and apply them with a decal softener and cover them with a coat or two of varnish.

My intention is to do the panel lines on my way overdue Grav Attack Vehicles as well; just straight black lines that will be cut to lenght and applied. Much straigher and neater than any freehand or masking tape could ever produce...