quick question: how to make new body lines?

i've tried to search in the tutorials section but i can't find any.

i'm building a custom kit and i need to make new panel lines.

what is the best solution?

thanks in advance! :wink:

Hi!
I don't know how much is helping you this tutorial but take a look even if this is for modelairplanes : http://www.swannysmodels.com/Scribing.html

Stores like BMF, Tower Hobbies etc. sell Squadron scribing tools for that purpose. They're easy to use if you just want to deepen or clean out existing panel gaps, but cutting new lines is another story.

Making a smooth new panel gap would be an interesting challenge. Even with a good tool, it's easy to jump out of the gap and make a nasty scratch. Unless you can find a clever way to keep the tool in the groove (Yeah, man!), it will take some trial and a heck of a lot of error to work out a technique.

Ddms

I find drawing the lines is the hardest part but once I get them where I feel they should be I place a piece of thick masking tape along the line as a guide. Then I just use the back of a #11 blade to scribe the line - verrry lightly at first. You can narrow the width of the #11 blade with a file if the panel gap needs to be narrower. I also have found it easier to just free-hand tight radii once I've got the long, main lines started. Yes, my tool jumps out once or twice but I can flood the nick with a dab of thin CA. Try it on a piece of scrap. And experiment. Theres probably something better than masking tape. If you find something let me know.

Theres probably something better than masking tape. If you find something let me know.

I found a small roll of Dymo tape (for the little handheld machine that makes embossed sticky lables) at my local office supply store.
http://global.dymo.com/enUS/LabelsOverview/Embossed_Tapes.html

It's about the thickness and stiffness of .5mm styrene. I cut and shape it with a blade, scissors and file and stick it down (it's self adhesive). After scribing against the firm edge it provides I just lift it off.

You could try double-sided carpet tape. It's got a stiff backing that makes it easy to cut precisely. If you leave the backing on, it would be a pretty strong cutting guide. Stronger than masking tape, anyway. Or you could cut it into complex shapes and use it without the backing.

If has lots of other uses. I stick it to my work table to hold work for gluing. And to a cardboard paddle to hold small parts for painting. And I cut it with a circle cutter and use it as to mask off tires. Sometimes it's tedious to separate the backing from the tape, but otherwise - great stuff!

Ddms

When I did my 240SX coupe, I just used some aluminum tape. First I lay the tape over a non modified body, and burnish the body line into the aluminum, then cut it with a hobby knife. I then lined up the door lines on the modified body that didn't get filled with putty with the newly cut out aluminum "mask" I simply then followed the aluminum tape lightly with the back of a #11 blade until the scribe was deep enough to carve it out freehand. once I was satisfied with the depth, I matched the lines up with the existing lines by chasing the new scribe line as well as the existing line with a sharp triangle file.

The end result turned out so well that once painted you could not tell that the body was hacked in 3 different places.