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Gundam Forums 9 years ago Is top-coating necessary?
I’ve decided that I’d like to paint my MG Heavyarms with markers. I’ve done a bit of reading, and I think that the wipe-off type Gundam Markers are what I’m looking for. The problem is that every guide I read says to apply a top coat afterwards. What would happen if I didn’t? I don’t want to do anything fancy, I just want to outline (panel-line?) some of the parts, like the shield (Dalong pic attached). As you can tell, I’m new to this whole thing, so any other tips or comments would be appreciated. Thank you.
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If you’re just panel lining, a top-coat isn’t really necessary. A top coat (either flat or gloss) is meant to protect underlying paint and waterslide/dry-transfer decals. Panel lining by itself isn’t something that gets damaged often unless you’re purposely trying to get rid of said panel lines.
I’m glad to hear that. Thanks.
Top coat will seal your marker in so it won’t rub off. A flat top coat will take the plastic sheen off the kit and make it look more “real”. If you’re using stickers or water-slides a good gloss coat works well to ensure good smooth adhesion and lack of visible edges. You can then follow up with a flat coat.
Thanks.
The red real touch is what you want for lining the orange parts. As for the top coat, it’s mostly for aesthetics if you’re not going to be painting the kit. Dry transfer decals tend to stay on pretty well, but, if you’re concerned about them accidentally getting scraped off, you can use a top coat to protect them. Water slides are crap, so use a super strong decal bonder and/or a top coat for them.
Forgot to mention the obvious: a brown lining marker is what you want for lining the red parts.
Thanks for the tips. I’ve also read that dark gray markers should be used for the white parts, such as the legs. Is that correct? Also, this might be unrelated, but do you know of any way to remove dry decals? I’ve put one in the wrong spot by accident.
That’s the downside to dry transfers. Once they’re placed, they’re not going anywhere. As far as the markers go, the grey lining marker is usually used for white parts, but some people prefer the less subtle, higher contrast look of black panel lining on white parts. But as a general rule, ultra fine brown is for red, ultra fine grey is for white, and ultra fine black is for everything else (GM01-03), while the two brush tip type markers (GM04 & GM04) are useful for things like the backs of shields.
Should be (GM04 & GM05)
You can get more tips by going to Gundaminfo’s youtube channel and watching Master Kawaguchi’s Fun to Build Gunpla videos. It’s a great learning tool.