Precision Paneliner - Fresh Rust

AK interactive Precision Paneliner – Fresh Rust (30 ml)

A paneliner is a paint for picking out panel lines. It is a very thin but strongly pigmented liquid which, at the touch of a brush, draws itself by capillary action into engraved lines, seams, grooves and recesses and runs along them. So you do not have to trace the lines laboriously by hand — it is enough to touch the start of the groove and the paint finds its own way. The excess that spreads onto the surrounding surface is wiped off once it has dried and the paint stays only in the recesses. The engraved lines jump out, the model gains depth and stops looking flat — it is one of the fastest ways to move a kit from painted to finished.

The chemistry: this is an ENAMEL, not an acrylic. That is the most important practical piece of information, because it tells you what the excess is wiped off with: mineral spirits or enamel thinner — not water. It also means that the enamel does not dissolve the dried acrylic paint underneath, so it can be used safely over an acrylic coat.

The word Precision refers to the applicator: the cap carries a sharply pointed brush with fewer, longer filaments. The longer filaments hold more paint, so you can do a line in one stroke without going back to the bottle all the time.

How it is used

• Apply it over a GLOSS, cured clear coat. This is the most common mistake: on a matte surface the wash spreads into the area and makes stains and blotches that are hard to remove. A gloss surface lets the paint slide into the groove and the excess wipes off it cleanly.
• Shake the bottle, touch the start of a panel line with the tip of the applicator and let the paint wick along.
• Let it settle for roughly 10–20 minutes so that the paint draws into the grooves.
• Wipe the excess off with a cloth or a cotton swab lightly moistened in mineral spirits or enamel thinner. Always pull in one direction — with the airflow or from the top down; the result then looks natural.
• When you are satisfied, fix the whole effect with a final (usually matte) clear coat.

The Fresh Rust shade

Fresh Rust is not just a brown for the lines. It is fresh corrosion: more orange and lighter than old rust, which is darker and browner. That is why it is used not only on lines but above all on rust streaks and runs from rivets, bolts, hinges and flaking paint, on freshly scuffed bare metal and in places where moisture has only just begun to work. Modelers usually combine fresh and old rust together — lighter tones where the corrosion is just starting, darker ones in older, deeply eaten areas. The result is varied and convincing, while single-color rust looks flat.

Who it is for

For modelers of military vehicles, aircraft, ships, trains and of science fiction and industrial subjects who want to pick out the structure of a model and add realistic corrosion. Suitable for beginners as well — capillary wicking forgives imprecision and the excess can be wiped off, so the result can be adjusted.

It is not a kit — it is a weathering paint. It contains solvent: flammable, so ventilate while working, do not inhale the vapors and avoid contact with the eyes and the skin. Keep out of the reach of children.