Panel Lining for Gunpla: Clean Lines, Bold Details, and a Neon Twist

by Mecha Assembly Experience

The Gateway

Panel lining was my first real step into the deeper world of Gunpla customization. On the surface, it looks simple: touch a brush to a groove, watch the ink race through the details, and suddenly the kit feels sharper, more alive. My first experiment was with the HG Transient Gundam — a mostly white design that begged for definition. A few lines later, I was hooked.

The Pitfalls

That’s the magic of panel lining: huge payoff for a small investment. But it’s also where I learned that even “easy” techniques come with lessons. Panel liner is essentially thinned enamel paint, and while it flows beautifully into recessed details, it can also creep into stress points if you’re careless. While it didn’t happen to me… yet, I still wanted to defend myself against these pitfalls. I discovered quickly that gloss coats, cleanup methods, and patience all matter just as much as the liner itself.

Beyond the Basics

Over time, I started to see panel lining not just as a finishing touch, but as a way to experiment. Traditional products like Tamiya’s Panel Line Accent Color are fantastic, but their color choices are very limited. That curiosity led me into fluorescent panel liners — glowing details that come alive under UV light. The catch? Commercial options were limited, hard to find, and often too thin to give me the crisp definition I wanted.

The Glow‑Up

Earlier this year, I found myself neck deep in my first competition. For my HG Wing Gundam Zero Ver. Synth, I really wanted to push myself and try adding my own spin on a homemade fluorescent panel liner. By layering a white base for definition and then overlaying neon, I found a way to get the best of both worlds: clean lines by day, and a glow that pops under blacklight. It took trial and error, but the process taught me as much as the result.

Want to Go Deeper?

For me, panel lining isn’t just about neat grooves or bold details. It’s about confidence, curiosity, and the joy of making each build your own.

If you’d like the full breakdown — from pitfalls to cleanup tips to my DIY fluorescent recipe — you can read the complete article here: https://wp.me/pgwU0a-a2