Is this panel lining and top coating workflow good?
Hi gyus! I’ve just started with this beautifull hobby after about 2 years of only painting Warhammer minis and i want to ask for feedback on the workflow i want to follow. I’m planning to use Tamiya Panel Liner and i want to make sure everything is safe before I start.
Here’s what I want to do:
• I’ll work on all parts separately, not assembled (the spare pieces not sub assembled) • I’ll spray only the “top/visible” side of each piece to avoid wasting top coat • Gloss coat first (light pass), then panel liner, then matte coat, and finally assembly • Tamiya black panel liner on blue/red parts, Tamiya grey panel liner on white/yellow parts • I’ll avoid using panel liner on grey pieces unless necessary (and in that case I’ll use a normal felt tip marker instead) • I’ll use the Tamiya enamel thinner to clean up the excess • I’m trying to avoid spraying heavy top coat on joints, pegs, ball-joints, funnel connections, etc.
My questions:
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Will this workflow cause any assembly problems later?
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Is spraying gloss only from the top (not fully coating every surface) enough to protect the plastic from enamel panel liner?
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Any extra tips for doing this efficiently on kits with tons of parts (like the Hi-Nu that i want to build next year and i'd love it to be as perfect as i can make it )?
I just want to be safe and avoid cracking the plastic or making joints too tight. Thanks a lot for the answers :) If the subreddit is not a good place for these kind of posts i'll remove it :)
Posted Dec 7, 2025, 11:47 PM UTC