I have noticed, over the years, that seam lines where the arms attache to the torso are rarely addressed. These line are very easy to pick out. There are many methods of removing them. I find that auto body putty works best. Put a ball of putty on the center of one of the pieces and press it on to the other. Let dry and sand down the putty around the joint. Apply more putty to the joint, let dry and sand it down. It should take about 4-5 applications to remove the seam. This will make your figures stand out.

Dry-fitting and cleaning up the attachment points before assembly will also help. The tighter the joint, the less filler is needed.

In fact, if your do this very carefully, you might find that the seam can be filled with PVA after you've painted the parts. The PVA (white glue) dies clear and matt and any excess can be wiped away with a damp cotton swab (ear bud / Q-tip). This is often enough to hide the seam and blends right into the existing paint.

My "pet peeve" with figures is that so many guys don't even bother to clean up any of the mold lines on them at all.

They'll build a beautiful AFV model with immaculate construction and finish and them stick a bunch of figures in it with mold seams running down the arms, legs, and the sides of the heads!

Just leaves me completely baffled sometimes...

Guys'll do this with molded tarps and packs too! Beautiful kit and build with a cra* tarp with huge mold seams running along it added on the back or fender for crew storage...

Amazing...

Hey Matt, a bit confused on this. If you mean the removal of mold seams, then yes, they have to go. But if you mean the natural seam where two pieces of cloth come together, then in 1/35th they should be there. I see plenty of pic's where the arm/shoulder seam is filled in and removed leaving it smoth, which is wrong. Where ever two pieces come together you'll have a seam which should be there. It's the build up of cloth folded over and sewn together.

You can't see the seam from 35 feet away.

I can see those seams on coats and jackets, and even shirts from quite a bit farther than 35 feet. And I see them on some of the best scale figures I have ever seen from some of the greatest figure painters on the planet.

Guess it comes down to what ever floats your boat. I figure that if I put decals on a smoke grenade (in 1/35th) then seams should be visible. !/48th or smaller would drive me over the edge so---maybe I should have said in my opinion.

It all boils down to how much detail you want to include with your figure. It's almost impossible to read lettering such as 'airborne' on shoulder patches at 35 feet, but it's very noticeable whether or not it's there on a scale figure. I guess that's one of the reasons why Archer uniform details are so popular. My own philosophy is that if there's a seam there in real life, then if at all possible it should be recreated to a reasonable degree on the model.
Really no right or wrong answer to the issue. As stated before by others, just a matter of personal taste.

Regarding the removal of seam lines, one if the most useful items you can get (for ultra-fine sanding) is a FIBREGLASS PEN. It's designed for working with small electronic components. I bought a new one over the summer in a Radio Shack in the States for around si bucks (plus sales tax ) an absolute bargain......

I Googled 'fiberglass pens', where they're mostly used for cleaning electronics and coins, and read several complaints of flying fibers which can be irritating to skin. Because of the softness of plastic, does this diminish the amount of shedding fiber bits? Or should a user wear latex gloves? Sounds like a useful tool in spite of that.

Having worked with fiber glass equipment, I would recommend always wearing gloves. However, it is a minor irritation that goes away after 20-30 minutes.

The easiest and safest way to use fibreglass pens is under soapy water and any pieces that break off are captured by the soapy water rather than your skin. Most will tell you they should be used wet anyway to prevent the problem of flying splinters.

Save your money on the fibreglass pen and use No 11 Exacto blade

I have used this tool all the time and once painted you can never tell the difference.
In the age of digital technology the fine detail can ruin an exceptional model .
Taking the detail one step further by including rank and insignia on a figure is of the highest compliment .
Personally when viewing someones model at a model meeting or a model show and the figures have the rank /insignia I like to look up close and see the detail .It creates a sense of realism to the figure.
It will all come down to personal preference on what a modeller expects to display from their work.