I have an Italeri F-117 that is ready to be finished. It is the first model I have done that has raised pannel lined. I have ended up sanding some off and don't know how to get them back, it is 1/72 scale and they are very small and thin. Another question is with putting washes in the seams, in this case I would have to put them on not in and don't see that turning out to well. Do I try to carve out new lines where the others are? Why would a model have raised pannel lines anyway? Real aircraft dont (in most situations). And finaly, what brand of models have raised pannel lines (besides Italari) so I can stay away from them? Thanks for the help.

P.S. If there is a good reason for a model to have raised panel lines and I am just a moron and don't know, please fill me in.

You can always stretch some sprue. Heat a length of sprue over a source of heat (candle is good) and stretch. With practice you can make various sizes from tank antenna size to hair thin aircraft antenna wire thin.

Take the length of stretched sprue to where the raised panel line was and let a drop of liquid cement run along the sprue, using the natural capillary action to allow the cement to flow along the length. Cut off excess.

Raised panel lines are easier to mold for the manufacturer. (dig a groove in the basic mold vs. have a hair-thin line raised from the mold surface, remember, the mold is the reverse of the kit).

More manufacturers are going to recessed panel lines because of newer technology and consumer demand, so the manufacturer will not be so much of an indicator as will the date of manufacture. And remember, manufacturers rebox constantly so check the various websites to see what's really new.

In addition to the Major's reply :
You could also sand off all the panellines and rescribe them, although this might seem a daunting task if you are a beginner (takes practice too, believe me ).
Anyway, you have already started this kit and you will want to do that BEFORE starting construction or painting. On the other hand, there's good news, considering the kit you are building. The F-117s are kept very clean by their ground crews (because of the special radar absorbing paint) so you won't have to bother with the washes here. Plus that most seams on that aircraft are hardly visible anyway, since all of them have been filled with RAM (Radar Absorbing Material)! :-)
But if you dislike raised panellines and don't feel like rescribing, you will have to check reviews of kits to see if they have recessed or raised panellines. Sometimes you have no choice though, if you really want a model of a particular subject......
HTH
Happy Modelling

Thanks for the good info guys. I see its not going to be a big problem on the F-117 but what if its on a light colored plane or tank and you want to make the panel lines darker. I have had success with using a real thin wash but I think if I tried it on raised panels it would gather on both sides of the raised panel line and leave a bright ridge in the middle that wouldn't look right at all. Any advice on how to finish raised panel lines to make them look right? And thanks for the help. :-)

I read somewhere (in FSM I think) about painting the aircraft black (or like in the article, aluminum) and then spray the normal camocolor scheme. Using very fine sandpaper very lightly sand the panellines, just enough to scuff the top coat of paint and have the undercoat show through. This should leave you with highlighted raised panellines. I have never tried this myself though so cannot comment on results.. Maybe practice on a cheap kit first.
I will try it some time for sure.
HTH