paint and assemble...or assemble and paint?

[thade]

Just a kind of a census with details (i.e. why you do what you do). :D I'm just curious. I base coat on the sprue, then trim everything off and assemble it and paint it...and now that I'm trimming mold lines I'm starting to wonder if I should assemble my models first then base coat and paint them. Even if axes/halberds/boltguns/whatever across the chest block my brush, whatever's back there is generally out of site and a dark wash will do it just fine...or so my thinking goes.

 

Well, what do you all think? :D

[Marshal Wilhelm]

Clip from sprue.

Scrape mould lines.

Assemble.

Check for mould lines.... again.

Wash in water and washing up liquid with old tooth brush.

Use PVA glue on base and then add basing material.

Use watery PVA to then seal basing material.

Let dry - which can take a long time.

Spray.

 

Basically, handsome models are just that due to neatness. Neatness comes from diligence, good lighting and ergonomics that stop this fairly dull work from being a chore.

 

It doesn't matter if you have wet-blended from black to white from one end of the mini to another, if you have one mould line still lurking around, the mini looks poor.

Similarly, even a humble paint job looks solid if the miniature is free of mould lines and the paint is all 'between the lines'

 

I do not see how mould lines can be effectively tackled with the pieces still on the sprue.... ;)

 

You can generally get a base coat and wash anywhere on the mini, so that those hard to reach areas are still reasonable and pass an inspection.

[thade]

Sorry, that's not what I meant. I clean mold lines off of sprue. I base coat them while they're still on it, is all (meaning I have spot work later, both at clip points and at cleaned mold lines). I suspect I'm wasting time and I'm trying to streamline things.

[antilles13]

Clip from sprue

File off mould lines, etc.

Assemble

Paint

Base

 

I find it easier to paint an assembled model, and also go with the philosophy of if you can't see it, you don't need to paint it well. I base last as I use flock, so I don't want to get any paint on it, and it's generally not too difficult to clean up if you get any on the model's feet.

[Motorbike Mike]

Clip from the Sprue,

Glue together in sections, (arms + Weapons etc)

never glue something that restricts your brush.

Undercoat it all and paint it in sections, then grab your Super Glue and stick it together when you're finished.

 

Motorbike Mike.

[Grimdarkness]

Clip.

glue legs torso head.

glue shoulder pads to arms weapon too.

base coat.

paint.

Base.

Glue arms to model.

 

Thats what i do.

[winterdyne]

Sorry, that's not what I meant. I clean mold lines off of sprue. I base coat them while they're still on it, is all (meaning I have spot work later, both at clip points and at cleaned mold lines). I suspect I'm wasting time and I'm trying to streamline things.

 

So you scrape off a good portion of your priming work by cleaning up? Wasted effort. In my opinion, the most time/quality efficient method is:

 

Wash sprue with soapy water. Allow to dry. For all following stages, ensure your hands are clean (don't eat pizza while working!)

 

Remove all parts from sprue. Clean up mould lines.

 

Assemble into suitable subassemblies for painting. Generally I leave off backpacks and weapons. Some folks like to leave off shoulder pads too.

Prepare pinned joints at this stage, but do not glue.

 

Attach subassemblies to some form of handle. I like cocktail sticks, which I then shove into a piece of styrofoam to hold the parts safely.

 

Prime, then paint as subassemblies.

 

Assemble.

 

Varnish.

[darth_giles]

Clip, assemble, trim/file visible mold lines if its an HQ figure or they'd otherwise be painfully obvious, prime, paint, flock base.

 

The exception is weapons like bolters that aren't attached to the figure's arm, and backpacks. Both of those I paint separately (but off the sprue) and glue on after the base is flocked. Although since I might be starting a Dark Eldar army at some point, I might have to extend the rule to "anything which would significantly block access to the figure's armor details." Dunno, haven't messed with their kits yet.

[Whitefireinferno]

Clip from Sprue > Remove Mould lines > Head, Legs and Head are glued > Basing > attach first assembly to base > Dry fit arms create sub assemblies > Pin other assenblies to something > Undercoat/paint > Glue everything together.

 

It looks time consuming but I like my results so its okay :P

[Brother Evar]

Clip from sprue

File off mould lines, etc.

Assemble

Paint

Base

 

I find it easier to paint an assembled model, and also go with the philosophy of if you can't see it, you don't need to paint it well. I base last as I use flock, so I don't want to get any paint on it, and it's generally not too difficult to clean up if you get any on the model's feet.

 

+1 to this. Why paint aera's that will never be seen? All my vechicles have plastic grey undersides and I do not paint the tracks that rest flat on the table, you can't tell unless you pick it up and turn it upside down. You can do the same for bikes.

[Bannus]

Clip from sprue

File off mould lines, etc.

Assemble

Paint

Base

 

I find it easier to paint an assembled model, and also go with the philosophy of if you can't see it, you don't need to paint it well.

This is what I do too.

 

I find that completely assembling the model before painting makes for a stronger bond and greater durability for the model. I've never had someone come up and say "hey, you didn't paint everything on the backside of that bolter". The models still look great on the tabletop.

[thade]

Based on overwhelming advice here, I'm going to use that recommended construction protocol for my next army. ;) Thanks, guys.