When to paint?

plasticjunkie

I really don't see why this should be frustating to you. This is a hobby meant for relaxation and enjoyment. Sometimes when things are not turning out right it's best to walk away and take a break then come back and start fresh.

Well said...

For armor I usually only leave off on board tools and cables but everything else goes on. Then the tools get hand painted and attached with Aleene's Tacky Glue. Tracks get assembled in two or three sections to get the correct slack then taken off and painted separate. Interiors are different since parts may need to be assembled as sub assemblies, painted and then attached to the interior. 

I really don't see why this should be frustating to you. This is a hobby meant for relaxation and enjoyment. Sometimes when things are not turning out right it's best to walk away and take a break then come back and start fresh.

i do warwheels mostly. i paint the tires and hubs separately before assemblng, same with armor road wheels. for armor i assemble as much as piossible and recently started adding tools and painthing them last after doing the camo but before weathering. for reasons unknown but gratiful, my eyes for close work (no magnifiers) are better and my hand is steadier as i am getting older so that works. i leave mirrors and the like off untile just before starting to weather. i knock them off enough in 1/35, 1/72 the open doors stay off til the end. 

for trucks i will prime, paint, and weather the entire chassis, paint the interior of the cabs, then the exterior then add the windows. same for the cargo bed and other "top of chassis" components. i add the windows, mirrors after attaching to the chassis before weathering.

I try to assemble as much as possible before paint, except for super glue or epoxy, most plastic cements do not bond painted surfaces well ( if at all). I build armor and aircraft. This approach works for me however I do have to paint my equipment or payload separately. Yes as said above attachment photo etch first whenever possible, and prime your model also, photo etch will take on a different hue than the rest of the model.

I'm sure stik can answer that question regarding armor stuff. Me myself, I would add the PE stuff on first before painting.

I wish I could be a little more help with those type of vehicles.But with armor I will assemble just about everything.Tools,cables,boxes,jacks,and paint everthing at once,then I would carefully hand paint the details,it takes a steady hand,but I also slide post it's under and around items as masks.I paint the tracks and roadwheels off the tank and add them later.

Those car and truck like vehicles require some more thought..I font do so much modern stuff.

Military ground vehicles and armor. Current: Menget Cougar MRAP. Just finished the axless and cemented to lower hull, unpainted. Finished cementing fuel tank besides the PE parts. I'm deciding to paint them and then put the PE parts on before attaching to the body or attaching first. This is sort of my dilemma with every separate assembly.

Thanks for you repky

Yes, I too would be happy to help.

Short answer, almost always a "all of the above" solution.

As Tojo says, let's review an example together.

What kind of modelsare talking about,ships,planes,cars or armor ? They all have different processes and techniques.Cockpits,interiors,sub-assemblies,tools tracks,wheels all call for a mixing of many techniques,some of which are airbrushing,handpainting,diffrent masking techniques.

So,you really need to be more specific as to what you are working on.