I could tell you build this way or that way but we all build our models in different ways, none of them wrong- just different.  I usually take my small parts off the srue and sand and finish them then I take some spare sprue heat and stretch it and glue it to an area I wont have to touch up later then paint-- works great for me.  point is there is no right way to assemble a model every type is differant in some way . I read and study the instructions but don't follow them to the letter sometimes even those can screw you up if you don't study them carefully.  As far as waiting for things to dry Thats why I have several model projects going at once And don't get me started on those dreaded photo etch days that I put off as much as possible.

If you are about to go to high school my suggestion is STUDY STUDY STUDY that way instead of just building that model jet you could actually fly one

Yeah, I'm not sure there's any one correct way to assemble anything. After you've been doing this for years you develop your own little short-cuts and quirks on how to build stuff. But it varies with each kit. As to a beginner I'll agree with the guys- follow the instructions till you come up with your own techniques.

If you want something to assemble fairly fast without much trouble I'd go with American, Soviet, and most British tanks. Just assemble the whole thing except the tracks and then paint the entire darn thing green.

the Baron

My advice is prompted by the title you gave your thread.  You should lose the idea that there is a right way, in this case.  There is only the way works best for you.

 

There is no right way for every kit.  I wish there was!  I have been building model kits for seventy five years and still find, in the middle of the build, that I should have done it differently.  That is true even though before I start a kit, I consider what and where the various colors go, and at which step/subassembly I will paint, and have a reasonably thought out plan.

That being said, if you are not going to paint a model, you can follow the instructions. I really believe the kit mfgrs figure only a few really experienced modelers paint their kits.

My advice is prompted by the title you gave your thread.  You should lose the idea that there is a right way, in this case.  There is only the way works best for you.

I remove all the parts off the runners before assembling/ painting in order to remove the gate remnants and parting lines. I keep all the parts in a plastic lidded box and in the case of ship models, I use one of those multi-compartment plastic bead boxes and ID the parts on the box lids using a sharpie. 

The only downside I suffer is the time I spend on my hands and knees on the garage floor looking for lost parts. I'm getting pretty good at making replacement parts!

I agree with above advice to relax, slow down, have fun, it's just a hobby.

Not the right way... 

Just my two cents:

I think you are on the right track by doing subassemblies. Following the flow of kit instructions can get a person into trouble. Or at least, make things difficult later. The instructions do not always consider best method for painting. I often view building a model like a chess game. You have to look several moves into the future trying to anticipate what the opponents (The model kits) next move is.

It's funny because I was just doing that last night on my current project. I was dry fitting pieces together to anticipate what I should paint first, before gluing. And I tell ya-- I need to study it more because one thing affects another well into 6 or more steps. All this goes out the window if a person just wants to build it and not worry too much. It's up to the builder.

I agree with others too that you should leave the parts on the sprue until you need them. I learned that the hard way. More than once and early on in my model building I cut the parts off only to find out that darn it--what part is what. Like another poster noted, sometimes there are similar parts, mirrored parts, and there is no way to tell which is the left or right because the instructions only give you a number. Also noted, the risk of losing parts increases greatly. I usually only remove parts for the subassembly I am working on, and not doing so before making sure there are no concerns of what part is what. And then-- I store those parts in a sealable container to reduce the risk of losing them.

I have to say that I understand the OPs drive to finish the model faster. He has a short window to finish the kit to his liking, and he wants to get it done because just maybe, school will consume him, and he won't have the time or interest later. If he gets it done over the summer, he can at least look back and say, Yeah! That is cool! I accomplished that! I am wired the same way.

My job consumes me. It is deadline after endless deadline that many I can't meet. By the end of the day, I am in no mood to build, or I don't have the time. And those daily deadlines train a person to optimize their time to get things done fast to get the end result needed. School is no different. So, I totally get the OPs urgency. The problem though, depending on what you want out of the build, it is not a fast endeavor. I must constantly remind myself that this is not a race. That internal wiring to accomplish it fast is always gnawing at me.

It's an internal struggle I face with every build. I will be interested to know how my drive changes once when I retire. Will I slow that expectation when I have tons more time? I really hope so. 

Whatever you do--keep building, and try to have fun doing it!

I do remove all parts from the sprue.  I organize them in plastic fishing tackle boxes and label each compartment with a tiny post-it note with the part # and color to be painted.  Often one compartment contains all parts of one sub assembly.  Like you, I paint all parts of the same color at the same time.  It takes time to think through the assembly order and masking.  Fair warning: I'm obsessive and just like organizing things, like Sheldon Cooper.  Handling all these loose parts is an invitation to losing parts. I have no one to disturb my dedicating modeling area.

You will find a system that works for you as you build more models. There are probably as many methods as there are builders on this forum.

Dave

There is a wrong way,unfortunately sometimes we go up that one way street, but no, there isn't one right way to assemble a model, depends on the kit.

As far as instructions, a narrow focus on step by step can get you in trouble, you always need to get the big picture and see what the consequences of each step will have on the next.

Tanker-Builder

Hmmm;

 I do this similiar to that. Doesn't mean you should though. How many models, Completed, Painted, and Finished Have you done? The Builds have all some commonalities. But, there's always one by another Manufacturer that might be a little different, So read those instructions like a Bible. There may be places where you have to add a part later and you got the color wrong, because it was related to another part. NEVER-take the parts off the sprue till you are ready to use them. That's a prescription for losses.

Back BC (before COVID) I was working a make and take.  A mom was helping her child.  My spiel included how important the instructions were  - and don't remove the parts from the Sprue until needed.  

Mom looked at me, nodded her head, and proceeded to pull (not cut) the parts and put them in the box.  

When she finished she looked up at me.  I said, "Now find part number 2".  I remember the belated look of understanding that came across her face.  

Eaglecash867

I do something similar to this, but I also think about which parts would be better to assemble and remove seams from before any primer or paint goes on them.  I guess you could say I sort of treat each, individual subassembly like a model kit in itself.  I do that just for build quality purposes, and don't really mind cleaning my airbrush.  I have a Paasche H, which is like the AK-47 of airbrushes.  Breaks down in seconds and then I just drop the parts into my jar of MEK in an ultrasonic cleaner to get them completely clean.

You'll just have to keep working through the frustration and mistakes because you'll make lots of mistakes along the way.  Working through those things and not giving up, you'll improve your skills and learn what works best for you.

 

On That;

 When you buy a kit, No matter how New. Immediately take out the Decals. Slip them in a ZipLoc bag and remove the air and make sure they remain flat. Got an old heavy book you just keep because you really liked it. Is it away from bright light? If so store your Decals in the Middle. A nice cool dark Place-Get It?

Hmmm;

 I do this similiar to that. Doesn't mean you should though. How many models, Completed, Painted, and Finished Have you done? The Builds have all some commonalities. But, there's always one by another Manufacturer that might be a little different, So read those instructions like a Bible. There may be places where you have to add a part later and you got the color wrong, because it was related to another part. NEVER-take the parts off the sprue till you are ready to use them. That's a prescription for losses.

Its a hobby.  Build as time alows.  At this point in your life you should study and learn  and build your skills so you make yourself valuable (as I have said to my sons, study data science, analytics and big data processing). When you have time, kick back and work on models. For now, get your head in the books (sorry if I'm sounding dad like...but Im a dad). To put a point on this, I'm hiring data science kids out of school at 85K a year...boom

I'll jump in on the other side, TM.  I'm an old guy, too, but I don't usually like taking a long time to make progress on a model.  I don't actively rush, but I don't get modeling time as frequently as I'd like, so I try to be more efficient with the time I get.

I'd say that your approach of working on sub-assemblies is a good start to determine what works for you.  However, I'm sure at some point you'll go, "oops!" as you've gotten too far ahead of yourself.  Removing all pieces from the sprues is a good example here, as stikpusher has already mentioned...don't do that!  Be careful, study the instructions, and you'll probably be fine.  And if not, you'll definitely learn from the self-taught lesson!

In general, I agree with the, "build what you want, when you want" mantra and if you enjoy putting something together quickly knowing that you may not achieve 'Best in Show' quality, more power to you.  When I got back to this hobby last year, I bought several 1/72 aircraft knowing that there is less detail and they'd go together faster.  I also bought a 1/48 aircraft and some aftermarket bits so I could focus on detail and take my time.  Do what you like, enjoy it, and learn from it.  Practice makes perfect, and then when you get to my age, you can take all the time you want. 

Dude you're a young man.  You have all the time in the world for models.  There will be next summer, and many summers after that.  During the school year concentrate on classes and you have a few hours maybe on weekends.  Who cares if it takes more time to get to decals?  Enjoy whatever part of the build that your currently working on.  

One of the aspects I love about this hobby is problem solving.  I like to spend time before the bags are opened and study the instructions.  What parts are better left off until the end?  With my current skill set what is the best approach for paint vs assemble first?  What parts will be hand painted vs. airbrush?  Is there a sub assembly that gives me an opportunity to try and new technique?  

Your probably overwhelmed with questions.  It can be a complex hobby and just know the answers and skills will come.  Take your time and most of all have fun with it.  You have something most of us here envy.  you have youth and a lifetime of masterpieces ahead of you.  

I buy vintage kits off of Ebay all the time and the decals in one that had gone out of production in 1984 were still good.  I believe they were a little over 30 years old at the time...and they worked just fine.  If you keep them protected in the box and plastic bag they were in, they'll last a very long time.

I'm more worried about the decals. Do decals still work after 2 years of sitting in a shelf? That is, it is inside the box of course.

stikpusher

 stikpusher

 Just curious but why the hurry? Rushed efforts tend to produce rushed results. Give glue and paint the time to dry and make sure that all is correct before moving forward. I don't think anyone here is building models for CIA real world covert mission planning, so there are no lives at stake deadlines. Like many of the finer things in life, take your time to enjoy the process.

 

Teenage Modeler

 I'm afraid that summer seems to be one of the few windows of opportunity to make my models. We are halfway done with summer, and not only that, I have 2 kits waiting to be done (Corsair and P-47). I'm afraid I won't put in as much time during the school year, especially since High School is looming around the corner. So I try to ge things done and use time effeciently, so that I can maximize my time.

 

Teenage Modeler

We are halfway done with summer, and not only that, I have 2 kits waiting to be done (Corsair and P-47).

Many of us have kits that have been "waiting to be done" for years or decades.  They'll be there when the time is right.  

Will the kits run away or something if you don't get to them this summer ? It took me 45 years to get to one of mine !! And I still got to glue it up but it's all painted.

stikpusher

 

Just curious but why the hurry? Rushed efforts tend to produce rushed results. Give glue and paint the time to dry and make sure that all is correct before moving forward. I don't think anyone here is building models for CIA real world covert mission planning, so there are no lives at stake deadlines. Like many of the finer things in life, take your time to enjoy the process.

 

I'm afraid that summer seems to be one of the few windows of opportunity to make my models. We are halfway done with summer, and not only that, I have 2 kits waiting to be done (Corsair and P-47). I'm afraid I won't put in as much time during the school year, especially since High School is looming around the corner. So I try to ge things done and use time effeciently, so that I can maximize my time.

One guy in another forum asked me if I wanted to do a build off with him with identical kits.. He was done in well under 1 month. He kept asking me for photos of mine. I sent off subsets and he wondered how I did this or that all along the way, which he clearly had not even thought of.. Finally about 2-1/2 months in I sent off the finished photos of my rushed build.It could take me 3 days to ponder the sheen for the chassis. Or longer lol. It's ridiculous how slow I go but in this I felt pushed.

Hello!

Instructions are not the holy bible, and even then following it word for word wouldn't be a good idea...

Then again whatever you do you will have to clean up your airbrush every now and then...

I also would advise against removing parts from sprue all at once. That would make too much of a mess. But concentrating on building subassemblies like complete engines sounds perfectly good to me. Other thind we usually do differently than the instructions say would be to not add things like undercarriage or protruding parts like antennae or machine guns before painting and decalling is done.

In the end you are responsible for the end result of building your model, so you get to say what gets done when and how. This is what makes model building so cool!

Good luck with your builds and have a nice day

Paweł

stikpusher

Just curious but why the hurry? Rushed efforts tend to produce rushed results.

Bill

Depending upon the type of models you're building, I would advise against removing all parts from the sprues and separating into sub assemblies. On more involved kits, there are often similar but different parts that need to be identified for proper assembly, so those are best left on the sprue until assembly.

My own preferred method is to build in as many sub assemblies as I can until painting is required then let those dry. Paint them up once the glue has dried, then assemble what can be assembled after the paint has dried. Depending upon the engineering and complexity of the model, this can be few or many such sequences.

Just curious but why the hurry? Rushed efforts tend to produce rushed results. Give glue and paint the time to dry and make sure that all is correct before moving forward. I don't think anyone here is building models for CIA real world covert mission planning, so there are no lives at stake deadlines. Like many of the finer things in life, take your time to enjoy the process.

I do something similar to this, but I also think about which parts would be better to assemble and remove seams from before any primer or paint goes on them.  I guess you could say I sort of treat each, individual subassembly like a model kit in itself.  I do that just for build quality purposes, and don't really mind cleaning my airbrush.  I have a Paasche H, which is like the AK-47 of airbrushes.  Breaks down in seconds and then I just drop the parts into my jar of MEK in an ultrasonic cleaner to get them completely clean.

You'll just have to keep working through the frustration and mistakes because you'll make lots of mistakes along the way.  Working through those things and not giving up, you'll improve your skills and learn what works best for you.