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It depends. Generally, on a normal kit if there will be wheels or track teeth in the way, I prepaint, at least the inside face of the track, but mask the joining surfaces, and then assemble. I build mostly in 1/48 and that means a lot of Tamiya, so fit is usually good, and if it's not, usually it's me not the kit.
If the track looks like it will be fiddly but the suspension is not - like resin replacements and such, I will build the track so I can take it off, and then paint it and attach it.
If the whole thing looks like it is going to be fiddly I will assemble the entire tracks and suspension so I can get everything on and aligned, and then paint it. Unusually you can still prepaint the wheels even with a full assembly, which simplifies later painting a lot.
HTH
Konrad
No,I didn't mask,I find that the Tamiya Extra Thin or even Testors eats right down to the plastic.Just have to touch up with a brush and some wash and weathering fixes that.
It was a few years ago as ND I don't remember any particular assembly problems.
Not the return roller .. the idler wheel!
Terry Jones, 1942-2020
"He's a very naughty boy!"
Tojo72 I don't like them,but I do paint first,then glue,no problem with adhesion,of course some Touch up painting is required.
I don't like them,but I do paint first,then glue,no problem with adhesion,of course some Touch up painting is required.
Excellent job! Do you mask the attachement points before you paint? I would have thought that ahesion would have been a problem; It's always been one for me in the past whenever I've tried to pre-paint.
By coincidence the kit I'm working on now is the Tamiya 1/48 JS-II! Before assembling I read the reviews and they seemed to suggest that assembly of the tracks was effortless, but I did have a small problem. In assembling the port side tracks, I noted that they seemed a little too large, and I had to trim part P8 where it meets P1, just behind the return roller. Otherwise, the tracks bulged out at either the sprocket or the roller. You can hardly notice where I fudged it, as it's mostly covered by the mud guards, but I know it's there! Did you have the same trouble? I haven't assembled the other side yet.
And it's Polish!
All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!
www.vietnam.net.pl
Tojo72
Hey Anthony, that's really a looker.........
That's what I did with this one
Hello!
It's build and paint for me, too. Especially if the tank is to be weathered. If you would like to check it out, I have a WIP to show it here:
http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/3/t/135370.aspx?page=2
Good luck with your builds and have a nice day
Paweł
Build and then paint. I will assemble them and paint them less the last two links which I will glue together last and then touch up.
If you paint the small scale first, the glue won't stick.
When handling link and length tracks, particularly in the smaller scales (1/48-1/72), do you prefer to build-then-paint or paint-then-build?
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