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When to paint equipment for 1:32 scale figures?

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  • Member since
    September 2005
When to paint equipment for 1:32 scale figures?
Posted by Hocking on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 11:32 AM

I am just starting to model 1:35 scale armor, and many of these kits come with military figures as you know.  My first troops that I painted, I pretty much assembled in their entirety, and then painted them part by part (to include all of the military equipment like canteens, packs, knives, ect...) after everything was assembled.  This worked ok.  Here are a few questions I have:

1) Is it best to paint all of the various pieces of equipment that will go on the troop before you actually glue the part to the troop?  In this case, I would have painted the military equipment first, and then glued them into place on the already painted figure.  My only concern here is gluing painted parts together, and this is why I did not do this on my first kit.

2) Do you paint the troop before you assemble him?  Each troop consists of a several seperate parts to include a head, two arms, two legs, and a helmet most of the time.  Is it best to paint each area, and then assemble the parts together?  Or, is is best to assemble everything first, and then paint?

Thanks for any help.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 11:57 AM

Generally, it depends.

I tend to paint equipment separate from the figure to avoid a straying brush, both during the painting of the equipment and the highlighting and shading process of the figure. I

Assemnbling the figure is usually best before painting, unless there are places where the pose would restrict painting the parts behind it. Take a look at the Iroquois I posted last week further down the thread. He had a bunch of bead and a gorget on his chest which would have been imp0ossible to do if his arms had been attached. Of cousre, doing this could lead to problems if there are fit problems so you have to weigh the varaibles.

Most figure painters prefer to paint the head separate from the body. Drill a hole in the bottom and place it on a toothpick or piece of brass rod (doesn't that sound gruesome!) . The rod might even be used to secure it to the body. If a hat/helmet is separate, I'll paint that before attaching it as well.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: The Red Hills of South Carolina
Posted by grizz30_06 on Thursday, March 2, 2006 10:58 AM

Yea the way ajlafleche did it is about the way I do it.  I will attach the pouchs canteens etc. after it is all painted and dry brushed.  I DON'T use liquid cement however.  You can use white elmers glue or you can use super glue (or equivilant).  I now drill a small hole in both the piece to be attached and where it goes on the figure then use a small piece of wire and super glue to attach.  I know this sounds like a lot but you will get a stronger bond and have less glue to clean up because if you use the wire you put a smaller amount of glue.

After all is painted and dry brushed then assembled I will give it washes to sort of blend it together.  This may be a little different than others but it works for me.

Grizz

Denial, it's not just a coping mechanism, it's a way of life.
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