Acrylic paints...?

I usually prime the larger pieces off the sprues (fuselage, wings, tail wings, cowls, gear doors, etc...). I assemble the wing halves together before priming as well. Smaller pieces, I leave on sprue when priming.

Don, neither of us said that we "complete the model before painting". Also, as I said, if you paint parts on the sprue, then you have to clean paint off of the part to get a cement-able surface (whenever the attachment point is not the gluing point)  I also said to hold the parts at the gluing point in the clamps, that makes them already masked.

I spent too many times looking for painted parts that have gone "ping" when trying to remove paint to glue them on after painting them on the sprue,,,,,so I use a "mask and hold at once" procedure. Also, if your airbrush can blow a part out of a clamp,,,,,,the pressure is set way too high. (paint against the clamp pressure, not with it)

Rex

My cockpits are painted and weathered then installed in the fuselage halves. But all the parts that make up the cockpit are glued together before paint, except maybe in the case of an ejection seat.

I paint many small parts on the sprue, then touch up with a brush when I take it off and clean up attachment point.  Air brushing a small part is a real pain.  Even regular brushing- how do you hold it so you do not obsure any areas.  Don't you need to clean up the area you hold it at anyway?

As far as completing the model before painting, how in the world do you mask and paint cockpit details then?

I used to use Citadel paints when I painted LOTR miniatures.  Great paints.

I use Vallejo Model Color paints now, almost exclusively.  And I brush paint.  Love them.

I take them off of the sprue also. I like to put things together as far as they go, in assemblies ready to install on the main body of the model when all of the decaling is finished.

I figure that the reason to leave them on the sprue is to make sure they don't get lost, and to have a way to hold them while they are painted, then after painting, people have to remove paint in order to have a cementing surface. I use small copper Radio Shack clamps to hold tiny pieces,,,,,,the paint dries with the attaching points already masked off this way,,,,,ready to glue into the model.

But, fool around with the various ways you will read to do it, and pick the one that works for you, and is the most fun.

Rex

Well, you have to do what works for you. I've seen people paint and weather parts on the sprue. I don't. I assemble as much of the model as possible and then prime and paint. Some small parts I have to leave off the model and spray separately. I usually cut them off the sprue and use a blob of poster tack on a clothes pin to hold it.

Any Hobby primer you like. Mr. Surfacer, Tamiya, Model Master, Vallejo, are all top notch primers on the market. Spray can primer works fine too. No need to thin for brush painting. But with any brand, practice first and see how it goes.

These are all water soluable paints that work great for modeling. They are made more for the brush painter though, and will need a fair amount of thinning for airbrushing. And yes, always prep ur models by washing them and then prime and paint.