Hello!
I'd say after painting, this way you can get a nice, glossy finish on both parts (the roof and the markers).
If you want to see some Mack overkill, you can chaeck my thread here:
http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/4/t/127400.aspx
Good luck with your build and don't forget to show some pictures! Have a nice day
Paweł