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So, I've seen a bunch of different ways of doing this and I'm looking for some advice.

Initially, I was just gluing the figures together whole, throwing them on a base, and then painting while holding the base.

Then, I saw some folks who had stuck bits on the tops of what look like wood skewers, so that individual parts (boltguns, arms, heads, etc.) could be painted separately and then added to the model. After trying to paint a chest eagle after I had already glued the bolter in place, I decided to try painting the bits separately and then assembling them later. I also am planning on magnetizing my sergeants, so I'd have to assemble separtely for that anyway.

So, I've got a space marine torso+legs, arms+bolter, backpack, and head, all separate.

I've tried drilling holes for the skewers, but they are too thick, and I ended up drilling out a huge chunk of the plastic. I've tried using craft glue to temporarily secure them, but that didn't work very well either.

I've tried pinning with paperclips, but I can't seem to get the paperclips to bond with the plastic (using loc-tite superglue), so the bits just spin in circles when I try and paint.

How do you guys do it?

David

There's this stuff that people use to stick posters to the walls without causing permanent damage - I think it's called "blue-tac." Use a round dollop of that stuff on the end of the skewer to attach the miniature (or part) for painting.

Use poster tack, you can find it in the hardware or poster section of your local Wally World. Either that or some green stuff that you plan on using for gap filling or converting within the hour.

also try superglue from a model store - i find loctite too thick. also file off the finish to the paer clip to 1, get rid of any finish applied & 2, to form a key for the glue.

push other end of the clip in to a wine cork to hold upright when painting & letting the piece dry

I do most of my basecoat work "on sprue", touching up the clip points after assembly before adding highlights etc, but it's really a matter of experimenting and finding a way that suit you. As a rule of thumb, I go with "simplest is best"

Yup, I would go with on the sprue.

Alternatively, you could put them together minus the gun and backpack

panting on sprue helps.

but an unfolded paperclip works best for me.
(drill and glue in place, then cut off once done)

I wouldn't break the models down into too many subassemblies. Some reasons:

You can paint over glue you do first, but if you glue after you paint, you eitther have to come back and get it again, or deal with ugly glue...

The more you have the model in its final pose, the more you can accurately highlight and shade.

Generally if it's hard to paint something, it's also hard to see, so if you can't get to the chest eagle, chances are nobody can see it. Similarly, you don't want to paint up a great chest eagle, put a lot of effort into it, then promptly slap a bolter over top of it and never see the work.

All that said, I have painted models in subassemblies. There are a few good reasons to do this...

Different basecoat colors... Take Imperial Fists. They're yellow, so you want a white basecoat, but their Boltguns are dark, so you might want to base those black.

Contrast. Since there's less (or no) trading of paint between separate parts, you can get a nice contrast. For example, when I did my Blood Angels Assault Marines, I did the yellow helmets apart from the red armor. This works on vehicles too. My Eldar Falcons are Alaitoc, with blue upper and bone lower. By painting them apart, then assembling at the end, the lines are very clean.

i use a board with some pins glues into it and then drippo a small hole into the model works great for me