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How do you do it and why? Please tell how you deal with the mold lines and the area on the model that was attached to the sprue.

The reason I am asking is that I see some people prime on the sprue (which may seem convenient but then you may have mold lines and the like to deal with later), some people cut them off the srpue, assemble the model, them prime off the base and other just prime them once on the base as well .

Priming them on the sprue makes the majority of it easier to paint. You'd probably have to clean the mold lines on the sprue before priming. However no matter what you're gonna have to touch it up after assembly since there will always be the pieces that have the sprue connected to them, and leave a rather glaring grey spot when you clip and trim the models.

Trimming them off makes it easier to deal with all of that. However assembled models tend to be a little harder to paint, especially if a drybrushing area is to touch a flat color area or of the model has a really deep crevice that is hard to reach with a brush, but easily spotted if left unpainted..

I know these questions are pretty basic, but I am looking for personal preferences. I have not assembled models in 9 years, and it seems that some of my techniques were lacking back then and I just want to get it right this time.

I remember having to file down two part pieces as well, such as torso halves, because they didn't quite match up on the dry fit properly. Filing off the primer seems to be a waste. But that may not be an issue with GW models anymore.

Also, it seems gluing over primer at assembly may kill the bond. I don't know, it it works then no worries. I have no idea if it will or not, is all.

A trick that many people do is a bit of a halfway, priming parts separately such as heads, or things behind other things. And painting it up as normal, then gluing it on after.

It is kind of a pain sometimes, and it does take longer, but the results can be better for those hard to reach areas. Especially if you use corks, toothpicks and some blue tack.

Generally though, I just glue everything together, do my prep (clean my moldlines, fill in cracks with GS, drill guns, sand bases, put scenic bits on base), and then prime as one piece. It saves me time, and I usually just do to a tabletop quality anyways.

Dexterium wrote:A trick that many people do is a bit of a halfway, priming parts separately such as heads, or things behind other things. And painting it up as normal, then gluing it on after.

It is kind of a pain sometimes, and it does take longer, but the results can be better for those hard to reach areas. Especially if you use corks, toothpicks and some blue tack.

Generally though, I just glue everything together, do my prep (clean my moldlines, fill in cracks with GS, drill guns, sand bases, put scenic bits on base), and then prime as one piece. It saves me time, and I usually just do to a tabletop quality anyways.

Yeah, I am no painter like some of the folk here, for sure. TTQ is still three colors, right?

I agree with TedintheShed. I paint as on piece, unless I know there is will be a very difficult piece to get to. With a dark primer, any little nook you've missed will look like shadow. You can also dip your mini after it's painted to hide any tiny imperfections/overlaps in the paint job.

TTQ, I guess that varies by person to person. I consider it:
usually 3 colours
wash
drybrush or a highlight
most details picked out

I see a lot of tournies still requiring 3 colors as a minimum standard for "painted" (either to count as painted for bonus points, or as a requirement for entry).

As for my method, I clip ALL parts from the sprue, organize them into type (arms , heads, gubbins, etc.) and clean all of the mold lines, flash, etc. before partially assembling. How much I do before priming/painting depends on the model.

Slugga boys get a simple sand basing and their pose makes all the parts reasonably easy to reach, so they get fully assembled and based before priming. My marines will have more complex basing (ballast, flock, grass) and have trickier poses, so I leave the arms/bolter and the backpack off, priming and painting them separately. Everything will get glued together after painting, then based after varnishing.

My rule of thumb is to assemble as much of the model as possible prior to undercoating. On things like Orks with separate arms you are still going to get a visible join to the torso (I use modelling putty to fill these). When it comes to painting a fully assembled model it may make it awkward to paint, I agree with what oadie said and add; undercoat with black then assemble. That way any bits you can't get at will at least have black paint acting as a shadow.

I personally have to assemble the entire model before painting. I have to know what each part is in relation to its surroundings since i tend to forget details and/or go overboard with a certain part and I dont want my models looking like they were painted by 5 different people (my painting swings back and forth between styles).

My method usually as follows:
Remove from sprue
clean off seam lines and the attachment

I usually find that it is difficult to get to some parts if the modelis still on the sprue.

When satisfied, WASH the model in warm soapy water and rinse well.
This gets rid of any bits of scrapings and removes the release agent which is not good for paint to stick to.

Spray prime to give a good surface for painting on.

Use pegs to grip the slotta tab or blue tack figures and base to an old film cannister so there is no need to get greasy mits on the model, and for ease of painting

hth

I clip my models off the sprue.
then build it as desired, prime while on base(so i can paint the base if I desire)
then paint it/add detail. It is hard to get alot of places but I find a toothpick works wonders for some details and hard to reach places.
Currently going to strip my models however, not very pleased with how thick my primer is laid on, hides some of the details on alot of my models.
That and some of my older paintjobs are rather...how can i put it...crappy?

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses.

If you care at all about your models and the money you invest in them, you should NEVER prime on the sprue. Because, subsequent to removing mold lines, you should (or at least I do) also remove the mold augmentation that is left behind after you snip the piece from its sprue. My technique is removing mold/flash lines with a hobby knife, typically done by holding the blade at a 90 deg angle to the mold line and then almost 'shaving' it away. Then I take some smooth sand paper and sand in the areas where I will apply glue, this give a better adhesion result. Finally I spray with black primer, regarless of the color of my final project, I always prefer black, it doesnt get affected by weather, always goes on evenly without bubble or drips. best of luck

I use both methods or a combination of them, it's completely dependent on the model.

Saying this up front so I don't have to repeat it in each step- to remove mold lines I either scrape w/ my xacto knife or a small file. If I scrap off primer in the process I touch it up with a brush. If I am gluing parts I already painted over I will "rough up" the contact points of both pieces with my knife, a file, or a bit of sandpaper before gluing together.

Example of Prime on the sprue and then paint individual pieces before putting model together- Really difficult and oddly shaped things like the Vampire Counts Corpse Cart. Ridiculously difficult to to paint if you build it first. I have painted 3 of them so far, I learned my lesson on the first one. Had to break it back apart. Was not fun.

Example of prime on the sprue and then put together- terrain bitz like barrels, barricades, etc. Once I am ready to build them I snap them off, touch them off, drybrush, wash, done.

Example of remove from sprue, build, then prime- almost everything else I do.

Hope this helps.

I am not what you call a die-hard, so bottom line - I don't really care if there are mould-lines or not. (I will file off the worst of them or clip off little pieces if I see them, but I don't go nuts). For most folks, this is good enough. You may want to be more careful with models that are going to serve as characters or other high-interest models. No one cares about your rank-and-file (so no one will pick them up for a closer look). But they might want a closer look at that cool new Shokk-Attack-Gun or Venerable Dreadnaught!

OK, so then I fully assemble the models before priming or painting. I am realistic and practical - in short, I know that I might not finish painting them any time soon, and by assembling them first, I guarantee that I can play with them at any time even if they're not done yet. I have a friend who paints "on the sprue" and he has literally HUNDREDS of models still on the sprue, barely started, who have been that way for at least 7 years now. In rare cases I will paint before assembling, but only if it seems it will be impossible to paint once it is put together.

Priming: you asked what the purpose is. There really are three. First, they say it makes the paint stick better to the model. Second, if you prime white or black, it will help your model appear lighter or darker once you apply the rest of the paint. Third, if you decide to use a colored primer, part of the painting will already be done for you. Often, a bottle of Krylon Spray Paint from the local hardware store is cheaper than 1 bottle of GW paint.

On to the painting. My motto - if I can't get the brush in there, people really can't see in there either since both basically need a LOS to function. So in other words, an approximation of the correct colors is good enough for me with regard to all the nooks and crannies on a model (like the armpit, down the tyranid's throat, etc). The rest of my paintjob tends to be fairly basic but neat. You likely will have your own style for this.

Last, seal your work. This should happen when you are all finished painting and it helps to preserve your work and protect it from flaking off. They say that the gloss is stronger but it makes your models appear unrealistically shiny (not a problem in my book - I like SHINY). Or else use the matte for a more subtle look. Some people use the SHINY first and the matte second to get the best of both. Be sure you get something that's non-yellowing.

And that's my whole story. Hope it helps your process.

Solorg of the Orks

Clip the models off sprue
use fine metal file/exacto to get rid of the real sharp mold lines
use 800 grit sandpaper to finish smoothing them out
assemble only up to the point where it makes painting easier (legs, torso, head)
prime

I don't assemble the whole thing at once because i cant stand trying to paint in and around things when I can just leave the arms off and save myself heartache.

I think it all depends on how you plan to paint the model. Keep the whole process in mind. Since I like to airbrush down a basecoat after priming, what I do is remove most pieces from the sprue except for the head. Most of the time, the head is attached to the sprue in a way that the neck area that you will be gluing to the torso is where it is attached the the sprue. The reason for leaving the head on is I can prime and spray a basecoat, and do all other painting all on the sprue. Depending on the model, I am likely doing at least two different basecoats depending on the body part. What I do with all the bits I clipped off the sprue is remove the mold lines, then re-attach them to the sprue in the areas that will not be shown when glued together. That way, any spots I missed while priming, basecoating, and painting on the sprue are the parts that get attached together and not shown on a completed model anyways. This may seem like more work, but it saves me the time of basecoating with a handbrush. About the only pieces I glue onto the bases before priming are the legs and sometimes the torso if it's going to be basecoated the same color as the legs. This also makes glueing the model together a lot of fun since it's one of the last steps you need to do.