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Hi people. So I've been working with CSM for a while, and here's something I noticed : when you prime them using a Spraying can, there's alway a spot or two than cannot be reached by the spray (like between the shoulder pads and the torso, or between the power pack and the torso, etc.). I've also had this problem with other models (Khorne Bloodcrushers for example).

So I've wondered if I should spray them before assembling some of the parts (for example, I assemble the main body, spray it, then spray the backpack and shoulder and then assemble them of the main body), or litterally just spray the bits, detach them from the sprue and then assemble them (basecoating the part where the spray was removed because of my cutters).

One of my friend however told me it could interfere with the glue. What do you think of it ?

There's another current thread discussing priming on the sprue that might be somewhat relevant:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/668042.page

Regarding the glue, I'll just copy/paste what I wrote in the other thread:

Plastic glue will bond the paint, just not as well as if it were a plastic to plastic bond (it will slightly melt the paint). Superglue doesn't bond the paint well at all (as it only bonds to the surface of the paint).

However I usually clean a bit of the paint off before gluing together either way. The area doesn't need to be perfectly clean, I usually just scratch a bit of paint off with my knife.

As for priming before or after assembly, I usually just assemble as much is practical before I start obscuring things I want to be able to paint later. It's a judgement call, there's no black and white of "always assemble before prime" or "always prime before assemble".

I'm not too concerned if the primer doesn't fully coat some of the hidden areas, those areas only typically need a very light dusting of primer anyway. It can act a bit like zenithal highlighting anyway. What concerns me more is when it comes to actually painting the models whether or not I will be able to reach the detail, if I don't think I will then I build sub-assemblies rather than assembling the whole thing before priming and painting.

Attached is a pic of the method I go with (usually)

Clip and clean all of your bits then organize them.
Get a pin vice now and drill a hole into each bit, pick a spot that will not be visible once the figure is assembled.
Now get a toothpick and snip one end off, be careful to judge the needed width correctly which is not hard to do once you do this a few times.
Now force that snipped end into the drilled hole, it will hold firmly throughout priming and painting and the sharp end can be jabbed into Styrofoam or something similar.

Once you've finished painting all of your bits just remove the toothpicks, get your hobby blade and scrape away any paint that might be on the connection points (where glue will go), do this because plastic glue fuses plastic together and having a layer of paint on the joint will hinder that process.
For good measure I actually reinforce every joint with a tiny ball of green stuff too, this will squeeze into the drill holes you made and make for a tighter bond once it and the glue is set.

I find this method allows for much more control when priming with spray primer, you can manoeuvre the bits around as you please while spraying.