After a 4 year hiatus from modeling I am getting back into the hobby. I just started a Tamiya Panther circa 1993 model and it is moving along quickly. However I had a question about painting. My plan was to finish and detail the entire unit - then prime - and paint. I am working on building a spray booth and getting an airbursh/compressor set-up.
Is this the proper way to finish a model - there is quite a bit of stock detail on the model - tools, cable, etc. Does one prime and paint most of the tank and then attach painted details or paint the entire unit. Any thoughts or recommendations on this.
I like to prime and paint the entire model, by leaving off roadwheels, track, and turret until all painting, decaling, washing, and drybrushing is completed. As far as the fiddly-bits are concerned (pioneer tools,etc.), I paint them right on the tank, unless they are in hard-to-reach areas like the Tamiya Marder III. In those cases, they are painted off the tank and added later. Likewise, ammo boxes, bedrolls, etc. are painted, washed and drybrushed and added at the end with a little superglue. Everything is then flat coated and assembled. There is, of course, variation depending on the model
Quite honestly, there is no “proper way” to finish a model. What works for us may not be appealing to you, and vice-versa. Take some of the suggestions you see in these threads and try 'em. Discard the ones you don’t like or won’t work and keep the rest. You’re the artist here; create, discover, and have fun!
Gip Winecoff
As Gip has already pointed out, it is really a matter of taste. I find it easier to place all tools, cables, etc. on the kit and then base coat it. I then pic the details out with a brush. Bedrolls, tarps, cases I will add later but weather all of them in place.
The best is to try different methods and see what works for you.
shermanfreak, that sounds like what I will be doing once I start. But how does one paint the underside of for example a shovel if it’s already mounted? Or is it a matter of what one doesn’t see one doesn’t care about?
What KY Col means is you tear bits and slips of Post its and slide them beneath your attached tools. This allows you to brush paint the tools w/o fear of paint hitting your tank’s base coat.
Agree with all the replys, a matter of choice. Either choice having its benefits and downfalls. I’ve tried both methods. I would say it also depends on subject matter. . . . . . ah yes, the choices we face…