i usually paint the fuselage of my planes before i glue them together and stuff… but i always seem to have a big seem all through the middle of it from where it fits together… would it be better to assemble it… putty it up… then paint it?
Yep, that is the way to go!!! I use Mr. Surface 500 and small strips of Plastic with Tamiya glue to fill in gaps. Then I use Squadron sanding sticks, to sand it.
Hemiman,
You definitely get a better finish if you assemble, clean up the seams, THEN paint.
Yup, assemble interior, install in fuselage, fill seams, stuff interior with moist facial tissue, then after it’s masked off, paint it.
Oops, just to clarify, also paint all those interior pieces as well as assemble them, then iinstall and fill seams. [:)]
I find prepainting makes the most sense with ordinance, drop tanks, gear, gear doors, wheels, props, and other stuf that hangs off the bird. Aside from that everything mentioned above is the way to go.