Paint before gluing

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Matty1973
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Location: Perth, Western Australia

Paint before gluing

Post by Matty1973 »

Oh so i have a question

I am building the PL 1/350 enterprise and i want the paint job to be fantastic but i have some serious concerns about getting paint on the clear parts and on the lights and am wondering is it worth pre painting the majority of the kit before final assembly and then masking all areas that wont need any filling and sanding after assembly and just do spot areas at that stage.

Whats your thoughts
Callandor
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Post by Callandor »

That is how I work with models. The major downside is that you may have to sand off some of the paint to get a good weld between the pieces.
shotgunlebowski
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Post by shotgunlebowski »

I bet if you look at a majority of the 1/350 builds posted they all assemble then paint. In this scale it's not that difficult to mask off the windows.

For example here is a build that goes over all of it for you. Page 17 even says how to do the window masks

http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipplent22.html

It might be borring but this model is worth the time if you can spend it.

John
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Matty1973
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Location: Perth, Western Australia

Post by Matty1973 »

shotgunlebowski wrote:I bet if you look at a majority of the 1/350 builds posted they all assemble then paint. In this scale it's not that difficult to mask off the windows.

For example here is a build that goes over all of it for you. Page 17 even says how to do the window masks

http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipplent22.html

It might be borring but this model is worth the time if you can spend it.

John
thanks for that, doesnt look too bad at all, cheers
tonyG2
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Post by tonyG2 »

I try to avoid the paint first build later approach if I can.

Not only (as stated) is it likley you will need to sand off some of the paint to get a decent joint, fill gaps etc, there is a risk that the glue will dissolve the paint and you get runs. The paint can get scuffed and dirty from handling. And then when you repaint the areas affected, you risk getting a different tone which stands out like a sore thumb.

However, I will often paint small parts while still on the sprue (wheels, joysticks etc) and then use tweezers to handle them.

Often you have no real choice but even then I try to build major sub-assemblies and paint them first, hoping to keep the area affected by a final assembly to a minimum.
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Gerry
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Post by Gerry »

Matty, I had the same concerns... in hind sight I would do the following..

Don't use the windows.
Really, the only ones you need are the BIG ones for the recreation deck and Captains Lounge. Maybe the angled ones that focus light on the neck.

If I had to do it again, I'd leave all those small window clear parts off. paint it, then use Window Maker to fill them in after it's complete.
you don't have to worry about masking them off or any of that.
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