Hi all! So all of the models I've been making,I've been painting as I go and now I'm trying a Trumpeter M1A2 Abrams that I'm going to build and then paint. I don't fully understand how that works but I'm trying! Anyone I was wondering how you guys do your road wheels when you do this?? Namely the rubber tires on the wheels. Do you just put them together and not glue them on the model until you've painted it and the wheels separately? Is most of the model itself a mockup until you do the final painting, then you do the final gluing? I feel really stupid but I am confused. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I choose whichever method works for the model I'm building. If possible, I like to paint the whole model with wheels on, then paint the rubber afterwards. It's easier if they turn on their axles. Since this isn't possible on a lot of resin builds I do, I'll usually paint the rubber with the wheels off (using a mask if I have the right size) and then install the tires. Side skirts like with the Abrams definitely mean painting the rubber with the wheels on, unless I want to scrape paint off, add the skirts, and do a touch up job.

A tip if you paint the rubber with a brush. Turn the wheel away from you while you hold the brush in place, this allows a more consistent application form the brush as it is not subject to pressure, dragging or changes in angle. Thin the paint more than you normally would and don't overload your brush. And don't force the issue by trying to turn the wheel fully in one go. You'll get the hang of how much coverage you get with one brush load and how far you can comfortably turn the wheel. Use a finer brush for the inner edge and go back and cover the rest a second time. Patience is the key to neat lines.

Kimmo

Re above post, that's the way I do mine. paint the steel area of the wheel with the base colour, let it dry properly then using thinned black/grey paint and fine brush overpaint the tyres, the thinned paint will run round the tyre and should give a nice demarcation between the steel wheel and rubber tyre, this may be easier if you put the wheel on the end of a cocktail stick or toothpick allowing you to rotate the wheel while holding the brush steady. This is just my method and it works for me, others here may have equally good methods.

My typical approach to every wheel from tiny 1/72 idlers and the small rollers on 1/35 tanks to the largest roadies is to paint them off the vehicle and then mount them (and very seldom but when needed, touch up some scrapes, etc. in place). This is for styrene - I don't have any resin kit experience, so...

IF there is "rubber" involved, I paint the wheel "rubber color" (I use Floquil "weathered black" or some similar dark gray - maybe with a very tiny hint of brown warmness) first, and then do the "steel parts" using a simple circle template mask.

Much much faster and easier than doing the tiny brush / thinned paint / gentle turn routine of a mounted-but-turnable wheel. (and I get much much better and more-consistent results with masks - Me trying to paint within the lines ... It's like herding cats. Meeeow!)

PS: I've never had any issues with mounting pre-painted wheels - I find it easy to cover the axle stubs with tiny caps of "tacky" when painting the hull - remove this and scrape off a little paint on the inner wheel hub and go on with typical cement. An easy alternative for painted stubs and wheels is a drop of CA or white glue or Gorilla Glue or whatever.

Bob

Thanks for the info so far! It looks like the side skirts on this Abrams kit are already attached to the upper hull so it seems like my only option is to paint the whole model after building it and then leaving the upper and lower hulls separate, then paint the wheels separate, then put them and the tracks on and finish putting the hull together. I guess what I'm having a problem understanding now is how people paint the small parts on the tank such as tools, ropes, chains, etc after spraying the whole model without messing it up. Especially when I don't have the most steady hands haha! What I'm doing so far is leaving off the parts I KNOW I won't be able to paint correctly if I put them on the tank now, and I'm going to paint them separate and then glue them on after the final paint.

I use and Airbrush - firstly spray the wheel (constructed) the tyre black - then using a circle template spray the inner parts the hull colour.

Paul

Same here with painting the tires gray (anthracit) ten using a plastic "holes ruler" as a mask, paint the steel part the same colour as the hull. All of this using an airbrush so it is fairly fast. I used to hand-paint with the turning method described above but it ALWAYS turned out having irregular borders which ruined the round-rubber, tire look.

Regarding the small details, I was/am in the same boat with you. My hands are not steady enough usually but still grabbing a double-0 brush at the art store (there are also tripple-0 brushes, even finer) made a HUGE difference in hand-painting results/quality.

Hope this helps!

Nothing wrong with that - It's what I do. I detail paint and weather most small stuff off the model and add it during final assembly and finishing.

I'm also in the hand brushing road wheels camp. With practice and reasonable care, hand brushing gives me very satisfactory results. Again, when I can, I usually paint these (and the drive sprockets, return rollers and idler wheels) separate and assemble the suspension as part of final assembly and finishing.

The only measure of success here is what works for you and gives you the results you want.

Jeff, some people paint all the tools and wee bits on the vehicle, others like myself don't trust their shaky hands and paint before attaching, leave small parts on the sprue (plastic runner) they are much easier to handle while painting but bear in mind if you are going to glue them on with styrene glue you will need to scrape the paint off at the attachment points (the paint acts as a barrier and the glue can not melt the styrene parts together)
I sometimes use superglue (CA glue) for these parts which saves having to remove the paint but you will have to be quick and accurate and won't have any time for wriggling parts into final position.

Hi, Jeff,

Have a look at some pictures of road wheels.
You will see that the surface of these wheels becomes rather shiny due to the permanent contact with the tracks. There is almost always a darker, shiny area of contact and a matt, not seldomly damaged, out- and inside. Also, the surface of the track pads, if applicable, which is at the inside, becomes smoothly polished.

P.

Like others have said - use a primer on the wheel, spray the tyre black, then use a mask to paint the inner (steel) part.

I bought a set of Voyager wheel masks, one of the best purchases I ever made. I trot them out every time!

https://armorama.kitmaker.net/forums/177868&page=1

Usually I build in stages and paint my sub assemblies and sometimes even weather those subs as needed, just in case they are hard to reach or not easily accessible once things are glued together.
For road wheels, especially the rubber rimmed kind, I prime, then spray (with an airbrush) the rubber colour, then using a standard circle template ( that you can get at the art store for a few bucks) mask the out side and shoot the hub interior with the standard base colour. Any touch ups for either colour are done by hand with a fine brush.
For small detail items like tools and weapons I paint off the vehicle then glue in place carefully. Again sometimes doing a pre weather on them. Glue it all together seal with clear, oil washes, seal with flat, then dry brush and chalks. I have found that this works for me, it may not be the best for every one so find a rhythm and style that suits you.
You might find that your hands and eyes can easily manipulate a fine brush in small areas and that doing detail items in place is not an issue for you. Or you might find that you can airbrush in tiny areas without issue. I had the same questions when I got back into this. I have learned to think about things logically, I.e. if a cockpit or interior is going to be closed up or unseen, no need to fuss on it. But if it is open and the vehicle is glued together and access is limited, better to paint ahead and weather it too. Good luck and if all else fails follow directions. Cheers.

I'm with you, Andy! The wheel masks enjoy a prime location in my paint cabinet - right beside the AB drawer. And I trot them out every time!

But, really, like as Mike R. said, it's what works best for YOU and gets you what you want! I encourage trying different approaches. You will soon discover whether you are one of those who can dependably "write" Sanskrit or Arabic in 10 pt font-size with your 00 brush, or are one of those whose "careful lines and curves" turn out to be like a child's version of Cuniform-B on a clay tablet with a stick! Sadly, I was once upon a time much the former... closer to the clay tablet crowd, now-a-days! (But I can still do pretty nice tools right on the kit...)

PS: I, too, did lots of roadies using the tiny brush (and black perm markers, too! ) and some gentle rotation. But I realized I had fully-exceeded my broad tolerance with applied stupids when I found myself trying to spin the entire tank hull to achieve that delightful gentle turning to line some wheels that I had previously cemented onto a Pz II kit...!

Bob

Bob - I'm just trying to visualise the contortions you must have gone through attempting that! I'm guessing it looked like an image from the modellers Karma Sutra?

;-)

I think we've all been there, along with that "Homer Simpson" forehead-slapping "doh!" moment that comes just before it!

"Why did I do that?!"

J. Robert Oppenheimer, watching his atomic child birthing at Alamogordo NM back in 1945, is reputed to have quoted the Bhagavad Gita "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds".

I, while a Robert, but seriously less lofty than J.R. "Opji", might modify that to be more personally appropriate... "Now I am become cement-poisoned and befuddled, the destroyer of plastic panzers"!

No. It was NOT pretty to behold.

Bob

Thanks for the tips, guys! This is the first time I've ever built the model first and then painted. I think it turned out better than my previous models. It'll be even better/easier when I actually get a good airbrush! You guys' advice really helped. Here are some pics of the complete item. Sorry for the crappy pictures. Be gentle, I'm still learning

A commendable effort all around!

True, the pictures make it a bit hard to see and probably don't do the model justice, but it appears to me that you've done a very nice job.

I'm sure that you've learned a lot - both things that worked for you and others that you'd like to improve on next time. Apply these lessons to your next build and it will be even better than this one.

Keep up the good work!