Just got into building so not sure if this is a stupid question. When building armor do you usually paint the parts before assembling?

Hi Brian, not stupid at all. Some people do, but its generally regarded as easier to paint a model after the major portions are assembled, depending on the kit it may need anything from a drop of filling putty and some light sanding to some major work with plastic card to fill holes, so you would have to touch up the model afterwards anyway. Also most plastic cements work by melting the parts together, paint will interfere with that, so again you would have to scrape away any mating edges.
Best bet is to paint any interior parts or "sub-assemblies" that will be hard to reach before you put everything together, then paint the exterior afterwards when you're satisfied with the fit.

Brian

I agree with Eric, and find some benefit in leaving off until last all the bits which I inevitably knock off during the painting process, such as radio antennae. These I paint separately, also all small arms such as rifles and machine guns.

Of course, you can usually be sure that just when I think I've finished, I find a part which I haven't painted and which will end up as a slightly different colour, so I usually just say it was a replacement part!

Regards

Rob

Regards

Rob

Welcome to the forum,I usually build the complete hull and turret,I will add eveything except antennas.I like to add the tools and cables at this time.Then I will airbrush eveything,then I pick out the details and tools by carefully brush painting.

I do leave off the road wheels and tracks and paint them separatley

Think of your build, no matter the subject, as sub assemblies. If the opportunity arises, go to a real life vehicle assembly plant. The vehicle does not matter...its' the intent of the visit. You'll find the assembly process is done in 'sections' or 'nodes' and sub-assemblies. Example...the numerous visits to the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky showed me, even at 59 years old, the "method to the madness" mentality of "...how do they do that??!! is still an ongoing learning process for me. On that assembly line, you will see the engine seperately, the suspension separately, wheel and tires seperately, the body and dashboard done seperately, so and so on. Towards the end of the line is where you see all this orchrestration finalized. The suspension is complete as a result of all its' sub-assemblies and parts being attached by the techs on the line. Same thing for the body and all its sub-assemblies...the techs have assembled all its parts into one big upper part. Then like magic, the combination of the two major sub-assemblies is known in the industry as the "marriage" do you fianlly see the upper half of the car joined to the lower half...resulting in a brand new completed, and painted, Corvette. The intent of what I'm trying to say is...pretty much your vehicle should be done in sub-assembles...mostly to eliminate incomplete portions of your model that you can't return to in order to correct it. Another words...you can't "un-ring that bell". Do your suspension seperately, the engine and engine bay, the cargo area, the cab, the interior of a tank, all done seperately. When you feel satisfied that all sub-assemblies have been dealt with, to include painting and weathering, only then does the "marriage' take place. Look around this site as well...there are tons of examples of how individuals do their build.



P.S. The only stupid question is the one never asked...

Wow, thanks for all the help this should come in handy.

Also, is there any rule of thumb as to how to calculate how much paint you'll need? (I'm building 1/35 scale if that helps).

Buy way more than you think you need. You don't want to run into a situation where you run out of a certain color in the middle of a painting session.

Nice question and lots of helpful answers for a newbie/returner like me.

Another question, do you pick a primer color similar to paint color, opposite color, a couple shades lighter, darker.

I would guess, for example either black or grey primer for German Grey painted armor?

You might be able to tell I haven't painted anything since Pinewood Derby cars like 15 years ago haha.