I'm looking to start my first ever Diorama, I'm hoping to do it aound a Hummvee in the gulf 2003 (along with every one else i bet) however i'm looking for some pointers,

1) i've seen pictures where people have mode the vehicle forst then sprayed ofr paited it afterwards, is this the prefered Technique?

2) Also should i do the same with the Figures?

some advice would be gratefully recieved.

Ola CACMAN

The order of assembly is completely up to you.. I know several people who really assemble the Vehicle for 100 % and then start spraying painting and weathering. I, and with me many, like to make subassemblies. wich is you assemble some parts of your vehicle Like the chassis, the interior, the Hull etc. I do this for the ease of painting.
About the figures I do about the same. I assemble the figure as far as possible and then paint it. Some times I have to leave an arm off because he is holding a weapon between it etc.
But as with a lot of things with modeling.. Do what suits you best. There are no rules of engagement and everybody is free to do whatever he likes and knows works well.

first welcome to our big Armorama family !!!! be glad that u are here and feel free to ask for help. Painting procedure is matter of personal preferences i believe, theres not wrong or right way in my earlier years i used to build and paint the main body and then add on all other items (tools, extras guns everything) Later till now i tend to build 90 % of the tank or vehicle , paint the primer , the preshading dark coat, and then the base coat . then i paint all the different coloured parts of the vehicle or tank . The only things that i paint seperately are stowage, tarps and carriage that is not directly connected with the vehicle , but i weather them together with the vehi , so there is a colour uniformity and evidence that all these parts have suffered same use and weather conditions.

For figures i have to say that i build them torso hands head and legs i paint the uniform primer and allover uniform colour and then the face and other flesh parts . i finish them correct any flaws on the uniform add the helmet or other equipment that i paint seperately and then i wash and weather the figure on the total , for the same reason as above .

for single and bigger figures , and not for dio purposes (meaning that acting as a figure painter u paint a single , mostly expensive, and special figure) depending on the era , pose, material of the figure and many other items u may have to paint seperately 1 or 2 hands or the head and add them last before weathering and washing once again. big figures equipment is always painted seperately so that u can deal better on the details.

Take car that u add in your painting habits priming with a good primer so that u have a good gripping surface for your painting. Also wash thoroughly the plastic or resin or anything , so that no particles are left on it that would destroy your painting ..

I hope i helped some, and anything else ..i am here.. WSe are all here

Costas
Greetings from Greece

What would you use for the wash?

Welcome to the best site around for modeling!!!

Washing the plastic or resin first has to do with getting rid of the release agent the manufacture used when making the kit. Use some mild soap and water, let the kit soak a bit then take it out and rinse off your soapy water very well.

As far as order of assembly, I usually build in sub-assemblies that allow for easiest final assembly and best access to the pieces. With a Hummvee my recommendation would be to go with subassemblies, chassie with frame, doors, roof, etc all separate. This way you can spray the inside and outside of each piece with thier primary color scheme. Then do final assembly and then add weathering once its all done.

Figures - I build them with the same idea - get access to the pieces parts the easiest for finishing. I usually put arms and legs and torsos together. Heads and head gear are optional depending on how easy the will be to mask off and paint. If they are hard to get to or are difficult to mask, I spray first assemble last.

To each his own, of course - but my methods are pretty straightforward...

Vehicles - I complete the main systems as sub assemblies, and then put them together. I do a primer coat of everything except the track and tread in an appropriate base color. Then I airbrush my tires/treads and finish the kit. From there - I add my washes and highlites.

For figures, I do the entire figure and then prime in a base DARK base coat. I then come back and do my highlights, shading, and touchups. When first doing figures, I began by practicing on bags of 1/32 toy soldiers... very cheap, even for the better quality... and that is still how I try out new techniques before trying something new on an expensive resin figure.

It really depends on what you are comfortable with...

I know some people say that if you can see it you can paint it, but it is not very true( i think ) but in my figures, I just assemble them completely, then prime them and paint, If I have to leave something untill later, it is because it is hard to reach, but thats why you either prime with the same color as the base coat or a dark color( hard to reach areas are usually dark)