Hey guys, I'm about to start my first model kit, as mentioned in the title. I've got a few basic questions.

Should I paint the pieces before gluing them together? Just the interior pieces? Will the paint stop the glue from adhering? If I do paint stuff before assembly, should I paint it on the sprue, or after I cut it off?

Any help on that would be appreciated. Thanks,

Matthew

Paint before glueing or viceversa? That's a question as old as modelling and the answer is ... 42!

Seriously there are various thoughts about it. Some say that you can paint after putting the pieces together because if you can't reach them with paint you also wont be able to see it. Others say it's better to paint before in order to have all the parts painted.
Probaly the truth lies in between: some parts have to be painted first and others after putting them in place.
Glue won't be affected by paint.
It's better not to paint on the sprue because you'll damage the color once you remove the parts from the sprue. I suggest you work in sub-assemblies painting the parts when needed.

HTH

Hello Matthew, there are different ways to handle painting. First, paint will affect the strength of a glue joint. The glue will hold, but it may come apart under any stress. The glue to paint bond is stronger than the paint to plastic bond. The glued part will lift the paint from the plastic if stressed enough. It is best to keep joints free of paint for a good bond. Whether parts can be painted on the sprue depends on how the part is attached to the sprue. The sprue can be a convenient way to hold a small part while painting it. I will paint a small part while still attached to the sprue if the part can then be removed without damaging the part or the paint too much. There are modelers, armor modelers in particular, who will assemble the whole model before painting. It depends on the model and the modeler. You have to study the instruction sheet and how the parts come together in order to decide whether to paint a part separately, or as a sub-assembly, or as a major assembly. Some places are impossible to reach after assembly. I hope this answers your questions and helps you out a little. Al