This will sound like silly question, but my modeling experience is limited to brush painting (for aircraft) or spray cans for cars/trucks. With the cars and the spray paint, I usuall painted the body separate ad then placed it on the chasis.

The pictures I'm seeing on this forum seem to look like painting of the fuse, wings, etc is done at the end after everything else has been completed ecept for some detail work.

Do most build aircraft this way as opposed to painting a base coat before putting the models together? I'm planning on using an airbrush for the first time and just wondering about when to paint the "skin".

Thank you

Hi Bugnerd,

Probably as many ways to do this as there are aircraft modelers, divided by three.

The only proper answer is what works best for you.

For me, it all depends on the size and configuration of the model, and the type of paint job. However, 95% of the time I build the whole airframe and then paint. That is because I fret over seam lines and find it easier to fill them and then paint.

But sometimes you won't notice a boo-boo until after painting, so I have to fill/sand/repaint anyway.

Recently I painted the bottom wing of my ME-262 before attaching to the fuselage. I was planning to paint the fuselage before attaching the wing but didn't. Why? I was planning the Luftwaffe splotchy camo pattern on the fuselage and sometimes a wing gets in the way. Turns out the fuselage is triangular so the angle of spraying is easier, and the camo scheme I am building isn't that blotchy. However, when I do a Luftwaffe day fighter, I often paint the wing and fuselage separate because the wings are usually sporting linear color demarcation lines and the fuselage a softer pattern. If there is gappage at the wingroot, easily blended without much worry about masking to protect the fuselage/wing patterns.

I do paint before attaching landing gear, guns, etc.

Anyway, all this means do it the way that is easiest for you according to the results you seek and your level of skill.

The methods vary, but I would recommend to build as much of the modell as possible before you paint. Plenty of reasons; It is most often necessary to fill gaps with putty, to sand down uneven parts etc - this would destroy any previous painting. Some glue that welds the parts together will not work on painted areas etc.

However, there are always exceptions. One of the main tasks of modelling is to plan ahead.

Good luck!

It does seem to work out that way for most aircraft builds, I

1. assemble and paint the interior detail, then

2. assemble the fuselage and wings , usually leaving off the landing gear where I can. This is the point at which most of the filling and sanding takes place to clean up joints and shape.

3. Then comes the exterior paint. I start with the light colors and finish with the dark ones for camo jobs. With NMF (Natural Metal Finish) I apply the NMF then any colors needed to detail the exterior.

4. I then add the landing gear and other detail assemblies that have been painted seperately such as detailed engines.

Note: I sometimes use the canopy to "mask" the cockpit, other times I stuff the cockpit with tissue. I always paint the canopy seperately.

You'll see alot here about weathering and pre and post shading (Good Articles) and others here are much better at it that I. There are no Dumb questions, just Dumb answers so continue to ask away.

You see there are plenty of folks willing to help JPTRR and Polar Bear jumped in while I was typing.

Thanks for advice. I have never tried making a model that looked realistic and I'd really like to try! I have been wading through the articles about techniques and watching how-to videos online. I'll keep you posted and I'll put progress pics up as I go along.

As JPTRR, PolarBear, and CRS have stated...........
I usually build as much of the airplane that I can before doing any painting. Problems will always pop up around the seams. Especially (I've found) where the wingroot and fuselage meet there will usually be a gap that will have to be filled and smoothed.
I like to start my first coat off as a primer so that any untidy seams or problem areas that need more sanding will become more visible.
Also, as CRS stated, I usually do the canopy seperate and just stuff some tissue into the cockpit for painting. I like to put on the canopy as a final touch because I'm forever knocking them off while fiddeling with the plane. I've stepped on more than one canopy in the past so I usually mask, paint, and then put them back in the box till last.

Hermon

Wow, I'd be pretty disappointed if I stepped on it. Is it usually possible to get a replacement?