Hi all,

I know this is a question depending on the situation, but you in general, do you find it better to paint parts on the sprue or when a sub-assembly is out together, such as a cockpit?

I'm new at this whole thing, but find it easier for me to paint small parts while they are still on the sprue, but then I've found I have more re-work to do once they get assembled.

-Derek

I do almost all my painting after I have removed the parts - I tend to hold them with a peg or small pair of pliers. This way, I dont have to repaint over the sprue attachment points and where I have cleaned up the moulding lines.

Lee

I often use a piece of plasticard, or wood, with a strip of double-sided tape on it. It isn't difficult to find where tthe part will be glued, so I stick that area onto the tape, and paint. If you use carpet-fitter's tape, it's, normally, strong enough to withstand a 25psi blast, fron an airbrush, or being brushed.
Edgar

I clean up all the parts from sprue marks, seam lines, ejection pin marks etc, before priming and painting. I usually simply glue a toothpick to an unseen place to hold them for spraying. I do this on all my models, not just the few aircraft I build.

It largely depends on the part and on the quality of the molding. Often parts have to be cleaned before painting.

However, I often paint parts still attached to the sprue. In some cases I even make small sub-assemblies where one part remains on the sprue. This only for assembles where i don't have to remove seams afterwards, so not for bombs, or fuel tanks,...

Or, sub assemblies are glued to a bit of sprue on a place that will be invisible after final assembly. This allows perfect seam cleaning and makes it easy to airbrush.