forest epoch
Hello! I would like to paint one of my Bandai kits (of a robot). I'm thinking I'll airbrush pieces once I've cut them from the sprews before assembly (otherwise I would need a lot of masking and I'm lazy 😉 ). I have some of those pincer thingies, and lots of acrylic paints. How should I go about this? Is my approach ok or sub-optimal? How to make the pincer thingies stand (when they weight more than foam)? How do you keep track of the part numbers? Thanks!
woven merlin
I can't help you with this method, but I feel bad you haven't gotten any responses. Maybe #scale-military-etc-help can provide answers. I don't think those people check here often.
@hidden ingot should there be a difference between #military-n-gunpla and #scale-military-etc-help ?
versed gyro
Painting all the pieces before assembly will have its own pros and cons.
It will take much longer to paint hundreds of individual pieces as opposed to one whole model or sub-assemblies.
Like you mentioned, keeping track of all the parts during and after will be somewhat of a nightmare. You could write the number on the inside of the piece with a fine tip sharpie, but some pieces will be too small for that and you could end up airbrushing over it as well.
Maybe some tape wrapped around the pincer thingy to write the number on? But that wouldn't work if you don't have a pincer thingy for every piece.
A fishing tackle box or similar organizer to keep track of the pieces maybe? Leg pieces can go together, arm pieces, etc.
I've never had problems with the part holder (pincer thingy) tipping over as the model pieces tend to be pretty light, but mine are also made from bamboo skewers and yours looks like they might be metal? If you stab it into a big block of foam (like the kind for packaging appliances) it should be fine.
It'd be a good idea to look through the instructions and get a feel for how the model will be built. You might see opportunities to put some pieces together that will be the same color to save a few steps.
silk briar
I use cat scratcher cardboard and i generally don't have an issue with tipping
I tend to separate based on color.
If I can get away with it I try at least some partial assembly but otherwise I just deal with a ton of pieces'
forest epoch
I can't help you with this method, but I feel bad you haven't gotten any respons...
I was wondering about that too ; since there is no "military specific" channel for help, I assumed it was all grouped here. (It's also not obvious for me if this counts as a military thing..I guess gunpla is a bit of a middle ground / unique thing, though I wouldn't vote for a separate channel for it just for that reason. 😉 ) Thanks for chiming in! ❤️
forest epoch
Painting all the pieces before assembly will have its own pros and cons.
It wi...
Thanks Steve! Does it mean you prefer to spend time masking a finished model to paint it, for the most parts (pun intended)? I mean, overall, what is your preferred method?
forest epoch
I use cat scratcher cardboard and i generally don't have an issue with tipping
Ah okay. I have to look for that (and then defend it with tooth and nail against the cat invaders 😂 ).
forest epoch
If I can get away with it I try at least some partial assembly but otherwise I j...
In all honesty, I have "never" masked to paint at small scale, which is also why I am hesitant. (I have done it for house walls and such only. 😉 )
obsidian elm
Always assemble your kit once before painting. This lets you do any seam line removal, antenna nub cutting, etc. If you're worried you can't take it apart again, you can cut non-joint pegs at an angle. If they're too loose in the end, you can superglue them.
Take your kit apart again and keep the parts separated by limb. Then, separate the parts by color. That'll effectively give you a grid like
LegL LegR ArmL ArmR Torso Head Backpack
Red Red Red Red Red Red -----
Grey Grey Grey Grey Grey ---- Grey
etc
This will also make reassembly easier if you only have to dig through one limb's parts to find stuff.
I suggest priming each limb while it's assembled. This will let the joints move easier once it's reassembled.
I use a cardboard box cut up and glued together to effectively make a cat scratching pad to keep my clamps on sticks.
I have a screw organizer tool box thing that I use to keep parts separated if the kit has too many colors to paint in one go
One of these dohickeys
If you want some parts to have multiple colors, always paint the lightest colors first. Let your layers fully cure and dry. Put tamiya masking tape on your forearm and peel it off to lessen the chance of peeling off the paint with the tape. Always spray in thin layers to avoid great big obvious level differences between layers. If it looks like the tape will peel with the latest layer, you can score the paint along the edge of the tape to prevent it from doing that.
Use the masking tape liberally. Don't be cheap on it, or you'll find overspray where you don't want it later.
Don't be afraid to come back with a brush later to tweak any bleeding or peeling. It is what it is. Things happen.
forest epoch
@obsidian elm thank you! ❤️ I will take time to digest all of your advice and think through how I'll handle it. Maybe even take apart that rx-78-2 HG kit I have to use as a guinea pig. 😁
obsidian elm
No problem. The grandpa kits are great little testers
woven merlin
I was wondering about that too ; since there is no "military specific" channel f...
Red had a bit of a hiccup when we renamed the channels away from "scale models" but the help channel is back now. It's not a thread channel like this one, still in the old style since it gets less use. I noticed that sometimes those people check here but sometimes not, so it's worth a cross-post. But looks like Moghul got you covered anyway 😉
obsidian elm
If you have any other question about this during the process, just come back here and @ me. I'll answer when I can
forest epoch
Thanks!
versed gyro
Everything Moghul said is gold. Also here is my sad cardboard part holder... Holder.
