Silly painting question...

As this is my first go with airbrushing, I'm unsure quite what the best way to go ahead is...in the 'old days' I'd just pretty much paint everything prior to fitting it to the model.
In this case it's my Panzer IV...
Should I spray the wheels (and paint the tyres) before fixing them to the bodywork? I've seen several builds that appear not to do this, but assume painting would be hugely awkward & fiddly!
Also I'd much rather paint the 'tools' prior to putting them on the bodywork, again to prevent what would appear to be very fiddly painting! Is this a good idea, and would the glue stick them to a sprayed Panzer IV shell?

TIA & apologies in equal measure

Hi George,
No such thing as a silly question. How you paint is pretty much a matter of choice some people paint everything on the sprue other build the whole thing when it's done. Others will fit all the wheels sprockets and idlers with out glue then build the tracks glue them to the wheels then remove the whole running gear to paint then glue into place when done. I'm sure you will get lots of replies each with a valid way of doing things. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

In general I paint a piece of armor as complete as possible. One of the few things I do paint seperate are the wheels and tracks. Especially with a PzIV where you have the rubber wheels, it's much easier to paint that in stead of when attaced to the model.

Cheers

I agree with Wouter. Its a lot easier to paint and also to weather the wheels off the hull. I've still got all these to do f you want some practice



As for tools well that's a whole different ball game. In the early days I used to paint the tools off the tank but I found I spent more time touching up the glue spots after I reattached them. Also for whatever reason they seemed to stand out from the rest of the weathered vehicle.
If you are using PE clamps and supports its extremely difficult to paint off the hull and then reattach them to the PE parts. I thought painting tools fixed to the hull too difficult but it is not that bad. If you use a watered down acrylic paint and do one or two coats it can be quite a rewarding task.
Hope this helps and happy modelling

Thanks Steve...I'll decline your kind offer of doing your wheels if you don't mind :smirk:

Steve Jones said:

...PE clamps and supports its extremely difficult to paint off the hull and then reattach them to the PE parts...

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What are PE clamps / parts?

Sorry to confuse George. Some modellers use Photo Etch (PE) parts to replace plastic parts to add detail. They come in a whole multitude of kits. The main makers being Eduard, Voyager and alike. Here are some examples

Thanks Steve, understood. I did ponder on these on another thread, but so far have resisted...

Better stick to just the plastic for now, if you ask me. Something about running before you can walk and all that

As for painting: I’m with Wouter too. I usually build armored vehicles almost completely except for the wheels and (if present) tracks. Oh, and side skirts as well, because they get in the way of fitting the other bits. Even for wheels without rubber tyres, you’re usually better off leaving them separate, IMHO, because that way you’ll be able to get at the hull and the back sides of the wheels easily.

There are plenty of types of model with which you’ll have to get more creative, though. With Shermans, for example, you could leave the whole bogies off the model and only attach them after painting, or you could cut the axles down to stubs so you can slip the wheels into the bogies after painting. This sort of thing may involve having to scrape some paint off to get a surface you can glue, then repainting the glued areas.

But as usual, it’s a matter of experience and judgement, and if necessary, asking for advice in a place like this. Just don’t expect everyone to give you the same advice

Xarathustra said:

Should I spray the wheels (and paint the tyres) before fixing them to the bodywork?

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A tip I was given a while ago: spray the tyres first, then use a circle template from astationery shop as a movable mask to protect the tyres when you spray the wheels.

Pete

I tried that a long time ago, and gave up after a few models because touching up was just as much work as just brush-painting the tyres entirely after spraying.

If you do brush-paint them, here’s a quick tip: don’t be overly concerned if you get tyre-colour paint on the metal rim that separates the tyre from the rest of the wheel. Just paint over it with the wheel colour when it’s dry.

Hi George

I tend to paint all the tools on the vehicle, tracks and tyres I paint off, if I possibly can. A tip I picked up years ago for painting tools on the vehicle, is to cut up little pieces of paper and slide them between the tools and the body, that way if you slip or stray the paint goes on the paper.

My best advice though is to try both ways and then decide what works best for you.

cheers
Ross

If your scratching your head now wait until you model an open topped vehicle! A Wespe for arguments sake.
Then plan to paint sub-assemblies (interior of the fighting compartment, the various bits of stowage and ammunition etc. within, then the gun and cradle) then fix in place and cover them (if spay painting0 before going on to another step.
Overall I'd say just think about how easy it would be to paint a part or area after everything else is glued together.
I'm with Jakko on the tyre painting. Never could get the template thingie right.
Tom

I'm a big fan of circle templates for wheels. It's important to keep them clean so that you don't transfer paint when moving to a new wheel.

However, rather than buy a template, I make my own using plastic from the side of a milk jug/carton and a compass cutter. This lets me custom fit the circle to the wheel, and the thinner plastic seems easier to use (to me) than the thicker store bought sort.

Mr Bowcat said:

I'm a big fan of circle templates for wheels. It's important to keep them clean so that you don't transfer paint when moving to a new wheel.

However, rather than buy a template, I make my own using plastic from the side of a milk jug/carton and a compass cutter. This lets me custom fit the circle to the wheel, and the thinner plastic seems easier to use (to me) than the thicker store bought sort.

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I'm with you too Bob on the circular template. Works best with rubber casted on wheels like German panzers and Shermans. The overspray if any sometimes look like collected dust. The trick is to place the template and then just a quick burst from the airbrush straight on and not in a circle motion or at angles.

Cheers,
Richard

Tom Rigg said:

If your scratching your head now wait until you model an open topped vehicle! A Wespe for arguments sake.

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Even better: a softskin vehicle.

Tom Rigg said:

Overall I'd say just think about how easy it would be to paint a part or area after everything else is glued together.

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Like so much else, it’s mostly a matter of experience. Asking on forums like this helps, but nothing beats actual experience — especially the kind where you go, “I shouldn’t have glued those bits together, that would have made painting so much easier …”