Painting on the sprue or not

[Guest]

I`ve painted most of the parts for my models off the spru and held by whatever means, usually a crocodile clip, a toothpick in a convinient hole. stuck on a pice of tape or the good old bluetack. This all works but the preparation takes time and care and it`s not always possible to fix on a piece that's hidden away. More recently for the not so big pieces I`ve been painting on the sprue and I`m finding it easier to hold them with less touching up to do as usually the sprue points are small and not in stand out places. What do you guys think.

[Dave Ward]

Small pieces I invariably paint on the sprue - even down to the detail level. I sometimes prime larger bits on the, for example aircraft wings & tails.
I find it easier to handle bits on the sprue - having big hands you need every help you can! In the same way, I sometimes don't closely trim small parts, I wait until the part is attached to the model, before final trimming - again all a matter of handling
Dave

[Guest]

For me, it depends entirely on what the model and the part are. I prefer to build models as far as possible before painting, leaving off things like wheels for painting separately. Some parts I leave on the sprue, even build on the sprue for painting, while others I remove and paint separately before fitting. It all depends on whether I think I’ll be able to paint the part when it’s on the model and if it’ll block access to other bits. For example, tank wheels I usually leave off (if they’re not held between suspension arms) so that I can get paint on the hull sides and the tyres; I may leave the wheels entirely on the sprue, or leave one half on the sprue and assemble the other half onto them there, then paint them as a whole before removing so I can paint the tyres.

Reverse-action tweezers, by the way:



… are a very handy tool for holding parts for painting, especially ones with flat jaws rather than the pointed one shown here (I couldn’t find a good picture of those, so I had to settle for this one ).

[Gary MacKenzie]

1/700 to 1/72nd scale I tend to build most and paint after construction as small parts have such a high percentage of size sprue attachment point that I still need to paint majority again if painted on sprue.

1/35th : some parts painted on sprue and like Jakko leave off wheels etc that obscure areas to be painted behind them.
Wheels painted on cocktail sticks/barbecue spikes.

120mm : most parts cleaned up and undercoated/primed while still on sprues.

Then all gets altered when some kits don't conform to typical sprue attachments/single link tank tracks.

[Guest]

I suppose ideally it`s best if you can assemble the whole model before painting so all the joins are covered up with paint and the glue can`t cause any damage to the paint. But as has been said not always possible because some parts cover parts of others and so have to be painted separately. So I tend to build and paint sub-assemblies like engines, wheels etc and then assemble the sub-assemblies like a puzzle, which sometimes it is. lol.

[Tim Marlow]

Never painted anything on the sprue as far as I can remember. I always think the clean up to remove the inevitable moulding lines will also remove the paint with the required scraping and holding. Touching up would then be hard, especially as I always spray prime. On the other hand, I quite often clean up small parts with some sprue attached to help with handling, only removing the final sprue attachment when the rest is cleaned.
I do build and paint in sub assemblies where possible....tanks, for example, would have wheels, tracks, and body separate for ease and to allow paint access to undercuts and occluded areas. Some things, like motorcycles, are almost entirely painted as sub assemblies, which makes it feel like there is no progress, as there is no core item to reference.... then you do the final assembly and there she is......just like assembling a die cast .