Air brushing primer onto parts whilst in sprue?

[KatoombaSue]

This could be the stupidest question ever but it's been 30 years since I've done any modelling and when I last did I used enamel paints and no primer. And did all painting by brush which left me with not so fabulous results. Now, 30 years later, I've decided to throw myself into modelling again and have a battleship which I'm going to make. As I'm going to use acrylic paint and an air brush this time, and all parts will need to be primed, is there any benefit in air brushing the primer onto the parts whilst they're still attached to the sprue? And yes, I know I'd still have to sand off the paint at the glue points on both parts. As I said, could be a stupid idea but thought whilst it's all sitting there all nice and attached it could make most of the priming job easier. Or not? Thoughts gratefully received.

[drasticplastic]

You realize any parts needing clean-up will need to be done while still on sprue? Some top quality kits require little to no clean-up, and as long as this is so, the parts can be primed as well as painted on the sprue. Paint removal at glue points, and touch-ups can be done during, or after, construction. I do this whenever possible.

[KatoombaSue]

Thanks so much! Will do as much as I can on sprue - according to the quality of the kit.

[MrTsquare]

Or.... based on you planned order of assembly, cut those off of the sprue, clean and trim as much as possible and stick them on painters/adhesive tape. Spray, dry and turn them to do it again. Once again, depending on the parts and planned order of assembly. White glue is serviceable for most tiny parts. Don't forget to label those parts on the tape that you choose to cut/trim/paint in advance cause many start to look alike after a while.
T2

[KatoombaSue]

Thank you - excellent advice.

[drasticplastic]

When using that method make sure your parts are well stuck to the tape, otherwise when you start airbrushing parts will go flying! A variation on that method is after clean-up, etc. glue the parts by their glue point to a section of scrap sprue, then prime, and paint.

[KatoombaSue]

Yes, could be tricky. Thanks for your advice.

I�m trying to work out now how you paint camouflage paint. As it�s so random looking and over so many different parts, does it need to be painted by brush? Just can�t imagine how to airbrush it.

[drasticplastic]

As all my model ships are 1/700, I hand-paint my camo patterns with a steady hand, a well pointed brush, and good quality acrylic paints. Although for turret tops I mask for sharply defined separations.

[KatoombaSue]

Sounds sensible. I just watched a YouTube clip by a guy who airbrushes his camo - it seemed to involve hundreds of hours of masking using often overlapping tiny pieces of tape. A perfectionist for sure. And he painted his to look newly painted, not rusted and �used�. Not sure which look I�ll go for. I guess you put the used look afterwards?

[drasticplastic]

This is a 1/700 Warspite. As described above, I masked the main turret tops for neatness, but hand painted the hull and superstructure camo. Then a thin black oil wash until the right density was achieved. When that dried for a few days I drybrushed: pure white on the light areas, and light gray on the darker areas. At that point it looked pretty pristine. I then did light chipping on selected raised areas with a black/brown acrylic color, then vertical rust and moisture streaks with reddish/brown, and black oil paints, respectively. Practice...practice...practice. There are other much better examples than mine in the gallery...take a look!

[KatoombaSue]

Nice one! It�s a dedication thing hey!