Hey Guys, Now, i havent made a model in over 10 years, and i wouldnt exactly call what i made a model. But theres something about miniatures that draws me -i think its really awesome looking at Dioramas of WWII scenes. Of course, i'm not very artistic and dont have the slightest clue about how to make one correctly. So i purchased an 88mm Flak w/ Gun Crew 1/35 Scale over Christmas but dont know where to begin. I imagine assembling the Crew would be the best place to start. Now - do you paint them first then assemble, or assemble then paint? I got the correct paints and glue and exacto-knife when i got the set, so as far as i know i've got everything to start off with. Do you put some sort of primer on first before you paint? Any and all tips and help are welcome. I also cut out the shells and painted them, but it seems my mother threw them out while i was at university.
Concerning 1/35 figures. My technique with these is to assemble the torso and legs first. Once I paint all of this I usually glue on the head and paint it then I move to whatever he is wearing on his head. I save the arms and whatever he is holding last. I'm sure others do this differently but this is just the way I go about doing it. I don't use any type of primer either. Now concerningt the 88. That varies. Sometimes with artillery pieces/Flak guns etc. I will assemble the entire thing and then proceed with painting it. Other times I will notice areas that may be hard to or impossible to reach with a paint brush when they are glued into place and I will paint those before I glue them in. It really all depends.
I'm no real expert as I'm 'born again' to this tiny plastic Germans business but I'd say definitely assemble the crew last or their hands won't fit on any of the controls once you've built the gun. If it's the Dragon kit you've bought then you'll have enough trouble getting one of them onto his seat without the hands being in the wrong place too. Other than that 'wing it', As 'Miller' says, mostly assemble first and paint the teeny bits or unreachables if you have to (superglue is your friend as normal plastic glue doesn't stick painted bits very well) even when it comes out looking like it's been overrun by glue-gun wielding Cossacks you can always buy another kit As long as you enjoy making it! Cheers, Adam.
I assume you have the Tamiya kit rather than the very rare and expensive Superior cast white metal one of the early 70s. My suggestion is that you pre-spray or paint the parts in the base color you are intending to use before assembly. Leave the men, motorcycle, and other accessories for later. Build the gun following the instructions exactly. That is a rather complex kit. Until you build about 3 or 4 you really need the instructions. Don't worry about the paint getting a bit messed up in assembly. File, clean sprue burrs, etc. as necessary so the kit gets a good clean finish. Then repaint in the base coat and add a camoflauge pattern, weathering, etc. Oh, Tamiya kits are notorious for for mold knock-out flaws. These are the little circles on some of the parts where knockout pins were of improper height and left a little indent. If they are too high it is easy to file, carve, or sand them off. If too low, leaving an indent, you will have to fill and sand them before painting otherwise they mar the finish of the kit. I have a Mobelwagen Flkpz IV half done that has like dozens of these little buggers on it. Absolute mess if you don't take care of them.
