Sub-Assembly vs. Complete Assembly

[NovYank]

I'm curious to see the methods that other modelers use to complete there builds.

Clarifications if anyone needs them:

Sub-Assembly is when you build parts of your kit and then, after paint, you put the pieces back together.

Complete Assembly is where a modeler builds the entire kit according to the instructions, and then paints the kit.

There is also a mix of the two...

If you have a different way of finishing your kits that I don't know about be sure to let us know!!!

I guess I'll go first, if nobody has any objections, no, alrighty then. I'm more fond of sub-assembly. This is due to the fact that I'm not yet that skilled with a brush and a spray can to do the entire kit at once. I can't wait to hear how others complete their kits!!!

[HobbyModeller]

I prefer sub assembly for two reasons - I brush paint so painting large surfaces is difficult without showing stroke marks and secondly a lot of kits have little pieces tucked away which you can't get to after complete assembly, at least with a brush. So I prefer sub assembly because it generally gets me a better finish With some things though like wings I usually only paint those once attached to the fuselage to make camouflage easier

[Gav0909]

I will assemble my kit to the point where further assembly would cause issues with getting it all painted. So for planes I tend to build up the cockpit parts, and then paint those, as well as painting the insides of the fuselage halves where the cockpit will go, as well as wheel wells etc. I then continue to build the kit as the rest can be painted whole, with masking of already painted parts.

For vehicles most of the time you should be able to assemble most of the kit and still be able to paint it all. Most armour modellers will leave the road wheels etc off though so that you can ensure you are painting behind them etc. The same for any large obtrusive bits of stowage etc.

[Lysion]

I build mostly aircraft. And I build it in sub-assemblies as long as it is possible. Cockpit first since you usually need to enclose it inside the aircraft when gluing the fuselage halves together. Then the next sub-assembly is usually the landing gear and wheels which I paint and then install after the aircraft has been painted.

[Andy]

I build a lot of cars and I prefer building in sub-assemblies. I'll build up the whole chassis before painting, then move on to the interior, which I build completely before painting, etc.

I used to paint each and every part on the sprue before even assembling when I was younger. This produced a very sloppy finish haha

[Tiger131]

full for me

[McLeod]

I mostly do armour and military vehicles and usually build the whole thing but leave the wheels and tracks off to make painting easier. Sometimes with extra details like tow cables, machine guns and bits like that I'll do as sub assemblies and add on at the end.

[T3hGuppy]

I do a mix of the both depends on the subject and kit.

[WebbyNZ]

I agree with the depends and mixture comments.
I try to build larger parts that will be painted together engine blocks etc in cars, bodies of bikes and then add the smaller detial/connecting parts as required.
I really wanna try a tank or something as I like the videos ive seen where it is build, paint, detial, weather, display.