Just about to start building my first tank ! Yay! Question!!

[SpaceShipOne]

Hello !

I decided to take a break from building airplanes. I had a question for your guys out there... I would like to build a Tamiya Type 97 tank... Would you assemble the entire model and then start painting? What about the road wheel details for example? It seems like everybody is assembling the entire thing first and then start painting.

I know this is a noob' question but... I am happy to start (hopefully) a long journey into the AFV world!

Thank you!
Antoine

[andreb87]

i think there is no right or wrong. there are just a few tricks to make it easier. personally speaking i would recommend to paint the road wheels and the tracks separately. then you have 4 parts ... road wheels, tracks, hull and the tower! that makes the painting easier! you get better access to the deeper areas and the painting result is much better!

[Tiger131]

i go for complete build then paint find it much easier and also you dont paint things that dont need to be painted...i would go with that hope i have helped

[alextheblue]

Definitely agree with both andre and Tiger.

For me, I try and build as much as I can and then paint it - the only exception to this is the tracks as I imagine they would be a nightmare to paint and weather actually on the tank. The wheels I paint separately as well as it's easier to paint in the tyres. I used to paint the tools and stowage off the model as well, but this can lead to problems attaching them. The cement is designed to bond plastic and not stick paint surfaces together. Plus you risk getting glue on the paintwork of the tank. It can be a bit more challenging painting the tools etc on the tank, but once you've done it a couple times you get a feel of what works best for you. And as Tiger says, don't paint anything that doesn't need it!

[SpaceShipOne]

Thank you guys !!!

[gosselin2112]

This is what I call philosophy of model building. Both approaches work, as mentioned above. I think it is a lot harder to paint a fully assembled model. Almost always results in bare spots where little to no paint reaches deep recesses. I usually paint in sub assemblies: hull, turret, road wheels, and tracks. Try both methods out and see which one works for you

Model On!

Russ

[garywintin]

As you are building a tamiya ( I build so many Tamiya ) - I can safely recommend you to do what I do my tamiyas -

1 complete the whole thing first,
2 do not glue the road wheels
3 do not glue on the side skirts ( but in this case, you're building a type 74 which has no side skirts so you don't need to worry about that )
4 Mask all the periscopes before you prime it
5 base coat the entire thing
6 paint the wheels
7 attach the wheels
8 paint camo ( on the side skirts as well if there were any )
9 paint the tracks
10 put on the tracks and side skirts
11 touch-up some errors and stuffs

AND VOILA ...
I have built 7 tamiya and still building more tamiya with this process and it has helped me alot

[generalgrog]

Here is a nice video by Mig Jimenez on how he approaches tank painting. I found it very interesting.

This is part 1 but you can find the links to part 2-4 on youtube.



Enjoy...

incidentally he takes almost all of the accessories off and all of the tracks and wheels.

GG