This is going to be the wrap up thread for this campaign. Post replies and your tips on sub assemblies and we'll also include photos of a kit you built this week.


Sub-Assemblies

One question I see quite often is if people build in sub assemblies or not. The quick answer is – Always.
To build from instruction step 1 straight through to the end is so far in my past I forget what it’s like.
Sub assemblies are dependant on what kit or genre you are building. Each kit may be slightly different. A tank will have potentially three – lower hull, upper hull, and turret. A figure may have lower body, upper body and head. A full car will have interior, engine, and body. You have to evaluate form and function of each kit to determine what your ultimate sub assemblies will be.
Why do this. There are three obvious reason, 1. ease of building 2. ease of painting 3.ease of final assembly. To break down the build into sub assemblies you create more manageable builds and you set goal for yourself that make the build go smoother and easier. Painting is also easier as we Rudi discussed in the test fit section. You can get into tight areas with a subassembly. You also reduce the risk of overspray or ruining paint on other areas. When it comes to the final assembly it’s usually easy when you have two or three pieces to put together.

Sub Assemblies also make painting prep easier. One thing about pre-paint setup is to make sure you have something to hold while you paint. If a sub assembly doesn’t have a ‘default’ handle like a turret ring you would have a ‘blank’ area that you could drill a hole and insert a rod in as a handle. This also leaves all areas accessible.
One thing you have to be careful of when you plan on painting sub assemblies is blending and transition. If you have a tank with camouflage that transcends sub assemblies you have to mask carefully. Just test fit the two assemblies together and mask from one to the other.
Sub Assemblies make putty work easier too. You can find dips and recess easier with sub assemblies. Once you find them they are easier to work with too. Files and sanding devices fit in nooks and crannies better.

In my case reasons of sub assemblies are:
the most important is the ease of painting - most important factor that detmines "shape" of sub assembly. I leave all parts that could cover and make tricky or impossible to paint some places without flooding model with paint. So wheels, tracks, turret, gun's manlet (in Sherman tanks f.i.) are left off until model is painted. For sure you can't leave lower hull and upper hull as sub assemblies if you're not sure for 200% that they will fit perfetly and you won't have fill the gaps and so on. Besides it's usualy better to glue them together before painting. The first exeption I've ever met is this VW. I'll glue upper and lower hull after finishing the interior.
2nd place is ease of building - it's easier and safes time to assembly all storage bins or road wheels and then put them all in place (test fit them first of course).

Another reason for sub-assemblies may be to ease boredom/fill waiting times. When I do a tank, for example, I split it between hull and turret. I'll usually start the hull first. While waiting for paint or glue to dry, I set it aside and start the turret. Then when I need to wait for something to dry on the turret, the hull is ready for more work.

Doing figures for me in somewhat different. I paint each peice before doing anything. So I paint each leg, before joining them. Then as I work it into actual sub assemblies (I use upper and lower body, and then attach accesories like radios and ammo pounces after fully assembling the body) I touch up the paint as needed. I'll post some pictures this week. I still need to build one figure, and finish another.

When working with figures, and I'm really refering to non-injection mould plastic figures (i.e. metal & resin), you'll find that the figures actually comes broken down into several sub-assemblies.

For purposes of this post, I'm going to be refering to and using photo's from Engin's review on HF of Pegaso Models' Crusader Knight in Holy Land (kit # 54-225). The reason being that this figure is currently on my workbench.

Have a look at this first photo. On first glance you're probably thinking "But it's just a picture of the box contents". You would be right, but look beyond that. See how the manufacturer has broken the original figure down into a series of logical sub-assemblies?



One of the reasons for this is to facilitate painting. In particular the sides of the figure, the back of the legs and surcoat, scabbard/sword - basically all those sections that will be covered over by the cloak. Think about it... if this figure wasn't wearing the cloak, the torso and legs could probably be cast as one, maybe two pieces instead of the three it is cast as.

The head is traditionally cast seperately. I suppose this is because many figure painters consider this to be the most challenging part to paint, and it is simply just easier to paint a face if it is not attached to a body.

Deciding whether to paint the sub-assemblies or the figure as a whole is largely a personal preference - probably also influenced by the skill of the painter. Possibly influnced by the complexity and fit of the figure. Possibly due to the amount of putty required...

I was caught in a bit of a catch-22 with the assembly/painting of this figure.

As you see from the above pic, the cloak is molded to the upper torso, which, as I said, if attached to the lower torso makes painting the sides of the torso and inner cloak really difficult. Furthermore, the scabbard needs to be attached before attaching the upper torso. Not a problem, however, if everthing fits snugly and there are no gaps to be filled.

Here's the problem. Fitment was ok, but there were gaps that would definitely need putty.

So I decided to almost fully assemble the figure first and then paint. Which has really just made painting more of a challenge... oh well, in the words of xXx, "I live for this ****!"



Hope this helps all aspiring figure modellers.

Thanks Scott for facsilitating this fun information sharing campaign

Rudi