Techniques in 10: Model Prep and Sub Assembly

[@thedorklylionchannel415]

I'm really really appreciate your videos JW. Please keep making them, I know this channel will do so well once it catches on!

[@jwminiatures]

thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoy them

[@nathannoah488]

no mention of "sprue glue" for filler? It's my go to when the gap is unsightly. Great video JW!

[@jwminiatures]

No I haven't made sprue glue or tried it. If the gap is too large to fix with a thin layer of glue I would reach for milliput. Glad you liked it

[@MacReadyness]

Very good tutorial 👍

[@jwminiatures]

Cheers mate

[@markpullan3202]

Great video! The one area I struggle with sub-assemblies is re-assembling them after they're painted. Plastic cement no longer works on painted pieces, and a misplaced blob of superglue can ruin hours of painting effort. Not to mention the subtle changes that paint layers can make to prevent pieces fitting properly after painting even if they were dry-fitted. What's the best way you've found for putting them back together so they look as if they were painted as a single piece?

[@jwminiatures]

This is a good question. There are a couple of things I do to try and overcome the challenges you've mentioned. To avoid the issue with paint drying on a section and effecting the fit I will shave down an area before I start painting, you only need to remove a small amount of material to compensate for the paint. This doesn't really effect flat surfaces as much so I tend to leave these. I use super glue to attach the components after painting but I am very careful with how I apply the glue, using a small applicator. Another way to avoid this problem is to use blu tac, masking putty or masking liquid on these areas. When you are done painting a section just remove the mask and you can apply plastic glue to the area. Hopefully this answers the question.

[@gakagatame]

Really useful thank you

[@jwminiatures]

Glad it was helpful!

[@thelonepainter4760]

This video was really helpful! I always struggled with sub-assembly. For the wire…can you use paper clips and just cut the excess out when done?

[@jwminiatures]

Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah paper clips are fine option, it was actually what I used before I bought that roll of wire

[@ericlang7408]

Very nice tutorial. I always struggle to glue back the subassemblies after the painting is done: the residues of primer and glue after removing the metal wire makes the surface uneven. It is difficult to smooth it by filling without affecting the paint, and it makes it hard to re-assemble. Do you have any suggestions?

[@jwminiatures]

Thank you. Yeah I've encounters this myself, I try to use a small amount of glue to minimise the amount of clean up required but I tend to remove any excess glue or primer using a hobby knife. Using a sharp blade cut away the glue residue and then drag the blade over the surface, as you would to remove mould lines, to remove any additional unwanted material.

[@ericlang7408]

@@jwminiatures thank you!

[@michaelholts1598]

But how do you deal with those pesky 2 hand weapons? Or worse, the chain gun with a belt that leads to his backpack?

[@jwminiatures]

I would do the same thing depending on how the model is constructed but where possible I will leave the arms off or just the hands holding the weapon. For weapons with magazine feeds I will try to leave those off if I can and attach them after I have painted the areas underneath. With every model there is a bit of problem solving if you want to do subassembly, sometimes you only need to leave one or two other times you'll have have the model in about 5 or more parts