Build Order

[slusher]

I was thinking today about building order. I always build engine, interior and chassis last. Whats your building order?

[MrBuick]

I do just the opposite...engine, chassis, interior, and only then do I start on bodywork\paint. I think I do it this way because bodywork\paint is still the area I'm trying to really improve on, and therefore it's the most stressful for me, so I tend to put it off.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I start with the body, then interior, then engine & chassis.

I figure why go through all of the work of building an engine chassis & interior if something unforeseen happens to the body or paint that prompts you to put it back into the box.

Engines & chassis, as well as interiors are much more forgiving for me anyway.

Mistakes are more easily dealt with than a body that winds up with major paint issues, or the like, after you've already finished everything else.

My bodies are sitting painted, polished, foiled & at least partially detailed before I even start anything else.

 

Steve

[martinfan5]

It varies with each kit

[tbill]

i have gotten into the habit of doing the body first. i tune up the body, then paint it, let it cure, then sand/polish it. after that, i will paint the interior parts to establish the color combo. the rest of the stuff depends on what i feel like working on. after all the engine/chassis is done, i will bmf the body and interior parts that need it, then button up the interior, and put it all together.

the build order seems to always change a bit, other than always painting the body first........that way i have some eye candy to look at while i build the rest of the kit, kind of an incentive to keep plugging away.

[cobraman]

I don't really have a pattern but normally I would say engine then body. Sometimes prep and prime body first. I will admit I have gotten myself into trouble a few times by not following the instructions as outlined.

[Nova-ss]

For me...its body first toget it out of the way.problem can happen,then it takes longer.but while body is being done,chassis and engine are going on . interior is last.but thats no alway how it goes....just most of the time....Chris

[Harry Joy]

With airplanes, which is most of my experience, the standard order is inside-out. And that's the way I starting building cars last year. After a few builds, I started to see the wisdom of car-style, which is outside-in, and that's the way I'm doing them now. Same reasons as the others above.

[martinfan5]

If I could figure out a way to start with the model being completed, I would do in that order every time

Edited April 21, 2016 by martinfan5

[slusher]

With airplanes, which is most of my experience, the standard order is inside-out. And that's the way I starting building cars last year. After a few builds, I started to see the wisdom of car-style, which is outside-in, and that's the way I'm doing them now. Same reasons as the others above.

I Paint my bodies in fair weather and that leaves me all the rest. If i have a problem most of the time it's  the chassis...

[kurth]

I fix the body first,  mold parting lines, dimples, low spots, etc, then primer the body. while waiting a few days for the primer to be nice and dry,  The next task is sorting the parts into groups which will be painted the same colors. After airbrushing as many parts as I can, I start with the engine and chassis, then the interior. The interior is still my least favorite part.

Since I use enamel, which seems to take weeks to dry (cure?) completely I build the whole car so it is just waiting on the body whenever it is ready.

[ChrisBcritter]

First I dismantle it, strip off the old paint and start repairing the body damage, then polish the scratches out of the glass, scour my parts stash, eBay and the Wanted! forum page for missing bits...

[Lizard Racing]

I usually do the engine first, then interior modifications.  Since I do mostly race cars, the interior involves removing the back seat and building the roll cage.  I save the body for last to avoid damaging the paint with all the dry fits required.

But we all arrive at the same point: a well-finished model car.  As Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes)  says: "Instructions are for sissies."

[Exotics_Builder]

I start with the body, then interior, then engine & chassis.

I figure why go through all of the work of building an engine chassis & interior if something unforeseen happens to the body or paint that prompts you to put it back into the box.

Engines & chassis, as well as interiors are much more forgiving for me anyway.

Mistakes are more easily dealt with than a body that winds up with major paint issues, or the like, after you've already finished everything else.

My bodies are sitting painted, polished, foiled & at least partially detailed before I even start anything else.

 

Steve

I'm with Steve on that.  I start on the body and will test fit things out, finalize the theme and get paint and finish underway.  This allows me plenty of time to let the finish "percolate" as I get the rest done.  Also, I save chassis and engine bay to last in case I wind up changing the paint color.

[Tom Geiger]

I always wonder how the top modelers kept everything so neat and clean, while my models were a blur of finger prints and scratches from trying to get everything together.. maybe several times.

 

Then I met Joe Cavorley and watched him build the '32 Ford  County Fair display truck.  Joe would literally build the entire model in primer, with assemblies all pinned together with lengths of straight pin. He did all his modifications, fitting, and sweating before he ever put paint to anything. He'd literally have this entire model sitting there in primer pinned together.  Once he was happy with everything from fit to stance, he'd disassemble it and paint all his parts and assemblies. Then he'd merely assemble it again, this time with glue. Thus, he handled painted and finished parts once, and lightly.

I try to do as much as I can this way. 

[DrKerry]

Wait!!!!!! Your supposed to build in a particular order????? *GASP*, I think I've been doing it wrong all these years!!!!!!!!!! LOL

My building has no rhyme or reason to where I start. Most times in kustomizing something I start with the body because everything after that will need mods too!!!!!

[Lunajammer]

Paint and body last. It's my favorite part so it keeps me stoked to push to the end when I'm starting to lose interest in the project.

[JTalmage]

I generally follow the order of the instructions as a guideline. Just because sometimes you can screw yourself by putting something together first and then backtracking. 

I only really deviate from it if I'm doing a complete custom project where I'm working on different parts at different times, but I try not to assemble anything out of order. 

[Deathgoblin]

I usually do the engine and chassis while waiting on the body parts to dry in between coats.  It just depends on the kit and the supplies I've got on hand.

[dieseldawg142]

....

Edited May 10, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[Foxer]

I'm usually chassis, engine, interior and body last or sequencil if it needs lots of bodywork. Mostly cause I hate painting 

[gtx6970]

Exterior body and paint.

I need to see what its  going to look like before i go forward. Otherwise i can loose interest  in the project pretty quickly

[espo]

I start with the engine and chassis. I'll work on the body prep basics such as removing parting lines and imperfections on the side as chassis parts are coming together. I what in the final paint work until I recheck how the chassis fits into the body. After paint and polish on the body I try to minimize any handling so as not to leave any marks in the paint.   

[Jantrix]

It varies with each kit

Yep. It depends on whats getting modified. Any mods require copious test fitting so whatevers getting changed get the attention first. Once the mods are done, then I can worry about the rest of the model. Those are done in no particular order with body paint being decided by weather.

[Xingu]

So far my build order is.......start to build the engine, open another kit, buy a few more kits, get some new tools, look at the partially built engine, get some paint for the engine, see some more kits that I think I should have and then go back and start assembling some of the components of the first kit so they can be painted. I actually think that is a pretty good build order.

Painting the body will probably be last for me. Have everything else done and then anxiously watch paint dry.