Painting body's first

[scalenut]

I notice a lot of builders open the box and paint/detail the body(and post a pic of it propped on some wheels...lol) before ever starting on the model.

when I try this I always end up messing something up during the build .. so I have normally been building the model ,

than doing all the body paint and trim last after I'm sure everything will fit.

am I missing something by not jumping right to painting the body first?.. I know some paints take a bit to dry but I'm not that fast of a builder.

and it forces me to get the model done so I can relax and enjoy the final paint and assembly more.

It seems like I see a ton of photos of a painted body right off the bat here..

I feel like I'm doing it different than a lot of builders and might be missing the need to do that.

or is it something that changes with more experience and confidence in my skill level ?

opinions please

Edited January 6, 2012 by scalenut

[BOSWELL891]

I hardly ever paint the body first i usually do motor, chassis, interior, and then the body

Edited January 6, 2012 by BOSWELL891

[steve7119]

I usually start the bodywork first since that takes me the longest. But at the same time I start with engine and drivetrain assembly. Plan is always for all the parts to be ready for final assembly at the same time, but it never works out. I always have everything ready but the body.

[Dr. Cranky]

Andy, the usual approach I take is to mock up everything to make sure there won't be any surprises, and that includes mocking up the wheels too, and then I paint. I usually also work with two models at the time so that I can keep mocking things up without touching the painted body too often.

It works just fine. Good luck.

[JustBill]

I'm one of those guys that does the body first. I learned this from an older builder who said the body is the most important part and if it gets screwed up then you built the rest of it for nothing. So basically I've stuck with that. I will take and mock up the chassis, interior, and suspension just to make sure everything fits and no mods need to be done with the body.

[Jantrix]

I hardly ever paint the body first i usually do motor, chassis, interior, and then the body

I do the same thing but mostly because I do a lot of modifying and some scratchbuilding so multiple test fittings are always the norm. This way when its time to paint, everything fits, the unpainted body goes for a quick dip int he purple pond to eliminate any mold release agent and/or grime from my hands. Then it is primed and painted.

As for Bills theory of chassis built for nothing, that just won't happen. If I screw up the paint, it gets dipped and redone. If it get dropped onto the floor wet paint side down, chewed by the dog and then run over by the car, I just get a new body and soldier on.

[Guest]

I do body work,prep and primer first because that is where I spend the majority of my time on a build. Even with a box stock build, sometimes you need to check for fitment issues and such. Sometimes, during a build,I may change my mind about something on the body or see something I missed and need to do a little more work. Just recently,on a Monogram Trans Am, I decided midway in the build to fill in the rear of the fender flares because on those kits, they are just flared out with nothing behind them and it doesn't look right in my eyes. Once I have everything prepped and primered,I begin painting. If the body is only going to have one color,I'll save it for last. If it's going to have more than one,I'll go ahead and shoot the first color. There is no set way to do it. Do what works best for you.

[Greg Pugh]

And I'm even different yet. I usually do 80% of the bodywork right out of the gate. I leave the car in the primer stage throughout about half of the build (when I'm still mocking things up and modifying stuff). Once I have the configuration I want (frame, wheels/tires, engine, etc), I'll then finish the body work and paint the car. Once the paint is done, I'll then go back and finish off all of the rest. Whatever works best for you is the way to go. Everyone is going to have different methods and ways of going about building their models. You just need to pick the method that works best for you.

[62rebel]

i generally paint the body early on, as i often have a specific car i'm trying to emulate, such as my Ron Dunn tribute '49 Ford.... which needed some extensive bodywork before i could do more than prime it. painting the body early on also helps give it time to gas out... i'm an impatient builder and need to be "doing something" with a build.... which is why i often have several going on at the same time!

in contrast, i have the AMT '55 chevy that i've been slowly turning into a gasser; this time i needed to work on almost all of the kit in stages to get a flip front end and straight axle, with the rear seat deleted, the rear axle narrowed and the springs moved inboard. fabricating the firewall, correcting the interior, and smoothing the floorpan all needed to be done so as to leave the body free to paint at the end!

so, it depends greatly on what the kit is like, what your preference is, and how any modifications have to be worked in, whether to paint first or not. i couldn't paint the body until i worked out the flip front, the firewall, and the radius on the rear wheelwells, all affected by every modification i was making to the chassis.

[randx0]

I usually paint the body closer to the end because i don't plan anything out so things are subject to change. One of the guys in my model club always paints the body first because it helps keep him motivated. the most important thing is to do what works for you,if it sounds like it makes sense to do it differently then give it a try. If it works better than your current method then by golly you have learned something .

Edited January 6, 2012 by randx0