I came from gundam models, and we have a mentality of "yeah you can't see it, but you know it's there." It eats away at us lol

This is an ancient video but I must say that your audio mixing is fucking crisp and fantastic.

"Like most things in life, the answer is: Well, it depends.." You legit solved the ultimate question posed in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

We have a "kind of" adhesive putty called blu-tac here in New Zealand, its perfect for skipping the "drilling a hole" step into your models, whilst also allowing you to avoid getting paint on the plastic you want to glue. It's a really durable substance that holds everything really rigid on a toothpick or chopstick, then just peel it off when you're done.

Don't need to drill a posthole if you use a sprue stick and plastic cement. With sprue you can easily add crosspieces as wide as a torso, leave nubs to attach shields and backpacks and stick the head on top. Keeps all the bits together, arm angles correct for later attachment and everything oriented correctly for a zenithal. You'll get many uses from each little stick mannequin if you're careful and close clipping off painted bits.

Really glad I found this trawling through your videos, I've seen the technique so much in tutorials but no explanations as to how to do it

Good tip. Might I recommend you add in a video demonstrating sub-assembly and narrating over that? It'll help point out the intricacies of sub-assembly to people who have never done it before. Like, sub-assembling a space marine and discussing which parts you didn't glue until after painting.

Don't know if I'm abnormal but every model i paint is painted part by part rather than together. I just skip the bits that i know won't be visible (ie gluable areas). Means that I can apply much more detail to the model. One notable exception is my steam tank, which was done: steam engine, wheels, floor, wall, wall, roof, cannon, turret as each sub assembly. Even my tanks are done part by part

It's been 3 years since this video was posted, and I have found it to be super-helpful! Up till now I've only ever painted board game figures (Shadows Over Camelot, Fury of Dracula, Gloomhaven, Hunt For the Ring, etc.), but I've just picked up a bunch of Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault stuff, so now I have to assemble minis for the first time. I was looking at them and thinking about how much easier it would be to paint everything while it was still on the sprues (not because I'm looking for better finished results, but because it would be easier than painting around various 3D items and accessories), but I'm definitely going to follow your techniques instead. Thank you!!

Many thanks for your time putting your excellent videos together. I've been stuck in lots of frustrating situations when painting awkward areas, but never asked myself how can I do this differently. BUT from now on, things will have to change as painting should be an enjoyable part of our hobby, not a frustrating one. Also I believe its these annoying areas of the hobby that make it more difficult to return to the painting table and continue from where we left off because procrastination sets in

Been painting in sub assembly for the past 20 years, and I have been building models on and off for 30 years.

Great video. This is something many channels forget to talk about. Something I certainly missed when I started. I made the mistake of assembling a Tau battlesuit completely and then trying to paint it. It was all fine until the shoulder mounted stuff and the massive gun/arms got in the way. It was doable, but it really drove me mad. Not making that mistake again. Considering I went with the white/gray/red/gold colorscheme, you cant really leave anything unpainted. It will stick out like a sore thumb.

I remember when I starting painting in subassemblies!! Ah, one of the most helpful things I've learn't in my painting progress. Would recommend to anyone else looking for something to help up their painting game. Though as you pointed out, it may not always be required. Great video as always! :)

Thanks for the advice, I'm about to build my 2016 Imperial Space Marine and I want to put the effort in. This has helped me understand how best to approach sub-assemblies and not be scared!

Great topic - something I've been considering doing and I really appreciate hearing your thoughts and seeing your techniques.

so the idea is that you still build most of the model, EXCEPT for things that would impede your painting (such as gluing on shields and bases)?

man, this is a really obvious thing to do, but it helps so much seeing a video of someone talking about it. Great video! thanks

This was very helpful, just starting out and one of the kits i'm getting has dudes with shields, so not gluing everything together right away will help with not getting as annoyed later with tight painting spots.

Great vid! I’ve just done my first few models and wanting to try some sub assembly now so this was really helpful

Love your color scheme on the chaos warriors! My favorite tool for painting individual shields is a pair of curved tweezers. Work really well for me.

I think I'd die if I tried to paint my Ghost Arks after fully assembling them.

I started doing it this year too and it really aided my painting. Particularly with some Infinity miniatures where the model is aiming down the barrel of the gun close to his face and I want to paint his face without any obstruction

Never heard the term poster putty before, in the UK we call that stuff Blu tak. Nice tip for masking bits you don't want paint on. Thankyou.

well timed video for me. I was just starting to try sub-assembly and didn't realize the drilling and super glue part. Thanks for the video

8:24 - Flashbacks of my gastroenterologist appointments...

I never really thought much about this until I started airbrushing. Now that I look at how I paint differently it's certainly a skill that would be helpful to pick up. Great video and explanation.

I use subassemblies for just about everything, but only for base coating, first highlight and shade (unless its very complicated or a display piece). I've found that means your finished models is very cohesive, you've haven't waisted time on stuff you can't see, but when you look behind the mask, it looks like you have painted everything back there.

Sub assembly comes in handy specifically when painting the Eagle or skull (or aquila). I feel like I can get a much better angle when painting the top part of the aquila and don't have to worry about getting paint on the bolter. The starter boxes nowadays have those sticky marines which don't need to be glued. it's super simple .

oO You opened my eyes with the putty. Thank you for your really great work and keep on going with your channel !

Another great video uncle atom,you should think about a pod cast because i love watching/listening to you whilst painting my new ironjawz

This is exactly the video I needed. I'm new to the hobby and just about to assemble the second half of my Kabalite Warriors box. I've been staring at the special weapons wondering if I should paint the weapons separately. The first half have come out fine and although it pulls on a compulsive part of my brain the unpainted torso behind the weapon is not noticeable. So given I have a lot of work to do before I can play the game, I'm going to take the advice and not worry about it at this stage.

I always paint with subassemblies. Head always goes on last so the armour can get edge highlighted. Weapons go on after the body is done too. There's something that vexes me greatly about stuff that goes unpainted, EVEN IF it's going to be hidden...

Mannnn this is gonna be so awesome for when I paint my next tactical squad! Great tip! Thanks

Thank you so much, this is a treasure trove of info.

THIS! This is what I've been dying to know!

I've been painting for 16 years and have thousands of painted models on the shelf. I paint the base coat on sprue, then clip and glue Subassemblies before moving to first highlight. Usually it goes torso, base and legs; as well as any arms or legs that don't block line of sight (or rather, line of brush). Blocking parts may get first highlight on sprue (or partial sprue), then get glued and cleaned up, then second and third highlights once the whole thing is assembled.

*_"PA-CHOW!!'_* Love this guy, he really is one of the 'Sharpest Knives in the Drawer.'

Great video...I'm hitting up my local GW store and picking up some models and paints so I was trying to find info on how to make little handles on the sub assemblies. What kind of glue do you use on the toothpick > hole connection?

Finally someone who gets it! I've been painting in sub assemblies since day one. It's not that difficult (and a lot of miniatures don't need it). I'd hate to try and fit a brush in a small gap to paint the bit that was mostly obscured, but with parts still visible from certain angles.

In my very early days of model building I've been taught to paint parts on sprues and it does make kinda sense if you consider the tiny pieces you get for 1/35 vehicles and that usually sections were in the same color, traditionally without shading or weathering. So it really depends on the type of model and style of painting if assemblies should be split into sections. To be honest, I try to avoid that, because I often find it difficult to match my standard by filling gaps and covering them up with paint when I have to paint them before I can fill them. If the model allows it by hidden joints I'm pretty much using the same technique as you've shown in the video. The problem with painting on sprue though is, that you would have to cut and clean the parts after painting, which requires pretty neat engineering in the first place. The truth usually is you go back to clean it and then touch up the areas where paint is missing and then you sand it again so your plastic cement can melt the material. I don't really get that. In fact, I'm so traumatized, I'm really bucking against most of the solutions from the dark past. I mean, I was just a kid, but my memories are full of horrible looking kits and it really made me furious even back then. :D

Of the models I've put together, I've come across a couple where I've thought that I should have painted them before assembling them and then learned the hard way after I said "nah I can do this just fine..." Chaos Defilers and Space Marine Dreadnoughts are definitely on the subassembly list going forward. I'm thinking the Drop Pod I still have to assemble will fall on that list as well, but I'm not sure...

Hi, Atom. I really enjoy your channel! I love how flexibly applicable your tips and insights are for all sorts of different miniatures, from RPG figures to dollhouse accessories, as well as 40K and historical wargaming. Not too very long ago, you mentioned working on a tip about baking soda and superglue that went awry. :-) I haven't seen that topic make its way forward again -- did I miss it? -- so I wanted to let you know that you definitely have an audience for that tip, when it works out! (I've got some Cold War spies that I'd like to meet in the middle of asphalt streets, and I'm thinking that baking soda on superglue could be the texture I want...?) Anyway, thanks for all you do here! It's much appreciated!

Just getting back to the hobby. Not started painting yet but sub-assemblies are definitely the conclusion I came to. Shall be painting Ironjawz and my Ironblaster soon... Cannot even begin to fathom how difficult it'd be without sub assembling the ironblaster in particular; got it in at least 15separate pieces right now.

I'm working through the Dark Imperium models at the moment. I can't even imagine trying to do the cloak on the Captain if it was glued on first. I got excited and fully assembled the Bloat Drone and that became a bugger to do. Prefer to do bare heads by leaving them on a chunk of sprue.

Yeah, I learned this the hard way. Great video 'Uncle' Atom.

The toothpick-and-glue technique sounds brilliant and better than my usual technique of toothpick/paper clip and poster putty. I find the part often rotates as you hold it with only poster putty. I'm trying this method next time. And if I know it's there, I paint it. Thanks, Atom.

I generally only do sub-assemblies when it comes to display miniatures, particularly with busts, but usually I assemble the model first with poster putty before priming so that I can give it a consistent zenithal.

I am in the middle of assembling the Kaeris crew box in Malifaux and Kaeris herself requires some sub assembly. She has her jacket that goes on before her wings so I wanted to make sure both of those pieces where painted before I put her all together. The sub assembly is a great way of getting those hard to reach places.

When I got my first models, some ork boyz, I was so excited that I built them all right away. I only realized after 'well shit, it's going to be hell to paint the chests on half of them now'

ive been painting my space marines without there heads, guns and backpacks for years now. best thing ive done in terms of painting.

what type of glue do you use? found your video very educative

Pachow! Still my favorite way to reference another video.

Thanks again for the sick vid. Got shadowspear and I was struggling with how to not screw up the cloth bits with shiny silver for my word bearer's legs that you can see from behind.and side but cant paint t because it's to close to the trim. And I now no what sub assembly means lol

Great tips

Just assembled a Cadian Heavy weapons team, unfortunately didn't think about how difficult it would be to get to one side of the auto cannon and the inside of the cadian troopers uniforms, until I glued and undercoated and just started painting the base layers.... I am now going to be in for a world of pain to try and get highlights and shading done proper. After seeing this video and the advice given on how to make sub assemblies .. my next 3 heavy weapon teams are all going to be weapon on the base .. soldiers on sticks . I just wish I had done it with my first team =(

You can also just use bits from empty sprews as sticks. Like I'm using the thick corner pieces of the sprews and just glue them on whatever I need to paint separately, like for example the torso of the chaos knight.

Great tip, thank you so much!

Hmm, getting back into this after many years, making a display piece, and it's interesting how I want to solve some building and painting problems by priming and painting sub assembly (not entirely assembled) but it looks like it would present a whole host of other problems. I am now building a chaos lord on karkadrak from the slaves to darkness AOS boxed set and I am glad I snapped it all together to see the order it requires before disassembling again, reconstructing it, gluing and painting it. I can see I will prime and paint the inside of a teeth lined, tongued mouth much easier with the head disassembled, but if I had constructed the entire body before simply placing on the head, the way the inside pegs snap together would not allow it to fit in there in that order. I guess that problem could be easily creatively solved by snipping off the pegs that would then get in the way of the fitting and just gluing it, but for now I'm going for the solid construction the snapping pegs and holes provide. Those pegs might not matter as much as I think they do considering I am also gluing at most of the seams between parts. Also, coming at this new to miniatures but also coming from an art background: I do want to prime it black and then start with an airbrushed zenethol volumetric lighting spray of lighter color "base tone" before painting everything else. As for that being "incredibly, incredibly harder to do" with a sub assembly - I dont know about that. Considering how to make the light source more or less consistent is one of the first decisions made in 2d painting and drawing for realism. As long as I keep in mind that the light is coming from above I dont see how it would be that much harder than how it would, granted, be simpler to light it consistently if it were fully assembled. But I don't know, I'll see how it goes.

Another advantage to painting in sub-assemblies is that you can prime in different colors, or use different base colors from an airbrush or rattlecan, or use "messy" techniques without worrying about getting them on the rest of the model.

I've waxed and waned over painting like that. I suppose it's like you say, it depends. I've always left the bolters (and the right arms!) off my space marines until I started painting the Horus Heresy marines from Betrayal at Calth, and I think I'm a convert to painting them fully-assembled. Part of me always wants to get the details nice, even if you can't see them on the tabletop, but then I've also gone through the whole trying to work out just which shield belongs to which guy on my terminators, and it's been more trouble than it sounds. I also like the challenge of trying to paint a fully-completed model! I've never bothered with the blu-tak on the joints, though - I just lightly scrape the primer/paint away and then glue as normal, and haven't had any problems so far! Though in the case of the Chaos Knights, I guess it makes it easier to attach something to hold the shields by, at least? Anyway, as always, great video!

This was great - yes when i do gaming figs i usually build and paint (one exception was the land raider for 40k - had to do that in sections - mainly cause i wanted the interior fully painted). When i build models for display, i paint some on sprues - only items that will not need much glue or have too much touch up on them after I clip them off - theres always some touch up to do really. Sub assemblies is the way to go with most of my display stuff though. Have to admit that sometimes - when im really excited about a model - ill just build the whole thing and hope those tiny bent brushes can get in the nooks and crannys lol

I sometimes undercoat on the sprue. Means you don't miss crevices, but it does mean you need to touch up with a brush everywhere that you needed to remove a mould line from.

Gotta get back to painting. :) Got my Termies waiting to be painted, getting sad. Think this method will work great for the shield guys. Thanks!

I just stick blue tac to the outside of the sheild, paint the inside then glue it on and paint the outside. Another use for poster puppy is an alternative to free hand perfect for simple chaos symbols

good advice, thanks maty.

Great video! I'm wondering if you ever had any problem gluing the parts that were covered by putty after you're done painting? Last night I couldn't seem to make the 2 parts stick together using plastic glue... Finally managed to do it by scraping the first layer of melted plastic with my hobby knife, applying more glue and putting parts back together. Wondering if the putty leaves a greasy residue or something

Nice tips Atom, also if you are painting components prior to gluing or pinning them together spray them with varnish first, it stops any rubbing off of paint when you are putting it together and it makes sure varnish is even and over the complete model so you wont get flaking in parts the spray couldn't fully cover.

I paint my Trygon in parts. Forgot the poster puddy though:(hopefully it sticks) can I use something to get the primer and paint off the sockets post-priming/painting?

I'm painting a Forgeworld Leviathan Dreadnought in pieces, as I wanted to pick out all the details of the armour, weapons, and servo motors. Not what I'd normally do, but waay easier than trying to pick out those elements from the finished kit

I did this with my Lychguard. Helps when you have a mostly silver model you are just going to spray paint with Leadblecher but you want their shields to be a deep red

I prime on the sprue, leave a bit of the sprue on certain pieces, and snip flush on others. I hold each piece with plastic tweezers, paint a bit of each piece, let it dry, grab the painted bit and paint the un painted piece but I always leave the part that gets glued to unpainted.

if i just want a display army but would be my first time doing that scale of painting what would you tell me to do

Questions: I'm working on my first big airbrush project; a Mortis Engine for AoS in a shaded florescent green and metal finishes and I have several sub-assemblies I'll be starting today. My question is where do you think I should drill the banshees flying around the top of the model? Currently my sub-assemblies are: The ghostly base The big metal part The corpse master The reliquary The 3 banshees flying around The base

I don't have a real steady hand, I've got carpal tunnel really bad in one hand and kinda bad in the other. when I paint I learned how to in sub-assembly stages. I play orks, when I paint boys I glue the head torso and legs ... plus belt bitz and or backpack. and paint it. I paint the arms separate and glue them all together.... I did learn the hard way about the plastic on plastic vs. paint on paint so now I use poster tack. it makes my live so much easier.

Thanks heaps :) definitely needed this to help with my bigger/ complicated models - sometimes I slack :|

I have always painted on the sprue and subassembly.

Even with painting my first complete unit i have already planned my next job with this in mind.

Interesting. I'm going to prime and paint next shields on sprue and glue it to dorfs after they're painted. I think, at least for shields, its less messy (and risky) than drilling.

I do a lot of sub-assembly, usually because my hands aren't steady enough to not mess up behind weapons and arms and stuff like that. But I tend to go 'what is the biggest piece I can put together without working myself into a corner' (usually legs-body-head) and then do the arms with the weapons separately, and then glue them together in the end. I play among other things Daughters of Khaine, which have the flying units with the big wings (forgot the name) and for a tournament, I'd put them together because I needed them and then painted as much as possible before heading off to the tournament, but on my second batch of them most of them are just the body and one wing plus the arm on that side, and then the other wing plus the other arm is a separate painting assembly because getting to the back of the wings (in red-orange-yellow in my case, fire colours) and the hair (black) and not messing up either way all the time is just not doable. This lets me assemble pretty decent sized stuff while still keeping myself sane. I'm watching some of your older videos while putting together the Blackstone Fortress models (picked it up yesterday after I'd seen your 'single player wargaming video' a while back) and I'd been dreading painting these while still wanting to be able to play with them because the models have so many awesome layers that would just be so hard to get to in assembled form. But I just realised these are push-fit... I can pull them apart to paint when I'm ready for them and then glue them shut after painting. That just made me a lot more excited about painting and playing these!

This video is very timely for me. I have 4 of 5 assault terminators assembled but un-primed with their storm shields pinned to blocks. This is the first time I am painting a miniature as two separate assemblies, and I was planning on scraping off the offending paint before glueing. I'll try poser putty instead.

Thanks for the great video. I am kinda of new in the hobby and have a question, what kind of glue is better to be used for connecting the toothpick to the drilled hole? Can you later simply remove the toothpick/paper clip?! I mean, that's the whole point! If you cannot remove it easily and have to work it hard, then you might ruin the paint, right?

I'm a big fan of sub assembly. I find it helps me hit all the crooks and crevices on my models without hitting the parts I don't want to. If I'm doing mass painting I don't always do it. I'll save it for the special models that I want to stand out under scrutiny.

Atom,how did you get the Varanguard rider back on the mount? I can't seem to get him to get back on

I pretty do this for every single model I paint. generally I will only glue the legs and torso together and everything else in some form or fashion is separate until I'm ready to glue it all together.

I've got more than enough brushes thanks Adam! So yeah that's my kinda madness.

Perfect timeing for this video. Literally just started building a Rune Priest Terminator and thought to myself, I should really paint that cloak before I glue it on...

Great tips as always! Quick question though. I understand that you want to mask sub assemblies on plastic miniatures where you have to glue them together, especially if using plastic cement. Is it pretty much the same process for miniatures made of other materials? For pewter or resin for example, you would need to use super glue anyways right? Is it still best to mask the areas that will be glued or does it not matter as much when using super glue?

what exactly did you use to paint that warrior armor? I've struggling to find a black metsllic armor that I like but yours fits my vision very nicely.

i've got the inverted situation: i started with 6th edition of warhammer fantasy and the 4th edition of wh 40k, and then i stopped just before aos, i call it (my) "ancient era". in the ancient era, i was for full subassemblies, and i got a ton of stuff unassembled and unpainted... i've reprised just recently, and i said "screw the subassemble, if it's covered, no one will see it" and, even if my khorne warband is not full painted, but primered in black, red, and with only skin painted, it is usable, not so ugly, and i'm stimulated to paint. I have to say that it's the khorn aos mortal starting, and there are just few things that could need a subassemble... BUT in the ancient era, i bought a ton of dwarfs, a lot of them are unpainted, i think it's because i've got (to make an example of 50 soldiers, they are MORE): 100 arms 50 heads 50 bodies 200 pieces... TWO HOUNDRED PIECES (not counting shields) for 50 soldiers now, i'm planning a City of SIgmar dwarven army, and if i assemble them before, i'll got only 50 minis, that got a way better psicological impact maybe i can subassemble some heroes, but, for the troops, i'll go full assemle before paint

Someone just asked about this technique on your paint stream last night.

I'm really regretting not doing this on my imperial Tempestus Scions... I was too excited to get them built and now have to deal with sooooo much fiddly half hidden detail...

God I love your videos.

Shield on a stick is my favourite fairground snack!

I magnetized 3 carnifexes and now I have to paint them in sub assembly, but I'm not sure how to mount them - the magnets on the arms are where the stick would go. i'm worried they'd spin when I try to paint them if I used a stack of magnets to hold them.

Instead of the toothpick, I use the plastic cement and attach the sub assembly to a bit of the sprue frame. Later you can just clip it at the joint and file it down a little and then glue the two painted parts at the exact same spot.

I started with car models before I painted figures for D&D. I would build part of the engine, paint it, paint the other engine parts separately and assemble. Paint the frame. Assemble part of the suspension and detail. Add the suspension to the frame. Paint the interior pieces and flock the seats and interior floor, then assemble. Paint and polish the body, then start to bring things together. For me, I brought that process over to figures, and thought that's how everyone did it. I never paint on the sprue, because you have to sand and fix the detachment points (with the notable exception of the C-3PO kit from Bandai who engineered the kit to hide all of the sprue attachment points with mad engineering skillz). But I assemble torsos and heads without limbs and paint, keeping the appendages separate and painting them off the body. I haven't used putty to cover connection points, though. I just sand off the paint where I need to glue. Otherwise, you are gluing paint to paint, and not gluing the model together.

In the excitement of getting started, i glued all of my models together at once before priming and base coating them all with a retributor armor spray. Now I've actually got round to painting them properly, I'm frustrated because I've realised half way through that I've missed many areas. From now on, I'm going to only paint in sub assemblies so I don't do this again

I am always painting the chest first, and after that only attach the bolters, or other bulky items :) however this add some work... (I would say that even more than some ;)

Atom: "...so how do you do something like that?" Me: "You rip off the shield, possibly in two pieces, sand both pieces down with a small file, prime with a brush-on, paint both parts, and then..." Atom: "Well, the easy answer is you just don't glue it. Paint both pieces separately and then glue them together." Me: "Oh... yeah. That's what I meant to say."

I am having to do this with my Clone Army for SW Legion. Trying to paint Clone Legion colors on the Chest with two arms and a blaster in the way is too tedious.