Your tips for first time model painting...

[DreamKnight]

Painting is one of the coolest things about building scale models.  Anyone have any tips for the newly addicted?

[elend]

What helped me the most was:

- Thinning the paint to prevent brush strokes (That's THE single best and simplest trick)
- Reading about "Washes" in the internetz
- Trying to keep it simple

With those basics you get some great results and the rest is a lot of practice and evolving techniques imho. Do not try to master all those techniques that are out there, on your first model. 

[Steve_L]

- Do not start with expensive kits - get some pratice with cheap kits.

- The right mixture of paint and thinner is the key to a good paint job

- use quality paints

- start with a primer to give the paint job a good basis.

[sorien]

-Wash everything before you paint, release agent and skin oil do not make for good adhesion.
-As you assemble, watch out for areas that would be difficult to paint and consider doing the paint in sub-assemblies.
-Get decent brushes, and take care of them.  Don't need to run out and by the top of the line to start, but don't get the 10 for $1 Micheal's special either.  Get the right kind of brush for the type of paint you are using and the type of painting you are doing. Spend the $5 on brush soap or cleaning solution.
-Don't be afraid to do things differently then what you read online, but do try and learn from other people's mistakes.
-Be creative, experiment

-most important, this is meant to be fun not work.

[Grendels]

I do have a question that has been bothering me.  I notice on some videos that people are painting before assembly.  No problem there, I do some of this.  But they are painting over the seams where glue will go.  I was taught not to do this.  The paint will interfere with the glue. 

If any of you paint your seam lines, how do you compensate for this?

[sorien]

I do have a question that has been bothering me.  I notice on some videos that people are painting before assembly.  No problem there, I do some of this.  But they are painting over the seams where glue will go.  I was taught not to do this.  The paint will interfere with the glue. 

If any of you paint your seam lines, how do you compensate for this?

I use superglue to assemble my warhammer models, not plastic glue so the parts still assemble fine over the paint. However it's not a permanent solution as these places will be the first to break if I drop something. If I need to get a joint that needs to hold up better, I will scrape some of the paint off where it will be joined.

[Jeep]

Get a clean well ventilated and well lite work site.  

Wash the model first to get rid of the mold release.

Cut parts from the spru with a side cutter and use a new sharp EXacto knife to clean up.

use files, sand paper to clean seams,

File gaps with putty, superglue or strip plastic.

Research your subject.  Keep the references handy.

90% of a good paint job is in the prep

[Dano1945]

Ok, having just finished my first official airbrushing of a model here a few items to consider.
A fresh paint job shows all of your mistakes so before you paint,
 - wash the model to remove hand oil and mold release agent
 - check for excess glue
 - remove any glue "webs",
 - sand any scratches
 - fill any gaps with super glue or putty
 - run a fine grit file or sandpaper on all edges. The hard mold edges really show and you may not want that.
 - if you are going to airbrush a model I would use a thin liquid glue not your standard thick stuff. Any excess glue really shows up after you paint.

Thin the paint, it works. Also spend the money and buy the same mfg paint thinner. I am still figuring this out but used two drops of thinner to 2 mls of paint

Use a drop or two of retarder. I used Createx acrylic retarder to improve paint flow and settling. 2 drops of retarder to 2 mls of paint.

Wear a face mask and cover your bench with paper or poster board. You will get over spray.

Check this link http://www.craigcentral.com/models/thinning.asp

Anyway I am having fun and I hope you do to.

[Ferris828]

Everyone else pretty much nailed it. i would a bottle of Simple Green. Incase they want to re-do the part. (if they can.)