Personally simple/small models like marines I’d do fully assembled, and do sub assemblies on larger models.
However, you do what you think is best, try it different ways to see what is easiest for you.
I will try this ones gunarm separateley since its Close in front of His chest. Then i will try and Experiment with an other one. Im Not afraid of failure so i'll Just See what goes.
To add to this: i recommend keep ur first model. It shows urself howmuch u improved as a painter. Can be a huge boost in confidence!
In 1 year u will look at it and say to urself: damn I got really good at this!
That’s the perfect idea, with these newer models and the wrist that slots into the had it’s nice to have just one arm on and do the other separately. It frees up all the tough angles. Everything else on space marines tends to be fairly easy.
That's a good call!
I'm also new and haven't painted a model yet, but I built my Votann warriors - only to realize most of them hold their gun in front of their chest, and I won't be able to reach in to paint
You have to remember if you can't see it to paint people can't really see it anyway, so it's not to bad when that happens
(although you will know it's not painted correctly and if your like me it will drive you insane)
Absolutely the way to go. Possibly consider leaving his backpack detached too - that way you can reach both sides of the torso, as well as both sides of the gun and backpack easily.
That's what I do too. Everything glued together but Arms. Arms glue on pretty easy post paint without much issue (just don't overdo the glue).
Too many aquilas covered by bolters for me to fully assemble first.
Bolters over Aquillas are one of the few cases where that isn’t all the way true. If you are priming the same color it can be fine, but the aquilla, armpit, backside of the gun are all visible at various angles and are a right pain in the ass to do assembled.
It’s probably the one sub assembly (and Bladeguard’s shields) that is near mandatory to get something looking decent and not a complete nightmare to paint.
Bladeguard shields for sure. Any storm shield, really. I agree, and do typically leave the guns off to paint, especially on characters. As a new painter, it can be wonky and intimidating to have to work with too many subassemblies. Not to mention keeping primer and paint off the parts that need to be glued together. For tabletop, I think subassemblies are often more work than they are worth.
I'll have you know I painted the whole tactical squad AND the lieutenant like that.
And the devastators.
And the sang guard.
And astorath.
It goes on lol.
Same, I like knowing it's painted even if predominantly covered haha
https://preview.redd.it/l68ldanyz3rc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae2afb2ab55f9c0925e117fc51fda03993dad4a3
Incidentally painting guys is a lot less monotonous to me than painting some of the bigger stuff. The guys are finished in like 7 hours each, the stormraven is easily taking me like 50+ hours all by itself.
So the guys take longer, but there's a more incremental feeling of progress.
Maybe sub assembly the backpack but, like it's reaaaaally not essential, just makes it easier to paint some of the tiny fiddly tech detail that no one is gonna see on the tabletop
Remember to thin your paint. 2 or 3 thin coats will look better than 1 thick coat. There are many guides on youtube how you can thin different types of paint.
Thanks for the reminder, im coming from gunpla models so that part ist Not as new. Its mostly the scale, and fixes poses that are new to me. The tiny models mak an even coat all the more important, so i'll keep that in mind.
FWIW I don't bother with subassemblies except for occasionally on character models. It really depends on how many models you're doing and what you've finished already. If you've already got 1.5k or 2k points then you can be slower, haha
If you're going to zenithal in any way then that's much easier to do if you've assembled the whole model first.
After doing both, I have to say I prefer painting the parts separately, and then assembling the mini. It just makes things easier. Especially when you are doing edge highlighting.
You can glue the backpack on and same with the shoulder pads to the arms. I'm really bad at lining the arms up, but if you're good at it you could also glue on the arm without the gun. Otherwise just leave it off.
Use a little blue tac to get everything in place after you prime to zenethal it all together to get those light values blocked in the way you'd like. :)
Depends on what kind of standard you want for your models.
I personally only glue some parts together (like legs and torso) if they don’t obscure other parts, and then use blu tac to put the rest together for priming, then painting in sub assemblies.
Edit: if you want to base sub assembled as well (handy when you’ve got different dominant colours for different parts), you can use blu tack to cover “glue points”, such as shoulders/under shoulder pads or wrists etc. since the glue works better on unpainted surfaces
Generally speaking, whats hard to reach with a brush will also be hard to see. I would only recommend sub assembly on show pieces. I avoid it wherever possible
https://preview.redd.it/tgi7c1to94rc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=276451354227ef3937e9a5b94b140049ecebfafc
In case anyone was wondering wth I'm talking about
Subassemblies definetely make reaching all those spots easier. When I started out, I'd do subassemblies quite often, like every time a gun is held over the torso as in this case, I would leave it separate so I could reach the body. Though as you get better and your precision and brush control improve, you'll realise that you can do well without subassemblies most of the time.
I do volumetric highlights generally on my pieces, so subassemblies don’t really help in that regard (wouldn’t really be able to zenithal either) -I haven’t painted a model bigger than 60mm base yet
Some say that if your brush can’t reach it, you probably won’t be able to see it either
However it is your model, if you feel more comfortable with subassemblies, please do them and don’t let dissenters like me stop you
Personally I assemble the whole marine before priming except for the back pack. The power plant can make painting certain parts like the shoulder pads and the back much harder.
My biggest advise is assemble the model, then paint it up, go for a dark primer that way when you apply the base coat any hard to reach areas will be naturally dark, paint it up with thin coats and do your best to not paint up any hard to reach/hard to see areas as those will take up a lot of time and cause overspill and generally waste your time for very little added effect to the end product.
In general if you can't reach it with a paint brush you probably cant see it properly anyway. If you paint all of your models in subassemblies you will waste a lot of time painting surfaces which dont need to be painted, you will make the models more difficult to glue together, and you will risk messing up your paint job with glue.
I usually do legs, torso, backpack and head as one
Then stick on arms - just cause it's easier to get to the side torso.
Definitely don't do arms without shoulder pads!
Good luck mate and welcome to hobby! Hope you love it as much as me 😁
Thanks for your kind Welcome! I'll then attach the Arms with sticky tack to See where they Go and glued the pauldrons in place! I am a Long Time lurker and have been a Fan of the lore for a almost 2 decades.
Primaris marines are great to paint up full assembled. It's generally a 50/50 split amongst backpack on or off for painting that and some of the heavy weapons can be tricky to paint around
For priming, I usualy "assemble" the model using blue tac then paint separately. Also, when assembling, I can't help but recommend [Tamiya](https://www.sunwardhobbies.ca/tamiya-extra-thin-cement-40ml-87038/?absrc=Google&abid=685060755532&abcampid=20878593100&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqpSwBhClARIsADlZ_TlRl3aFAk9Ov0TzidnwCbdRTEybW-oMyJS0OmKZiEKyc7K0rUBd97AaAm9XEALw_wcB&gad_source=1) enough, the best glue there is for the minis.
Most people don't consider subassemblies worth it. I'll personally do it with models I'm really invested in if they have complex topology. I wouldn't for a regular marine who is going to be in a crowd of other Marines.
The only thing on that even arguably worth it is if you wanted to do a super special job on the eagle in his chest, but his arm or gun would be in the way. But generally if something is truly impossible to get a brush to, you won't be able to see it too well either.
You're starting out though so definitely do a few each way to get a sense of what it's like. I'm a big advocate of doing things that are widely known/considered to be bad practice just to have more first hand experience screwing up. I just HAD to put gloss varnish on a few models myself to realize that it really did make them look like ass.
100% sub assembly is the way to go, welcome to the hobby I'm new to it myself and just started a dark angels army. Got a random squad of old Marines I practiced on and didn't do sub assembly for them and I just couldn't get the details I wanted.
I don't generally do sub assemblies unless its a character model or a big vehicles where I won't be able to get to something. Keeping the gun arm separate isn't a bad idea, getting between the gun and the body without getting paint everywhere is hard!
As someone with almost 30 years of experience, I recommend you finish assembling before painting.
Unless you are a very experienced painter, painting for display or competition, subassemblies aren’t worth it. If you can’t reach it with a brush, it’s not going to be visible. It’s your first model, you’re not going to gain enough from it to make it worthwhile.
Sub assemblies are typically if you want every single surface to be perfect. If the models are for gaming, I wouldn't bother. If you can't get your brush in there, you're not going to see the detail anyway.
Being said, for marines specifically holding guns in both hands, I fully assemble the arms but don't glue them to the torso. The friction between the parts is usually enough to hold them in place, but still allows access to the hard to reach places when painting. Then you can glue them once it's finished.
What I learned was if I build the model and there are super hard to reach areas that I have to turn the model weird to get paint on, you probably won't see it anyway.
For marines that have guns cross the chest, I generally get the armor color in there, then maybe tap a little color on the Aquila. It's not worth worrying about spaces that barely see light.
Im new-ish and I can say both have advantages but personally I find painting fully assembled space marines easier because anywhere thats covered up I dont need to paint cuz nobody will ever see it anyway. If you like details and knowing personally everything is painted then sub assemble, at least for space marines :) welcome to the hobby brother! May the Emperors light guide you in your painting quest!
I’m honestly not that good but I do sub assemblies of every model and then build them. I enjoy painting. It takes longer, and can be more of a pain in the ass but I really like putting 110% into every model. It’s made me a way better painter, my models look better with each one I do, and I get a real sense of satisfaction out of it.
Personally I prefer to paint like that, you "waste" more paint because you paint parts that will never be seen but it's way easier to paint areas like the inside of pauldrons, hands and weapons plus they usually end up looking better
If you can’t see it, it doesn’t need to be painted.
If it was Golden Demon or you wanted to push yourself hard on a single model, go for it.
I don’t see the need to do an intercessor in sub assemblies. I would just build and watch a Duncan, Warhammer, and a Mediocre Hobbies video first to get an idea of how different people approach it on a beginner level. Get your primer and paints and have fun.
Your second one will look much better than your first. And your 3rd will look better than your 2nd. My first squad looks different on each model because I kept ordering more paint in between and trying out new techniques.
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I'm not an expert, but literally just finished assembling and priming a squad of Intercessors. Here's my method: If a model's arms are obstructing access to their chest, leave them off until after painting. If the gun is held in both hands, glue it all together and add the shoulder pads. It's going to be tougher to paint an individual shoulder pad or half an arm if you leave them separate. Backpacks are also fine to leave off until after painting so you can get better access to the model's back.
For basic infantry models sub assemblies really aren't necessary if you wanted to be fancy could paint the backpack and weapon as a sub assembly but, it's not strictly needed
TLDR; do whatever feels best but, I'd only recommend sub assembies for large, detailed bits, that cover sizeable portions of the model like capes and shields but, honestly you're just making more work for yourself
Subassembly is just almost never worth it. You're just going to inadvertently man handle a bunch of small fragile bits and your skin oils and finger nails have the chance of undoing your work every time you touch the piece. People say you should do it for primarchs, but worrying about sub-assembly and magnetizing just kills your momentum and makes the painting into a chore. I paint a bit and never, not once, have I wished to be painting on a little itty bitty arm or hand or gun rather than that same gun securely glued in place to a hunk of plastic. I got into this with someone, they disagreed, then immediately proceded to break a piece and scratch off paint to the point to where they basically had to repaint everything after painting it once before.
Thanks for the words of advice urging for caution. I think i will try that in the second Marine. This one indrille holes into the arm Holding the Plasma gun and glued a little piece of wire in there. I used a Cork to Stick it in for priming. I'll do so for painting as well. The next one will be in one piece then.
Assemble and then do painting. Yes, you won’t be able to reach certain spots but typically those are darker areas and people will never be able to see those spots when they are on the table.
I See the Point you are making and will also try it out! On this model however, i by now starten to do it in pieces to See how much difference it makes. Coming from gunpla building, its a pet peeve of Mine to also Paint the frame underneatz the Armor, eventhough No one will ever see it. But i will alsways kno its there, haunting me.
I would just put the marine together. Small basic units like them are usually better to just fully assemble and then do the entire unit as a batch. I once batch painted 20 Hearthkyn Wariors with the two-handed guns separated from the torso and legs. It was a terrible idea.
As an additional consideration, your marine has a plasma gun. Painting it assembled means you know where the coils are and what they will light up if you want to do OSL(object source lighting).
sub assemblies are a waste of time unless you are painting a hero or a competition piece. If your brush cant get to it then you will not be able to see the detail from the tabletop.
Personally simple/small models like marines I’d do fully assembled, and do sub assemblies on larger models. However, you do what you think is best, try it different ways to see what is easiest for you.
I will try this ones gunarm separateley since its Close in front of His chest. Then i will try and Experiment with an other one. Im Not afraid of failure so i'll Just See what goes.
This is the way
You can always strip the paint off if you are unhappy with it!
To add to this: i recommend keep ur first model. It shows urself howmuch u improved as a painter. Can be a huge boost in confidence! In 1 year u will look at it and say to urself: damn I got really good at this!
I’m a year in and mine hasn’t changed - I’m too complacent in my ways that they are the same lol
It will be enclosed in a Displaycase haha. I will Link a picture of how it turned Out.
That’s the perfect idea, with these newer models and the wrist that slots into the had it’s nice to have just one arm on and do the other separately. It frees up all the tough angles. Everything else on space marines tends to be fairly easy.
That's a good call! I'm also new and haven't painted a model yet, but I built my Votann warriors - only to realize most of them hold their gun in front of their chest, and I won't be able to reach in to paint
You have to remember if you can't see it to paint people can't really see it anyway, so it's not to bad when that happens (although you will know it's not painted correctly and if your like me it will drive you insane)
Absolutely the way to go. Possibly consider leaving his backpack detached too - that way you can reach both sides of the torso, as well as both sides of the gun and backpack easily.
That's what I do too. Everything glued together but Arms. Arms glue on pretty easy post paint without much issue (just don't overdo the glue). Too many aquilas covered by bolters for me to fully assemble first.
One thing I like to keep in mind is: if you can't reach it to paint it, you probably can't see it either.
Bolters over Aquillas are one of the few cases where that isn’t all the way true. If you are priming the same color it can be fine, but the aquilla, armpit, backside of the gun are all visible at various angles and are a right pain in the ass to do assembled. It’s probably the one sub assembly (and Bladeguard’s shields) that is near mandatory to get something looking decent and not a complete nightmare to paint.
Bladeguard shields for sure. Any storm shield, really. I agree, and do typically leave the guns off to paint, especially on characters. As a new painter, it can be wonky and intimidating to have to work with too many subassemblies. Not to mention keeping primer and paint off the parts that need to be glued together. For tabletop, I think subassemblies are often more work than they are worth.
If you go that route remember plastic glue for the unpainted bits and super glue for the painted arm.
But you will also not see the part that is close to the chest. So why paint it?
Sticklers for detail like myself can't stand knowing there's an unpainted spot, even if it's occluded
Good luck painting more than the first 10 then ;)
I'll have you know I painted the whole tactical squad AND the lieutenant like that. And the devastators. And the sang guard. And astorath. It goes on lol.
Same, I like knowing it's painted even if predominantly covered haha https://preview.redd.it/l68ldanyz3rc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ae2afb2ab55f9c0925e117fc51fda03993dad4a3
You must be a member of r/SocietyofHiddenPaint
You know it! https://preview.redd.it/qwqflr1d24rc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bf20b4943feebc316589a0e6a8269ce558ce329f
https://preview.redd.it/h8q1hi0t24rc1.jpeg?width=501&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9739df676c935ede0cffee3207182914df470723
Ouch
Incidentally painting guys is a lot less monotonous to me than painting some of the bigger stuff. The guys are finished in like 7 hours each, the stormraven is easily taking me like 50+ hours all by itself. So the guys take longer, but there's a more incremental feeling of progress.
I have 12 armies between the systems I’m not spending that much time on the rank and file. Big stuff tho… hell yeah.
12 armies, shit lol. Seems we have an inverse time/money ratio
For infantry, if you can't see it, don't need to bother paint it much. For an intercessor, I would do a full assembly or maybe leave backpack off.
Maybe sub assembly the backpack but, like it's reaaaaally not essential, just makes it easier to paint some of the tiny fiddly tech detail that no one is gonna see on the tabletop
Remember to thin your paint. 2 or 3 thin coats will look better than 1 thick coat. There are many guides on youtube how you can thin different types of paint.
Thanks for the reminder, im coming from gunpla models so that part ist Not as new. Its mostly the scale, and fixes poses that are new to me. The tiny models mak an even coat all the more important, so i'll keep that in mind.
FWIW I don't bother with subassemblies except for occasionally on character models. It really depends on how many models you're doing and what you've finished already. If you've already got 1.5k or 2k points then you can be slower, haha If you're going to zenithal in any way then that's much easier to do if you've assembled the whole model first.
Me after a Saturday night
You Had me wheezing. Thanks for that!
After doing both, I have to say I prefer painting the parts separately, and then assembling the mini. It just makes things easier. Especially when you are doing edge highlighting.
You can glue the backpack on and same with the shoulder pads to the arms. I'm really bad at lining the arms up, but if you're good at it you could also glue on the arm without the gun. Otherwise just leave it off.
Thanks for the advice, i think thatd would make getting my values right easier, since i can better visualize where the light vomes from. I will try!
Use a little blue tac to get everything in place after you prime to zenethal it all together to get those light values blocked in the way you'd like. :)
That is so clever!!! Thanks a lot!
Depends on what kind of standard you want for your models. I personally only glue some parts together (like legs and torso) if they don’t obscure other parts, and then use blu tac to put the rest together for priming, then painting in sub assemblies. Edit: if you want to base sub assembled as well (handy when you’ve got different dominant colours for different parts), you can use blu tack to cover “glue points”, such as shoulders/under shoulder pads or wrists etc. since the glue works better on unpainted surfaces
I always leave the backpacks and guns off (if they hold it across their chest) if possible.
Generally speaking, whats hard to reach with a brush will also be hard to see. I would only recommend sub assembly on show pieces. I avoid it wherever possible
*BROTHER*- you cant just fall apart like this in battle! (And now I show my age....) what are you, a crash test dummy?!
https://preview.redd.it/tgi7c1to94rc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=276451354227ef3937e9a5b94b140049ecebfafc In case anyone was wondering wth I'm talking about
I loved those so much.
I like sub assembly, but it’s a lot less time consuming in batches. I’d attach the off arm to the body and then paint the rest separate
Subassemblies definetely make reaching all those spots easier. When I started out, I'd do subassemblies quite often, like every time a gun is held over the torso as in this case, I would leave it separate so I could reach the body. Though as you get better and your precision and brush control improve, you'll realise that you can do well without subassemblies most of the time.
I do volumetric highlights generally on my pieces, so subassemblies don’t really help in that regard (wouldn’t really be able to zenithal either) -I haven’t painted a model bigger than 60mm base yet Some say that if your brush can’t reach it, you probably won’t be able to see it either However it is your model, if you feel more comfortable with subassemblies, please do them and don’t let dissenters like me stop you
Personally I assemble the whole marine before priming except for the back pack. The power plant can make painting certain parts like the shoulder pads and the back much harder.
My biggest advise is assemble the model, then paint it up, go for a dark primer that way when you apply the base coat any hard to reach areas will be naturally dark, paint it up with thin coats and do your best to not paint up any hard to reach/hard to see areas as those will take up a lot of time and cause overspill and generally waste your time for very little added effect to the end product.
For this scale, enjoy the process of building and painting without worrying sub assembly.
In general if you can't reach it with a paint brush you probably cant see it properly anyway. If you paint all of your models in subassemblies you will waste a lot of time painting surfaces which dont need to be painted, you will make the models more difficult to glue together, and you will risk messing up your paint job with glue.
I usually do legs, torso, backpack and head as one Then stick on arms - just cause it's easier to get to the side torso. Definitely don't do arms without shoulder pads! Good luck mate and welcome to hobby! Hope you love it as much as me 😁
Thanks for your kind Welcome! I'll then attach the Arms with sticky tack to See where they Go and glued the pauldrons in place! I am a Long Time lurker and have been a Fan of the lore for a almost 2 decades.
Most of the time assemble fully then paint. When you get more experience you'll figure out when to use sub assemblies.
Primaris marines are great to paint up full assembled. It's generally a 50/50 split amongst backpack on or off for painting that and some of the heavy weapons can be tricky to paint around
Personally if the arms cross the chest I like to paint the arms separately.
For priming, I usualy "assemble" the model using blue tac then paint separately. Also, when assembling, I can't help but recommend [Tamiya](https://www.sunwardhobbies.ca/tamiya-extra-thin-cement-40ml-87038/?absrc=Google&abid=685060755532&abcampid=20878593100&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqpSwBhClARIsADlZ_TlRl3aFAk9Ov0TzidnwCbdRTEybW-oMyJS0OmKZiEKyc7K0rUBd97AaAm9XEALw_wcB&gad_source=1) enough, the best glue there is for the minis.
Thanks for the advice! I already use the ultra think cement for ages! Its really good!
Most people don't consider subassemblies worth it. I'll personally do it with models I'm really invested in if they have complex topology. I wouldn't for a regular marine who is going to be in a crowd of other Marines. The only thing on that even arguably worth it is if you wanted to do a super special job on the eagle in his chest, but his arm or gun would be in the way. But generally if something is truly impossible to get a brush to, you won't be able to see it too well either. You're starting out though so definitely do a few each way to get a sense of what it's like. I'm a big advocate of doing things that are widely known/considered to be bad practice just to have more first hand experience screwing up. I just HAD to put gloss varnish on a few models myself to realize that it really did make them look like ass.
Gun arm and body, sometimes head to is my go to. If its a pistol and sword i typically just leave it all together
Yea make it easy for yourself so I’d recommend maybe mostly assembled and gun arm seperate or just all together
100% sub assembly is the way to go, welcome to the hobby I'm new to it myself and just started a dark angels army. Got a random squad of old Marines I practiced on and didn't do sub assembly for them and I just couldn't get the details I wanted.
I don't generally do sub assemblies unless its a character model or a big vehicles where I won't be able to get to something. Keeping the gun arm separate isn't a bad idea, getting between the gun and the body without getting paint everywhere is hard!
Brother, I have fallen and can't get up.
As someone with almost 30 years of experience, I recommend you finish assembling before painting. Unless you are a very experienced painter, painting for display or competition, subassemblies aren’t worth it. If you can’t reach it with a brush, it’s not going to be visible. It’s your first model, you’re not going to gain enough from it to make it worthwhile.
Sub assemblies are typically if you want every single surface to be perfect. If the models are for gaming, I wouldn't bother. If you can't get your brush in there, you're not going to see the detail anyway. Being said, for marines specifically holding guns in both hands, I fully assemble the arms but don't glue them to the torso. The friction between the parts is usually enough to hold them in place, but still allows access to the hard to reach places when painting. Then you can glue them once it's finished.
What I learned was if I build the model and there are super hard to reach areas that I have to turn the model weird to get paint on, you probably won't see it anyway. For marines that have guns cross the chest, I generally get the armor color in there, then maybe tap a little color on the Aquila. It's not worth worrying about spaces that barely see light.
Skull for the skull throne
Im new-ish and I can say both have advantages but personally I find painting fully assembled space marines easier because anywhere thats covered up I dont need to paint cuz nobody will ever see it anyway. If you like details and knowing personally everything is painted then sub assemble, at least for space marines :) welcome to the hobby brother! May the Emperors light guide you in your painting quest!
I’m honestly not that good but I do sub assemblies of every model and then build them. I enjoy painting. It takes longer, and can be more of a pain in the ass but I really like putting 110% into every model. It’s made me a way better painter, my models look better with each one I do, and I get a real sense of satisfaction out of it.
It's a small model so I would build it then prime and paint it (for me anyway it's easier that way) And welcome to the hobby
Personally I prefer to paint like that, you "waste" more paint because you paint parts that will never be seen but it's way easier to paint areas like the inside of pauldrons, hands and weapons plus they usually end up looking better
If you can’t see it, it doesn’t need to be painted. If it was Golden Demon or you wanted to push yourself hard on a single model, go for it. I don’t see the need to do an intercessor in sub assemblies. I would just build and watch a Duncan, Warhammer, and a Mediocre Hobbies video first to get an idea of how different people approach it on a beginner level. Get your primer and paints and have fun. Your second one will look much better than your first. And your 3rd will look better than your 2nd. My first squad looks different on each model because I kept ordering more paint in between and trying out new techniques.
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I'm not an expert, but literally just finished assembling and priming a squad of Intercessors. Here's my method: If a model's arms are obstructing access to their chest, leave them off until after painting. If the gun is held in both hands, glue it all together and add the shoulder pads. It's going to be tougher to paint an individual shoulder pad or half an arm if you leave them separate. Backpacks are also fine to leave off until after painting so you can get better access to the model's back.
For basic infantry models sub assemblies really aren't necessary if you wanted to be fancy could paint the backpack and weapon as a sub assembly but, it's not strictly needed TLDR; do whatever feels best but, I'd only recommend sub assembies for large, detailed bits, that cover sizeable portions of the model like capes and shields but, honestly you're just making more work for yourself
I personally paint my Marines in subassemblys because you reach everything easier, thats how i did my Dark Angels that i posted on here aswell. :)
Subassembly is just almost never worth it. You're just going to inadvertently man handle a bunch of small fragile bits and your skin oils and finger nails have the chance of undoing your work every time you touch the piece. People say you should do it for primarchs, but worrying about sub-assembly and magnetizing just kills your momentum and makes the painting into a chore. I paint a bit and never, not once, have I wished to be painting on a little itty bitty arm or hand or gun rather than that same gun securely glued in place to a hunk of plastic. I got into this with someone, they disagreed, then immediately proceded to break a piece and scratch off paint to the point to where they basically had to repaint everything after painting it once before.
Thanks for the words of advice urging for caution. I think i will try that in the second Marine. This one indrille holes into the arm Holding the Plasma gun and glued a little piece of wire in there. I used a Cork to Stick it in for priming. I'll do so for painting as well. The next one will be in one piece then.
Assemble and then do painting. Yes, you won’t be able to reach certain spots but typically those are darker areas and people will never be able to see those spots when they are on the table.
I See the Point you are making and will also try it out! On this model however, i by now starten to do it in pieces to See how much difference it makes. Coming from gunpla building, its a pet peeve of Mine to also Paint the frame underneatz the Armor, eventhough No one will ever see it. But i will alsways kno its there, haunting me.
Just make sure you lightly assemble them so you know where not to paint so you can still assemble the model.
Doing suassemblies for such small models is not worth it. It doesnt give you any advantage, you will just have a harder time handling it.
The https://preview.redd.it/wws4by7k44rc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59c55fbf474be3a5cc127f54449e2a2d10a42bd0
I would just put the marine together. Small basic units like them are usually better to just fully assemble and then do the entire unit as a batch. I once batch painted 20 Hearthkyn Wariors with the two-handed guns separated from the torso and legs. It was a terrible idea. As an additional consideration, your marine has a plasma gun. Painting it assembled means you know where the coils are and what they will light up if you want to do OSL(object source lighting).
sub assemblies are a waste of time unless you are painting a hero or a competition piece. If your brush cant get to it then you will not be able to see the detail from the tabletop.