Questions about subassemblies

[Auriel]

What are everyone's thoughts on subassemblies? I have a unit of brutes I"m working on which I assembled completely prior to painting, and I'm finding it difficulty to paint certain nooks and crannies. I've heard some people will do partial assemblies, prime and paint, and then put the final assembly together with super glue. I'm looking for what people think about this process, as well as any tips and tricks to make the process go more smoothly. Thank you!

[Soulsmith]

I don't like to do it except when really necessary. For example, I am currently working on the weirdnob shaman. I kept all of his cloak/face/horns/staff separate so I could do a complete job on his lower half and musculature, and then glued on his robes and face. His staff I am nearly finished with separately, and I will then paint teh area nearest the staff so it won't get in the way. Then I shall assemble that, and then focus on the robes, face, and decoration.

With small parts, it can be useful to keep them on the sprue. Maybe clip off a few connections if it has more than say, two, and remove as much sprue around it as possible, but leave yourself a decent section to hold onto. That way you won't have any trouble holding it. When done, you can just remove the piece from the sprue, and usually the attached areas aren't details, so can be swiftly painted. Oh and remember to remove mold lines before painting.

[Grimnaud]

I try to avoid sub-assemblies as far as possible. Sure, it makes painting much easier, but I've often experienced that if not thought through really well, it will leave ugly gaps which are much harder to fill in than the part would have been to paint if I had assembled it completely first. The last model I considered sub-assemblies for was Nagash, but in the end I was more afraid of lines and gaps than I was the extra trouble of painting at wierd angles. I haven't painted him yet though, so I might live to regret that.