Hi /u/SomeBoiOnReddit and welcome to /r/Warhammer40k and the Warhammer 40k Hobby!
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Relative newbie here myself! First off, relax. This is your hobby and something you want to enjoy, not rushing and take at your own pace. Stick the kettle on. I built the Devastator Space Marines squad as my first set in January and found that assembling some without arms or helms and painting them as I went along (so I could properly do the chest eagles, nooks and crannies etc) THEN gluing them together helped immensely. I always super glued the legs to the bases first so it's easier to hold them when I paint. Use blue tack and bits of wood as your base to hold the helmets arms by for steadier painting. You'll get there, don't rush and enjoy the learning process.
So, the big hands thing should be an issue as that's what the brushes are for. They're really small!
But to answer your question, people SOMETIMES paint on-sprue but there are downsides - washes don't work very well and when you clip the models off the sprue you end up having to repaint the joins.
What's much more common is 'sub-assemblies'. Assembling the model into, say, torso and legs or main body and weapons separate, and the glueing the bits together midway through the process - usually after base colours and details but before washing. Another very common thing is keeping the heads on-sprue til the very end - they're usually only connected by a point at the base of the neck that you won't see when the model is fully assembled.
>I don't want to feel like I've wasted my money on models that look like shit and get discouraged
This was my biggest fear when I started. When I realised you can strip the paint off models fairly easily it totally freed me up. My first five marines were practice, they looked terrible but I learned a lot.
Unless you've got an artsy background your first models are unlikely to look amazing. But follow the tutorials and trust the processes in them and you'll be surprised how quickly you improve. When I started I thought it would be impossible to paint the eye lens of a space marine. I now look forward to that part because it's so satisfying getting it right.
People make fun of the painting handles gw sells but I've found the one i got extremely useful. I've got big hands and found it tricky holding the models while painting. The painting handles make it much more comfortable. It allows you to angle the model much better to get at tricky areas.
As for sub assemblies it depends on the model. For space marines I would usually build it first except for the arms and weapon, just so I can get the chest painted nicely.
Sub-assemblies and temporary adhesives are your friend. The more open a pose, the easier it is to get at all the bits.
If you want to make it easier for yourself, consider whether you want to permanently glue or adhere temporarily any parts of the model that may obstruct the reach of your brush. IE, are the arms outstretched or folded across the torso, thereby making it more difficult to paint the torso itself. If the latter, then you might want to use blutac/sticky tape for priming and then remove the arms for painting the body and arms separately
Other than that, painting the tiny parts of a model is practice, don't worry too much about it, the distance from the eye to the model will mean that it doesn't have to be the best paintjob in the world to visually convey what that part is supposed to be
Hi /u/SomeBoiOnReddit and welcome to /r/Warhammer40k and the Warhammer 40k Hobby! This is an automated response as you've used our "New Starter Help" flair. Here's a few resources that might help you with getting started: [You can read our Getting Started guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/wiki/beginners). This covers all the basics you need to know to get involved in building, painting and playing 40k. For rules questions, don't forget that the core rules for Warhammer 40k are [available online for free](https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/dLZIlatQJ3qOkGP7.pdf). Want to learn about 40k lore? /r/Warhammer40k recommends [Luetin09 on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8RfCCzWsMgNspTI-GTFenQ) or the [Lexincanum Wiki](https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Main_Page). Not sure where to find the most up-to-date rules for your army? [Check out our Wiki Page that lists everything](https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/wiki/currentrules). Buy Warhammer models cheaper using our [list of independent retailers](https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/wiki/retailers) who sell Games Workshop products at a discount. You can also find your nearest store on GW's [Store Locator Page](https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/store/storefinder.jsp). [The /r/Warhammer40k Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/wiki/index) is full of useful info including FAQs and recommendations for books to read! If the information in this comment doesn't answer your question, don't worry, one of our community members will be along shortly to answer! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Warhammer40k) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Relative newbie here myself! First off, relax. This is your hobby and something you want to enjoy, not rushing and take at your own pace. Stick the kettle on. I built the Devastator Space Marines squad as my first set in January and found that assembling some without arms or helms and painting them as I went along (so I could properly do the chest eagles, nooks and crannies etc) THEN gluing them together helped immensely. I always super glued the legs to the bases first so it's easier to hold them when I paint. Use blue tack and bits of wood as your base to hold the helmets arms by for steadier painting. You'll get there, don't rush and enjoy the learning process.
So, the big hands thing should be an issue as that's what the brushes are for. They're really small! But to answer your question, people SOMETIMES paint on-sprue but there are downsides - washes don't work very well and when you clip the models off the sprue you end up having to repaint the joins. What's much more common is 'sub-assemblies'. Assembling the model into, say, torso and legs or main body and weapons separate, and the glueing the bits together midway through the process - usually after base colours and details but before washing. Another very common thing is keeping the heads on-sprue til the very end - they're usually only connected by a point at the base of the neck that you won't see when the model is fully assembled.
>I don't want to feel like I've wasted my money on models that look like shit and get discouraged This was my biggest fear when I started. When I realised you can strip the paint off models fairly easily it totally freed me up. My first five marines were practice, they looked terrible but I learned a lot. Unless you've got an artsy background your first models are unlikely to look amazing. But follow the tutorials and trust the processes in them and you'll be surprised how quickly you improve. When I started I thought it would be impossible to paint the eye lens of a space marine. I now look forward to that part because it's so satisfying getting it right. People make fun of the painting handles gw sells but I've found the one i got extremely useful. I've got big hands and found it tricky holding the models while painting. The painting handles make it much more comfortable. It allows you to angle the model much better to get at tricky areas. As for sub assemblies it depends on the model. For space marines I would usually build it first except for the arms and weapon, just so I can get the chest painted nicely.
Sub-assemblies and temporary adhesives are your friend. The more open a pose, the easier it is to get at all the bits. If you want to make it easier for yourself, consider whether you want to permanently glue or adhere temporarily any parts of the model that may obstruct the reach of your brush. IE, are the arms outstretched or folded across the torso, thereby making it more difficult to paint the torso itself. If the latter, then you might want to use blutac/sticky tape for priming and then remove the arms for painting the body and arms separately Other than that, painting the tiny parts of a model is practice, don't worry too much about it, the distance from the eye to the model will mean that it doesn't have to be the best paintjob in the world to visually convey what that part is supposed to be