I have been wanting to get an airbrush for a while. Yesterday I saw an Aztec double action one with a wood case and alot of extra’s that was marked down from $160 to $40. As I don’t have any experience with an airbrush yet, would this be a good one to pick up?
Depends on the model of airbrush it is, and what else is with it - some have only a few tips and one cup, others have 6 tips, 3 cups and 2 jars, etc.
Here in Oz, the top model A4709 goes for up to AUD $299 (about USD $195) but I got mine for $250 after negotiation. Lots of sites where you can buy off the net. Suggest you check out there for the price for the specific type you are looking at.
Lots of guys love the Aztek (including me) but lotsa others hate them. If you are new to airbrushing it may take some practice to get the right results from this brush. If you do get it…make sure you watch the instructional video. Most guys just jump in, and don’t know how to use it properly or care for it. Most problems are really missuse (sorry Paasche and Badger guys!!)
Peter
This is what they are selling for $40.00
Aztek A4709 Kit in Wooden Case :
A470 Airbrush
red cleaning tool & video
6 nozzles
6 ft hose with air can adaptor
2.5 cc gravity feed color cup
3 cc gravity feed color cup
7.5 cc gravity feed color cup
28 mm siphon cap
38 mm siphon cap
2/3 oz bottle
1/2 oz bottle
all in a wooden case
Go and get it!!! If you’re not happy with that yoy can sell it for more than 40$ for sure. I’ve got it and I’m really happy with that.
If you are looking for good deals on air Brush equipment check out Airbrush Cityhttp://www.airbrushcity.com Their prices are really decent.
Hey if you can spend 40$ and not like it evilbay it for about 100$ and get a badger. Since your new to airbrushing most people would say no no you get the other ab then move up. But i say if you want to get good you use the best from the begining whitch would be a Badger and Paasche i think are top of the line best u can buy. But if you want/can go out and spend 100to200$ on and airbrush that is reliabel and lasts (mmmm not aztec) no dont get it.
My momma alaways said life is like a box of chocolates u never
know wat your going to get then i guess u can say AMT is a box of chocolats
$40 is a bit suspicious, but if it’s all there and works fine, then go for it. I’ve read some ‘poor’ reviews of the aztek line, but for that price, it’s worth a shot. If you don’t like it, you can sell it later…
Murray
Have been an adult modeler for 15 years. Used a Badger single-action for the past 14 years. Was ok! But was never able to get the kind of results that I now get with my Iwata HP-C double-action. Iwata was about $110 and so far well worth the expense.
I have this setup. Its pretty nice. I’ve been using it for awhile. I had my first airbrush go bad. Not sure what happened to it. But Aztek replaced it. I’ve probably been using my for 4 yrs now.
Buying replacement tips gets a little expensive. I just bought 4 new nozzles and a paint cup. Ouch [:)]
Chris it’s worth $40 for sure. They aren’t the best airbrush around but that set usually goes for $120 - $170. I have one and that’s what I used to paint my Marder so you can get good results. I only use the tan tip for painting as it’s the smallest .035 I think. I will use they gray tip for future or a base coat on a large model occasionally. The key is air pressure and thinning the paint enough. I use around 20psi and on Tamiya acrylics I thin about 40-50% with IPA and it sprays good. Watch the video and it tell you how to set the action and everything else on it. If you decide you want a better one later you’ve got a good backup for next to nothing.
Eric
Yea $40 is a steal.
I normally build 1/35 or 1/48 and thin my paints a bit more and use a little less air pressure. I could use a better air pressure gauge but I shoot around 14 psi unless I need to cover a larger area.
I’ve also been using the acrylic nozzles. I can’t honestly say I am noticing a difference. I am shooting Tamiya and Modelmaster and Gunze. I like Tamiya acrylics although they smell! [:)] I wear a respirator and have a fan cranking!!
Since your new to airbrushing you should be happy with this setup. I’m kinda wanting to try an Iwata or Pasche. Iwata for fine detail and maybe the pasche for general spraying.
Also I use a 2hp compressor with 20 gal. tank. which has been working good so far. But I’d really like to try one of those small quiet jobs.
Chris,
Please forgive me if I sound like a complete jerk here, but I couldn’t help but notice that you mentioned “wood case” three times in two posts. It sounds as if the case is more important to you than the contents. Quite honestly, I’ve never seen a container of any kind provide a top-notch paint job on any type of model. Just my opinion, but I would scrap the Aztec idea, and invest wisely in something along the Paasche, Badger, or Iwata line. Like the others have already stated, the price just doesn’t give me any warm fuzzies, either–but neither does the airbrush. Just an observation from someone who is full of so much hot air, that I don’t need a compressor!
Gip Winecoff
Wow thanks for all the opinions, I actually did go ahead and get it and have been playing around with it. So far I know I like the difference the airbrush makes in the look of the paint job. I guess over time I will figure more out about the different things it can do. From the looks of it ,asking about airbrush opinions is about like asking a crowd if a Chevy or Ford is better. Now I just need to get some kind of air source other than a can. Thanks for the responses though.
Styrene- The wood case really did’nt matter to me much, every thing else I have is pretty much thrown on whatever would hold it and stacked on the fridge out the kids reach.
FSM did a nice little article about air options awhile back. It had some good suggestions.
I run a noisy Sears 2 HP 20 gal. tank compressor. When its runnin its noisy as hell. But… the tanks usually give me one good day of air so I just run it for like 2 minutes and I have air for the rest of the day. The thing about my compressor is I use it for other things as well.
I wouldn’t mind tryin one of those little quiet ones though [:)] Just to see if there is any difference.