Hi guys,
I’m not a novice in the hobby (I hope so…) , but have always painted my models with a brush. Now I feel that it’s time for an airbrush.
Can you tell me what kind of airbrush I should buy. What is a good brand for airbrushes? I’m an aircraftmodeler, mainly 1/72 scale, so which type ofg airbrush would be good for me?
And also, as I’m not an adult yet, I need an airbrush with good quality, but not very high cost…
Cheers and thanks,
Jürgen
www.craigcentral.com/models/ab.asp
or use the search function. This question comes up every 3 or 4 days.
My opinion … a double-action, gravity-feed Badger. Either the Omni 4000 (manufactured by Badger under the Thayer and Chandler name) or Badger 100.
Congrats on your decision. Whatever brush you get you’ll be pleased but remember you need more than just an airbrush.
Here is a picture of my setup You need all this (types and brands don’t really matter) plus a place to paint with good ventillation. It seems like a lot but I can all be easily for under $200
HI There all,
I-beam, is your compressor noisy?? Nice setup, man!! I am currently using CO2, was just wondering…
thank
gb
Hey Gio, yes it’s a noisy $60 household compressor. It does a good job though and pumps up my car tires too [:D] . CO2 is awesome for airbrushing and sodas too [:p] If I had the resources I would go the CO2 route myself.
I’ve got an Aztec that is prone to clogging. There’s a Badger, and Pasche hiding someplace, but I haven’t seen them in about a year.
Buy an Iwata. Best brushes available. I’ve now got two. My first was a siphon feed. My second is a gravity. The siphon will run around $90. The gravity, with a 1/16 oz. cup was about $170. Yeah, expensive, but you get what you pay for. Invest now, and be happier in the long run. I wouldn’t have anything put an Iwata airbrush.
When it comes to a compressor, buy something you can use around the house, and then buy some quick disconnects. I’ve got a 30 gallon Craftsman. Really overkill, but it works.
Jurgen, the airbrush situation in Europe is somewhat different to that in the US, not just in terms of price, but range as well.
Having said that, you can’t go wrong with any of the Badger range, which starts at around £50 for a single action 200, to around £85 for a double action 100. Both are fully supported in Europe and therefore represent a very safe first step.
Thayer & Chandler, ABs although made by Badger are not widely available in Europe, however some of the top end Revell ABs are in fact Thayer & Chandler Vegas, a relative of the Omni4000 mentioned earlier, and well worth a look.
Best bet stay well clear of Aztek, they cost the same as a proper AB by Badger, but from what I’ve heard are no where near as good.
As for Iwata, every bit as good as Badger, some would say better, but they cost quite a bit more, especially on this side of the pond.
Best of luck.
Karl
To each their own. Personally I’d never spend $170 for an airbrush for modeling regardless of who makes it.
An airbrush only has to reliably spray an atomized combination of air and paint in a controlled mixture. But it has to do that RELIABLY. Iwata, Badger, and Paasche can all do that, and I don’t see a need to pay nearly three times as much for a name. The talent comes from the hand, not the tool. The tool only has to be reliable.
I do agree with that. Sears has an extended warranty available on their compressors that is well worth looking into. I had another brand that broke (under warranty) after 8 months of use. It took 6 weeks to get it fixed. It lasted another 6 months after that and I threw it in a corner. I now have a Craftsman with a 3 year warranty.
I disagree…I used Badgers and Paasche brushes for nearly 20 years before I switched to an Iwata, and the difference is very obvious.
Let’s face it, you get what you pay for. I find the Iwatas to be better engineered, higher quality castings and machined parts, and the functionality of the brush is superior to anything else I’ve owned. The flow control is great.
An airbrush is an investment, especially if you’re a serious modeler. If the quality of the brushes wasn’t superior, then there’d be no reason to produce a $300 airbrush. It’s like cars…a $8000 Hyundai will get you where you want to go, but a $40,000 Vette will get you there faster. They both serve the same purpose (getting you from point A to point B), but there’s obvious differences in the quality.
All that being said, an Iwata HP-BCS (my everyday brush) costs about the same as a Badger 150 double action…MisterArt.com lists the Badger for $94 and the Iwata for $100, and that includes the hose and color jar.
Yes, there are very expensive airbrushes out there (I have three Iwatas, an HP-BCS, Micron CM-B, and an older CM-C+). 90% of the time, you’ll never need more than the basic HP-BCS…
As for compressors, the big noisy Sears brands work, just remember to fill the tank BEFORE everyone in the house goes to sleep!!! I had one for a long time (Campbell Hausfield) but broke down and bought a nice dual head compressor with a foot pedal, it’s real quiet and pushes air up to 80psi, almost 4 times what I normally spray at.
Jeff
Jürgen, Everyone has brought up excellent points and look through the forum as there is a lot of info on what airbrush to get. Since you live in Belgium you are going to find most airbrushes from the US and Japan are very expensive especially the Iwata’s. You might want to check out the Harder and Steenbeck Evolution or the Hansa Hobbyline of airbrushes. They are priced good and perform every bit as well as the other ones mentioned. I have and Evolution and it is of very high quality and an overall excellent airbrush. Here is a link to a place in Belgium that carries many different brands.http://www.obeeliks.com/ I live in the US and have bought from them , they were helpful and answered all my questions. I hope this helps.
John
I agree with most of the opinions above. Buy the best you can afford.
However…
I came across this little gem the other day in Harbour Freight - there is a store near my home. It did not seem to be anything special, but I picked one up. I took it home and sprayed it and it worked just fine for general purpose and large areas. My Badger bottles all fit and so do the paint cups. Cleans easy, too. I use it to mass-spray the inside of cockpits, etc.
Best of all is the price. It was on sale this week for $5. Yes, I said five dollars. Heck, for that price if it clogs up badly I can afford to throw it away and buy another.
Now, don’t expect to get the same performance from it that you might find with the Iwata or the higher-end Badgers and such, but for the money it is certainly worth looking into.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=6131
That looks alot like the Badger 350 single action…hey, if you can get one for that price and it works, go for it! I might pick one up just to spray weathering powders through (but that’s another topic altogether).
Jeff
Jeff44, how did that brush work? Can you paint tight lines and circles with it without overspray? Can it use Propel?
Hi Matt,
Yes, it can use a propellant can.
As Jeff said, it really does look like the Badger - it has a plastic body with metal head and needle.
To be honest, I would not really trust it to spray a fine line consistently. For large areas or for a backup it is a pretty good deal, though.
-Jeff
Jürgen, I’m with Jfrejo on this: go to the H&S Evolution Two in One, and the people at obeeliks are very nice ( I bought my first Evolution at their shop and I often buy them accessories); I own Sotar, Iwata, Paasche, Efbe, Gabbert, T & C, Aerograph, and I can tell you to buy Evolution, it’s in the top airbrushes.
Jeff, go back and look a little harder. How about an IM DA for $20? I ran across this one about 12 years ago; picked it up because at the time I couldn’t afford a ‘name’. It works great and the part numbers are almost identical to a Badger 150. (Prefix #'s are different - otherwise exactly the same.)
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=1500
Hoser,
Wow!
I did not see any of those at my local HF, but I will be heading back there this weekend to look. It does indeed appear to be very similar to the other AB.
If I find one, I’ll report back.
-Jeff
Hello Jürgen
Greeting from Portugal.
If you want my modest opinion, here are the main guides:
1 - Single action airbrushes are the way to start. Less expensive and much much easier to control, which is good for an airbrush beginner.
2 - Go for gravity feed airbrush. Easier to load with paint, easier to clean and better to control. If you are a 1/72 scale fan, the smaller capacity of the paint container should be no problem for you.
I am telling you this form personal experience:
I bought mine from Obeeliks in Antwerp / Belgium. They are very helpful,
have a good and diversified stock and the prices are OK.
I suggest you visit their site (www.obeeliks.com) or call them to clarify any questions, since you are in Belgium
I think you can manage to get a fairly good airbrush for around 100 Euros or less, depending on the options (paint jars, aditional paint heads (medium / fine), etc, etc.
Regards
