I currently use an Aztek 470 ( I know, but it serves me well!) for my general work, mostly spraying acrylics. I’m looking for something that will do the very fine line work. I’ve been reading the posts around which Airbrush to buy and I’m going to leap from the frying pan into the fire: Which airbrush should “I” buy?
I do mostly 1/48 scale WWII aircraft, starting to get into the more complex German camo patterns. I also dabble in 1/35 armor, again the more interesting camo schemes.
What I am looking for is something to do the fine detail and shading work, under $150. I’m looking at the Badger 150/155, Iwata HP-C, Paache VL and I’m just confused at this point!!
[#ditto][#ditto][#ditto]
I transitioned from an Aztek to a hp-cs and it’s like rags to riches!
This is what I did with my hp-cs and the black arrow is about the size of my thumbnail.
MikeV: i would fork out the extra money if i needed to, cause i need the “edge” for graFIX class, and because people are like this:
<person 1> Hey i got an iwata eclipse cs. it can do lines about 1/16.
i have an iwata hp-c and it can do lines 1/32 (i think) WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OWNED!!!11!!!
Sigman: a custom trigger is exactly what it sounds like, just take a file or 2 to the trigger TOP until it’s more comfortable, i don’t advise doing it tho… ruins the chrome.
The cutaway preset is the one on the highline hp-ch, bh, or ah. try dixieart
Person #1 needs to practice a lot and person #2 (you) have nothing to brag about because I can spray 1/32" lines with my Omnis, Anthem, 360, Vega 2000, and Vega 1000 any day. The brand does not matter! [:p][:D]
i agree with mike, i can get the same line with my omni 5000 as i can with the hp-cs or hp-c. but, its easier for me to achieve the fine line with the iwata and i love my two iwatas for the comfort and feel more than any thing else. yes, the parts for the iwata are expensive, but the quality of the parts are better in my opinion. but mike, i have to call your hand on this one thing though. how do you know its not worth the extra money if you’ve never held or felt or sprayed paint through an iwata hp-c? it was worth the money to me and if i had it to do over again, i’d spend it again. you are basing your opinion on information you’ve collected from different people instead of hands on experience. i dont think you are qualified to make that statement in my opinion. and please dont take that in the wrong way, because i’m definetly not trying to start anything here, i know you are a qualified and bonefied airbrush user for sure, but if you havent actually tried the airbrush in question, how can you truelly form an opinion about it? thats all.
sig, if i were you i’d put the preset handle out of my mind and just practice with the whole trigger. the preset handle is not worth the money for sure or the crown cap. i made a preset handle for my hp-c by drilling a hole in the end of the factory handle and tapped it. then, i bought an allen head screw thats flat on the end and could turn the screw clockwise to set the trigger travel. it works beautifully and the screw only cost 9 cents. the crown cap in my opinion is a rip off because i cant really tell any difference with in on or off. later.
That is a valid point and it is true that I have not used an HP-C to compare them, but I am giving an opinion based on what the experts in the airbrushing business would recommend. If you were to ask some of the top airbrush experts in the country which Iwata they would recommend for a modeling airbrush they would say the Eclipse series.
You yourself said you bought a .4mm needle and tip for your HP-C did you not?
The Eclipse CS has a .35mm tip and needle which should be capable of possibly an even finer line, so why is the extra money necessary for the HP-C?
If you like the feel of the HP-C better then that’s fine, but why spend an extra $30 on an airbrush that offers no real advantage especially to an inexperienced airbrush user?
If you want to carry this type of thinking to it’s logical conclusion then why not recommend the Iwata Micron to everyone? It is capable of the finest lines of any airbrush except the Sotar and the Paasche AB, so buy it and you can brag that you have the best, even though I guarantee you won’t have any better results with it than you will with your HP-CS or Omni 5000. [2c] [:D] [;)]
yes, i did buy the .4mm n/n combo for my hp-c. and i have posted many times since that i would recommend the hp-cs before i would a hp-c because of the .05mm difference in the size of the n/n combo. the reason i do this is because if you purchase the hp-c, it is sent to you with the .3mm n/n combo which i never got good results with unless i did some really extreme thinning. so, i recommend the hp-cs because i can achieve everything i want to achieve as far as modelling goes, but i prefer the hp-c over the hp-cs because of the comfort. and that is totally personal, the next person will hate the wieght and bulk of the hp-c, but i like it. im not saying you’ve gotta buy a high dollar airbrush to get the ultra fine line, im saying that im so glad i purchased it for the comfort and warm fuzzy i get when i use it. these are intangible i know, but they are very important and why my omni collects dust most of the time. we can look at NASA and find plenty of “experts” of particular fields and then look back in history to the accidents and see that even experts are wrong occasionally. they are very wrong in my case. i consider myself a rookie airbrush user because ive only been airbrushing for a total of 18 months of my entire life. i would hate for someone to read a post on here and not ever try something just because someone said it wasnt worth it. yes, when you get to the bottom line, i paid around $180 bucks to get an hp-c with the .4mm n/n combo, but its the best set up ive ever used and was worth every penny because i’m a very happy modeller since the arrival of the hp-c and .4mm n/n to my workbench. but, i heard so many good things about the hp-cs that i couldn’t resist purchasing one to find out …whats the word you used… “hoopla” was all about. now, since ive used the hp-cs, i recommend it to anyone looking for a good all around airbrush because it is way cheaper than going the route that i went with the hp-c. i hope that makes sense to you mike. later.[;)]
The experts I am talking about are not scientists in ivory towers, I am talking about people who know airbrushes and use them every day such as people like Dave Monnig at Coast Airbrush. I highly doubt he would recommend an HP-C for modelers, but if you like the feel better then that’s fine.
I am not saying the airbrush is not worth buying, I am saying it is not going to give him better results than the HP-CS for his needs so why pay the extra money?
Going back to the Micron example, would it be wrong for me to not recommend one of them also since some people actually buy them for modeling and like them?
I am trying to be unbiased and yet not lead someone into spending more money on an airbrush than they need to. That is what I was trying to do here.
He wanted an airbrush for finer lines and out of the HP-C and HP-CS I doubt you could see the difference. [:D] [;)]
Ok, relax Salty and MikeV! [:O] All I know is the iwata hp-cs is boss ([bow]) and I wouldn’t go judging a bager or pachee because I’ve never handled one before. I wouldn’t bring dis-credit on an airbrush I’ve never used before, but thats just me. Now MikeV, don’t take that the wrong way. We all know your one of the best and most knowligdable people on ABing in this forum. And CNicoll, you made a great decision and I know your going to love it!
MikeV (Aka mikedaddy) i know, its just he bragging. ie:
<person 1>I have a mercedes s600.
<person 2> I have a maybach 62. WAHAHAHAH pwned!!! i own you. now polish my shoes
