Model Kit Airbrushes

[Mitchman]

Best airbrush for model kits? Smaller kits for now.1/8,1/10 1/20th scales. 6"/8"10"15" ??? ----maybe bust figures in the future. budget of 150.00---350.00 tops for airbrush. I am looking at the Iwata hp-cs. yay or nay?
aAso,same with compressor.budget of 150---350...
This is a hobby and by looking at what is possible with this hobby it might turn into an addiction? As in money wise.LOL.
Sorry guys for the stupid questions,I am very new to this and just looking for the right direction. I do have many years experience in the graphite and colored pencil drawing world.2d drawing

[monomaster2]

If you can use an airbrush for anything less than 1/8 scale you’re a better man than I.

[Todd P.]

I have a Badger Sotar 20/20, which is what David Fisher recommends in his ModelMania video series. I like it as much as I like any airbrush that I've tried and the price isn't bad. Overall, though, I remain a dedicated brush painter.

Well, not that I paint anything these days. I do hope to get back to it eventually but making this my day job means I'm not much in the mood for kits in the evening.

[Mitchman]

I have a Badger Sotar 20/20, which is what David Fisher recommends in his ModelMania video series. I like it as much as I like any airbrush that I've tried and the price isn't bad. Overall, though, I remain a dedicated brush painter.

Well, not that I paint anything these days. I do hope to get back to it eventually but making this my day job means I'm not much in the mood for kits in the evening.

Thank you for the info.! I will look into those videos. I have watched lister model works tutorials/videos in the past. are those similar?

[Todd P.]

I couldn't say, I've never watched any of Phil's videos. No offense to Phil, if he visits the Clubhouse anymore. I'm sure his are very good.

David's videos start with the basics and move to more advanced techniques. I'd recommend at least Volumes 1-3, now available on one DVD instead of three videotapes. Most of what I learned from David, I learned from those three entries. But really, I recommend all five volumes, available in two DVDs. They're available through Amazing Figure Modeler.

[Tim Casey]

This is a hobby and by looking at what is possible with this hobby it might turn into an addiction? As in money wise.LOL.

You got that right!

Seriously, though, it's not that bad unless you buy a ton of kits at once.

I have about 100 2-oz bottle of acrylic paints from Delta Ceramcoat that I use. A lot of the colors are discontinued, and when I found out, I panicked. But then I realized I've only drained maybe fifteen bottles of paint since I started doing this 30 years ago. If you size up even a roomful of models, you'll see there's not much total surface area on them. Same with brushes. Even if I get the best, it doesn't amount to much cash.

An airbrush would probably be your biggest expense if you go that route (I don't use one myself), but other than that, it's the kits themselves that will cost you over time. But they're so worth it.....

P.S. The David Fisher DVDs are absolutely wonderful and full of eye candy...

[overspray]

I've had an Iwata compressor for over 20 years and never had a single problem with it. I started with a Testor's Aztek airbrush and compressor which gave good service. The interchangeable nozzles were great, but were plastic, limited your spray options and cleaning was a bit of a chore.

I then got a Badger Sotar 20/20 and loved it, but it is far superior to my meager skills. Also, I found it needs regular and intensive cleaning and there are 2 small parts that are easy to lose. One good thing about Badger is that you can send it back to the factory for an overhaul and just pay for parts and shipping. I availed myself of this service as the brush was acting up. However when I got it back, it was apparent that they didn't test it as it wasn't fully tightened down and it still didn't work properly.

I now use a Paasche Talon and love it. Doesn't need cleaning as often and cleaning is simpler with no small parts to lose.

I use airbrushes because I've never had good results with hand brushes, which I'm sure is operator error. I'd much prefer using hand brushes - seems like it would be a lot easier.

[Tim Casey]

I use airbrushes because I've never had good results with hand brushes, which I'm sure is operator error.

And I'm the exact opposite - and I'm positive it's operator error! I felt like I was riding a bucking bronco!

[lsamuels]

Re airbrushes: the best lesson I ever had was at the Wonderfest class in the 1990s, and seeing how David Fisher dealt with airbrush issues (cleaning as you go along, clearing out clogging, cleaning thoroughly at the end etc.). I really didn't know how to deal with such things as I was trying to airbrush, and it would end up frustrating me, since I couldn't progress with an airbrush that wouldn't work for long. Seeing David dealing with issues so quickly and clearly really helped me get better at it.

Back then, there weren't youTube videos for this sort of thing; now there are, I'm guessing. So whatever you decide on, watch someone take it apart and clean it and put it back together, and you'll quickly learn to do the same yourself.

[Crazy Joe]

The Iwata HP-B is the best value for the money in this scale. It delivers unbeatable performance when properly maintained. I have four Iwatas that have been EXCELLENT for years. Look up Tom Grossman at TAG TEAM hobbies for a good deal and tell him "Crazy Joe" sentcha....

[Tim Fortuna]

Any one have any luck with airbrush compressors from Amazon? I think they are Timberteck? Been debating about getting a compressor for the air brush I bought 15 years ago and used once.

[tay666]

I can't give any advice yet, as I am still fumbling my way around learning to use one myself.





My daughter bought me the airbrush for xmas 2020 and the compressor for xmas 2021.
I've been fiddling with it for a few weekends now. Got the disassembly and cleaning down pretty good since I have been learning to use it with craft acrylics. Which I have learned over the years are some of the worst paints to try and shoot through a brush because they are so thick, and the pigment is so large. But I figure if I get this down pretty good, shooting better paint should be a breeze.

I haven't even tried any detail work yet, just some basecoating and such.



Once I get proficient with it, I should be a useful tool to add to the arsenal.

[Tim Fortuna]

Once I get proficient with it, I should be a useful tool to add to the arsenal.

Thanks for the response Tay.