What airbrush for mottle?

[kitman]

Hi - Could anybody give advice as regards certain airbrushes that I am eyeing up to buy, In order to do mottle effects, on kits as far down in scale as 1/72 Scale.

At present I have an Iwata hi line HP - CH which is a great airbrush and does about 90% of what I need to do. It has a 0.3 tip which I find does not quite get the fineness of detail that I require.

I  have been looking at an Iwata Custom Micron 'B & C' series  of airbrushes in order to allow me to accomplish that final 10% of tasks. As they are expensive could anybody point me to any 

cheaper alternatives that will accomplish what  the Custom Micron does, in terms of very fine detail spraying, and overall quality of result. Thanks in advance

[Texan76]

I think the Custom Micron is overkill for modeling, though I've never used one. The results you are looking for can be achieved by airbrushes costing way less.

 

In no particular order I would recommend: Badger Renegade Krome, Iwata HP-B+ or HP-BH, and Harder & Steenbeck Infinity. 

 

All of these brushes will achieve the results you are looking for. They are all quality brushes. The main factor I would look for first when deciding is how they feel in your hand. 

 

If you go go for the H&S, I recommend Paul at Little Cars UK. 

[colin]

I have  several airbrushes Including the Iwata HP-C Plus and it's a brilliant all rounder and is capable of mottling down to 1/72 with the right paints

I also have a Custom micron CM-C and that too is a brilliant airbrush, the only thing I can say is the Custom will allow me to spray fine mottling at a lower pressure than the HP-C and for me allows better control, whether it is worth the not so substantial outlay when you can get similar results is up to you.

But for control and atomizing it's one of the best you can get.

I managed to afford it by not buying any new kits for a while and just building, and also selling some of the ones I had in the stash      

[little-cars]

I would suggest the Harder & Steenbeck  Infinity  CRplus with a 0;.15 and 0.2mm nozzle.  

 

The 0.2mm will go down to about 1mm , the 0.15mm to about 0.5mm,

 

I would suggest both as the finer the nozzle the easier they clog. The 0.2 should do most things, but the 0.15mm will give you extreme detail.

You can also remove the standard 2ml paint cup to use the  internal 0.2mm cup for extreme detail ( there is a micro cup available that fits the top of the brush to stop the screw thread getting clogged with paint or about £6).  The air cap has a pincer end that allows you to see the needle tip for more accurate placement of paint as well as allowing you to see any build up of paint on the tip. This can then be pinched away before it becomes a problem.

Also very simple and easy to change needle/nozzles, clean & strip down.

 

The 0.15mm Infinity crplus is currently £168, the 0.2mm nozzle is £13 and the 0.2mm needle is £9, the air cap is the same for both nozzle sizes.

 

http://www.modellingtools.co.uk/harder--steenbeckbr-infinity-crplus-015-airbrush---015mm-nozzle-set-and-2ml-paint-cup-3717-p.asp

 

Also available with a 0.2mm nozzle if you don;t think the 0.15mm one will be of use...

 

http://www.modellingtools.co.uk/harder--steenbeckbr-infinity-crplus-02-airbrush---02mm-nozzle-set-and-2ml-paint-cup-3718-p.asp

 

We have on as a demo brush, so if you are around the Northanpton/ Milton Keynes/Bedford area at any time you are welcome to have a play with the brush, just get in touch in advance.

 

Paul

[John Laidlaw]

Just out of interest, Paul, are you able/willing to post to the States? The Infinity CRPlus is the one I'm intending to get in the not too distant future...

[Gremlin56]

Check out the Badger Krome or Badger Extreme Patriot. You can do a mottle job with these easily.

[little-cars]

On 12/3/2016 at 2:28 AM, John Laidlaw said:

Just out of interest, Paul, are you able/willing to post to the States? The Infinity CRPlus is the one I'm intending to get in the not too distant future...

Hi,

 

No problem, we post to most countries, a lot of our sales are abroad.

We normally send a several order to the US every week.

 

Thanks,

Paul

[Jetblast]

The HP-B+ may give the margin that your looking for (or HP-BH if you want / require the MAC valve) & should also feel more than familiar if your using an HP-CH already, as excluding the 0.2mm nozzle, smaller paint cup & shorter nose, the HP-B+ / HP-BH are basically the same as the HP-C+ / HP-CH. 

 

The CM-B (0.18) would probably be the optimum choice & realistically hard to beat, but it comes at a substantial price hike over an HP-B+ (give or take twice the price).

 

Other viable alternatives would be the Mr Hobby Procon Boy FWA Platinum / PS-270 (0.2mm - it's pretty similar to the HP / Hi-line series, supplied with MAC valve, crown cap & paint cup lid, but doesn't have the short nose or small paint cup of the Iwata "B's") or the Mr Airbrush Custom 0.18 / PS-770. The PS-770 is very similar is spec & build to the Iwata CM-C+, but has an 0.18mm nozzle set similar to the CM-B's, it doesn't however have the specially hand matched / fettled head treatment that the Custom Micron's do. 

[John Laidlaw]

3 hours ago, little-cars said:

Hi,

 

No problem, we post to most countries, a lot of our sales are abroad.

We normally send a several order to the US every week.

 

Thanks,

Paul

 

Excellent, thank you Paul!

[Texan76]

On 12/2/2016 at 9:28 PM, John Laidlaw said:

Just out of interest, Paul, are you able/willing to post to the States? The Infinity CRPlus is the one I'm intending to get in the not too distant future...

I am in the US and just bought an infinity from Paul. Highly recommended!