rob Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Fairly recent member , but long time reader. Here's the question, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the 1/24th scale Airfix Mossie at the end of the year and have finally decided to get an airbrush so I can do justice to this kit. Obviously i'll do a lot of practicing before potentially ruining a very expensive kit!! So can anyone recommend a good airbrush/compressor set up for a beginner (40 years of using brushes only) now I don't nesessarily want a cheap one that'll need replacing within 6 months because I grow out of it I wan't reliability,performance and ease of use costs upto say £200 ish Thanks in anticipation Rob............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grayh Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Hi Rob i have been airbrushing for around 4 years now and have had various Different Brushes, However i tend to use an Iwata Revolution cr it costs around £75, The needle size is 0.5 Which is very good for general use, and spares can be Got hold of very easy. Its easy to use and well made, Its a Double action , As for a Compressor I use a Unit made by Stanley, it has a 6L tank and costs £99 from Screwfix, You will also need a Pressure regulator and Moisture trap, These cost about £25 Hope that is of some Help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jase Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 If I had £200 to spend on an airbrush and compressor I would buy a Harder and Steenbeck Evolution 2-in-1 from Paul at Little Cars for £108 see here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=27705 And an AB-AS186 compressor with air tank for £88 from everythingairbrush.com: http://www.everythingairbrush.com/acatalog/AS_Series.html You'll need a hose too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denstore Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I would probably go with the XG-kit from Aerart. The airbrush is superb, and the compressor seems to be good quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Thanks Guys for your prompt replies going to study the options you've suggested Please keep them coming Regards Rob................................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonar Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 You won't find many who will knock Iwata. I have one of the Revolution series (can't remember exactly which one) and an Eclipse CS. I mainly use the latter which was about £130. I got them both from airbrushes.com who I would have no hesitation reccomending. Definitely go for a good double action brush. I believe anyone can become a competent user fairly easily. If I can do it, anyone can! There are many compressors out there. Make sure you get one with a good regulator,water trap and tank (to maintain a constant pressure). My airbrush set up has been by far the single largest investment I have made in the hobby but has been worth every penny. Glad to see you don't plan to experiment on your Mossie! I'm still experimenting now but usually with less "interesting"results. Good luck Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gajman Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I believe anyone can become a competent user fairly easily. If I can do it, anyone can! I wish that was the case! I bought my airbrush and compressor close on two years ago. And still, every time I am doing a model that I want to display on the club table or enter into a competition I paint it by hand because my airbrush results are unpredictable. Every time I think I've mastered the art of airbrushing the airbrush and compressor conspire against me to show that is it they that are in charge. I envy those of you who can go to your airbrushes confident in the knowledge that you won't ruin the model you've just spent weeks building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skii Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Excellent Compressor prices here - sorely tempted myself to get a new one http://www.airbrush-pro.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entlim Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 The aibrushes are not bad for a starter either............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perry Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 The aibrushes are not bad for a starter either............ Look bloody good to me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entlim Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Di has one , and has just finished freehand camo on a B-57G- came out very well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Tango Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Di has one , and has just finished freehand camo on a B-57G- came out very well! Which one is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entlim Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Pete, BD-135...........£19.49 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Tango Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Pete, BD-135...........£19.49 I must admit I like the look of the BD-180...............£34.44. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entlim Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 The nice thing is, that you can unscrew the bottom connector and attach an inline moisture trap on to them just like most high end stuff................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Tango Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 The nice thing is, that you can unscrew the bottom connector and attach an inline moisture trap on to them just like most high end stuff................. Yes, a good idea, but I've got all that gubbins on my compressor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonar Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 hi carpet monster I didn't mean to suggest that anyone could pick up an airbrush and get brilliant results. I've made a mess of a few paint jobs and will certainly mess up many more! One of the great things about airbrushing is that truly invisible touch ups are possible. I do think, with practice and patience,decent results can be achieved by anyone. I do a lot of WW2 Luftwaffe and I don't believe that those finishes can really be done convincingly with a hairy stick. I actually feel that the voodoo magic is in the preparation of the paint (choice,thinning,flow aids etc). I've been airbrushing for a while now and I still see other people get results which are awesome (in the true English sense of the word). Maybe oneday, with practice,I'll get there-if I live to be 150!!! Cheers Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Once again guys thanks for all your recommendations, i'm beginning to formulate a plan of action now Your help is gratefully received. I'll soon start to post so pics of my efforts for constructive critisism purposes Regards Rob........................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Ogilvie Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) Iwata HP-CH is my weapon of choice - I simply haven't seen better build quality and performance anywhere else (and I've tried a few - I still have a couple of Badgers and an Aztec lurking in the draw). Personally - I wouldn't recommend the Aztec at all - although some swear by it. I just swear AT it! Iain Edited March 3, 2009 by 32SIG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skii Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 The aibrushes are not bad for a starter either............ Very true - I have 3 of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Av8fan Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 (edited) My $0.02 cents. there are a lot of good recommendations here. The grex brushes look very nice. I have an Iwata CS. Great brush. I feel that it is a brush that with practice will allow you to do most things from narrow lines to fairly wide coverage. I think that a .50 nozzle is too wide for detail work and the .02's are to narrow for wide coverage. Also bear in mind the type of paint that you will be using. In my experience some nozzle/needle combinations will require more thinner with a given media then others. For example an 050 needle/nozzle will allow you to spray almost anything given high enough airpressure. Once you get into the .20's though the thinner/paint ratio becomes much more important. I for one always advocate trying different brushes for feel. Ergonomics will make a difference if you are spraying for an extended period. I have had cramped hands from long spraying session. Probably bad holding technique, or not taking breaks often enough. I stay away from siphon feed for detail work. Siphon feeds usually require higher air pressure which can lead to over spray. Gravity feed let you get closer due to lower airbrush pressures. Of course everyone is different. What I have written is my experience. Some of my buddies seem to be able to through a tin of paint at a model and it comes out great. Me, I struggle. Get a few cheap kits as test mules and practice practice practice. Learning your brush and what it needs in paint/thinner/air ratios will have a direct impact on how well it performs and how happy you are with the results. I want one of those Mosquitos. I am saving up. Edit- I forgot to mention - Wear a good cartridge type mask (VOC grades not just for dust), especially if you are in an enclosed area. Edited March 3, 2009 by Av8fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelmaker Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 Fairly recent member , but long time reader.Here's the question, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the 1/24th scale Airfix Mossie at the end of the year and have finally decided to get an airbrush so I can do justice to this kit. Obviously i'll do a lot of practicing before potentially ruining a very expensive kit!! So can anyone recommend a good airbrush/compressor set up for a beginner (40 years of using brushes only) now I don't nesessarily want a cheap one that'll need replacing within 6 months because I grow out of it I wan't reliability,performance and ease of use costs upto say £200 ish Thanks in anticipation Rob............. i REALISE THIS IS A BIT OUT OF DATE NOW BUT HERE IS MY TUPPENCEWORTH: i LOVE AIrbrushing (better than typing as you can see!!!) and have sort of collected several over the years. I have a Grex XN, and an Olympos HP100B which the artistic airbrush fraternity think is the bees knees. I also have a BD132, a cheap thing I bought years ago, and I hate to say it feels the best and EASILY paints the finest line, effortlessly, if that is anything to go by! I might get myself a 135 from the Airbrush Pro site I saw linked elsewhere on this thread as I think this is the same basic brush, just with the top cup I prefer. be careful mixing/using paint in most of these brushes which are really more suited (generally) to the art world where they tend to use thinner paint/ink etc than we use on our plastic and NEVER let the trigger snap back as the hydraulic action of the needle slamming paint into the nozzle (the tiny part) will invisibly but irrevocably ruin said small part. hope this is of interest JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldrick Posted May 8, 2010 Share Posted May 8, 2010 Hi, I have used Badger airbrushes with a small compressor for over 30 years and get very good results. I do think that how you thin the paint makes all the difference. My airbrushes are both single action and double action, and I do favour the single action with correctly thinned paint. So I would go for a single action Badger, say a 150 or 200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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