Revell Beginners Airbrush Set

[philbean]

My brothers just getting back into modelling. Up to now he's painting with brushes.

I've seen a 'Beginners' airbrushing set for about £15. You get an airbrush + aerosol can.

Are these any good?

[T-Tango]

Hi,

What you've to remember is that this particular A/B is very, very basic and very crude, you will have no control over paint or airflow, also aerosols are very expensive, don't last long and are very inconsistent, there is a recent thread in the Airbrush forum showing links to basic double action brushes from about £20 perhaps these would be worth a look.

[little-cars]

The cans of air will cost you £6-8 each, last about ten minutes and as you use them they ice up and loose pressure.

Would suggest getting a cheap compressor and a slightly better brush.

[Miccara]

To answer your question, my personal opinion is it is crap. Not only that, it may leave you with a bad taste about airbrushing and you really should embrace it! the following (if you have the time to read it), is part of a "How to" modeling article I wrote a while ago. Might help a little.

Let’s start with a controversial item; the airbrush.

You do not need an airbrush to paint a model. You just need an airbrush to make it look the best it can. You can if you like, hand paint it and get a pretty good looking kit. It will never look as good as an airbrushed one does (more angry emails coming my way now), but I understand your apprehension. Maybe it will help if I point out a few things.

(1) You do not need to be an artist or possess artistic talent to use an airbrush successfully. (2) They are not really that expensive (3) It is easy to learn and use (4) I‟ll bet you‟ll be happy with the results (5) They are not messy (6) They clean fairly easy

The most important thing to come to grips with is; you do not need to be an artist or possess artist talent to use an airbrush successfully. It is just another tool in your toolbox, sitting there with your hammer and screwdriver or in this case your art knife and glue. I am not an artist but this doesn't hinder my ability to airbrush a model.

If you have made the commitment to build then make the commitment to buy an airbrush. I recommend gravity fed dual action. There are going to be a lot of different opinions on this and you can make your own choice. Mine is dual action, gravity fed and I say that‟s what you should get because I know more than you do. You can get a decent one for $100 or less, of course now you need to buy a compressor. This is another story, cheap noisy ones that will make people yell “can you turn that thing off” - $50 to $100. Good one, around $250-$300. Save, save, save. They are worth it in the long run. If you plan on buying canned propellant to power your airbrush for the first few uses - well that I can understand. After that, if you are not saving for a compressor then you are a foolish person. Canned propellant is outrageously expensive, provides no control, and will run out at exactly the worst possible time. Compressor… FREE AIR, on-going, unrestricted, adjustable FREE air. FREE air means cleaning your airbrush in 2 minutes.

If you‟re a kid and $100 may as well be a million, tell your parents that by purchasing an airbrush for you they are encouraging the growth of your artistic abilities and giving a forum to express your innermost feelings baby-boomer parents love that stuff), and you will spend more time in your room quietly working away on your kits, all the time building dexterity, the ability to read and follow instructions, learning about history and developing skills that will in the future, help you fabricate things that may save them money. Not only that... you can spray real cool looking abs on Dad before he heads out to beach, or a tan on mom or better yet... remind Dad how much she spends having her nails airbrushed.

Edited December 11, 2009 by Miccara

[TonyT]

One of the guys on pacific fighters swears by a cylinder of co2, the ones they use for beer barrels in pubs, he says it lasts for ever and then you get it refilled, no noise and also no moisture. what he says about them

I've said it before, but you can dispense with the compressor entirely by using a CO2 cylinder with an appropriate pressure regulator. It's cheap, silent, portable, no issues with water in the line, and dead simple to use. The cylinder used for soft drink dispensers is plenty big (typically a 20lb cylinder, my last refill lasted seven years) but find your local industrial gases supplier and see what they've got on hand. I'll post a shot tomorrow of my new cylinder, which is even smaller, I figure I'll get at least a year from each charge.

[philbean]

Cheers all. Won't bother with the cheapy one

[TonyT]

Our man on here from littlecars may be able to give you some good pointers, he has always done in the past, so much so I have bought the odd parts from him

[little-cars]

Always willing to discuss peoples situations and point them in the right direction, even if it's towards another retailer.

[F111Fan]

AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAUGE. It splatters paint rather than sprays, you have no flow control, very little pressure control and it's a pain to work with. AVOID AT ALL COSTS

[TonyT]

AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAUGE. It splatters paint rather than sprays, you have no flow control, very little pressure control and it's a pain to work with. AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Take it you mean the

Revell Beginners Airbrush Set, Any good?

[-james-]

I was round at Tom's (vulcanboy's) House the other day, and he showed me his 1/72 vulcan he had attempted to spray with the revell set. More or less ruined a good model Dont touch it with multiple barge poles affixed to each other.

[Skii]

I use one of these Revell airbrushes purely for broad coverage (with a compressor)

they are basic, but actually do a very good job of spraying a large surface area, in particular laquer coats where I need even wet coats. I can't recommend them for anything else, but they do have a purpose

As advised however, spend a little more on a better a/b and compressor, you won't regret it

[F111Fan]

Take it you mean the Revell Beginners Airbrush Set, Any good?

yes i do mean that, it's terrible. Don't get it