Purchasing a new airbrush kit

[Edward Scott]

Hi there,


I've just joined the forum as I'm looking for some advice regarding the purchase of an airbrush kit. I see there already a few threads on this topic so apologies for adding to them.


I have a Tamiya 1/16 tank to build and paint. Other than rattle cans painting RC bodies I've always shied away from actual painting. However, I really would like to do this tank myself. I also have a couple of static cars and a few OO locos that might get a little weathering along the way.


I've largely decided on this to get me going.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TC88T-Airbrush-Compressor-2-Switches-3-L-ROYAL-130-133-Airbrush-Not-AS-186-/331227372139


I noticed someone here made mention of putting beeswax on the threads when rebuilding? Is that due to poor tolerance in the threads?


Appreciate any help/advice

 

[Laurie]

Edward you are asking a big question.


Most important is the airbrush as this is going to give the finish. The compressor just supplies the air to make the airbrush work.


On the compressor virtually all are from China unless you want to pay approx £150 upwards. These China types are very good provided you get a good one ie they all vary within the same model. Best is to get one with a holding tank as the air to the airbrush is then more or less a constant pressure. With out an air tank the flow of air can be very slightly stuttered.


Airbrush buy the best you can. The type bundled with the compressor are not well engineered compared to Harder and Steenbeck and Iwata. All those through out the range of those two are good products and you will get good results.


Just a warning. Iwata import into their range Neo. There are numerous comments about them some good some not. All the other Iwata range are manufactured by Iwata.


Best to come back with what ever you have come to a conclusion on to get final advice before departing with the lolly. Also the size of needle/nozzle and the paint you intend to use in your model work.


Laurie

 

[Airfix Modeller Freak]

If I were you mate, I would go for the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS Airbrush. Pricey, but worth it. That airbrush has no warranty, definitely no spare parts, and I will guarantee you will have to be chucking it out after a year. The Iwata Eclipse and revolutions last for ages if you give them the right treatment


John

 

[aaron]

I advise to start with a duel action gravity feed airbrush no matter what brand.

 

[aaron]

Edward I got this one 2 days ago for £15, Nzd $30 delivered. Some will scoff because there's is no recognizable name but it comes with 0.2,0.3 and 0.5 needles and tips. Perfect for a beginner.


View attachment 104547



I know there is merit in buying well established named tools but if looked after the cheap option can still be successful.

 

[Laurie]

I know there is merit in buying well established named tools but if looked after the cheap option can still be successful.

Careful here as we do not know what type of paint is being used. Plus even if water based some of the airbrush cleaners will eat there way through Airbrush seals unless they are produced to resist the chemicals used.


Laurie

 

[dubster72]

Whilst it's quite possible to spend £120 or so on an H & S airbrush, if one were to buy a similar type to Aaron's you'd get 8 of them for the cost of the H & S .... effectively 8 years of airbrushing!


I use one that cost £13.50, with hot solvents going through it all the time - hardly ever a blockage & no damage to seals.

 

[Richi72]

For a beginner, with no experience at all I would go with a cheap airbrush to get a feeling for it.


As for the compressor one with a reservoir is the right choice.


As you gather experience you can change the airbrush to the more expensive ones.


I own an Aztek 470 for about 14 years now, never had any problems with it, but I have some cheap Asian Airbrushes too, and I use them allot with no problems yet and the oldest one (5 years) costed me € 17,00 and still use it.


Cheers Richi

 

[KEVIN CLARKE]

I bought this one last year, not used it a great deal, but, as a beginner has done all I need so far. http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/AIRBRUSH-COMPRESSOR--WITH-TANK--AND-2-DOUBLE-ACTION-AIRBRUSHES-769080.html

 

[Aurora]

this no name china airbrushes are low cost but at the end they are chinese garbage :/ i started with a chineese 130 model AB (you are ordering 133 model) it was good at the begining but after 6 months just "pah! garbage". you have to use it carefully, cleaning is little bit hard, it has spitting problems alot.


now i am using paasche talon, it is way better than this ABs. i ordered it from USA via amazon, total cost was 75$. the feeling, after using noname AB, is like " hell yeah! i am using AB"


that is my personal comment


Safak

 

[Edgar Brooks]

My advice, for what it's worth, is, if you can get to a model exhibition with vendors in attendance, find a stand selling airbrushes, and see if you can handle some, and get a feel of them.


I have large hands, so Badger brushes feel too small and difficult to control, so I now have a (25 year old) Paasche VLS, which is solid and heavy and feels right in my hand. Your experience might (and probably will) differ completely..


Also remember that a (seemingly complicated, and fairly expensive) double-action airbrush can usually be adapted to single-action use, until you gain experience, you can't go the other way with a single-action brush.


Edgar

 

[noble]

I would suggest an IWATA but I'd go for the Neo it is only £ 45.00 and works superb.


scott

 

[Laurie]

To start you can get delivered on Ebay a compressor for £66 with a tank. The compressors are all the same in the under a £100 coming from the same Chinese factory. Only difference is they are branded and in the sellers livery.


Which puts the airbrush bundled with your package Edward at £30.


John in the shop has the Neo on sale at £34:88. Or if you can go further Edward an Eclipse at just over the £100 mark. Both have .35 needle/nozzles which are perfect for model paint types.


Although not as good as an Eclipse I am sure you will have more of a guaranty of quality with the Neo than the one bundled with the Compressor. The Airbrush in the bundle does not give the needle/nozzle size but you need especially for starting out a .35 needle size .


If by chance which I would say is slim you do not get on with airbrushing then the Eclipse would market well on Ebay. Neo not so good and the bundled one very poor.


Laurie

 

[Airfix Modeller Freak]

Careful here as we do not know what type of paint is being used. Plus even if water based some of the airbrush cleaners will eat there way through Airbrush seals unless they are produced to resist the chemicals used.
Laurie

True mate. That's why I like using the Iwata Eclipse.... Teflon seals


John

 

[Airfix Modeller Freak]

To start you can get delivered on Ebay a compressor for £66 with a tank. The compressors are all the same in the under a £100 coming from the same Chinese factory. Only difference is they are branded and in the sellers livery.
Which puts the airbrush bundled with your package Edward at £30.


John in the shop has the Neo on sale at £34:88. Or if you can go further Edward an Eclipse at just over the £100 mark. Both have .35 needle/nozzles which are perfect for model paint types.


Although not as good as an Eclipse I am sure you will have more of a guaranty of quality with the Neo than the one bundled with the Compressor. The Airbrush in the bundle does not give the needle/nozzle size but you need especially for starting out a .35 needle size .


If by chance which I would say is slim you do not get on with airbrushing then the Eclipse would market well on Ebay. Neo not so good and the bundled one very poor.


Laurie

I completely agree mate. However, I sold my Neo for a very good price when I bought my eclipse. Basically, if it is an Iwata, or backed by Iwata, people are more likely to buy it than a no brand airbrush.


John

 

[Airfix Modeller Freak]

For a beginner, with no experience at all I would go with a cheap airbrush to get a feeling for it.
As for the compressor one with a reservoir is the right choice.


As you gather experience you can change the airbrush to the more expensive ones.


I own an Aztek 470 for about 14 years now, never had any problems with it, but I have some cheap Asian Airbrushes too, and I use them allot with no problems yet and the oldest one (5 years) costed me € 17,00 and still use it.


Cheers Richi

Ugh. No offence mate, but I have had appaling experiences with Aztecs. I find them hard to use, hard to fix and I have had problems with doing free hand camo with those. Maybe for more advanced modellers they at suitable, but definitely not a beginners tool. I know the Australian international modeller Brett Green uses them with excellent results, but definately not for me. It gave a rough gritty finish. The Iwata eclipse, however, can give me very fine lines to very large coverage with a smooth finish. This is why Infeel I should not change the needle set up, nor why it needs a finer needle. The .35 needle is fine for me


Cheers, John

 

[dubster72]

There's a lot of guff on here about airbrushes!


The No. 1 cause of problems ... user error! No different brand of AB will cause spitting, rough finish etc!


And Teflon seals? Where are they in the paint/air mix? Only if there's a seal between the nozzle & body, so if the nozzle screws directly to the airbrush no seals, Teflon or otherwise are needed.


Honestly, while a £100+ AB is great, it's not what a novice should cut their teeth on ... is it?

 

[Richi72]

but definitely not a beginners tool.

Hi John,


non taken


Maybe it wasn't that clear, I mean to say I got an expensive one (at least it was for me) and a couple of cheap ones and they all preform, but I think it is a question of what am I comfortable with and what do I want to spend, and we are talking about a beginner.


I started with the single action ones from revell and then i bought the Aztec one, and some Asian ones, and maybe I am lucky, but they work for me.


Hope this cleared some points.


Cheers Richi

 

[john i am]

Airbrushing for beginners arghhhh I remember it well I very testing time for myself personally.Here is my story I hope it aids or assists you Edward .


Exhibit A


After returning to the hobby just over two years ago and being a complete rookie to airbrushing I opted for this set up cost around £80.00 at the time if memory serves correctly.I am sure people have managed to use this set up happily but ooooooo no not me what a miserable time I had anything and everything was going wrong.although I partly blame myself for the lack of experience I still feel this set up wasn't suited to a beginner and feel If I went back to it now after 2 years then I would still have problems with it.


View attachment 104665



Exhibit B


Thinking my problems might be down to the two airbrushes supplied in the compressor package I went and purchased these two in gold very blingy and cheap as chips but alas not my saviour still suffering all kinds of problemsView attachment 104664



Exhibit C


Next up I moved into the premier league of airbrushes as I thought at the time £30.00 from one of those airbrush stands at the Cosford show but horror of all horror on my return home I found that it didn't work and still doesn't to this day after numerous strip downs and investigations omg the frustrations were really building at this point was just about ready to throw in the towel on my return to modelling I mean I was supposed to be relaxing and enjoying myself!!!View attachment 104663



Exhibit D


Then I saw the light an iwata for £45.00 the dogs dangly bits of airbrushes surely this would be the one to make me into a pro air brusher.............. Wrong after suffering blow back syndrome to many times I care to mention it was sent back from were it came and later returned in perfect working order but by now I had lost all faith in it . So off it went to sit with all the other offending brushes in the cupboard.I have also learned this is not exactly an iwata as stated on the tin/box but just a company (somewhere in china?)given licence to use iwatas name View attachment 104662



Exhibit E


I eventually was reduced to the fact that I was never going to be a airbrushing modeller.But because I've never been one to give up on anything I decided one more throw of the dice was required.So I went for something expensive a real iwata airbrush and compressor but they were worth every penny as I was soon to discover as it was only as I can describe as plug and play airbrushing worked 1st time and every time perfectly no issues or problems whatsoever to date.I am sure people have and can make these airbrushes and compressors from china work but my personal opinion put them on the 1st available spaceship and send them into orbit.To all beginners I recommend that you go out and get yourselves a quality branded airbrush and compressor as having the right tool for the job in hand is half the battle ask any professional tradesman.Good luck Edward I hope all goes well for you please remember this is just my story and opinion others are available cheers John View attachment 104661

.

Exhibit F View attachment 104660

 

[aaron]

Airbrushing for beginners arghhhh I remember it well I very testing time for myself personally.Here is my story I hope it aids or assists you Edward .
Exhibit A


After returning to the hobby just over two years ago and being a complete rookie to airbrushing I opted for this set up cost around £80.00 at the time if memory serves correctly.I am sure people have managed to use this set up happily but ooooooo no not me what a miserable time I had anything and everything was going wrong.although I partly blame myself for the lack of experience I still feel this set up wasn't suited to a beginner and feel If I went back to it now after 2 years then I would still have problems with it.


View attachment 114908


Exhibit B


Thinking my problems might be down to the two airbrushes supplied in the compressor package I went and purchased these two in gold very blingy and cheap as chips but alas not my saviour still suffering all kinds of problemsView attachment 114907


Exhibit C


Next up I moved into the premier league of airbrushes as I thought at the time £30.00 from one of those airbrush stands at the Cosford show but horror of all horror on my return home I found that it didn't work and still doesn't to this day after numerous strip downs and investigations omg the frustrations were really building at this point was just about ready to throw in the towel on my return to modelling I mean I was supposed to be relaxing and enjoying myself!!!View attachment 114906


Exhibit D


Then I saw the light an iwata for £45.00 the dogs dangly bits of airbrushes surely this would be the one to make me into a pro air brusher.............. Wrong after suffering blow back syndrome to many times I care to mention it was sent back from were it came and later returned in perfect working order but by now I had lost all faith in it . So off it went to sit with all the other offending brushes in the cupboard.I have also learned this is not exactly an iwata as stated on the tin/box but just a company (somewhere in china?)given licence to use iwatas name View attachment 114905


Exhibit E


I eventually was reduced to the fact that I was never going to be a airbrushing modeller.But because I've never been one to give up on anything I decided one more throw of the dice was required.So I went for something expensive a real iwata airbrush and compressor but they were worth every penny as I was soon to discover as it was only as I can describe as plug and play airbrushing worked 1st time and every time perfectly no issues or problems whatsoever to date.I am sure people have and can make these airbrushes and compressors from china work but my personal opinion put them on the 1st available spaceship and send them into orbit.To all beginners I recommend that you go out and get yourselves a quality branded airbrush and compressor as having the right tool for the job in hand is half the battle ask any professional tradesman.Good luck Edward I hope all goes well for you please remember this is just my story and opinion others are available cheers John View attachment 114904.


Exhibit F View attachment 114903

Wow dude...I got my first ab for £13 plugged it into my garages 2.5 Ltr compressor and away I went. That cheap asian ab lasted me 2 yrs and would still be used today If I didn't over tighten the little nozzle . Epic story none the less and a good read.