New to the AFVs, do I need an airbrush?

Not 100 % necessary,you are right to try out the cans and  handbrushing 1st,but if you really end up liking it and want to progress in the hobby,an airbrush is pretty essential to more advanced techniques

No, you don't have to. Depending on the schemes your doing, it would help. But for single colour schemes or ones with mard edges, you should be able to produce a decent finish.

I second what Tojo said.  when you feel you are ready, an airbrush is a game changer and will raise your build quality by leaps.

I have been modeling for 35 plus years and in that time I have owned and tried several airbrushes.  I currently own 4.  In the past I would have recommended a simple single action airbrush like a paasche H or a badger 200 or something similar.  These tend to be high quality, easy to learn, easy to clean and use, give very good results and are usually around $100 for airbrush and compressor.

As of late I have changed my recommendation since airbrushes have progressed so much.  If you decide to get an airbrush and are willing to spend around $400 for airbrush and compressor consider a Grex Tritium Ts2 or Ts3 side feed.

I own this airbrush and had I to do it over again I would have got this one first.  This airbrush will allow you to skip a couple of teething steps in learning to airbrush and you will have an airbrush that will grow with your skills and you wont hit its limitations since it is really three airbrushes in one.

One, it is a double action airbrush that works and has the simple and short learning curve of a single action.

The side gravity feed cup swaps for left or right hand use.

Its a pistol grip so your hand feels natural from the first use.

Easy to clean

Shoots all types of paints.

Comes with three size cups.

Cups rotates so you can paint straight ahead all the way to straight down with no spilling and the cups have caps

You can add optional larger and smaller needles and also a fan spray cap so the airbrush goes from fine detail all the way to a broad spray gun.

Uses standard 1/8" connections, no special sizes.

Adjustable needle stop so you can set how much paint will spray at full trigger pull

Very fine atomization, like a mist so the paint goes on very smooth.

I use this gun for 80-90% of the time now.  There are some videos on youtube you can watch to see the airbrush in action.

Wow, that was fast!  Thanks for all the tips.  I was getting a little scared off the whole afv thing because of needing an airbrush.  I think I'll try a build with a single colour scheme and none of the weathering stuff as yet.  I just want to get the feel of doing a model. 

next question:

can I get single colours for afvs  In A single spray can like I can for the model cars?  I havent looked at the hobby store as my son has only asked for fluorescent red and lime green for his cars?  

Any other initial build tips would be helpful and welcome

Thanks

Like everyone above mentioned, it's certainly not necessary to have one but the advantages are pretty hard to quantify - it will absolutely change your model quality.

I dipped my toe in the water with a bundled setup from Amazon, included a Compressor (get a compressor with a tank. tankless compressors tend to "pulse,") some hose, a hanger for the airbrush and the airbrush itself. I instantly had buyer's remorse for the airbrush but the rest of the gear was good, and at something like $125 I had everything I needed (minus the crap airbrush. I'm still in therapy for how angry that brush made me.)

I immediately bought an Iwata HP-C, which set me back about $100 but it has performed flawlessly for the last three years - only issue I have ever had is entirely attributable to my inexperience. I'm eyeing the piggy bank and considering adding an Iwata Micron to the collection. I like the top-loading brushes because they're fast for quick color changes, but side-loaders have distinct benefits too.

Caveats: in the beginning, you'll get pressures wrong for different paint viscosities (Model Master and Tamiya are fine at low pressure, don't shoot unthinned Vallejo Poly Primer at low PSI unless you really like the work of Jackson Pollock. ) but after you have a good handle on it, you'll find yourself reaching for it more and more often.

As for the single-color cans for AFVs, absolutely. Model Master/Testors, Humbrol and Tamiya all make a wide selection of colors, availability may vary widely depending on where you live though for me locally, Hobby Lobby carries a MOUNTAIN of Model Master rattlecans.

Since most tanks are single colors (except for WW2 German tanks), no you don't need an airbrush.

Jacobrivers,

Save some cash and buy an olympos (spelled with an o) mp200.  There are a few left on eBay for 250.  The olympos sold the rights to iwata to create the micron.  Over 80% of the parts are identical including the whole needle nozzle assembly and all seals.

Olympos went out of business last year so you can get the airbrush for half the micron.  I have one and it is amazing!  I can shoot at under 10 psi and shoot inside a panel line on 1/48 scale.

It has a rubber seal but iwata makes a teflon one to replace it once it goes bad.  Just remember to lubricate the seal after each use and it will last a while.

route62

Jacobrivers,

Save some cash and buy an olympos (spelled with an o) mp200.  There are a few left on eBay for 250.  The olympos sold the rights to iwata to create the micron.

Thanks for the heads-up, route62! I'll look into that. Yeah, a Micron was going to be a hard sell to the Ministry of War and Finance, aka "Mrs. Rivers"

Ther is a site called "Don's Airbrush Tips " that will tell you about everything one needs to know about AB.  Don't forget the 40% off coupons online for Hobby Lobby or Michael's.  I got my Badger Patriot this way .

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Since most tanks are single colors (except for WW2 German tanks), no you don't need an airbrush.

 

Not forgetting most modern western armour.