What airbrush is best for me?

You will probably get replies rangeing from the very basic to the very expensive.  a lot depends on price and parts availability where you live.  I'm very happy with my Badger 155 Anthem.  You can read about it on my web site.

Don 

You can get the Revell Professional Master Class Airbrush and the Revell Standard Class Compressor and stay with your budget from Wonderland Models.

http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/models/plastic-models/paints-glues/airbrushes/revell/

I actually have no first hand experience with these items since I live in the US. The Revell AB is supposed to be identical to Tamiya and made at the same factory where the Iwata AB are made. The Revell Maser Class Kompressor received some very good feedback on this forum and I picked the Standard Class one to fit your budget.

The Wonderland Models seems to price these items substantially less than other UK vendors. Good luck.

 

I am also pretty new to airbrushing. For this first brush I decided to go with a double action Iwata HP-CS. It is a great product. I have had no issues with learning it at all. It's easy to break down and clean (I am a fanatic about this). I bought mine from dixie art in New Orleans for 116 USD. I already had a small compressor. I did buy a new regulator and Iwata moisture trap for it. I wanted to start with a double action brush because I did want the ability to lay down as little or as much paint as I wanted. Good luck in your search, but I can recommend the Iwata product, for me it has been an excellent choice.

I was just going to comment on the Badger 155 Anthem suggestion. This is a good airbrush and it was my first. In hindsight I wouldn't have gotten it as a first and here's why. Trigger control. I find the needle tapers agresively so you will go from a little paint to a LOT of paint very quickly. I do 1/32 and I think doing 1/72 with it would take some practice. It is a good brush. I use it now for large coverage or clear coats and the like. I later bought a Iwata HP-CS for my detail painting which I love. It's very finicky compared to the Badger.

I would make 2 suggestions for you to look at. The Badger 100LG or the Iwata Revolution.

Why doesn't FSM make this subject a "sticky?"

I have answered this question a hundred times myself in the past 6 years and others have as well. It gets a little tiresome to hear the same question answered over and over and over....ad infinitum.

MaxPower wrote:

I was just going to comment on the Badger 155 Anthem suggestion. This is a good airbrush and it was my first. In hindsight I wouldn't have gotten it as a first and here's why. Trigger control. I find the needle tapers agresively so you will go from a little paint to a LOT of paint very quickly. I do 1/32 and I think doing 1/72 with it would take some practice. It is a good brush. I use it now for large coverage or clear coats and the like. I later bought a Iwata HP-CS for my detail painting which I love. It's very finicky compared to the Badger. I would make 2 suggestions for you to look at. The Badger 100LG or the Iwata Revolution.

The 155 is my first and only airbrush so I guess I'm just used to it, and I do mainly 1/72.  However, if you like a gentler action, the 3155, which is just a 155 with a finer needle, tip, and regulator, will give you that.  I bought all 3 parts for less than $20.  There are details on my website.

Don 

KlingonCommander wrote:

I am also pretty new to airbrushing. For this first brush I decided to go with a double action Iwata HP-CS. It is a great product. I have had no issues with learning it at all. It's easy to break down and clean (I am a fanatic about this). I bought mine from dixie art in New Orleans for 116 USD. I already had a small compressor. I did buy a new regulator and Iwata moisture trap for it. I wanted to start with a double action brush because I did want the ability to lay down as little or as much paint as I wanted. Good luck in your search, but I can recommend the Iwata product, for me it has been an excellent choice.

 

Hear hear.

 

I have an Iwata HP-CS as well. It is the only airbrush I use now. Really good on the detailed stuff and easy to clean. I wont buy anything buy another Iwata ever.

 

I consider myself to be a rookie and my first airbrush and still the only one I use is the Iwata HP-CS. The quality is great, it shoots super fine without any clogging, and it's easy to clean up after you get the hang of it. I would recommend this to anyone starting out, although I don't have experience in any other brushes to compare to, but so far I've been really happy. Just keep it clean and the Iwata HP-CS will be good to you.

Don I'm sorry I didn't really understand your post there. The impression I get though is your saying you can control with a regulator. If that's what you said it's a different issue than I'm talking about.

I find the needle itself, the shape and taper of it, transition very quickly. I find the brush goes from a fine spray to spewing paint with not a lot of trigger movement. It takes some practice to get the fine control. My Iwata sprays a managable spray even with the trigger wide open. The Anthem empties it's cup in about 4 seconds wide open!

 

Edit: I know you know what I'm talking about I just read about the dual taper on your website!! 

MaxPower wrote:

Don I'm sorry I didn't really understand your post there. The impression I get though is your saying you can control with a regulator. If that's what you said it's a different issue than I'm talking about. I find the needle itself, the shape and taper of it, transition very quickly. I find the brush goes from a fine spray to spewing paint with not a lot of trigger movement. It takes some practice to get the fine control. My Iwata sprays a managable spray even with the trigger wide open. The Anthem empties it's cup in about 4 seconds wide open! Edit: I know you know what I'm talking about I just read about the dual taper on your website!!

MaxPower, you made some very good points and explain why some of us on the forum perfer the Iwata. The Iwata needle is more durable despite of the steeper taper.

Don Wheeler did a wonderful job on his web site showing why the regular Badger needle responds the way it does. The regular needle shape makes it less likely to get bent, at the expenses of fine control. The new Badger Renegade airbrush uses a steeper tapered needle to give it a more refined control, at the expenses of a more delicate needle.

Airbrush hardware is more expensive in UK. A link to a low cost Iwata vendor will help DogTailRed3 a lot.

MaxPower wrote:

Don I'm sorry I didn't really understand your post there. The impression I get though is your saying you can control with a regulator. If that's what you said it's a different issue than I'm talking about. I find the needle itself, the shape and taper of it, transition very quickly. I find the brush goes from a fine spray to spewing paint with not a lot of trigger movement. It takes some practice to get the fine control. My Iwata sprays a managable spray even with the trigger wide open. The Anthem empties it's cup in about 4 seconds wide open!   Edit: I know you know what I'm talking about I just read about the dual taper on your website!!

 

The regulator that I'm talking about is the portion of the head assembly that Badger calls a regulator.  You may have thought I meant the air pressure regulator, and I should have made that clearer.  I think if you tried the 3155 parts on your 155 you would find that it works very similar to the Iwata, maybe not as well, but similar.  Airbrush feel is a very personal thing.  I actually prefer the original 155 needle.  I never pull back far enough on the trigger to engage the slope change unless I'm cleaning with thinner.  I just wanted to point out that, if you don't like it, there is an alternative at relatively low cost. 

Don 

Hi,

thanks for all your replies. The Iwata HP-CS seems to get the majority of thumbs up so I'll check this one out. Not sure if it's available in the UK as Badger seems to be the UK Brand, but no doubt someone will stock it.

Thanks,

Dog.