First Airbrush

Thanks, Mike! i think i'll go for the Crescendo since it has the 3 extra tips dor roughly the same price... now i need to figure out what store i saw it in!!

QUOTE: Originally posted by shrikes What do you guys think of the Badger 175 Crescendo? It's a double-action, siphon feed airbrush with the 3 tips and misc bottles, etc? The price here is 'round about Php6500.00 or about $125... I'm paying twice what it's worth, yes? How about the airbrush itself? I'm also leaning toward the Badger 150 (for about the same price) as well.

Shrikes,

Either of those airbrushes would suit you fine for modeling.
Look at them and see which one you like the feel of better and buy it if it is cheaper than getting one off the internet and having it shipped to you.

Sorry to get back to this so late.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by karlwb I used my Badger 250 single action the other day and I could hardly controll it - I'd got used to double action.

Like driving a car with no steering wheel or brakes!

I got my Badger 155-7 from my local hobby shop and paid about £115 GBP, thats about badger recomended retail price. I know I could have payd less on the internet but I wanted the backup of a local dealer for repairs if necessasary. Don't think I like the idea of buying somthing like an AB from the net epecially eBay or the like. Don't get me wrong, I've bought plenty of things from eBay, but nothing like that.

I used my double action 155 all the time, but I used my Badger 250 single action the other day and I could hardly controll it - I'd got used to double action.

QUOTE: Originally posted by plum1030 If your doing 1/72 aircraft, I'd recommend a gravity feed model so you have more control and less overspray. Best way for smaller subjects or detail.

I would recomend a gravity feed for just about all of it....Love my new Omni never saw how I did with out it. But I did and I did just fine.....But its so much easier to use. Put a light coat on a 1/48th Tomcat last night, didnt run out of paint...which was a big concern of mine in the begining with gravity feeds.

If your doing 1/72 aircraft, I'd recommend a gravity feed model so you have more control and less overspray. Best way for smaller subjects or detail.

Okay, guys... I've been doing some browsing and the cheaper (and less stressful) alternative seems to be to buy a brush here in Manila rather than buying it online (Shipping adds some 30 dollars to the price depending on the weight. Will do more research on this)...

What do you guys think of the Badger 175 Crescendo? It's a double-action, siphon feed airbrush with the 3 tips and misc bottles, etc? The price here is 'round about Php6500.00 or about $125... I'm paying twice what it's worth, yes? How about the airbrush itself? I'm also leaning toward the Badger 150 (for about the same price) as well.

im with mikeV on the omni line. i have an omni 5000 which is the same as the 4000 only with a smaller cup. paid $67 at dixie and absolutely love my airbrush. not the best for broad coverage but for tight line detailing and close in spraying with about 8 to 10 lbs of pressure, you can't beat the gravity feed capability. im not saying you have to buy an omni, but if your in to fine detailing you definetly need a gravity feed. to go along with the gravity feed, you'll need a boatload of practice (and that goes for any airbrush you by, especially double action). i have a single action paasche H and a single action badger gravity feed, and both sit on the shelf and collect dust after getting used to the double action. whatever you do, especially if your on a tight budget, do not buy a single action brush. they are easy for beginners, but why bother? go ahead and buy the double action because you can do with a double action what you cant do with a single action, but you cant do with a single action what you can do with a double action. now that i have thouroughly confused you.....................

I purchased the Badger 155 Anthem from Dixieart supplies. I paid $66.00 for it and S/H was free.
mark956

Boorman,

Give us some more details such as:
What airbrush are you using?
What paints are you using?
What pressure are you spraying at?
How thin did you mix the paint?
How close to the model are you spraying?

These can help us give you some recommendations to maybe help you out of this dilema.

Mike

I am having trouble painting my model. Im working on a 1950 Chevy stepside. When i paint with my airbrush, the paint just runs off. I was wondering what i was doing wrong.

It doesn't pulsate? It is impossible for a diaphragm compressor to not pulsate unless it has something to smooth out the airflow such as an airtank. It doesn't pulsate badly but it does still pulsate nonetheless.
Hook an airhose to it without the airbrush attached and turn it on.
Hold your hand over the end of the air hose and feel the air coming out.
It should feel like a real fast pulsation at least my D500 did.
It regards to getting warm I am talking about the fact that if you leave it running for any length of time they do get pretty warm. Maybe not hot to the touch but they can get pretty warm and heat is what kills compressors. If it is real cold in your painting area you may not notice it but come summer time you will see what I mean.

Mike

Hate to tell you this Mike while Im sure the Silentaire is the better compressor over the Paasche D500...Mine doesn't pulsate like I was told it would....has yet to get warm either of cours Im not sitting there airbrushing for 2 hrs solid....I dont know any modeler who does....Only person I know who does that is Ben the local airbrush expert, but he has a business which does Auto work as well as other things.....

Of course I bought my D500 about 4 times below normal costs...If I had to do it all over again and had to pay full price for everything I would go with the Option MikeV posted. Never steered me wrong as of yet.

Maybe my D500 is just blessed LOL since it doesnt pulsate, though I have heard it is a common problem

QUOTE: Originally posted by unnamedplayer simple. iwata revolution cr: $69. paasche D500: $140 total: 209 + tax, same as omni 4000 and silentaire scorpion II.

You are joking right?
The Paasche D500 is junk compared to the Scorpion II.
The D500 is a diaphragm compressor that pulsates the airflow and overheats from it's simple design with no shutoff switch. The Scorpion II on the other hand is a dual-piston compressor that does not pulsate the airflow and does not overheat as it only comes on when you press the airbrush trigger.
There is no comparison whatsoever.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by MikeV QUOTE: Originally posted by joe4708 ok. i'm an amateur on air brushes. i am thinking of buying a testors aztek a470 airbrush kit (tesa4709) $120.00 and a aztek air compressor ac300 (tes8883) $120.00. should i do it? i'm open to any suggestions from you more experienced guys. thanks. To be honest there is no way I would pay that kind of money for an Aztek airbrush. You can get a good Omni for about half that price that blows the Aztek off the planet. You could buy an Omni 4000 for $69.95 and a Silentaire Scorpion 1 compressor for another $139. That's $30 less than that Aztek setup and much higher quality and reliability. For another $20 more than you were going to spend you could upgrade and get the Omni 4000 with the Silentaire Scorpion II compressor. That would be a great modelling setup that would last you a long time. Mike

simple. iwata revolution cr: $69.
paasche D500: $140

total: 209 + tax, same as omni 4000 and silentaire scorpion II.

QUOTE: Originally posted by joe4708 ok. i'm an amateur on air brushes. i am thinking of buying a testors aztek a470 airbrush kit (tesa4709) $120.00 and a aztek air compressor ac300 (tes8883) $120.00. should i do it? i'm open to any suggestions from you more experienced guys. thanks.

To be honest there is no way I would pay that kind of money for an Aztek airbrush. You can get a good Omni for about half that price that blows the Aztek off the planet. You could buy an Omni 4000 for $69.95 and a Silentaire Scorpion 1 compressor for another $139. That's $30 less than that Aztek setup and much higher quality and reliability. For another $20 more than you were going to spend you could upgrade and get the Omni 4000 with the Silentaire Scorpion II compressor. That would be a great modelling setup that would last you a long time.

Mike

ok. i'm an amateur on air brushes. i am thinking of buying a testors aztek a470 airbrush kit (tesa4709) $120.00 and a aztek air compressor ac300 (tes8883) $120.00. should i do it? i'm open to any suggestions from you more experienced guys. thanks.

QUOTE: Originally posted by SirMixellot I just got my Badger Anthem set (155-7) on Ebay for $50, whereas the Badger site said the price was around $125. Ebay is def. the place to go.

That is a good price for a new one. They sell for $66 with free shipping from Dixie Art. Good deal my friend.
What is rare, to impossible to get on Ebay though is a good deal on an Iwata.
They always sell for top-dollar.

Mike

I just got my Badger Anthem set (155-7) on Ebay for $50, whereas the Badger site said the price was around $125. Ebay is def. the place to go.

I have yet to use it (i've only disassembled and reassembled it...and yes, it is as easy as they say) but i've heard great things about the brush. I can't wait to get painting on my Academy 1/32 Hornet.

I would simply recommend an Iwata Revolution Hp-CR available from www.dixieart.com. The Revolution Hp-CR is a double -action, gravity -feed airbrush featuring a .5mm nozzle(great for some detail and large area coverage). This airbrush is very inexpensive for an Iwata at a cost of only 59.00 at the Dixe Art site. The internal parts are minimal, break-down is easy, cleaning is very-very easy due to it's gravity feed design. This airbrush sprays anything from acrylics to laquers with no problems. The internal needle bearings and such are solvent proof so theres no worries when using your favorite media. I own and use the Revolution HP-CR for detail and general use on my 1/72nd scale modern jet models for some detail & single colors. I use an Iwata Hp-C for camo out-lining & weathering techniques. Good luck with your choice!

In the Jan issue they reviewed Single Action brushes, and in the next issue they plan on reviewing double actions...

Now in addition to my above post, some people prefer single over double and vice versa. I have only ever had a double action, my first airbrush was Double Action(Paasche VL), and thats all I care for. Some people who start off on single actions have a harder time learning double actions(though to be honest its not hard)so I would recommend starting off with a double action. In the long run I think a double action provides more over all control versus a single action. Of course this is just my opinion, they both have thier uses and advantages as well as dis-advantages.

QUOTE: Originally posted by shrikes I checked some local stores for airbrushes, and i found a badger 150 for a little over $120. I'm paying too much, right? is the 150 any good?

I think that's too expensive, shrikes. But I guess it really cost that much there in the Philippines. I got a Badger Crescendo 175 complete set for about $70.


Anyway regarding your queries about airbrushes, maybe you should grab a copy of the January Issue of FSM, if you still don't have it. They have an article about selecting an airbrush in this issue.

Hard to say how much you should pay since you are in the Philippines. It's definitely a lot more than what you would pay in the States. Maybe you can look for an Iwata Eclipse and compare prices. The Badger 150 is a good brush, but I think the Badger Anthem would be better for model builders. One tip does all the different spray patterns instead of having to change tips and needles for the Badger 150.

I just got 2 new airbrushes within the last two weeks, a Badger 360 and an Iwata Eclipse SBS. In fact the Iwata arrive in the mail about 10 hours ago. Haven't used it yet, but these two brushes seem to have very similar designs, except for the feed which is unique on the Badger. The Eclipse feels a lot heavier. So far I really like the 360. I'll do some comparison when I test the Eclipse out. The Badger 360 seems to be a little less complicated to disassemble.

I also have a loaner Paasche VL in the box. I'll do some comparison when I get the time to try them out.

I checked some local stores for airbrushes, and i found a badger 150 for a little over $120. I'm paying too much, right? is the 150 any good?

QUOTE: Originally posted by jcheyney I am new in modeling and just got my first airbrush, a Paasche VL. It was relatively inexpensive on eBay ( I think about $65 to $75.) One of the things I like about it is that, although it is a double-action model it can be set to operate in a single-action mode. So far it has worked well for me, doing single-color armor. The hard part is getting the dilution right for the various paints. I am running it off of a small Campbell-Hausfield air compressor. This isn't a big one with a tank, but one of the smaller units that is used to air up tires and toys, etc. It seems to work fine so far, despite what others have said. Again, I haven't done anything complex yet. It does have the capability to vary the air pressure, although it is difficult to regulate well. It is also really, really, loud. It is less expensive than a true airbrush compressor and the multiple uses makes it easier to justify.

$65 to $75 seems pretty pricey, but it's a good brush. Only $60 complete from dixie art and $45 for the card set shipping included.

I still use a "small" 1/2HP! Campbell - Hausfield compressor, but I have an air tank with a water trap and regulator. Works real well in terms of air supply but it's a pain to pump up. You can go to Wally's and get a tank real cheap, then you will have very good control on the air, no more pulses and no noise while brushing.

I suggest Coast Airbrush, Dixie Art, and BearAir all as great places to buy.
If you want a place that helps you out better than anyone else then go with Coast Airbrush. http://coastairbrush.com/
Dave and his staff have forgotten more about airbrushes than most of us will ever know.
Their prices are competitive on most airbrushes and accessories too.

Mike

I don't know much about the best airbrush to get but if you are looking for a place to get a certain airbrush really cheap I suggest:

www.bearair.com

The website is really badly made and there are no pictures or info on the products but if you know what airbrush you want you can usually get it alot cheaper then normal. I got my Paasche H there for 41 dollars and it usaully costs around 60. By the way may Paasche H works great for my modelling needs and its easy to clean.

many claim that external mix brushes are easier to clean but I've had badger 350 and Pasche H and my Iwata HP-CS is far easier to clean. I'll leave the quality opinion to someone else as I hated my H and 350 so I'm too biased. My Iwata is near perfect.

So it is a real term... *phew!* So what are the advantages of one over the other? does one spray a bit more evenly than the other, or maybe one is harder to clean than the other?