Rattlecan vs Airbrush

The airbrush gives you a lot more control.  You can adjust thinning ratio and pressure.  I always use airbrush for at least the final coat.

I sometimes use a rattle can for a base coat, but then almost always have to do a lot of sanding to get that coat ready for a final airbrush coat.

For large areas consider the airbrush just another form of a brush.  You need to build up the coat from a myriad of smaller areas.  There is a tendency when doing large areas with an airbrush to back off and try to cover a large area all at once. Learn to resist this and go along, with a lot of overlap, very slowly.  Keep brush near surface and paint just as you would a smaller area. If it takes multiple coats, so be it.

I have never considered rattle can better, just faster but less quality.

Mikey,

It is really a matter of personal preference, goals, materials, and PRACTICE!  Some modelers brush paint everything.  They develop their techniques, practice with their paint of choice, and come up with results they are happy with.  Some modelers, especially automotive builders, can achieve great results with spray cans.  The availability of many different colors, types of paints -  hobby, automotive, general purpose paints, etc. can be a real bonus.  With a little practice, you can achieve great results.  The larger scale of most auto models makes use of the spray cans possible.  Most automotive paint schemes use one or two colors.  There are many good articles on the steps involved in acheiving success with spray cans.  Other modelers, especially those building in smaller scales, prefer the control of an airbrush.  Airbrushes allow you to control the amount of paint that you apply to your model.  They also allow you to use custom mixed colors, apply different techniques, etc.  As with any tool, they require practice.  Many modelers are intimidated by airbrushes.  Patience, planning, and practice are the keys.  You will find hundreds of articles on this site as well as other sources on indiviual opinions on what airbrush to buy, what paint to use, what pressures to spray at, etc.  Choose what information you wish to start with, and just practice, practice, practice.  Don't be discouraged.   You can use empty water or soda bottles to practice on.  play with different settings, see how each effects the results.  Good luck, and remember HAVE FUN!  This is a hobby.

David

good regulated source? I have a compressor from a 1980's nebulizer, pumping into an oxygen bottle from a venom. No regulator. Just a pressure gauge. My fathers ex AF mechanic and its his lol

If you just want to slap some paint on, go with the spray can; no clean-up required.  If you want to put a thin even coat that allows the details to show and you'd like more choice in paints and colors, then learn to use and care for an airbrush.  Maybe there's something wrong with the airbrush you borrowed.  If you're not familiar with how they work, you might want to check out my website. Do you have a good regulated source for your air?

Don