Recommendation for super tight budget and noob?

denstore

http://www.bearair.com/BearClaw-Autographics-Master-Set/productinfo/660100/

Nice twin piston compressor, good airbrush, cleaning station and hose. All you need for a long time.

I would say out of this package, get the airbrush, and the compressor. I myself ordered this compressor, and it is absolutely FANTASTIC! You really can't go wrong with it, and will hopefully last years and years and years. I also have the Peak C-3 airbrush and can say that their brushes are fantastic products. Easy to disassemble, clean, etc.

Don't really care for the 'bonus' of the paints, since you'll be wanting to chose your own colours as it is.

For a great starter airbrush I highly recommend the Badger 350. They are simple to use, inexpensive, and will take care of most hobby needs excpet very fine detailing. I started with one over 20 years ago, and just recently bought a replacement.

marlinspike

Before the replies came in I ordered a Talon set and a 1/6hp paasche compressor from coastair...if this was a mistake, nobody tell me so lol.

It is one of the many good choices. You should be very happy with it. The choice of modeling equipments is a very personal thing. Let us know how you like it.

Before the replies came in I ordered a Talon set and a 1/6hp paasche compressor from coastair...if this was a mistake, nobody tell me so lol.

denstore

http://www.bearair.com/BearClaw-Autographics-Master-Set/productinfo/660100/

Nice twin piston compressor, good airbrush, cleaning station and hose. All you need for a long time.

BearAir house brand are good values. But I am not sure about this package.

The compressor ($150), airbrush ($66 for TWO) and airhose ($10) in the package can be had for $226 this week and get a second Peak C-3 airbrush free too. Why pay extra for the paints, cleaning station and airbrush holder?

I have not seen much feedback on the C-3 nor its origin. The Peak C-5 is $88 this week. C-5 has a long established reputation and is made in Japan. Do you know if the C-3 and C-5 needles are interchangable?

Another alternative proposal is to get the Polar Bear 1000 ($120) from BearAir and the Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverliner 2-in-1 ($167) from Chicago Airbrush Supply. Both qualify for free shipping. Total is $287.

marlinspike

Well, the thing is, I want to do very specific exterior and interior colors.

If you use automotive touch-up spray cans, there are a ton of colors available.  No need for spraying on much of interior.  Hand brushing flats (for upholstery) is fine.

http://www.bearair.com/BearClaw-Autographics-Master-Set/productinfo/660100/

Nice twin piston compressor, good airbrush, cleaning station and hose. All you need for a long time.

I wouldnt write off the ole' Tamiya Spray Works either for a beginner.  I picked up mine second hand on evilbay for $50 and still going strong.  That was compressor, airbrush 2 x tips, battery and charger. 

Ok guys, I'm back. I'm really enjoying making this model, though it is clear to me that I'll need an airbruh for the next one. The parts I rattle can come out so nicely, but with a rattle can you're pretty much limited to the flat, semi-gloss, and gloss black, everything else with a brush. And I'm limited in body colors. So, you have $300 to spend, what is a good full kit for doing cars? Keep in mind I like to do realistic paint jobs, not artistic.

Thanks

keilau

up to get name brand airbrush and still have changes for a compressor.

Ah, so it looks like even though I've got the gap job (which pays pretty well, enough that I could spend 4 figures on an airbrush setup if I were so inclined), it's now a matter of I'm not willing to risk sinking as much into this as I would need to for something really good yet. I think I'll just rattle can the body on this one (black on palomino is a good look for this car anyway), and go from there. If I find I enjoy this, I always have this thread to come back to.

marlinspike

Well, I just got a job offer for a gap filling job...so now that the budget has grown a bit, recommendations? Let's say whole kit for $150?

You can find something close to $150 at the BearAir site. The Polar Bear 1000 compressor got rave review in the FSM compressor round up.

TCPGlobal has similar offer. Their Master G-23 is servable and the TC-20 compressor was well received by users on this forum.

You will spend $200 and up to get name brand airbrush and still have changes for a compressor.

Well well then, that is putting some spice into the race!

I would suggest looking into the Badger 155 Anthem.  I got mine for about $75 with coupon from a Michael's.  I find it to be well built, easy to clean, and generally a good brush.  I am a fan of Badger though from what I can tell from reading various posts you would be doing just as well getting a comparable double action Paasche or Iwata. 

If you are going to spring for more than the real low budget stuff you were asking about before, I would look into getting a compressor. 

I guess it comes down to whether or not you think you will stick with it or if it is just testing the waters.  If you think there is a possibility that you may not stick with it, perhaps you should stick with going cheap.  Spring for the Badger 200 I mentioned and a can of air and you will be out $40.  You could probably unload the airbrush for nearly what you paid for it without much difficulty.  Now if you wanna go whole hog and throw down the $150 you mentioned, I would shoot for a 155 and maybe a cheap-o Harbor Freight airbrush compressor($60, though the often have 20% off coupons so could be cheaper).

Well, I just got a job offer for a gap filling job...so now that the budget has grown a bit, recommendations? Let's say whole kit for $150?

eptingmike

Badger has their 200nh on sale for $28 and change in the Garage Sale section of their site.  Now I have no experience with this model but I am a fan of their 155 and 100 models.  I suspect the one that I am referring too is very similar to the 350 which is given a pretty decent review on Don Wheelers site.

Mike

The 200nh is just like the old style 200 that I review, except that it has the new type head assembly like the 155 and 175.  It's a much better airbrush than the 350, and $28 is a bargain.

Don

Badger has their 200nh on sale for $28 and change in the Garage Sale section of their site.  Now I have no experience with this model but I am a fan of their 155 and 100 models.  I suspect the one that I am referring too is very similar to the 350 which is given a pretty decent review on Don Wheelers site.  You also might want to check out a local Michael's or Hobby Lobby and see what they have in stock.   Michael's carries Badger and Hobby Lobby carries Paasche and Iwata.  Both stores often have 40% coupons.  I used to use the Michael's coupons to get cans of propellant before I had my compressors.  With the coupons they were something like $5 a pop. 

Mike

I picked up a very very basic kit on eBay a while back for very little money.  It includes a Master Airbrush Model S68 Dual Action Syphon Feed airbrush, a 5' braided hose, and a TC-16 compressor.  Keep in mind that just about any compressor makes a certain amount of noise, so unless your neighbors are all deaf, then consider an air can instead of a compressor.  Especially if you might not use it more than once.

marlinspike

With all the needed accessories (regulator, and I imagine a gauge or the regulator doesn't have much use), this quickly became too expensive. I guess I'll just leave the body the grey plastic color it comes as and try to have a very skilled hand for the interior.

Maybe I just had to hear it in person, but I'm going to go the route that some people here suggested: rattle can. I went to the hobby store to get paints, and the guy there (it's not a mega-lo-mart type chain store but a store where the salesman is also the owners, same as his father was), after looking at the kit, my budget, and my experience, said I'd be better off using a rattlecan for the body if there is one in a color I'd like to do and stick to brushes on the interior. This was even after I mentioned the harbor freight price So, I've gone from anthracite metallic (which I realize I probably could have ordered online) on burgundy to black on palomino. He showed me a model he had done with the Taimya rattle can, and it looked pretty good to me, and I have a decent rattle-can-hand, so this may be the best route.

I dunno, we'll see. If I find I'm not into this, it's no big deal, and if I am into this, well, it's not like this is going to be the last one I ever build, so I'm not going to sweat the small stuff.

marlinspike

I think Hogzilla did it for me.

This gun http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160497051487&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

For $15, you have another option for an dual action, internal mix airbrush.

Well, I have money put away, it's just that now is not the time to be spending 3 figures on the air brush setup alone. I'm not worried about future upgrading, once I'm getting the paycheck that won't be a problem. I can afford the harbor freight setup, but two questions:

1) will that compressor be too noisy to use at night in an apartment community?

2) Is that a better set up over one made from the three links I posted?

Hogzilla

Since you said you won't be starting your job for another 2 months it might be best to be patient and persistent for now. Holding off on spending your cash on anything that is not a necessity until your getting regular pay checks??

Welcome to this form.

Personally, I think the above is the best advice for you right here. YOu're asking to do something even half correctly, but for a budget that won't really allow it. What if you do get into it, but find out that what you're using is completely inadequate; personally this would be a big determining factor on whether you do stay in it or not.

The harbor freight air compressor plus airbrush really is your best bet. For a bit of time, I'd stick with using rattle cans, since that will be cheap, and brush-painting the interiors. I did that for years when I was building car kits. Then go for something like the link provided above, which will be a solid performer for a basic setup, will last, and won't give you any frustrations with performance.

Using tires, air tanks, finding regulators, custom fittings, blah blah blah, you still end up spending half if not your whole budget, and if it turns out you do like it, very soon you will want to upgrade anyways.

Save your money, do what you can now, and get a half-decent setup for the $70 posted above when you can.

I think Hogzilla did it for me.

This gun http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160497051487&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

This regulator http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120636891336&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

And I can get this tank locally http://www.harborfreight.com/5-gallon-portable-air-tank-65594.html

Put the regulator on the tank and then the hose that comes with the gun on the regulator. Looks like that's everything I need. I've got some things I can practice on until I get the hang of airbrushing. I can't imagine it's that different from rattle can except you don't have to start and stop off the item and you need more coats...I'll figure it out. I have a friend who has a body shop who used to build these in his spare time and he suggested I do everything a foot away to save beginner's mistakes from showing up as easily.

I defer all "super tight budget" questions to von Hammer...

Stick with the rattle cans. At this point you'll have to find an air brush then learn how to use it. DONT practice on your model. You can find a huge slection of spray can colors at hobby shops, Michaels, Home Depot and Pep Boys. If youre not sure about the hobby and costs, keep it simple. IMHO.  If you go with canned air and an air brush, you'll need to keep the can in warm water while spraying, otherwise it will freeze up on you, due to some phenamenon of physics that I slept thru in 10th grade.  

This airbrush will be just fine to do the airbrushing your planning on doing.

It works the on the same principle as a Paasce H which dates back to the 1930s The Badger 350 uses this same nozzle type to. The Hobbico appears to be a sort of clone of a Badger 350. I paid $39 in 1977 for a Badger 350 with similar accessories and I still use it often because it is so simple to clean and set aside.

As for using cans of propellant, that will expensive and as well as frustrating, since you asked about a compressor in an apartment its obvious you know cheapest air source for the Hobbico Airbrush. As the others mentioned an automotive air tank, a 5 gallon tank filled to the maximum recommend pressure. The cheapest air pressure regulator I can find is TRF- 2000 for $19.95 at the top of this web page 

http://www.tcpglobal.com/airbrushdepot/abfilter.aspx

Since you said you won't be starting your job for another 2 months it might be best to be patient and persistent for now. Holding off on spending your cash on anything that is not a necessity until your getting regular pay checks??

Welcome to this form.

Well, Dr. Faust, I am unemployed until my job starts in 2 months, so money is what it is. I have friends who rattle can real cars (obviously beater cars), and if I could find the exact color in a rattle can I'd have no problem with that.

Do I really need a regulator? Can't I just set the 205/70 tire to 20psi and keep a pretty stable pressure that way? I figure the tire provides so much more air than I need that it is more or less its own regulator, no?

Iknew I should of stoped when someone mentioned "rattle can".

You can get am adaptor to make the air can "regulator" fit a tyre valve. It shouldn't be more than a  few dollars. Downside is that the air that comes out of the spare tyre smells like cat pee.....

With all the needed accessories (regulator, and I imagine a gauge or the regulator doesn't have much use), this quickly became too expensive. I guess I'll just leave the body the grey plastic color it comes as and try to have a very skilled hand for the interior.