First Airbrush/Compressor Recommendations?

keavdog

I'm a big CO2 fan.  I have a small compressor for backup.

 

I'm tempted to try using nitrogen some time.  I have pretty easy access to it.

Eaglecash867

BAH!!  I think "real" airbrushes are over-rated.    Just get a Paasche H and you'll never need another airbrush. 

I have half a dozen Iwatas, but the positive posts about the Paasche H make my arsenal seem incomplete.  Might need to get one, just because.

I'm a big CO2 fan.  I have a small compressor for backup.

Just a disclaimer here. If this compressor is the little mini plastic one, it's not what I had in mind when I wrote earlier, then a couple of things. It gets reasonable reviews for what it is. But for serious modeling most of us do use something more substantial. But it will spray properly mixed paints pretty decently from what I've seen..

Let us know what you do and how you make out.

Thank you! This is very helpful information. 

Neo is made for Iwata and backed by Iwata. Polish the needle ( something I recommend doing with any airbrush, it helps greatly with fine atomization and control of stray droplets which screw up your finer lines) and use it, it will be fine for armor models if that's your main interest..

Where the kit could struggle is something like covering an entire canvas in prep for art work or say a big or large scale ship hull ( some of those can get out to 3 and 4 ft. It should be fine for most else models.

I started airbrushing with a Testors Aztek airbrush that had the screw on nozzles for ease of cleaning, which was attractive to a "newbie".  That lasted several years but the results were hit and miss.  When that one died I switched over to an Iwata Neo from Hobby Lobby.  I like the gravity feed brush and I've gotten good results with it.  That first one lasted me at least five-seven years and now I'm on my second Neo.

TJS

BAH!!  I think "real" airbrushes are over-rated.    Just get a Paasche H and you'll never need another airbrush.  I have had the same one for 35 years and have only replaced the air cap, needle, and color cup occasionally when all the chrome plating finally wears off them.  Even doing that is cheap and simple.  Paasche is an old-school company that provides old-school service for all of their products.  

After having used it as long as I have been, I can accomplish all the same things with it that much more expensive "real" airbrushes can accomplish.  Its all about distance from the piece, pressure, and thinning the paint.  But, even as a beginner all those years ago, it was still an awesome, simple to operate airbrush right out of the gate.

I have a NEO, and no problems with it, easy to use, and clean.  Was my first AB, though I painted 1:1 vehicles for many years.  Didn't take long to get a feel for it.  Have plumbed into a 2 gallon compressor at home that I can use for other things.  Can also use shop air (135psi) because I have a water trap and regulator to get it down to 15-20 psi.

The .35 nozzle will cover most anything in 1/72, 1/48, and even 1/32, except for very fine (squiggle) camo schemes on some German and Japanese A/C.  If you go down on pressure, get in tight, and thin paint way down, it will probably even do that, but haven't tried it yet.

As always, you'll have to play with thinning ratios and pressure to get results.  Lot's of practice.

Quality and longevity tend to go out the window at mach speed, with that kind of price point.  Not looked at any of them, so can't comment on them.