I posted this response in another group. But might be useful here:
***I want to get this out of the way: your needle/nozzle is not dependent on if your using acrylics/lacquers/enamels***
I’m a former professional airbrush artist with 25 years of experience. Still operate about 50 airbrushes currently. I personally don’t like recommending airbrushes to people. But I think that has not been helpful, so I have some recommendations below. But wanted to share that airbrushes are like cars, it’s really a personal preference. I love my Badger and Harder & Steenbeck airbrushes. However, I hate my Iwata and GSI. Yet there are modelers who swear by them. If you’re a IPMS member, maybe you can test out some of your club members airbrushes. That might give you some good insight.
Here is some things to consider in buying an airbrush.
1) performance: this one is probably the easier one. Most modern airbrushes perform fairly well. So this one is really more what kinda of models you plan to airbrush. So a .3mm needle size airbrush would be good for 1/48 or 1/35. But it might be better to go .2mm for 1/72 or 144. And for spraying primers you might want a separate airbrush with a .4 or .5 needle setup.
2) cost: this is a big factor. Price and quality are related but at some point it makes no difference. Just don’t waste your time on a cheap $20 airbrush…you will regret it.
3) replacement parts. This is a big factor. How expensive they are and readily available are they? My badger needle/nozzle replacement costs $20….yet for my harder & Steenbeck the same part costs $65. Also keep in mind, that some airbrush parts (depending on the brand) are hard to get a hold of around the world. I had a sparmax airbrush that I got rid of because it was so hard to find replacement parts for it.
My recommendation for a good starter airbrushes that will be good investments: the top choice is badger 105 patriot, very solid airbrush and built to last and you can customize it to your needs (meaning you can make it a fine detail airbrush to .7mm for broad airbrushing) Iwata Neo, it’s a good budget airbrush. It is not a true Iwata with the level of the quality control from those main product line. But it is a good starter airbrush. Paasche Talon/raptor (raptor is the small cup version of the Talon), best value of the three for price. You can get it with hose, and all 3 needle/nozzles for less than $100. Solid airbrush and you can find replacement parts easy. Another good one is GSI creos, its fairly affordable (goes for 80ish dollars), solid build, great performance. But parts are expensive and somewhat hard to get hold off.
Oh and one last bit of advice, take a look at Facebook marketplace. A lot of people sell their airbrushes for super cheap. I have picked up $200 airbrushes for $20.
Hope this helps!