New Modeler inquiring into a good airbrush

Hi Chester, welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here.

My personal choice for airbrushes is Badger, but Iwata (which includes Tamiya) makes great airbrushes. Glad to see that you are going to start with a DA brush, I really think that is the best way. I have a single action and a double action, and it just doesn't feel "Normal" painting with the single-action brush anymore.

Iwata HP-CS and Omni 4000 seem to be the most popular around here, but there are a lot of Paasche guys to. I have an Omni 3000 (bottom feeder) and really like it.

Check prices at some of the online places like www.dixieart.com. In most cases their prices beat Michaels even with a 40% discount.

Have you given any though to an air source yet? I wouldn't recommend the cans or propellant, they are just not really worth the effort.

you're on the right track with the gravity fed double action for sure. i own an omni 5000 and the iwata hp-cs and prefer the hp-cs. however, the omni is about $35 cheaper than the hp-cs and the parts are much cheaper as well. just according to your mind set on this one my friend. whatever aibrush you decide on is gonna take much of the following ingredients: patience, perserverence, just plain logging time with it, a certain amount of chemistry skills (paint to thinner ratios and such), and practice, practice, and did i mention practice? you can get pretty much the same line with any of the 2 brushes and i'm speaking from experience as i have both and have used both. later.

i have a little advice myself: AVOID AZTEK LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!

i say get badger 155

I recommend you take a look at the Iwata Revolution HP-CR. It is typical Iwata quality at a low price of only $59.00 at web sites such as www.dixieart.com mentioned above. The Revolution CR is gravity-feed double action and the parts are few and easily replaced. I own several Iwata's and I have to say that it is of the highest quality, most capable brand named airbrush in it's price range. The learning curve is minimal, just a bit of practice is all you need like anything else to get used to the double -action trigger. It can spray moderate detail from fine lines of 1/16inch to 2inches wide; great for a wide variety of modeling subjects: cars, armour, aircraft (1/72nd and up), sci-fi..you name it.

I use my Iwata Revolution CR for all-around spraying and some detail work. Iuse an Iwata HP-C for fine line, tight feathered camo demarcation, special effects and weathering. Good luck in your airbrsuh hunting!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention.......like 1337 said; avoid the Aztek at all costs. Speaking of cost; owning an Aztek over the long run will cost you hundreds of dollars what with replacing nozzles, or the actual airbrush itself. Most here, including myself know from experience using one; that while you may initialy get pretty good results...this will be short lived, replaced by frustration and a delayed in-progress model on your workbench. I hate to "Aztek bash" but oh well....

Disclaimer: for the Lawyer (bean-counter types)
This has been my experiences with the Testors Aztek airbrush system and strictly my opinion. The views expressed are not shared by the Testors Corp....ya-da, ya-da, ya-da.
Your results may vary (not).

Happy modelling!

For what it's worth, I bought an Aztek initially, liked it at first, then swiftly grew to hate it. It was just inconsistent, it would spray or not at it's own whim. I ditched it and bought an Iwata Revolution, and have been extremely happy with it. It was cheaper than my Aztek also, it was win/win and I'm glad I bought it.

Chester,

Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you started with this post. I need a new airbrush as mine is so old it sprays mold!!!! You will as I have been able to get good information from these modlers. They are the best!!!!

Richard

Iwata Eclipse HP-CS is what I own, I have been modeling for about 8 months and this brush is excellent for learning, easy to clean, works well for everything you need to do and is forgiving, at least for me. It expensive but i think its worth the money.

Aztek airbrushes... now THATS an oxymoron!

man i hate them. initially, i used my 370, it was ok. then the nozzle broke. then it sat in disrepair for a while. then i bought a new nozzle. now i am going to replace the aztek.

As plasticmod992 mentioned, This has nothing to do with the testors corperation.. heres the disclaimer..


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1337,

Are you on medication or maybe you need to be medicated?

Mike

Hehe, that's funny to me.

Reminds me of a George Carline bit.

1337, you sounds like an attorney.

<---------well i'm probably gonna get one but, here goes...................
when i took the leap and ventured into the world of airbrushing, (an inevitibility if your modeling confidence/ability is ever to grow) Aztek did not exist, Iwata and some other exotics were unknown so, my only two choices were Paache and Badger..............i opted for the Paache H single action/external mix with all 3 tips and braided 6' hose..........and i've never looked back.........for numerous reasons.
Suffice it to say, it fits my hand quite comfortably, cleans easily and performs perfectly with all acrylic paints..........
i lucked out and haven't looked back since...............good luck.

ps.....there should be a place where you can try airbrushes before you buy.

QUOTE: Originally posted by cirikili Suffice it to say, it fits my hand quite comfortably, cleans easily and performs perfectly with all acrylic paints.......... i lucked out and haven't looked back since...............good luck.

That is all in the world that matters. Regardless of manufacturer, cost, features, or anything else, the only thing that matters is that it does what YOU want an airbrush to do and that YOU are happy with it.

That's kind of how I am with Badger. I bought a model 200 about 10 years ago and then recently decided I wanted the control of a double action so I got another Badger (actually Thayer and Chandler). I like them, and they do what I want.

I know that a double-action ab is better than a single-action, but what is the reason for this? Just curious

well, here are my reasons for liking a double over a single action. you have control of the paint flow and airflow all in one trigger. its been my experience the when doing really fine line work like demarcation lines on a free hand cammo scheme or subtle weathering tecnniques, i'm constantly tweaking in the trigger to control paint flow as i'm going along which is totally not possible with a single action. a single action brush has a remote "dial" so to speak to control the paint flow and a separtate button to start the air flow and it is impossible to control it while in action. you have to stop, tweak the paint flow, start again, stop and so on and so on. i have a badger 200 and a paasche H that never get used once i learned the double action. you can also do "dagger" strokes which i use quite a bit during weathering and what a call a "dribble" line which goes from a thin line to a thick line back to a thin line and ect, ect. you just plain have more control and if you've never owned an airbrush then you wont know the difference as soon as you learn the double action. later.

Mike: i found that on the internet.

no i don't think i sound like an atorny, its just a little humour

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1337 Mike: i found that on the internet.

I assumed you did as that would take a long time to think up and type.
Mine was a little humor also.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by chester111472 I know that a double-action ab is better than a single-action, but what is the reason for this? Just curious

Saltydog hit the nail on the head. Having immediate control over the paint flow is like the gas pedal in a car. Going up hill or down hill you just adjust the speed as necessary. With a DA brush if you need a little more paint in the open areas or a little less in the cramped areas the throttle is right there at your finger.

QUOTE: With a DA brush if you need a little more paint in the open areas or a little less in the cramped areas the throttle is right there at your finger

yeah, what he said!!

I did see a lot of combo. deals (airbrush, compressor, etc...) through Airbrush-depot.com.........has anyone bought from them before? Any comments on them? Also curious to see how quiet their compressors are. Any feedback would be great!

.........i gotta say it again........repeat after me...........
THE BEST AIRBRUSH IS THE ONE YOU HAVE IN YOUR HAND............or the one i have in my hand..............
i'll wager a class action on behalf of all modelers who use an a/b......."i wish i coulda tried a few manufacturers a/b's before i bought the one i have in my hand.........."
i'm also of the opinion that to be happy with the first one you buy is luck or an educated guess that worked.............

anywot chester.........i've no personal experience good or bad regarding Airbrush Depot.com.......sorry

If you can get to a GOOD hobby shoppe or GOOD art supply shoppe.........and the sales staff are feeling generous or are naturally interested in the hobby......they should let you at least hold onto a few different models and should be able to answer your questions on thin lines or thick lines.............
my faveourite paint were the Aeromaster acrylics.....but, i've learned about Tamiya and the new Testor's acrylics.........it just takes practice
from my experience spraying acrylics just takes a bit more practice mixing air pressure with the paint mix and distance from the subject you're shooting..........practice practice practice.....try all combinations......the more familiar you get the more confident you'll grow..........and soon enough you'll be saying...........
THE BEST AIRBRUSH IS THE ONE YOU HAVE IN YOUR HAND.......
best of luck to ya..............

Here's a couple of tip's when shopping for airbrushes

if youre a beginner, avoid aztek duel's. they are hard to learh with, and since they involve lots of fiddling, you might not be intrested in airbrushing at all

go for a badger, iwata, paasche, etc. don't go for a cheap airbrush, get one that will last.

buy a duel/double action because it's easier to start with duel than to start with single and move to duel

if you switch colors a lot, try sidefeed or bottom feed, just switch the cup and clean the needle and nozzle.

ALWAYS get the bigger cup if you are buying a gravity feed

and don't forget the compressor

-1337