Buying first Airbrush rig..Help!

Hey Mslater,
Good decsion on getting an airbrush. Yes the quality of finish is better yadda yadda yadda but doggonit it's just plain fun to spray paint through them

Here is a pic of my setup that may help some

I got everything you see there for less than $150. The compressor is loud but it works good. If I had the money I would get a quiet one. Other things you need are a place to airbrush, waste container (like a coffee can), paper towels, straws, scrap plastic (for testing the spray and mixing), I don't have a spraybooth but I use a large piece of cardboard on a table outside.

BTW: there are alot of opinions on airbrush brands but it comes down to three main camps: Badger people, Iwata people, and Aztec people. You'll be hearing from all three probably

Aztecs seem to have more problems than benefits, though some swear by them. I've never used one. Asking which airbrush is best is like asking which car is better, Chevy or Ford? (the answer is Honda!).

You have a lot of decisions to make: Single vs. dual action, siphon, side or gravity feed. Enamel vs. acrylics, etc. etc. A good place to read up is Music City's website http://www.craigcentral.com/models/ . After you've picked your jaw off the floor from looking at his aircraft, scroll down and read up on airbrushes, paints and sundry tips. Make sure you bookmark the site so you can refer back. Another good site to bookmark is Swanny's http://swannysmodels.com/ yet another jaw dropping site with many great tips.

All that being said, I use a Badger 150 with an ancient compressor a friend gave me, and I spray acrylics exclusively. I can't stand the smell of enamels. I-beam's setup is pretty sweet. I'm thinking about upgrading the compressor to one like his (it would come in handy since I'm renovating my house), though I think I would buy a longer hose, they're not exactly quiet! . I have a pretty nice (if I say so myself) spray booth http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=48843) which has had a turntable, lexan doors, pressure regulator and moisture trap added to it since those photos were taken.

Good luck with your decision!

Oh yes, and to the forums! Pull up a keyboard and stay a while.

Well i suppose i will pick up the Aztek - A3205 , at 40% off seems resonable. Although it looks plastic, had a easier time deciding which metal detector to buy,

Any info on the Airbrush city ebay specials??

If you're talking about the $15.99 kit, stay away. It's a plastic airbrush and would be easily broken. I bought an extremely similar kit the other day for $18.99 CDN. The airbrush does work, but it doesn't work very well, or consistently. The only reason I bought it was I needed a new adapter fitting and I wanted to try a vinyl hose. Bought seperately they would have cost me more than $22, so I saved a couple of bucks and have a couple of extra bottles.

I had two external mix airbrushes in my first few months of building models, and I hated them.

I bought an internal mix dual action aztek, and so far, so good :) Though, I gotta admit, I saw a badger the other day that's held my interest....

QT