Typical Newbie needing your opinion

wow!  a lot of reading there! 

First, one airbrush would cover MOST of the needs you listed there... immediately stricken from the list would be nail art with any of the brushes listed.  You would need something like the Badger 100SG to be able to do that.  (Also available at www.dixieart.com) 

For everything else either the Iwata or the Badgers 175 or 155 would work perfect.

Alternative solution: either use your existing air source with a 50 foot or greater hose fed into the house (hardly any noise) - you just connect it to a manifold at your workbench with a water trap connected to it before the airhose and you are set!  My brother in law even spec'd out putting a wall outlet for the hose with a faceplate for me... kind of like where you connect the cable TV to but for an airbrush hose, or get a second commercial type compressor for like $70 from Lowes or Walmart.  Unless noise is a HUGE concern it should work.. My wife hardly notices my compressor even though it is not one of the "quiet ones" .. in fact because it has the 2 gal tank I can usually paint for awhile after she has gone to bed just on the tank.  It has enough to do the base color on a not too large 1/48 aicraft without refilling...

Second... you are wise for wanting to get an airbrush that will be around for awhile instead of buying something you might outgrow.. Single action AB's do nicely but there is more control with a double action.. I think even your ten yr old can learn it without TOO much trouble.  there's only the push down to get air (no adjustment there except at the regulator) then you pull back for the right amount of paint. 

If you are doing broad spectrum of materials you are painting like you said, a siphon (bottom) feed might be better for you... the three mentioned would be great... honestly I think the Iwata will do you good.. I own the gravity fed HP-CR and love it, and know a few here with the HP-BCS or BCR with similar stories... But the Badger airbrushes work good as well.  (I own both the 155 and 175 as well as the Iwata)  Eventually you might want gravity fed for modeling (and nail art) but then the siphon fed would still have a use with the rest of the family so no waste!

Good luck to you and feel free to ask more questions!!!

jhande wrote:

First I spotted this -  Airbrush City Kit #9411Z Airbrushing Kit and was wondering if the kit is worth getting, or at least just the compressor? (are all three Badger airbrushes?)

Ok, I can't tell you much about the compressor, but as for the airbrushes, they appear to be "generic" made-in-China clones of Badger units.

Is a copy of the Bagder 350, which I have seen in hardware and auto parts stores here in Sydney (Australia) for around the Au$20.00  mark. (US$14.65)

Likewise,

Is a copy of the Badger 150, available in auto parts stores locally for Au$30.00 (US$21.95) - This is the same airbrush that I wrote a preview of here

The third airbrush I am not familiar with, as I haven't seen one up close and personal, but I would assume that it's from the same source as the other two described above.

Considering that you already have a full-size compressor, another option may be a portable tank - fill it using your compressor and take the tank into your work-room as required.

Mslater wrote:

Wonder what auto parts stores in the US carry airbrushes.... Hmmmmmm ..... Anyone??

Mslater wrote:

Sounds like i need to swing by the local advance after work today... :)