Scott,
The differences between brands and styles can be confusing. I hope this lengthy tome will help your decision making.
This is truly a "Golden Age" of airbrushing. There are more brands and styles than you can shake a stick at, and as long as you stick to a "brand" name, you can hardly go wrong.
The big names are (in no particular order): Badger, Paasche, Iwata, Aztek, Peak, Sparmax, DeVilbiss, EFBE, RichPen, PrecisionAire and Thayer & Chandler.
There are two types of airbrushes: Single Action and Dual Action:
Single actions are considered by many to be easier to use. You set the needle and press the trigger to spray. To resize the area of spray you have to reset the needle. The drawback is you need lots of experience to adjust the needle to the correct pattern and should always test on a piece of scrap before attempting to paint your model.
Dual actions take a bit of a technique to use properly and so have a steeper learning curve. However the payoff is much greater control. The trigger controls both the needle position and the air. Press down for the air and move the trigger back to set the needle. All the way back is a wide spray pattern, and barely back is a narrow spray pattern, and so on. It's a bit like using your thumb to control the spray on a garden hose. Dual action also allows you to stop feeding paint and only spray air, which can help in drying paint or blowing off the inevitable dust molecule or hair (darn cat!).
Probably more important than the action is the method of paint atomization. Again there are two kinds: External and Internal mix:
External mix is the simplest form of airbrush and atomizes the paint outside the airbrush body. No paint every goes inside the airbrush. The Paasche H or the Badger 350 (not 360!) are examples of the external mix airbrush. They are easy to clean, but are limited to a wider pattern of spray. I use a Badger 350 clone for flood coating Future gloss or dull coats.
Internal mix atomizes the paint inside the body and tends to do a better job of atomization. The Badger 100 series or any Iwata are examples of this kind of airbrush. Internal mix airbrushes require a more thorough cleaning, but the results are often much better.
There are also two kinds of paint feed: Siphon and Gravity:
Siphon or bottom feed uses a siphon action to "pull" the paint up from a color cup or bottle, similar to using a drinking straw. It requires a (slightly) higher air pressure in order to work.
Gravity feed have a color cup mounted on top of the airbrush and can use less air pressure since it doesn't have to pull the paint to the airbrush. Less air pressure usually means finer line control, though the needle taper is also important.
There are also "hybrid" feed airbrushes such as the Badger 360 which uses a rotating cup mount. There are also Side fed airbrushes where the color cup mounts to the side. Since the bulk of the paint source is higher than the airbrush it works like a gravity feed brush. One distinct advantage of a side feed is the ability to rotate the cup and use the airbrush vertically.
The actual differences between the two are slight. Gravity feed have fairly small paint sources, as opposed to the siphon feed which are available with a 3 oz bottle. I have both, and use the gravity feed when I only need a small amount of paint or require a bit more control, and use the siphon when I need to lay down large amounts of paint.
The scale you work in will dictate the kind of airbrush more than anything. If you build HO either kind will suffice, but if you are a N scale modeler, than a gravity feed would probably be easier to use. The top mounted cup allows you to get in closer to smaller areas, where the bottom hanging cup or bottle of a siphon can interfere.
I have a collection of brushes which I use as my need dictates. They are all Badger airbrushes, as most share parts. There is nothing more frustrating than to have to put your hobby on hold while you wait for a new part to come! They include:
- Badger 100LG, gravity feed large top mounted color cup dual action ~$75.
- Badger 150, siphon feed dual action ~$65.
- Badger 200-20, siphon feed single action with fine needle control (considered a detail brush) ~$40.
- Thayer & Chandler Omni 4000, gravity feed large top mounted color cup dual action ~$80. Very similar to the 100LG, it has some additional features such as cut out handle to adjust the needle "on the fly" or to pull back to remove paint clogs from the tip, and reversible spray regulator which allow me to get right up close with the tip for additional control. T&C are built by Badger.
- Badger 350 clone, bought for less then $10, it's considered a disposable airbrush used exclusively for gloss and dull coats.
Other consideration is point of manufacture. Badger, Paasche and DeVilbiss are all made in the USA, EFBE in Germany and the rest are made in Asia. Prices can be as low as $40, or as high as $400. Prices quoted above are online prices from Dixie Art or Bear Air, both very reputable places to buy airbrushes and accessories.
Regards,
Bill