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Hey guys! I have finally decided to break down and try my hand at airbrushing my vast horde of unpainted models and the sad gray Realm of Battle Board that has been sitting in my garage for months.

I started to do some research and was completely overwhelmed at how much goes into simply purchasing the right equipment for the job- much less learning to use it. I was wondering if any pros out there could give me some advice on what I want to invest in and some initial tips on painting my models.

As it stands I have my eye on a Badger 150 airbrush and either a Badger Whirlwind or Badger Cyclone Air Compressor. These are sold at Michaels and AC Moore and I have a few 50% off coupons so I felt like this would be a steal! However, I've heard that gravity fed airbrushes are the way to go and that small, tankless "hobby compressors" tend to overheat and give uneven flow which can ruin a paint job.

Anyone used these products for their own modeling? Any suggestions for something better if there is truth to the rumors?

I use a Paasch I think thats how you spell it. Its a single action airbrush. It came as a starter kit and Its the best investment ever great quality brush best bang for your buck. As for the compressor I havent gotten a clue as to what it may be.

Well I picked up the badger 150 today after some additional research and advice. Seems to be a really nice airbrush. Quality, metal parts. Fits well in my hand. Double action, internal mix, siphon feed.

Now it is the compressor that is giving me trouble. Some people have told me that the tankless "hobby" compressors are quiet but a waste of money without the reserve of air. Am I better off going with something like this from Walmart?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Campbell-Hausfeld-1-Gallon-Air-Compressor/9189093?findingMethod=rr

Update:
Took the 150 back and got a Badger Crescendo and couldn't be happier! I had a 50% off coupon from Michaels so it only cost me 65 dollars.
Lowes price matched a Campbell Hausfeld 2 Gal Compressor that was on clearance at Wal-mart for 50 dollars! I saved 50! The set up works amazingly and I can't wait to see how quickly I can paint my armies and the Citadel Realm of Battle Board I have here in the garage. Tons of pics to come!

I take it that's more of a garage compressor? I picked up a hobby compressor (no tank) used for relatively cheap and other than the noise (which is OK) it seems to work fine. I was thinking of getting a more domestic tank compressor with tank, but wasn't sure if it would work well with the airbrush.

Be interesting to hear your experiences.

http://www.chpower.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/chPrd3_10051_10001_102609_-1_10646_10692_

This is the exact model that I picked up. Again, I got an insane deal with Clearance being involved. The manager at Walmart said that most of their stores were slimming down their compressor stock so it might not be too late to snatch one up for cheap.

It also comes with a decent amount of additions and a Nailer/Stapler Gun if you are in need of something like that.

You remind me of Philip deFranco from youtube. (If that's you)

That is me. (In the photo)
I am not, however, Phillip deFranco. =)

How bad is the noise? Would you become the bane of all existence on the 3rd floor of an apartment building?

Pyronick wrote:How bad is the noise? Would you become the bane of all existence on the 3rd floor of an apartment building?

I'd imagine that thing is really loud... my dad has a near identical style Dewalt compressor and it hurts to stand next to after a while. The small hobby compressors are most attractive for that reason alone... well that and the size.

I wrap my compressor in a towel except at the intake. Between that and having it in the corner below my table it isn't too unreasonable on noise. Being in an apartment may be another story though.

So I spent some time with the Compressor today and I have to say- It is loud. Not the loudest compressor I've heard, but it def lets you know its there. If you live in an apartment you won't be making too many friends if you crank this baby up at night or in the early morning.

On an upside, it didn't take too long to fill the twin tanks and even after fiddling with it for about an hour it seemed to have quite a bit of air left- so if you can fill it up during the day you can run off the tanks at night to minimize the sound of dueling lawn mowers.

In the last week I've tried both a tank and a small tankless "hobby compressor" and I have to say- it's tank all the way! The quality of painting far outweighs the sound. (easy for me to see in a garage I know, but..)

In the grand scheme of things I might be willing to annoy the neighbors in order to impress my nerd friends with sweet, well-painted models.

As primarily a WFB player I have limited use for my airbrush such as mass armor base coating and large surfaces like wings, but having it makes my life much easier. I can easily imagine it's usefulness on things like tanks and marines.

For the cost versus time saved airbrush rigs are worth every penny.

My favorite use for it was my wife's dark elves warriors. their chainmail is a major pain to paint by hand and often creates bubbles(as do the Cold Ones). With my ab I'm able to paint 10-20 models at a time and get a seamless perfectly smooth and consistent layer of metal paint down all at once. Figure the average infantry was taking about 5 minutes each to properly paint armor by hand, now it takes about 5 minutes to armor up an entire unit. One unit alone saved over 100 minutes of painting time to do other details and get things done faster.

Exactly! And I can't wait to see what short work it makes of my table and terrain!

Now you can also get some small hobby compressors with tanks. ...and further you could fill a separate tank and/or car-tire using a hobby compressor.

It's all a matter of how much you want to spend, how much space you have, and how quiet you need the system to be.

Generally speaking though, if you can work a tank into your setup most folks would agree that is the way to go.

I've got the garage. I got the whole set up for under $150. (which I was told was not possible for anything of quality) I have to say, I couldn't be more pleased! Here is hoping I don't need to move in the near future. Ah well, as for now-

I'm ready to paint the town red! And blue. And green...yellow....black....orange...err...

Looks like you got it all figured out before I had to pitch in my 2 cents lol

If you ever need more air capacity without noise- for about 40$ you can get a 3-4 gallon portable air tank and laod it up before the 'quiet time'. I run my compressor during the middle of the day and then fill my portable tank to use at night inside.

Also- if the noise is a problem- theres a few vids on youtube of guys that made mufflers for there compressors ^_^