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Ignore what's below, I'm just springing for an Iwata.


I hate base coating. The amount of time it takes to do a completely smooth base coat on a 10 man squad is very frustrating and makes me dread starting a new project. I've been saving commission money to put toward a higher-end air brush, but I'm not sure if I'd make full use of it..After doing a lot of looking around, I'm wondering if the Citadel Spray Gun will do what I was going to pay $300 for.

Here is basically what I want:
-Uses any non-metallic paints (GW, P3, Vallejo...)
-Gives a smooth basecoat for both detailed models and large, flat surfaces like vehicles and terrain'; ideally without using too much excess paint in the process.
-Won't give me too many headaches when used properly. If it will clog or give runny paint even when used properly, I'm not willing to deal with it.
-Allows the use of a compressor so I don't have to buy canned air or worry about poor spray pressure.

Is there anything about the Citadel Spray Gun that may cause problems for what I'm looking for? And if it can use a compressor, is there anything I should know when looking for one? Eventually I'll get a nice airbrush or two, so I wouldn't mind a compressor that would work with something like the Iwata HP-CS.

Thanks!

The spray gun is basically a complete waste of money, trust me. You should instead go for a entry level airbrush. You'll be so much happier with the airbrush. My first brush was the Iwata Neo and it was great.

You are looking at Iwatas around 100$ to start with that SHOULD include compressor, airbrush, hose, and a nozzle or two.

But you can do so much with an airbrush its crazy and completely worth it. Side note you can get a 60$ kit on ebay that includes all of that and it is ok as a starter set.

Badger makes basically the same thing as the citadel spray gun. It is their cheapest model. If all you plan on doing is basecoating just get it. (not sure the exact model number) I have both, the advantage of the badger being that it is a simpler design, easier to clean and less likely to clog or break.

I would also recommend getting a normal compressor (nothing too cheap) because it will last, and has uses beyond just air brushes.

Based on my experience:

The GW spraygun is essentially an unusable product. It will clog up the first or second time you use it, and you'll spend more time vainly cleaning it than you do using it. It's a terrible tool that will leak paint from every orifice (except the nozzle).

I appreciate the feedback, and I'm convinced to continue saving up (if only I could stop using it to buy more Ork stuff!).

Here's the kit I've been looking at: http://tcpglobal.store.buy.com/p/iwata-4207-hp-cs-35mm-eclipse-airbrush-kit-withtankless-compressor/232902279.html

It's the Iwata HP-CS with a tankless compressor. I don't know if it's better to buy this as a kit, or shop for the brush and compressor separately. I've done research but this seems like a niche thing without any good writeups (or my google-fu is failing me again).

Is a "beginner airbrush" a smart buy? A lot of resources I read say to buy high end to avoid bad experiences. While I like the idea of starting cheap, I really want something that will give me as few headaches as possible.

If I wanted to buy a brush right now (and I really do!), I could easily put down $180. Once bills are paid at t the end of the month I'll probably have about $240. Is there a better option than what I linked? I'm not opposed to buying a basic airbrush and quality compressor now, but I'm not sure what to look for.

What sort of things do you guys look for in a compressor? Obviously the quieter the better, but PSI, tank vs tankless... I'm at a loss.

Beginner airbrushes can be good for basecoating, just try not to paint actual color with them. You'll need a better one if you want to do that. Also in my experience the spray gun could work quite well for your purposes.

never get the spray gun. Go for a beginner airbrush. Even the basic harbor freight kit brush is decent and less than a hundred bucks for the brush and compressor. You may outgrow the gun in a year, but you can keep that one for basecoating and get a better one later.

Just be aware that as you use the (propellant) can, the propellant pressure WILL drop (combination of factors involving gas expansion and various other physics/chem things) and you will need to stop and either warm the can up (a warm water bath - NEVER expose it to direct heat/flame) or allow it to warm up on its own.

So if I were to buy an HP-CS and a small-tank air compressor, what else would I want to buy? I'm sure I'll want a replacement nozzle, but what other general-purpose items are must-haves? I.e what should I use for cleaning, common repairs, etc? I've seen Les Bursley recommend an ultrasonic cleaner which looks awesome, but I don't know if it's necessary.

Spares for compressor and airbrush for a certainty.
Maintenance gear for both (and read the manuals) so you know how to do it.

My own compressor is a frankenstein's monster (cobbled together from 4 different sources, but works like a charm and has the advantage that if one part needs replacing, it alone can be replaced.). It cost me $80 all up - but if you know nothing about how to hook pneumatics up, then you'd be better getting a proper setup.

I would not worry about buying everything at once.

An airbrush, a compressor is fine.
(make sure you have correct hose adapters).

Cleaning brushes and solution are easy to come by (old tooth brush and alcohol works in a pinch) but some of the smaller dedicated brushes are better.

Eventually you will want some airbrush lube, I prefer "super lube" brand, but I think badger has one as well.

Over time you will discover what works for you.
I have an ultrasonic cleaner, but I also use it to help in stripping models (I fill it with simple green).

the most important thing is to just use it - get experience with it.

have fun on your new adventure.

if you have access to ebay (like paypal and whatnot) you can buy a cheap airbrush that's exactly the same as the gw one...for $8 shipped...I've used mine for awhile...only problem is the o ring that seals on top of the aircan leaks like a sive now....so it's pretty much unusable at the moment....I'm not going to use it till I get an aircompressor for it though

GW Spray gun makes an awesome door stop or paperweight.

That being said if all you care about is basecoating just get an airbrush with a big needle and a big cup.

Compressor

Cleaning brushes ($10 or less)

Cleaning solution (about $20 for a 220 ml bottle which will last you a loooong time.)

You should be good to go. Seems alot at the beginning but after your first big batch you will giggle and never look back.

I had a cheap master airbrush as a starter with a tankless compressor. It broke down on me and since I was in a pinch for a painting contest, I stopped by Hobby Lobby and grabbed a 20 dollar holdover that I could use with my compressor. It works fine for very general airbrushing. It worked well enough to do the full body coats I needed for my Vindicator, but I had to be careful since there was no feed control and the air control was essentially on/off. I may break this out for large base coating again since it's easy to clean and I don't care about it. Would recommend this over the GW POS. I did however just get a new Badger brush so I can do fine detail again and it's mind-blowingly better than my original brush. If you want detail, you're going to want a dual-action airbrush. For examples, check my gallery for my Plague Marines (Master), Vindicator (crappy airbrush) and Heldrake (Badger).

Emphasizing previous points. Use a compressor. Even a small tank-less compressor is going to suck a lot less than canned air. A decent set of cleaning brushes is sub 10 USD. Cleaning solution is a must as well. It clears paint more easily than alcohol between colors and when cleaning up regardless of brush.

Is the cleaning solution just Simple Green/Purple Power, or do I need something more specialized? And I saw one YouTuber suggest a cleaning tool that looked like several metal pipe cleaners on a keychain - is that what I'm looking for?

Thanks again all, you've been huge helps in figuring out what I consider to be a huge step in my painting.