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Hello Dakka.

Just got myself a air compressor mainly for working on my car but have thought about getting an airbrush to do hobby also. Its a 50l 2hp big compressor. Have looked on eBay for an airbrush but there is so many to choose from I know its need to be duel action but as for what to go for I'm not sure. I don't want to spend mega money as only really want it for tanks and base coating. So was wondering would a 20 quid one of eBay be ok or is there an entry level one that's a bit better for under 50 quid. But cheaper the better. Looking for reviews here.

Next question as have only used a brush till now and newish to the hobby iv built up a collection of gw paints. Will these be ok to use for an airbrush or should I get some new paints in the main colours I would be using.

Also what would you use to clean it and where is the best place to get it from in the UK.

I know this topic comes up a lot so thank you for your reply

Badger makes some great airbrushes. Personally, I think the Anthem 155 works great for basecoating and tanks. In the US, they run about $100.

As for actually airbrushing...if you're using a regular air compressor, make sure you get an inline moisture trap/filter. GW paints will work just fine, as long as you thin them down. Cleanup is pretty simple, too. If you're using acrylics, just use a little window cleaner (like Windex), then run some water through to rinse it all out.

GW paints will work fine, but are a pain because of the pots. For airbrushing, the dropper bottles used by Vallejo, Reaper and others work much better, as you can measure more accurately.

As for the brush itself, if your goal is just basecoating the cheap ones off off ebay should do the trick. For finer work, I'd recommend an Iwata entry-level brush, as these are of the highest quality and will last you a lifetime, if you take good care of them.

Cheers,


IK-Painter

I would suggest that you visit RGB Tools for budget airbrushing. It's the same as the eBay stuff but you will be buying from a known UK based hobby retailer with the associated protections. It's invariably cheaper too.

For more up market stuff everythingairbrush.co.uk seems to cover the market well and reasonably cheaply.

Re GW paints they will run through an airbrush fine. Not as good as purpose made paints but well enough for a wargamesrs use. Thin it 50/50 or more and spray at 18-20 psi and you'll be set.

I thinned with tesco concentrated car screen wash perfectly well when I started but have since also used distiller water, tamiya x20 thinner and vallejo airbrush thinner equally as well. Antenocitis workshop can supply the thinners plus many more useful products. They also sell Vallejo polyurethane primers for undercoating, get these and never buy a spray can again!

I purchased a cheapo £20 airbrush and it works really well, i decided on this route to save a little money and get the hang of airbrushing before taking the plunge and getting an expensive one (the GF can buy me one for my birthday lol).

The Citadel paints spray fine, but they do need to be thinned alot, try for the consistency of milk, i now decant my citadel pots into dropper bottles which can be bought online fairly cheaply, at least then you can top up the dropper bottle as necessary!

And a top tip for all airbrushers out there in the UK, go to Poundland and get the 40 plastic shot glasses, they are perfect for premixing paint for airbrush.

Cheers for the comments guys yeah I have been looking at just buying some Vallejo air paints 16 set is 25 quid so cheaper than gw and if I buy a set it will sort out a colour sceam for my guard as will use what I get .

As for the iwata brushes can only seem to find the neo for iwata for around 45 quid so Donno if any of you guys recommend this?

The gw paints work fine, but those bottles are a pain.

The only thing I don't like about the vallejo air paint is that they don't line up with their regular colors, so touch ups are a pain in the butt. I would go with normal vallejos, thinned out, so if you need to do some brushwork, you can use the same paint.

The Neo is a very nice brush, without the bells and whistles. The .35mm nozzle can do very fine spray, but doesn't clog as much as finer nozzles, so beginners don't get too frustrated.