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I am just a beginner and have only used the cheapo little £15 type of syphon feed brush before.

I've just had my birthday money and want to step up a level to a unit with a compressor.

At the same time, I don't really want to spend £200 on just the brush. I probably don't have the skills to benefit, and I just want a brush to do vehicles and aircraft.

What are the panel's opinions?

iwata are pretty much the best air brushes out there, and i'm sure you can pick up a good deal on them if you hunt around for something like a package so you get a decent brush hoses compressor nd such.

when i was looking around i think i found a decent entry lever iwata that you could learn on and progress without needing to upgrade too soon, it was beginner to intermediate, but i'm afraid it was about $350 us for the set. (but it had the upgraded compressor) so i'm sure you can get away with $200ish to start

tho i'm sure you can get great iwata brushes by themselves for much cheaper. Apparently the Badger compressors are really good and their brushes are also of high quality.

i guess you'll have to look around. but yeah iwata and badger are the way to go for long term use adn something you can grow with for a while

hey kilkrazy,

I have been looking at the neo for a little while now. If I had the money it would be put into my toolkit for sure. If it is anything like the CR and BCR I have it will be a great airbrush..

Badger has good entry-level airbrushes.

Look into the Badger Patrio 105 or the Badger Renegade Velocity

Should get away for $90-$120 leave you some money for some cleaning tools, hose and stuff.

I have one myself. Its not actually made by Iwata but its made by iwata but its made for them and meets certain requirements etc.

Its a pretty decent airbrush and does the job well, atleast in my opinion. Its obviously not going to be as good as a £150 airbrush but its a really good brush for getting started and learning the ropes. And if you decide its not for you its hasnt cost you as much as a big brush. Also its very easy to get replacement parts for it which isnt really the case for the knock-off chinese airbrushes you get from ebay etc.

Hope that helps, if you've any questions feel free to pm me.

I sent my Badger Velocity back - never had any problems with Iwata. I was also looking at the Neo. My only concern was the quality of the components.

This site is fantastic for airbrush reviews/research:
http://www.airbrushtechnique.com/Reviewpost/g5-.html

Not Iwata but a copy of (reposted from another thread)

If you want budget airbrushes in the UK I always recommend RGB Tools. I bought a 2 brush kit with a tanked compressor 2 years ago and have never had cause to regret it.

http://www.rdgtools.co.uk/acatalog/AIRBRUSH_KITS_AND_SPARES.html

It's the same kit as the ebay budget kits you see but cheaper, their are other cheaper options on the site as well if accoustics and quality are of less importance too (ie nail spraying kits). RGB have the added bonus of being a well known hobby company not an eBay outfit so Distance selling rules apply!

Worth a look for wargaming needs. If this does interest you Rich PM me as i may have a 5% discount card kicking about here somewhere.

The NEO is on the low end, I think the lowest of Iwata, that said it's still a good brush. Don't pay for than 60 USD for it...I'm assuming cheaper locally for you. Most of my experience is with the HP-C line. The cheapest being the Eclipse for about 100 USD. The NEO actually has some ADVANTAGES over the HP-C. One is straight up cost, you can afford to abuse this brush and replace it...tools get used and need to be replaced. This one eases that pain. Second the paint cup is removeable which is great for cleaning. Third is has at least as good of flow control as my HP-CR.
A Caution if you care is that this brush is not made BY Iwata but FOR them in Taiwan. The Spring is brass vice stainless steel. The business end is of a different style than the standard Iwatas with the nozzle attachment extended far outside fo the body. You should probably polish the needle a little bit...but that's up to you.

In the grand scheme of things it is a solid step into a brand name brush. If you decide to step up you can or you can stay there. I happen to think the return on investment in ABs ends around 200 USD. At 60 the NEO is probably the best one with a well known makers name on the side.

They use an Iwata Neo in the new Imperial Armour Model Masterclass II book.

If Phil Stukkkkinanassanasnnansnakkikkanass is happy with the results, I would be too.

i just got my first airbrush and compressor yesterday.

what i found online is that my AS-186 is a pretty good starter compressor with water/oil filter and a 3ltr tank. it costs about 100USD*.

the airbrush was one of those "made in China" gravity feed, dual action ones. price was about 25USD*.

*prices are converted from euro's to USD by head, so dont pin me to them

I've also just got the same compressor combo as Dijnsk, and I'm very happy with it, I've never airbrushed before. If I get real good, I can invest in a £100 + airbrush, but don't need a compressor.

This is a vehicle I started.


Here's the compressor.



Hope that helps. It was from RDG tool too.