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So I decided I really need an airbrush since I have a lot of large vehicles to paint and I have no idea what to do.

The store near me carries this kit for 88$

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-5-hp-58-psi-compressor-and-airbrush-kit-95630.html

But I want to know whether or not I should get that, or save up for a better one. I live in an second floor apartment, so ventilation is an issue as well. Tips or specific product recommendations are much appreciated.

I dont know about the compressor but I had the airbrush and if your using the glass container it's ok if you use the paint cup they put it so it hangs at a weird angle and it spills paint everywhere I would buy a gravity feed airbrush for painting miniatures

I would buy the badger patriot if I were you

Save up for something a bit better.

That brush is a syphon feed which is not ideal for working on miniatures. Instead of just washing out the cup and a quick spray through to change colors like you would on a gravity fed brush you will have to change bottles which i'm guessing will be a pain and a huge waste of paint.

Now as to the compressor that comes with it. i have that one and it works just fine.

TLDR: I'd go for it. If saving up for a different brush isn't too much trouble, it might be worth getting the compressor, alone, and going with a trusted name for the brush, but the HF stuff has worked for me.

I have both the HF compressor and airbrush (which I bought separately, but it appears to be the same product). I agree that the included color cup is garbage - more than just the angle, the feed tube doesn't even reach the bottom of the cup! I picked up a replacement Badger color cup from my local Michaels (probably paid all of $5, with a coupon) that fit perfectly, solving both issues.

It is commonly held that gravity feed brushes are better for our purposes than siphon feeds. While I would generally agree, that doesn't mean that the latter don't work. I had a hell of a time trying to learn on a defective Master's G44, and only started to make progress when I tested out an even cheaper but (surprisingly) higher quality HF brush.

The fine needle/nozzle (.3mm or .35mm - can't quite recall) allows for a pretty tight spray pattern, while still being useful for larger pieces. It does require a decent bit of consideration regarding paint consistency, but that 1) is good practice and 2) allows you to work at relatively low pressures, especially for a siphon feed (I do most of my work at around 15PSI). Using a dedicated airbrush thinner (I use Vallejo's) is advisable, as it will help avoid rampant tip-dry, as well as thinning the paint to sprayable levels. Paint prep is as important in the learning process as working the gun, itself, so a leg up here will get you working much faster.

Regarding darefsky's point, using the (replaced!) color cup instead of the bottle, cleaning and changing colors isn't much different than with a gravity-fed brush - there's just a greater distance between the reservoir and the "worky bits," meaning a bit more paint that needs to be flushed out. Minimal increase to time spent cleaning and paint wastage - you don't even have to remove the cup if you don't want to (definitely advisable, though, at least for the final, more thorough clean).

A quality gravity feed will treat you better in the long run (as would a nicer compressor - especially one with a tank), but also presents a much higher cost of entry. I think the combo is a perfectly reasonable and useful set to get you up and running. While you're at HF, pick up one of these, as well. Spraying acrylics, cleaners represent the biggest health hazard under normal conditions. Having a jar to contain the bulk of cleaner fumes (it's not perfectly sealed and only filtered with some cotton wool - still much better than nothing, though) is well worth a few extra bucks. I bought a similar product from Sparmax before HF introduced their jar. It has a padded metal fork that lets it double as an airbrush stand, but it has to be removed to allow clearance for the color cup of siphon-fed brushes (I screwed the HF brush's included hanger onto the edge of my work table for when I need to set it down), meaning there's no real benefit over the cheaper HF version if you're only using their airbrush. A vented spray booth and properly rated respirator are the only way to truly mitigate any and all possible health hazards, but some people, myself included, just avoid huffing the stuff around the workspace, lay down some newspaper to catch overspray, and work for relatively short periods of time with no apparent ill effects. I wouldn't advise doing likewise if I would be held legally responsible, should you follow suit and encounter health troubles, but as some random guy on the internet sharing his personal experience, I have no qualms with it.

If you are just base coating large vehicles, syphon would be OK, but you are really limiting yourself.

A cheap compressor with a tank, and a mid range airbrush that is gravity feed will be an excellent way to start, give you more flexibility and allow you to learn on something cheap.

I use a Grex, which is likely more than you wish to budget.

However, a lot beginners seem to appreciate the Neo CN Gravity. Note, it is made "for Iwata" as opposed to "by Iwata", which means it is not a true Iwata. That doesn't mean it's a fraud or poor, though. Users seem to appreciate it, as the 3.5 needle is small enough to allow some detail spraying, yet large enough to avoid some of the more ornery qualities beginners encounter with the smaller nozzles and needles.

I think it would make a fine starter.

I plan to pick one up for varnishing, as I am a bit of a novice myself and fret over leaving remnants of varnish to harden in my more expensive Grex.

http://www.amazon.com/NEO-Gravity-Feed-Action-Airbrush/dp/B004INERK4

When you are ready for an upgrade, or just wish to see some of the hobby-related things you'll accomplish with one, visit Dakka' s own Dullspork at his YouTube channel:

http://m.youtube.com/user/dullspork?desktop_uri=%2Fuser%2Fdullspork

It was his airbrush reviews and demonstrations last year that convinced me to get my first.

Now I can't say I've ever painted with an airbrush, but as a mechanic I can tell you that any tools by harbor freight are basically guaranteed to be of poor quality

Honestly, save up and get a nicer one. It is worth the trouble. As many before me have mentioned: siphon fed is a no-no on regular miniatures. Fine on vehicles, but with siphon fed you will find that the PSI will be too high for dealing with regular miniatures. Do yourself a favor and buy a nicer one. It really is worth it

Don't mean to sound overly combative, but have any of the "NO siphon feeds" posters actually used one? Gravity feeds can function at lower pressures than siphons, but those only need to be reached for very specific tasks (e.g. super fine lines). Most work is done at pressures that, with sufficiently thin paint, produce little difference in the performance between the two types. The necessary air pressure is dictated primarily (there are other factors, of course) by the thickness of the medium being sprayed and it doesn't take much to siphon thin fluids through an inch of 1/8" diameter tube. I could push Vallejo PU primer mixed 2:1 or even 3:1 with their thinner - the thickest thing I ever need to spray - through the HF gun at a measly 10PSI, if I wanted (and I have, testing the gun's limits). The airbrush in question isn't for dotting minis' eyes (nor are most guns, whatever the feed type), but it's perfectly capable of something like targeted pre-shading on a troop-sized model, not to mention basecoating, varnishing, OSL, etc.

Still agree that a mid-range gravity feed (like a Badger Patriot) would be better in the long run, assuming the OP wants to just buy one brush instead of picking up his "upgrade" brush somewhere down the line, but there's been so much blind parroting on the gravity vs. siphon subject that the consensus has been simplified, pushed to an extreme, and taken as dogma. Needle/nozzle size has more of an impact on an airbrush's usefulness for miniature painting than its feed. I would never recommend a single action, considering the range of double actions available, but gravity or siphon is much less cut and dry.


On Harbor Freight, in general, their biggest issue is quality control, but they have a generous exchange/return policy to compensate. A lot of their stuff is perfectly serviceable (some rare gems actually perform every bit as well as their more expensive counterparts), but there definitely are duds. Between online reviews and inspecting the product in-store, I've yet to be disappointed by any of the dozens of items I've bought there (granted, none of that included heavy machinery or precision tools, which is generally where they fall shortest).

Here here Oadie. I far too often see advice from people who clearly havent done the thing theyre giving advice about.

Siphon feed would be just fine for most basecoating jobs. Even spraying at high pressure is alright, just isnt optimal - it would waste more paint than using an extra low pressure gravity feed.

People even CAN achieve hairline detail with siphon feeds. Its more about you substrate, Tee shirt painters typically use a siphon feed. Because the fabric theyre painting on soaks up the paint before the high airpressure can push it around and cause spidering. All that means is you have to work very fast on a harder non absorbant substrate to avoid the spidering./.. not impossible, just not preferable.. it certainly isnt a definate NO NO as people like to say it is here.

That said, if your choosing an airbrush for painting mini's a gravity fed, 0.3-0.5mm nozzle setup, with a 2-5ml cup should suffice for just about everything youd want.

I tend to agree - a lot, with oadie.

I have gravity feed and siphon brushes. Internal and external mix. Single and double action brushes. Even have a side feed.

A couple of people who tend to make a lot of noise exclaim the virtues of gravity feed brushes, and it resonates across the boards. However, there is a good reason that almost 150 years after the first airbrush was made that you still have all of those available. Most manufacturers have a full line which includes something from each. The Chinese knock-offs don't just copy the gravity feed internal mix brushes.

Each tool has a purpose. You can use one brush to do everything - but it won't do everything well. For the vast majority of hobbyists - all they really need and would fully utilize is a single action external mix brush. They are easier to maintain, have more than enough control for base coats, primers, clear coats - even doing things like shading and not so fine detail with them. 90% of the videos I have seen on YouTube I can replicate with my Badger 350.

Granted - that doesn't mean that I would give up my Sotar for anything - but then again, I do a lot more than just those things and I am already accustomed to the maintenance and use of the airbrushes. However, I wouldn't even think of using my Sotar to spray primer (even though it could). No reason to use it to spray Dullcote (though it would). It would be nearly pointless to paint a building...or a tank...or even a big stompy robot with it. I would have to refill the color cup so many times... For those things, one of my siphon feed brushes that I can stick a 2 ounce bottle on the bottom or even my DeVilbiss come out.

So - yes, consider what you might want to do, then take a deeper look at airbrush specific sources as opposed to those which are focused on miniatures. You might find that while everyone here recommends a double exaction gravity feed brush - your purposes may be better served with a single action siphon feed. It doesn't stop you from picking up another brush a year or two down the road after you gain some practice with brush control and decide you want to try some more advanced techniques.

For the record, you don't come off as combative, just someone that cares! And yes, my first airbrush was a siphon-fed airbrush my father-in-law bought me many starry nights ago (Lord, I'm getting too old for this sh*t.) I personally don't recommend them, although to be fair, my poor experience may have been caused by my LACK of experience. I just find that anything I can do with a siphon-fed airbrush, my double-action gravity fed Badger can do better. But, I can't speak on behalf of everyone, I can just give my two cents. As with all my advice, an implied YMMV is always good

I do not have an airbrush, but I wanted to share this advice that a friend of mine gave me. I have a very cheap harbor freight mig welder that cost me 80$. I purchased to practice mig welding before I buy a really nice setup. I can get solid welds with it (its flux core which is as bad as it gets for welding) but it is significantly more difficult than my friend's 1000$+ Miller Mig. He pointed out that, while my welds may be decent, I will develop bad habits to compensate for the shortcomings of my cheap flux welder, such that, when I finally do purchase a good gas fed mig welder, I will have to work very hard to break those poor habits. I imagine the same is true for airbrushing, but so long as you are aware of that then you should be OK.

My criticism of siphon feeds is simply they need so much more paint, and effort to change paints. Gravity I can change paints reliably in about 30 seconds, way less for gradients. I am doing a few test models at the moment, single minis, maybe 8 airbrush colours, times 5. The idea of changing bottles and wasting that inch of paint just doesn't do it for me.

I didn't even consider a quality difference, but I suppose that is the pressure needed as pointed out.

That said, I don't own a siphon feed, and haven't used one for 20 years.

Good post oadie.

E: oadie, not Odie - that is the dog from Garfield

I had an siphon fed airbrush a while back and it was awful, though that probably has more to do with it being £30 than being a siphon fed.
Replaced it with a Harder&Steenbeck Evolution 2in1 last week and i love that. It helps that it comes with 2 needles (0.4 and i think 0.2) so you can adjust it for whatever you need.

I have a siphon fed airbrush, and it doesn't draw paint in as well as a gravity feed, so you should look for the latter design.

That's the exact thing. Drawing paint in from a siphon-fed airbrush typically (notice how I said typically) calls for more PSI. Typically, (once again, I said typically) you want lower PSI for doing smaller miniatures, details, etc. If you just plan on using your airbrush to base coat, prime, paint vehicles, or other large miniatures, a siphon-fed isn't all that bad. My only other complaint, as previously mentioned, is that in my experience I found that changing and transitioning paints just took way too long.