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Hello
So I'm wanting to jazz my massive chaos space marine army up and after looking at airbrushed models I really would like my army to lhave a ook of similar or decent standard.

I have £30 to spend on either an airbrush with a mini compressor or a decent set of paint brushes (I can't be arsed paining 40 marines 30 Plauge Marines and 40 Berserkers with a brush TBH) but I have never picked up an airbrush let alone use one on models.

Can anyone recommend airbrushes and are they difficult to use? Or should I just stick to brushes?

Thank you

I don't think you can buy airbrush, compressor, airbrush paint, mask, ... for 30 quid. Save up some more.

Airbrushes are really good, especially for larger models and vehicles, however they are very difficult to use effectively on smaller models unless you are just doing a general coat. If you want to get one then you will need to practice a lot. However the effects that can be achieved once you have mastered it are stunning - just google 'Angel Diaz'.

A good set of brushes will see you well for many years and you can still achieve amazing effects with them with a bit of practice.

Personally I use brushes. I have not used an airbrush since my days in the club and High School. I would advise you to get a really good set of brushes - do not just go for the priciest either, some of my best have been cheap 97P ones - and learning how to use them. However I would advise investing in an airbrush at some point as they can make painting a lot easier, especially the bigger models.

Can anyone suggest a set of brushes worth buying? The Army Painter looks good

Would just like to echo what has been said so far.

You won't get an airbrush for thirty quid. That said, the set I have, which looks rather like this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FoxHunter-KMS-Airbrush-Compressor-Airbrushes/dp/B0054Q384A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441209163&sr=8-1&keywords=airbrush

Is pretty good for the money.

As for purely using an airbrush for painting - you'd need to get really really good, really quickly to be able to do that. I really only use my airbrush for base coating and for doing colour transitions like on my Bloodletters swords. Brushes for everything else.

There's a thing on ebay which is a 0.3mm airbrush with a mini compressor which looks the part. I would also be using an airbrush just to add a quick base coat and add a luster or tarnish to my models armour or muscle/flesh effect quickly, but for a general base coat I might as well just use the GWS spray

Thanks for the info


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I may add that I get occasional jerky hands when painting, is there something that acts as a stabiliser, a few brushes I own have an ergonomic grip but it gets very slippy after long sessions of painting

Honestly you simply can't get a decent compressor for that. You really want with a tank and pressure variability. You can get a decent compressor, air hose and basic, no-frills brush for about £70 on eBay in the UK but nothing really less than that. It's worth the investment. Bear in mind you'll also want brush cleaner, as airbrushes are easily clogged and can be ruined without care. You'll also want thinner. You can use screenwash but it is vile in the fumes it gives off. You will want a stand and washing facilities. Put it all together and you're probably talking about £90-100. Element Games do a good airbrush care pack which covers your bases.

Army painter brushes are not the finest. In my opinion they are similar to Citadel in quality. They have some different sizes and I use their insane detail quite a lot. If you want a good set of brushes you really need to go for sable fur. Something like Winsor and Newton Series 7. They are not cheap and your £30 won't go far with them, but they are far superior to any artificial fibre. You can buy cheaper sable but if you get it say of eBay then caveat emptor as you could be buying anything!

Enjoy!

For my money you are better saving and investing in quality kit. You will 100% definitely get better results from a sound airbrush and compressor and/or decent brushes than you will with cheaper alternatives. It's a pain to wait and save but the results will justify it.

If you want to see what an airbrush can do with even on small units, check out Buypainted on YouTube (It's not me, and I don't work for him, but he has some really good results): https://www.youtube.com/user/Buypainted. I have a feeling he's using a very high end airbrush, though. And, it looks like he has several years of experience with an airbrush.

SG

With me, and I'm sure many of you can empathise, I have a very controlled hand but at times I have random jerky hands and you just loose your rhythm and it can mess up a model.
I will invest in an airbrush and tinker with it until I get the hang of things.
Who knows, I might be good and have a beautiful army so you never know I might be posting on the gallery soon