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Hey gents, looking for an airbrush that is relatively low maintenance and will be used strictly for base costing - nothing fancy. The cheaper the better but I'll entertain all suggestions.

yes, but no
any cheap airbrush on amazon or whatever store you have near you will do that, also the cordless rechargeable ones are an option here

but when it comes to low maintenance you are moving away from cheap, as the easier to maintain and clean, the more expensive you get

a good low maintenance airbrush for basecoating would be the Harder & Steenbeck Ultra for ~100€ and as a new 2024 model is out you might get the older one cheaper

If you're just base coating, I'd genuinely recommend going as cheap as you possibly can

You can get airbrushes for £15 on amazon that work just fine. Cheap enough that you could just replace it with something better later down the road, if you decide you like airbrushing and want more precision.

Having said that... you shouldn't cheap out on a compressor. You do need at least a decent compressor, because you need the airflow to be stable and consistent or any airbrush you connect will be a nightmare to use.

You absolutely need a compressor with a tank. Piston compressors are the most common. They're cheap but loud. You can get a serviceable one for £75-£100 ish, again there's a load on amazon.

I'd say you'll be fine with any compressor you can find that is 1) piston powered, 2) with a tank, 3) has a moisture trap. Finding one with those 3 things is easy, but does have a price floor at around £75 ish.

All-in you could easily have a good setup for £100.





Also a note on 'low maintenance' - The quality of airbrush shouldn't make a difference. The only real factor is needle size; smaller needles will clog faster. Aim for no smaller than 0.5mm. How much maintenance an airbrush needs is almost entirely dependant on how good your airbrush practice is. If rinse it thoroughly and frequently during and after use, then you should never have to disassemble/ soak/ deep clean it, at least until it has been very, very used. Other things that make a difference are using proper airbrush thinners, and buying and applying 'needle juice/ lubricant to your needle every now and then.

Yes, if you're only base coating, make sure your airbrush has a large enough nozzle. Anything under 0.3mm is not recommended

Typically, airbrushes are used for inks and solvent based paints, which do not clog up a brush as easily as Acrylic paint, this is where having the larger nozzle really comes to your aid instead of fighting you.

Sparmax Flyer. https://store.sparmaxair.com/collections/airbrushes/products/flyer

For basecoating, I use a cheap Chinese knockoff of a Badger 250, which is as simple as a paint-spraying device can be. I do have a slightly more complicated airbrush as well, and a compressor, but that one tends to jam or clog very easily and several parts of it are broken, so it seldom sees use.