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I know people are tired of reading questions about Airbrushes. However, I am in the market for a new Airbrush and I wanted some opinions on a gravity feed dual action Airbrush. I wanted to know what was a cheap reliable gun for details like miniatures. I do not need a compressor all I need is a airbrush. Anything that is good for detail for reasonable prices.

Thanks a head of time.

Dont worry, I dont mind chatting about airbrushes, as for a recommendation I'd suggest a look at an iwata Neo. £45 with a .3 setup and 2 cups, different needles sets are available and a 5 year warranty from iwata. I have one which I bought on a whim as a backup/occasional use and I am impressed, not as quick and easy to clean as the other iwatas I use but at a fraction of the cost I can live with that aspect of it. I picked up a backup needle a few weeks back and it was £6.
As for the performance, I have nothing to complain about at all. like any.3 or smaller its sensitive to paint thickness and care needs to be taken with metallics but any small needle will have issues there.

All I have used in the lower end price bracket are sealey and draper items years back and they are both nothing more than branded versions of the chinese units you can get on ebay for pennies. the Neo is head and shoulders above them in every way and will do anything you ask of it well.

Im sure other guys can chip in with the lower end of the badger lineup etc as a comparison but having never used them I cant comment.

Good luck and have fun

jeff200sx wrote:
Dont worry, I dont mind chatting about airbrushes, as for a recommendation I'd suggest a look at an iwata Neo. £45 with a .3 setup and 2 cups, different needles sets are available and a 5 year warranty from iwata. I have one which I bought on a whim as a backup/occasional use and I am impressed, not as quick and easy to clean as the other iwatas I use but at a fraction of the cost I can live with that aspect of it. I picked up a backup needle a few weeks back and it was £6.
As for the performance, I have nothing to complain about at all. like any.3 or smaller its sensitive to paint thickness and care needs to be taken with metallics but any small needle will have issues there.

All I have used in the lower end price bracket are sealey and draper items years back and they are both nothing more than branded versions of the chinese units you can get on ebay for pennies. the Neo is head and shoulders above them in every way and will do anything you ask of it well.

Im sure other guys can chip in with the lower end of the badger lineup etc as a comparison but having never used them I cant comment.

Good luck and have fun

Yeah, I even looked into the Master series and found one that does fine detail for under $100. I might actually give it a try myself. For the price I think it may work. I have had good luck using this brand even though it's not the best on the market.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/MAS-G444-SET.html#.U8bcSZXQfvU

Well, brace for it... what do you want to use it for?

For general block painting, priming, no hassle painting (=reliable with a multitude of viscosities)
I found the Badger Patriot 105 with the .5mm nozzle is a good general purpose brush.
Nozzle/needle can be changed for finer work if needed.
http://www.badgerairbrush.com/Patriot_105.asphome site
http://www.coastairbrush.com/badger105parts.aspbreakdown drawing and parts
Amazon: $99

I have other brushes but this is my "go to" for the following reasons:
- Cup is wide and the bottom is easy to get at for cleaning (10mL).
- Needle is easily adjusted / removed to clear clogs.
- The needle sticks out so using the cap is a good idea BUT it is a good thing for less build-up on the nozzle and seems to "mist" more evenly.
- The plastic cap with the tiny vent works very well, prevented many a careless spill.
- Sturdy in build, I tend to like a bit of heft to a brush so it feels like less "recoil" or pull from the air line.
- Found the nozzle size was a big deal for longer uninterrupted painting.
- Can swap out combo for a .3mm.

Good all-round brush.

<edit> That "Master" brush looks like it has all the right stuff, I tend to adjust air flow going into the base of the brush which is the recommended method.
What I like is also the "stop" to limit how far you apply paint to keep a consistent weight of spray, so at that price it is worth trying.

 Talizvar wrote:
Well, brace for it... what do you want to use it for?

For general block painting, priming, no hassle painting (=reliable with a multitude of viscosities)
I found the Badger Patriot 105 with the .5mm nozzle is a good general purpose brush.
Nozzle/needle can be changed for finer work if needed.
http://www.badgerairbrush.com/Patriot_105.asphome site
http://www.coastairbrush.com/badger105parts.aspbreakdown drawing and parts
Amazon: $99

I have other brushes but this is my "go to" for the following reasons:
- Cup is wide and the bottom is easy to get at for cleaning (10mL).
- Needle is easily adjusted / removed to clear clogs.
- The needle sticks out so using the cap is a good idea BUT it is a good thing for less build-up on the nozzle and seems to "mist" more evenly.
- The plastic cap with the tiny vent works very well, prevented many a careless spill.
- Sturdy in build, I tend to like a bit of heft to a brush so it feels like less "recoil" or pull from the air line.
- Found the nozzle size was a big deal for longer uninterrupted painting.
- Can swap out combo for a .3mm.

Good all-round brush.

<edit> That "Master" brush looks like it has all the right stuff, I tend to adjust air flow going into the base of the brush which is the recommended method.
What I like is also the "stop" to limit how far you apply paint to keep a consistent weight of spray, so at that price it is worth trying.

I already have a Syphon feed for large paintings. Such as groups of minis base coat and primer. I have no issues doing bigger miniatures etc. However I am looking for small detail brush. 0.2 o.3 mm needle tips Fine lines and details.

I'll check out the Badger.

the badger 105 is a highly recommended brush on most sites from what i see, I have never used one before so I cannot comment. that one you linked would probably serve well enough.
You say tho you have a siphon feed already for larger areas and this one is for details your probably best to spend a bit more on this one than the brush you linked? I dont mean crazy expensive but somewhere about the middle market which in my money would be about £50 GBP up to about £80-100 ish ie the badger 105, iwata neo and Im sure every company has an airbrush in this price bracket thats worth a look at and they would probably all fit your bill.

jeff200sx wrote:
the badger 105 is a highly recommended brush on most sites from what i see, I have never used one before so I cannot comment. that one you linked would probably serve well enough.
You say tho you have a siphon feed already for larger areas and this one is for details your probably best spend a bit more on this one than the one you linked? I dont mean crazy expensive but somewhere about the middle market which in my money would be about £50 GBP up to about £80-100 ish ie the badger 105, iwata neo and Im sure every company has an airbrush in this price bracket thats worth a look at and they would probably all fit your bill.

I will definitely looks at my options. My Syphon feed is nice but, wastes a lot of paint and is very good for painting large parts areas etc. It's not very good at details.

Badger Sotar 20/20. It's an amazing brush and while the MSRP is like $400 every now and then you see them for sale for a little over a hundred on clearance or on amazon.

I just wanted to second the Iwata Neo... Iwata has unbelievable customer service and warranty; and the brush does exactly what you need it to; and it's cheap.

I have a Masters brush that I use for metallics and varnishes - they get the job done for cheap however they are cheaply made and the seals are crap. I've had to tephlon tape mine a few times.

 Sammoth wrote:
I will definitely looks at my options. My Syphon feed is nice but, wastes a lot of paint and is very good for painting large parts areas etc. It's not very good at details.

Iwata and Badger are good if you already have a kit, you can find quite a few entry level ones. The only real reason to go Master is to get a fairly inexpensive kit, practice with a cheaper gun until you decide what direction to go. They do work great for primering and base coating but it sounds like you have that covered already. Get one that is at least a .3 mm and lets you change to a .2mm. I do suggest practicing and using the 3mm for awhile until you get the hang of it better. It is a bit more forgiving than when you go to a smaller tip.

I use a Badger Patriot 105 and i love it. There are several needles that you can utilize for fine detail all the way up to broad strokes. They arent that expensive and utilize mediums well. Clean up is easy too.

I have a Badger Patriot 105 its a fantastic all around brush. I use it for most things except fine detail. It is very easy to clean and very very forgiving (with things like paint thin/thickness) I find it shoots best for me around 15-20psi.

I also have a Badger Krome, and I like it quite a lot but its rather finicky.

I started out with a Master G22 and it was and still is a good airbrush. The things I find most different between the Patriot and the Master is that the Patriot is much much easier to clean, the trigger is much more responsive (there is no dead space between pulling it back and something happening), and the center of gravity is more to my liking. Last but not least is the the cup itself. The cup on the Patriot is much shorter and lets you see better over the cup (makes a difference to me but you might not care).

The one downside I have found to the Patriot vs the Master is the needle on the Patriot does not have a guard it sits out from the end, so you have to be careful when moving it around.

I hope that helps a bit.

Also here is a great website for airbrush reviews, and trouble shooting.

https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/home

It sounds like you are already experienced with an airbrush and are (your siphon feed) and are looking to step up.

While the patriot 105 is an excellent brush, it might not be enough detail for you. It is indeed the brush I suggest to new people, as it is a good product, and is very forgiving.

Normally, I never suggest a higher end brush, because they can be incredibly frustrating to use for an inexperienced airbrush users who does not already understand the tricky mix of paint viscosity, pressure and brush use.

However, if you feel you have outgrown your previous brush, then I would perhaps suggest;

Iwata HPCS - excellent airbrush, a bit more detail and control compared to the 105, but still somewhat forgiving.

The badger sotar 20/20 - this is an amazing brush - but you really need to have good quality paints and a firm grasp on the trickyness of using airbrushes.

oh, and note to : Darefsky - yeah, the needle on the patriot 105 does not have a guard...after bending one or two, I figured out to just loosen the needle, and pull it back enough to not be exposed when I store or move the brush!!!

Thanks for all the advice all. Well a very long time ago I had a fine detail airbrush (1989-90 ) but, since getting back into the hobby recently. I am just getting more info on what is out their to use on Minis. I still use my syphon feed for my 1/35 scale military models.

Another vote for the Sotar 20/20. You can still pick it up with free shipping Stateside for 90 bucks. It's a mint airbrush.

If you aren't in a hurry, keep watching Amazon for the Sotar 20/20. $90 is dirt cheap for what you're getting, and I paid even less for mine. Just be careful with it - replacement parts aren't cheap ($20-30 each for needles and nozzles, depending on size and seller).