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A few months back I purchased the Master 3 brush beginner airbrush kit (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-3-Airbrush-Compressor-Kit-Dual-Action-Spray-Air-Brush-Set-Tattoo-Nail-Art-/140975810534?hash=item20d2d027e6).
I've started to get the hang of it and am getting decent results but am starting to run up onto its limitations.

Vince Venturella recommended starting with this kit and then eventually moving up to an Iwata Eclipse-CS or Neo. I've done some reading on those brushes, and the Eclipse-CS seems like a nice, quality tool.
My main concern is this: I paint fantasy models almost exclusively, generally in the 28mm (approx) scale -- things like Age of Sigmar/9th Age, Cthulhu Wars etc. Most of these models have a lot of fine detail, and even the larger models tend not to have a ton of flat, even surfaces like you see with scifi/tanks. My hands can be a little jittery at times too.

In my research on the HP-CS I found that people generally suggested that it's good for tanks and larger infantry but can't really handle the detail on smaller infantry models
.
That got me wondering if I should be considering the HP-BS instead. It seems like a fair number of folks who have the CS are planning to get a BS at some point in the future for fine detail. The biggest problem I am running into with my Master stuff is the level of detail, so maybe I should just get a HP-BS for that and stick to the Master for laying down quick base coats? Then again, I've also run into people who say that the HP-BS really requires a decent tank/compressor setup or you'll run into problems with pulsing that you might not notice with the CS. Given that I plan to keep using the Master compressor for a while, I can't help but wonder if I'll run into this problem.

Then I ran into some folks recommending the Harder Steenbeck Infinity series, which has some two-needle options that cover fine detail and larger spray patterns. Generally it seems like folks find these to be significantly better than the Iwata models, but the price is also quite high. That said, if the endgame is spending $300 on two Iwatas, one for detail and one for larger scale, then maybe it would be better to spend that $300 on one Harder Steenbeck that does both at a higher quality? That is quite a lot of cash, though. Would I also need to upgrade my compressor in this case too?
Any thoughts on this would be very helpful!

I can't speak to the Harder models you mentioned, but in general I've found it much more convenient to have multiple airbrushes for different applications. In your example about spending $300 total, I'd rather have a fine detail brush and a larger spray brush, but it does depend a lot on your workflow. Swapping out needles or other parts to convert your gun from one task to the other just seems annoying and like it would lead to more wear on the parts. I've got an HP-C for my smaller work with enamels, a Revolution for larger sprays and acrylics, and another Revo for clear coats. That way I can have a couple guns active at once to swap between tasks, and I tend to find it easier to cleanup and maintain them that way.

Very good point about swap-outs!

HP-BS and HP-CS both come with 0.35mm needle and nozzle. That should mean they have the same capability for fine detail.

The only difference is the size of the paint cup. If you look straight down the barrel when you're painting, you may find the larger cup blocks your view.

I have two brushes a single action witha 0.3mm nozzle which i find easier to use for super high detail stuff and a Iwata Neo for larger things with a 0.5 nozzle. It is a nice brus but gets clogged quickly it may be a small design error but keep your paints thin and it woks nicely.

This thread was made me for haha... I started on an HP-CS, now I mostly use my cheapo Masters airbrushes, I also have a Neo (pistol grip) that I love for long basing/priming jobs and I also have the Harder & Steenbeck 2-in-1 Infinity.

The HP-CS is obviously a higher end AB than the NEO but at peak performance will they both do essentially the same thing, the NEo with pistol grip is super nice and comfortable though.

The H&S is an incredible tool and you can freehand with it etc, it runs at lower psi generally, but it's also more fussy and the nozzles are SO FRAGILE (I've bought sooo many replacements).

Usually it always comes back to my trusty, cheapo Masters airbrushes though. I like them because they are comparatively very durable, and - cheap. I like them also because I'm lazy and I don't feel bad rarely giving them a proper cleaning.

I've been airbrushing long enough that I'll just keep using AB's with broken nozzles and bent tips for as long as I can, obviously without fine detail accuracy haha. I am usually in a state of 1 out of 4 working at 100%.

As to your question, I don't have the answer, but Masters makes a kit with 3 nozzles/needles that does fine detail for very cheap. The other AB's you listed are really nice though.

Iwata I can tell you has amazing customer service, my first time calling I had a huge excuse ready to go, they didn't care - didn't ask how/what/why or how long I've had the product, only my address for the replacement.

 WaveyRaven wrote:
HP-BS and HP-CS both come with 0.35mm needle and nozzle. That should mean they have the same capability for fine detail.

Not necessarily. It's a common misconception that nozzle size determines how detailed you can spray, but nozzle size simply determines how thin the paint needs to be and how fine the pigment particles should be.

The main thing that determines how fine detail you can spray is needle taper and air cap geometry. The air cap geometry determines how broad the air stream is, while the nozzle taper determines how well aligned the paint droplets are as they are pulled in to the air stream.

You could theoretically have a decently large nozzle, but a long taper and an aircap with a well directed spray pattern and then you'll be able to spray finer detail.

Generally manufacturers favour long tapers on their smaller nozzles, but it depends. One of my airbrushes has a dual taper needle and the other a single long taper even though they're both 0.35mm and it results in quite different spray characteristics.

I have three brushes - one single action large pot for spraying very large areas; one single action that was just basically a trash brush that came in a set; and finally, my nice Iwata gravity dual action.

I use my trash single action most of the time simply because I do mostly base coating and light shading. I just do not do any tiny detail work anymore, but no switching of needle or tips would make one substitute for the other. They all have their unique place.