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Made in fr
Crazed Spirit of the Defiler






Hello all !

I think it's finally time for me to pass to next level and invest in an airbrush for model painting.
But shopping online can be quite a hurdle as you know. So I'd like to ask for your collective wisdom !

What are your favourite airbrush brand/particular model ? Personally I'm looking for one with a portable battery that wouldn't cost too much but don't let that restrain you and recommend what you want !

-"For the Ruinous Powers!" 
   
Made in ca
Speed Drybrushing





t.dot

I always recommend the Harder and Steenbeck Infinity CR+. It's my workhorse, and it's worth every penny (although the H&S Evolution isn't bad either).

Compressor is whatever works. Make sure it has a tank, a regulator, and at least one water trap.

   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





What do you want to do? If you just want to prime and base or zenithal you won’t need an expensive airbrush.

I got by just doing these things with the cheap airbrush that came in my starter set. And I would recommend this approach for newbies becuase airbrushing isn’t easy and there is a lot of maintenance in using airbrush so it’s best to get used to this on a cheapy one.

   
Made in gb
Executing Exarch





London, UK

I'm another advocate for Harder and Steenbeck. I've only used the Evolution thus far but it's been excellent with the ability to buy multiple needle/nozzle sizes in one go. Like DV8 with his CR+, it's my work horse now that my cheap Chinese brush gave up.

Ebay have good airbrush and compressor kits, I have the AS186 compressor that comes with a tank and moisture trap and even in long sessions, it's been very good over the past two or so years. The airbrushes that come with the set aren't much to write home about but are solid for learning with, even just for priming and basecoating.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/28 10:03:34


   
Made in fr
Crazed Spirit of the Defiler






Thanks for the replies !

For now I want to learn how to use one and start with priming and base coating to then go on to harder things. But still it's nice to have recommendations for when I want to get some higher end stuff.

mrFickle wrote:
I got by just doing these things with the cheap airbrush that came in my starter set. And I would recommend this approach for newbies becuase airbrushing isn’t easy and there is a lot of maintenance in using airbrush so it’s best to get used to this on a cheapy one.



What is this starter set if you don't mind ?

-"For the Ruinous Powers!" 
   
Made in gb
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Scotland, but nowhere near my rulebook

I'd suggest that you don't make the mistakes that I made:

Don't try to use can air. It's awful.

Don't get a syphon airbrush for painting miniatures. I have a Badger 200NH, which is great for undercoating, painting terrain, painting things which aren't miniatures - and the advantage of being able to swap in a different coloured bottle to change paint quickly is nice. However for model painting it's near useless.

Likewise - don't get a single action for painting miniatures. The advantage of the Badger is that you set the spray size and it stays the same, but you can't run just air through it.

Pay attention to the fitting and air hose sizes. Once I finally bought a compressor, I discovered that I needed various weird adaptors.

I eventually got this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01984G4SU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have no idea if the cheap airbrush it came with is particularly good, but for my current skill level it does the job.

The airbrush which came with the compressor is an absolute nuisance to clean, while the Badger is extremely easy. You can definitely feel the difference in build quality.
   
Made in gb
Fresh-Faced New User




I'd highly recommend getting the Fengda set above. It comes with an air reservoir that is great, as it means the compressor motor isn't running all the time. I wouldn't buy any branded airbrush yet, but start practicing with the one that comes in that kit. It was perfect for starting out and getting used to one. (I ended up breaking mine, and I'm really glad it was the cheap one and not a more expensive one!) I've not got a Badger Patriot 105 and it's great and much easier to use now that I know what I'm doing!

Double-check fitting compatibility if you buy a separate airbrush. Although I like the Badger, they have their own fittings that you need to get adapters for, and this was a pain. I got my badger off amazon (direct from badger) and ended up getting a partial refund as even though it was described as new, it was actually a refurbished one.

Starting off just use a cheap airbrush, play around with it, take it apart, try different paints and air pressures before jumping in and getting a better one.

Cleaning is super important and making sure you have tools for that will help. Cotton buds and make up sponges have been great for me.

*Also*

Another really important thing to think about is ventilation. The airbrush basically turns the paints into an aerosol and there is a lot of nasty stuff in there. I ended up getting a spray booth with an extractor fan on it. The extractor fan takes everything out an open window. I'd wear a good face mask regardless of how good the ventilation is anyway, you've only got 2 lungs on you!

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/10/28 11:51:59


 
   
Made in gb
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Scotland, but nowhere near my rulebook

Another advantage of that kit - it comes with some cleaning brushes, which makes life easier.

And yes, ventilation/face masks. I'm lucky that I can usually spray outdoors, but I've got a decent face mask. Although most acrylic paints aren't actually toxic, breathing in a lot of paint dust is unlikely to do you any favours.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000VDPNCQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
   
Made in gb
Resentful Grot With a Plan





Good to hear people recommending that fengda kit, has been in my amazon cart all this week waiting for me to pull the trigger

Should hopefully do for learning, and getting some primer, zenithal and base colours down.
   
Made in us
Stealthy Space Wolves Scout





Folkvang

100% the iwata highline HP-BH. I've been using a harder and Steinbeck evolution for years now and just recently upgrade to the iwata and Holy crap does it make a difference. The control the HP BH gives is insane and it feels just so different. I cannot express enough the difference going from one to the other. A small price to pay for excellence.

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Made in gb
Been Around the Block





I have an iwata neo. Great starter
   
Made in gb
Resentful Grot With a Plan





Found that Fengda one here too: https://www.airgoo-europe.com/Webwinkel-Product-129228297/Airbrush-Set-Fengda-FD-186K-met-compressor-FD-186-Airbrush-BD-130-en-accessoires.html?Lng=en

about £20 cheaper, even with postage to UK
   
Made in gb
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Scotland, but nowhere near my rulebook

Good find - I was surprised by the price, I could have sworn it was about £20 cheaper when I bought it.

The air tank makes the air flow very smooth, but the compressor does switch on pretty often, which I was surprised by (having never used an airbrush before) - I was expecting "Fill the tank, paint for 15 minutes" but it doesn't last that long.

Oh - pressure adjustment isn't obvious! The manual is nearly non-existant. To adjust pressure, you have to lift the valve before you turn it. No idea how common that is, but I had to google it!
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





DreadfullyHopeful wrote:
Thanks for the replies !

For now I want to learn how to use one and start with priming and base coating to then go on to harder things. But still it's nice to have recommendations for when I want to get some higher end stuff.

mrFickle wrote:
I got by just doing these things with the cheap airbrush that came in my starter set. And I would recommend this approach for newbies becuase airbrushing isn’t easy and there is a lot of maintenance in using airbrush so it’s best to get used to this on a cheapy one.



What is this starter set if you don't mind ?


https://www.everythingairbrush.com/product/as-18-compressor-ab-130-airbrush-starter-kit/

This one doesn’t have an air tank but that not affected me in terms of basing and priming. But if you can get one with a tank for a bit more the I’d go for it as everyone says it’s better to have a tank.
   
Made in de
Longtime Dakkanaut






My recommendation is a H&S Evolution. The Infinity just adds a limiter for the needle and comes with a 0,15mm needle/nozzle set.
However, the limiter is pretty useless, the control on the H&S airbrushes is really great, making this a less important feature.
Next, acrylic paints, even thinned for use in Airbrushes, are pretty thick and work best with nozzles from 0,3mm upwards. The tiny nozzles are meant for painting on paper with inks.That means going for a smaller nozzle, even worse combined with low pressure, is a receipe for clogs.

Something I've not consciously read above that is great about the H&S airbrushes is that you can easily disassemble and reassemble them quickly without any tools. That comes in really handy with the clear need to clean the airbrush - at the very least when you are done or changing colours.

If your compressor can push ~4 bar / 60 psi, you can essentially flush the airbrush reliably into the spray out jar, rinse with water and airbrush cleaner and be ready to go again without disassembly.


This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/10/29 22:07:35


   
Made in gb
Secretive Dark Angels Veteran



UK - Warwickshire

Another +1 for Harder & Steenbeck. Pretty much any of their brushes is nice for what it is.

I have a Evolution Silverline, Evolution CR+, and an Evolution Ultra siphon fed from H&S.

All are great at what they do. The silverline and CR+ I have fill similar roles and you could get by with just 1 with no problems. I like to have black and white at the same time for illustrating on boards or canvas ~ so use two at once.

Not to say there isnt many other great airbruhses out there from other brands. I would look for a local (atleast in your country) supplier of the brush and all its parts. At some point you will want a new needle, nozzle and potentially seals/gaskets. And it helps if you can get these for domestic postage costs.
Which is why you see mostly EU people favour H&S, because therye made in Germany, while USA does tend to prefer brands like badger. (I believe for this reason)

If you want what is generally touted as the best in the world, Iwata is the one to look at (although I've never used one so cant comment as to how its any better than a H&S)

edit; if you go for a cheaper airbrush, it may not be worth buying spare parts atall. Some of them will cost more than half the total airbrush for a needle + nozzle replacement. At any rate, spare parts being available should influence your choice a fair bit.
Also consider that these are precision engineering products that have tight tolerances in certain parts, you absolutely get what you pay for upto a certain point.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/11/11 21:44:21


'Ain't nothing crazy about me but my brain. Right brain? Riight! No not you right brain! Right left brain? Right!... Okay then lets do this!! 
   
Made in us
Daemonic Dreadnought





Eye of Terror

Big fan of the Harder Steenbeck. I have an Infinity and get a lot out of it. Great for large areas, very good for fine details.

You should also look at Badger. I have an Anthem, Sotar and Renegade. The Sotar is excellent at fine detail work, like when I want to add a spot highlight on armor. The Renegade is a workhorse, it has an extra large well and can hold a lot of paint.

   
Made in gb
Yu Jing Martial Arts Ninja




North Wales

I've got a small handful of airbrushes, but over the past few years they've all suddenly got a bit finicky.

In a fit of exasperation, I decided to grab one quickly off Amazon. Fortunately, uncommon sense prevailed and rather than spending money in anger on a H&S, I just grabbed a dirt cheap Chinese job. I was pleasantly surprised! Far better than I remember those things being 5 or 6 years ago. Ok, so I only needed for basecoating, but it did the job perfectly well.
   
 
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