Airbrushes are so inexpensive today, there's no reason not to have several. The CNC tolerances and metallurgy of the super inexpensive rebadged Chinese generics made by the likes of Fengda these days has improved markedly over the past decade. The designs, copies of famous tried and true brand designs, were never in question. If not wanting to tread that path out of irrational 'brandnameitus' reassurance, alternatively Iwata, Sparmax (owned by Iwata) and Tamiya (OEM Sparmax and Iwata) or GSI Creos all offer 'beginner' airbrushes which are far and away affordable quality airbrushes poorly served by "entry level" or "beginner" misnomers. Along with Iwata, Sparmax, Tamiya, & Fengda I have several Badgers and an Omni (Thayer & Chandler). Whiilst Badger/Omni too make superb quality airbrushes which will last a lifetime., today those brands are far too expensive today outside the USA in comparison with competition due to the fact they are made in the USA and their pricing is pitched in any exchange for the usuriously hyper-overvalued USD. There are just far better VALUE buying choices today, the most obvious already mentioned above. As for a first airbrush? .03mm gravity feed double action with at least a 7cc cup would be my choice for a first and only go to.
can't believe this video has only received 93 thumbs up. It's obvious that a lot of thought and experience went into this video. So here's an extra thank you to @SH. Your info was much appreciated.
I use a Badger 360. It's got all the advantages of most of these airbrushes. It's got a rotating front half, so it can be gravity-fed or siphon-fed. It's double-action, but you can adjust the needle to make it basically single-action. It uses the same needles, nozzles, and other parts as the Badger 155 series. In fact, my first 360 was a dealer's sample, and still marked as a 155 on the body. Badger's customer service is great, and you can send it in to basically get the airbrush refurbished almost for free.
Thankyou, this video was a perfect primer for me on this topic and has given me a solid starting point for me to confidently go forward and look at purchasing my first setup.
Perfect timing, I'm just starting back into modeling and need to upgrade my old airbrushes, the new large scale kits definitely require a wider spread as well as fine detail. Thanks for the help
Great review! While one brush can’t do it all, one can do most very well. A great single jack of all trades is the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. With the 0.35 you can go from pretty fine lines and Luftwaffe splotch camo up to 1/48 scale base coats. The GSI Creos Mr. Hobby Pro Con Boy airbrushes are near clones to the Iwata at a cheaper price. I have 7 airbrushes from a Badger 150 to a top end H&S, but there is not much that I could not manage with only the HP-CS. At least for most scale model building.
Iwata's Eclipse CS is a no brainer can't go wrong choice, with the caveat of a single apparent factor. For many dipping their feet into airbrushing for the first time or yet to be committed to plastic modelling along with those on more restrictive budgets, its price is commensurate with it Iwata's brand, quality and performance. First timers will also want accessories, the most apparent being a compressor, the second an partially enclosed fan evaporative spray booth before taking into account the myriad of other smaller items. i.e. Cleaning station, additional or braided hose/s, airbrush stand, cleaning brushes. These days, CNC machining, metallurgy and QC has permitted superb airbrushes to be obtainable on a pretty tight budget so that airbrushes which in pragmatic everyday practice will perform on a par with the Eclipse CS can be had for half its price leaving a sizeable chunk of change to go towards that compressor. e.g. Sparmax Max-3 or its Tamiya OEM clone which can't be beaten on balance considering all factors. Alternatively the Sparmax SP-35 too is superb option, although personally I dislike the minuscule 2cc size of the latter's paint cup for which reason if I wanted a larger nozzle than the .03, I'd choose the Max-4 over it.
Another good tip is to power your airbrush with a CO2 tank, like bars use to pressurize the soda guns. It's a dry gas, so you never get condensation in the line, and it's completely silent. You need to get a regulator, which can be as expensive as you want it to be. I got my first tank at a local flea market, which made it really cheap. When you go to get it filled, they typically trade it out for a new tank anyway, so you can get away with a cheap used one as the initial investment. A refill costs about $30 or $40. Plus, you can get an attachment to make your own soda!
With the water trap and filter I have never had a condensation problem. Seeing I already have a compressor, I would just as soon use my “free” air as opposed to taking out a tank to buy another gas and store it under extreme pressure in the house. But to each his own.
Airbrushes are so inexpensive today, there's no reason not to have several. The CNC tolerances and metallurgy of the super inexpensive rebadged Chinese generics made by the likes of Fengda these days has improved markedly over the past decade. The designs, copies of famous tried and true brand designs, were never in question. If not wanting to tread that path out of irrational 'brandnameitus' reassurance, alternatively Iwata, Sparmax (owned by Iwata) and Tamiya (OEM Sparmax and Iwata) or GSI Creos all offer 'beginner' airbrushes which are far and away affordable quality airbrushes poorly served by "entry level" or "beginner" misnomers.
Along with Iwata, Sparmax, Tamiya, & Fengda I have several Badgers and an Omni (Thayer & Chandler). Whiilst Badger/Omni too make superb quality airbrushes which will last a lifetime., today those brands are far too expensive today outside the USA in comparison with competition due to the fact they are made in the USA and their pricing is pitched in any exchange for the usuriously hyper-overvalued USD. There are just far better VALUE buying choices today, the most obvious already mentioned above. As for a first airbrush? .03mm gravity feed double action with at least a 7cc cup would be my choice for a first and only go to.
Very thought out.
can't believe this video has only received 93 thumbs up. It's obvious that a lot of thought and experience went into this video. So here's an extra thank you to @SH. Your info was much appreciated.
Wow, thank you!
Wow you answered everything I needed to know. A great quality video. Thanks.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for making this video.
My pleasure!
I am the first viewer. Let's see the premiere! 😎
Yes you are!
Awesome video. I've been dragging my feet but this information makes me feel better about diving in. Thanks for the excellent video!
Glad it was helpful!
With your experience, do you think this would work on custom lego minifgures ?
It will shoot paint all the same no matter what your painting so I don't see why not.
Thank! Now I know where to start modeling with my son. And maybe do some other art projects after that 🌟
Go for it & have fun!
Have to say, I've been using a Grex for over a decade now and I have never looked back, best modelling investment I've ever made.
Can't go wrong with grex!
I use a Badger 360. It's got all the advantages of most of these airbrushes. It's got a rotating front half, so it can be gravity-fed or siphon-fed. It's double-action, but you can adjust the needle to make it basically single-action. It uses the same needles, nozzles, and other parts as the Badger 155 series. In fact, my first 360 was a dealer's sample, and still marked as a 155 on the body. Badger's customer service is great, and you can send it in to basically get the airbrush refurbished almost for free.
Love my badger airbrushes. Thanks for sharing. Please sub to my channel.
Thankyou, this video was a perfect primer for me on this topic and has given me a solid starting point for me to confidently go forward and look at purchasing my first setup.
Glad it was helpful!
Perfect timing, I'm just starting back into modeling and need to upgrade my old airbrushes, the new large scale kits definitely require a wider spread as well as fine detail. Thanks for the help
Glad they help!
Great review! While one brush can’t do it all, one can do most very well. A great single jack of all trades is the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. With the 0.35 you can go from pretty fine lines and Luftwaffe splotch camo up to 1/48 scale base coats. The GSI Creos Mr. Hobby Pro Con Boy airbrushes are near clones to the Iwata at a cheaper price. I have 7 airbrushes from a Badger 150 to a top end H&S, but there is not much that I could not manage with only the HP-CS. At least for most scale model building.
Thanks for the info!
Iwata's Eclipse CS is a no brainer can't go wrong choice, with the caveat of a single apparent factor. For many dipping their feet into airbrushing for the first time or yet to be committed to plastic modelling along with those on more restrictive budgets, its price is commensurate with it Iwata's brand, quality and performance. First timers will also want accessories, the most apparent being a compressor, the second an partially enclosed fan evaporative spray booth before taking into account the myriad of other smaller items. i.e. Cleaning station, additional or braided hose/s, airbrush stand, cleaning brushes.
These days, CNC machining, metallurgy and QC has permitted superb airbrushes to be obtainable on a pretty tight budget so that airbrushes which in pragmatic everyday practice will perform on a par with the Eclipse CS can be had for half its price leaving a sizeable chunk of change to go towards that compressor. e.g. Sparmax Max-3 or its Tamiya OEM clone which can't be beaten on balance considering all factors. Alternatively the Sparmax SP-35 too is superb option, although personally I dislike the minuscule 2cc size of the latter's paint cup for which reason if I wanted a larger nozzle than the .03, I'd choose the Max-4 over it.
Another good tip is to power your airbrush with a CO2 tank, like bars use to pressurize the soda guns. It's a dry gas, so you never get condensation in the line, and it's completely silent. You need to get a regulator, which can be as expensive as you want it to be. I got my first tank at a local flea market, which made it really cheap. When you go to get it filled, they typically trade it out for a new tank anyway, so you can get away with a cheap used one as the initial investment. A refill costs about $30 or $40. Plus, you can get an attachment to make your own soda!
Interesting...
With the water trap and filter I have never had a condensation problem. Seeing I already have a compressor, I would just as soon use my “free” air as opposed to taking out a tank to buy another gas and store it under extreme pressure in the house. But to each his own.
Excellent report, good video very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it!
It's been a minute since I have done any painting. This was a great refresher!
Thanks for watching! Please sub to my channel. More videos coming.
Great video. Thank you for sharing. 👍
Thanks for watching! Please sub to my channel for more vids!
Another excellent, informative video.
Glad you think so!
Nicely done video and vary informative.
Glad you liked it!
Informative and nicely done
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Danke!
Thank you so much😁