Airbrush advice

[RedHartstock]

Hi,
After a long break (48 years) I'm building my 1st AFV. Back in the day the only airbrush I could afford, with my pocket money, was the classic Humbrol airbrush, similar to the current AG5107. Basic and not suitable for fine detailing. Can anyone recommend an airbrush suitable for 1/72 kits? I'm looking for a brush than can spray the German camouflage patterns. Initially I will be focusing on 1/72 kits.
Price is not limited. I expect with a good airbrush I will need a compressor.
I would appreciate any comments please.

[colin m]

I only have experience with H&S (Harder and Steenbeck) I like them, it's easy to dismantle and clean. Spare parts are available easily. Iwata is another big brand. I have no experience of these, but I don't think you will go wrong choosing either make.

[RedHartstock]

Hi! Thanks for the reply. What H&S model airbrush do you have?
Regards
Red

[Andy the Sheep]

Ditto, and yes you'll need a compressor.
You'll find plenty of advice here as airbrushes and compressors are one of the most discussed topic here as in the whole modeller's world.
I have an Iwata compressor and 2 Badger airbrushes, one bottom fed and one side fed, but I'm not yet into small scale mottled camouflage patterns. If you are looking for an airbrush for German camouflage patterns and try to paint it freehand in 1/72, you'd better choose a gravity fed airbrush with a small nozzle size (and a lot of exercise too :rolling. My compressor is an Iwata Smart Jet Plus Tubular Airbrush Compressor; it's good but not very cheap; here's a picture from the Iwata home page:

[Jim R]

Airbrushing needs practice especially if you want to do fine detail work. A high end airbrush and compressor will not automatically allow you to do what you want.
John, who owns this forum and the Scale Model Shop, has a lot of good airbrush/compressor deals. I would contact him. If you become a Scale Model Forum supporter, £10 per year, you get a discount at the shop as well as other benefits.
Buy something decent but don't think that spending more is better. You will probably also need an airbrush spray booth. As Andy says there are lots of useful threads on the forum.
Also a very warm welcome to the best forum.

[RedHartstock]

Thanks for all the information. I was a keen modeller back in my teens. I became an industrial product design engineering and retirement is not far away. I'm fully expecting lots of trial and error in the painting department, but that's the fun of creating. I guess I'm looking for an airbrush that can get me going on the basics. The German camo patterns are a long way of. My first model is the Trumpeter Challenger 2 KFOR. I will contact John for a chat.

[BarryW]

First of all for models you need an airbrush ideally that is gravity fed. I would also suggest one suitable for general use. A good quality general use airbrush will enable you to do mottle on 1/72 but you will have to work on the skills and do lots of practice.

There are good beginners airbrushes produced by major brands. Harder & Steinbeck have the Ultra which is designed specifically for beginners and the new 2024 Ultra is very refined hey one with a .28 needle and it will do a good job for you and help you learn airbrushing.

The other benefit of Harder & Steinbeck airbrushes is how easy they are to take apart for a deep clean.

Other brands I have used include Iwata, GSI Creos, Topnotch as well as the cheap Chinese ‘knock offs’. H&S are, in my view, as the best for models.

You need a compressor as well. One with a tank is strongly recommended, while it costs a little more, it will serve you better with no pulsing and less noise.

This is a good starter compressor.

https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/scale-model-shop-as-186s-airbrush-compressor-with-cooling-fan-as-186s-p17369/

Here is the Ultra

https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/ultra-2024-airbrush-harder-steenbeck/

That combination will do you proud but the most important thing is practise and don’t expect instant results. There are lots of YouTube tutorials worth watching.

[Waspie]

H&S Ultra 2024 is what I use. Great for amateurs and pro's alike. One needle for priming to fine detail. Loads on YT singing its praises. I've not problems with it and I'm new to the hobby.

[colin m]

What H&S model airbrush do you have

I started out with an Evolution Silver line, which I still use for primer or larger painting jobs. These days I've also got an Infinity CR+ for more detailed work.