Airbrush beginner...where to start?

[MattB71]

Hi guys
I want to branch out and look at an airbrush mainly for figure painting (base coating) maybe some vehicles etc.

What should i go for? ive no idea really, can you steer me in the right direction please?

Cheers
Matt

[KarlW]

If you look in the shop there are bundles which are great for starting.
This one for example.

I have had one of those compressors for years and it hasn't failed yet. (Cue a compressor failure in my near future.) Easy to fix and get spares for. I started with similar and upgraded the airbrush once I broke the supplied one.

A lot of people recomend the Neo as a beginner airbrush but I feel that the H&S Ultra is a far better brush at that price level, for a touch more than the Neo you can get a 2in1 Ultra that is easier to clean and has solvent proof seals. And I've owned and used both.

Paint is the next consideration, you can thin and spray nearly every model paint, I say nearly as there is one VMC paint that has me beaten. So there is no real need to run out and change what is on your shelf.

[MattB71]

Thanks Karl. these compressors look big and clunky...are they? also are they noisy when the compressor kicks in? i suppose i could always have a look on YouTube at some reviews too

[KarlW]

They're not too bad, slightly bigger than a toaster, and my spray booth makes as much noise. I usually have a dvd or youtube on while in the cave and don't need to turn them up.

[Guest]

Matt, I would echo Karl's heads-up on a 2 in 1 Ultra. I started airbrushing just some months back and started with a Sparmax Max-3 which was fine except that it is much more difficult to clean than the subsequent two airbrushes that I bought. Harder and Steenbeck airbrushes seem very high quality for mine but every brand has fans. I used many of the YouTube video reviews of brushes to make my choices and they were very helpful.

For a compressor I bought a Sparmax AC-501X which I am delighted with. Small footprint and ultra quiet. Doesn't have an airtank but on watching many YouTube reviews I noticed that most of the 'professionals' weren't using compressors with tanks either. Again many others will have a different opinion which is respected.

Good luck, it's a fun journey, and I wish I had started much earlier than I did.

[Dave Ward]

Matt,
If you're only looking to do basecoats on figures, you don't have to go through the expense of an airbrush/compressor - use rattle cans - you can get Halfords grey plastic primer spray cans - which should be enough to do dozens of models. The spray cans come in hundreds of colours - just make sure they're for plastic!
Dave

[Del640]

Matt,
Been there got the T-shirt!
I had so much advice from here that it helped fine tune what I actually needed as opposed to what I didn't.
I was fortunate enough to inherit some nice airbrushes and a compressor(Iwata/Sparmax)
Before that I got a cheap Chinese airbrush compressor combo off Amazon.
This came with a small compressor and three airbrushes, 2 x gravity feed and 2 x bottle brushes (which I never used).
For £70 it was a bargain and did the job!

Next was paint.

Wow, so many variations...I couldn't get on with acrylics so defaulted to enamels which were very good although not so the fumes!!

Eventually I bit the bullet and ventured into the world of Vallejo 'Air'.

I've not looked back, my spraying is easy and results never disappoint, no thinning, straight from the bottle and a good colour range.

Of course the best advice I can give as a newcomer is what everyone else told me...PRACTICE!

Good luck in your final decision, it's a nice feeling when it all comes together.

Del