Almost every other day i sign, online i see one question throughout all the different hobby related groups i am on, pop up again and again.
Question: What kind of airbrush do i need?
Answer: It does not matter.
My answer is going to seem very simple, but i will explain.
It does not matter what type of airbrush you get, as long as you get one, spend the time to learn to use it properly, learn its limitations and clean it thoroughly.
now for my reasoning:
that single question is posed so often in so many different groups, there is only one thing in common every time i see it. The person asking it has never had an airbrush before or had a bad experience with one and feels it they get a 'better' one it will end their problems and they will be able to lay out perfect finishes.
Think of the airbrush as a tool, a cheap socket will still turn a bolt as well as an expensive one,,as long as you don't ask too much from it.
that being said, lets look at some of the types of airbrushes that I have owned.
I will start with the least expensive and work my way up the ladder.
Generic starter set
Price point: £10-$=£15
Basic external mix bottom feed 'cheap' airbrush. I used one of these same kits for about 2 years when i was younger. easy to clean because the parts that paint passes through are removable. Perfectly adequate for laying down a show stopping paint job or adding weathering effects to your latest build.
Downside: Largely plastic construction lends itself to issues later in its life. plastic wears and causes problems with threads and fitment eventually.
Essentially considered disposable so do not expect a long lifetime of service from this style.
Next step up: Generic Intermediate set
Price Point: £15-£25
inexpensive, mass produced, bottom feed, internal mix air brush set. Have used a few of these as well over the years with good results. Metal construction but harder to clean because paint and air mix internally inside the head of the gun before it is expelled through the nozzle. Once again, fine for laying down finish coats of paint or fine detailing once you take the time to learn your limitations of your equipment.
Downside: harder to keep clean, replacement parts non existent. manufacturers spend very little on R&D for these types so they often feel "not quite comfortable" in the hands or not as smooth as their branded counter parts. fit and finish also sometime suffer at this price point.
Getting into better territory now for permanent solutions:
Paasche H series
Price Point: £ 45-55
Great Airbrush, i have owned 2 over the years, 1 I lost in a move, the second i really have no idea where it disappeared to ( so technically i guess i lost 2?? ) . External mix, easy to clean, replaceable tips and needles for flow adjustments and job size. Air controlled by the trigger and paint flow controlled by manually twisting the tip to the desired opening size for the project at hand. I have a few friends that only use these and they are very happy with this style airbrush. when cleaned and maintained properly, can last a lifetime.
Downside: allen screw that holds the tip assembly in place on bottom sometimes strips making removal of tip and nozzle a problem.
Sparmax Max 4
Price Point: £48-£60
This one is a versatile airbrush that works well. The Max 4 surprised me as i was not expecting much from it. ( it came in a bundle with my Sparmax compressor ) this thing handles anything i throw at it. from acrylic primer all the way through to clear coats. The needle stop built into the handle comes in handy when you want to keep a uniform line width throughout without accidentally applying the trigger too much. I have this one dedicated now to acrylic based paints as at this price point the o rings inside are normally cheaper material that will not handle a lot of use with hot solvents like lacquer thinners for extended use.
Downside: good all around "starter " airbrush and with proper cleaning and maintenance it can last a lifetime. it might not be a Ferrari but i would say it would be a comfortable weekend racer.
Iwata Neo Series
Price point £55-65
Great Gravity feed airbrush, i have owned one of these for 10 years + and still use it multiple times a week. Replacement parts are available if needed. i have used my own for everything from primer coats all the way to finish detailing and everything in between. keep them clean and maintained properly and they can last you decades. Literally i bought the Sparmax above to retire the Neo, could not bring myself to retire it fully and now have it relegated to spraying metalizers only.
Downside: smaller tip can cause a bit of 'tip dry' while spraying certain paints. larger tip works fine.
Iwata HP-CS Eclipse
Price Point: £130-£140
At the time of first writing this article , This was the best Airbrush I had ever owned for detail work. the spray pattern can vary from wide to thin but it excels at the fine line painting. Replacement parts are readily available online if you ever have a problem with it.
Downside: Slightly harder to clean than the Neo, there is an undercut at the front of the paint cup that tends to hold/hide paint while cleaning that is not present on the Neo or the Sparmax. (now a year later and the cleaning thing still puts me off of using this one as much as i could. still a great airbrush but set aside extra cleaning time if you get one of these. )
Harder and Steenbeck Infinity CR plus 2 in 1
Price Point: £200-230
Since i first wrote this article my wife purchased me one of these for a Christmas gift as i was once again talking about retiring the poor 10+ year old Neo ( still have not retired it ) This is the veritable Ferrari , in all departments.... Look, Feel and Operation. I would even consider it to be overkill for scale modeling. it came with 2 tips, a .4 for normal spraying and a .15 for detail work. 2 different size color cups 2ml and 5ml, i only ever use the 2ml as i dont have any problem reloading as i go. The integrated needle stop in the handle is engineered to act almost like a click pen, set your needle stop for a line width and then when you no longer need the restrictor you simply disengage the needle stop by clicking it back till you need it again. You can feel a difference in quality when you compare this one to the Neo or the Sparmax, everything is just that little bit smoother. I consider this my "detail" airbrush and it does only come out on certain occasions. ( you would not drive a Ferrari every day )
Cons: only con i have is that some of the bits are over engineered a bit, when its time to breakdown and clean it at the end of a session there are more parts for seemingly no real reason. this makes it a little bit more difficult on the outset to clean but once you do it a few times it is not bad.
Now i am only commenting on the above list of airbrushes because i have owned them and have experience with them.
What do they all have in common?
They all work well as long as you maintain and keep them clean.
The more expensive models tend to be easier to clean, made of more sturdy materials, with replacement parts available and built to last much longer than the plastic versions.
But.....even the cheapest one.. way at the top...lays a better finish more consistently than brush painting and in a fraction of the time. all you have to do is get comfortable with your equipment, learn its limits, and work within them.
now if you think about the original question this article started with.......
What kind of airbrush do i need??
mine is just one set of answers and i have listed 7 out of the maybe 12 different brands i have owned and used in my lifetime. if 10 people responded similarly, you would have 50-70 different airbrushes laid out in front of you and still be totally unsure of what you want or need. There will be people who just do not seem to get on with a certain brand and yet love another similar design from a different manufacturer.
The best advice i can give is to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish with an airbrush. ( some people want to lay stunning paint jobs on automotive kits, others want to use them for camo patterns on armor or aircraft, some for detail work on miniatures or even actual artwork.) once you have an idea of what you want to do, figure out what your budget is and start comparing each brands different models. Most major brand names have an "entry level" bit of kit geared at providing decent results at a slightly lower price point. ( Iwata uses the Neo as an entry level, Paasche has the H series or the VL, H&S evolution solo.. and the list goes on.) Do not let other people tell you that you need to spend £$£$£$ to get a top of the line airbrush. For a hobby such as ours, buying an airbrush thats capable of painting a gnats eye is a bit useless. look for dependable gear that is easy to maintain and has parts readily available.
Above all, expect there to be a learning curve while you learn the limits of your equipment. Nobody just goes out and buys their first airbrush and starts laying down perfect paint. not without experience.
one last thing i will recommend to anyone looking do lay down quality automotive paint jobs reliably and consistently..... Don Yost ( if you have been building for any length of time you have probably heard his name here and there ) has a 90 minute DVD for just $19.99. I have seen the results from people that follow his process and i am always impressed by the results. Well worth the investment for those that are just starting on the path with an airbrush as it will help you achieve a quality finish by simply following instructions. You can find the DVD here
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