Not talking about collections, just how many airbrushes do you regularly use to complete your 1:35 masterpieces.

For example

Do you just have one workhorse that you use for every thing from priming down to detail.

Do you have two, one to do the priming and base and one to to do the medium and detail work.

Or do you have three, one to do the priming, basing, one to do most of the rest and one to do really fine detail.

Would the answer be any different if you were to do other models like 1:72 and 1:48 aircraft.

Cheers,

Nigel

I currently only own one so just using that one. However, I think having a second one with a different needle is very useful.

Thanks,

So wht do you have and what second brush would you get?

Cheers,

Nigel

I would be mostly spraying acrylics and mostly Tamiya but there would be occasional enamels abd water-based acrylics too.

I'm thinking two brushes:-

a 0.3mm (such as an Iwata HP-C+) to do most work

a 0.5mm (such as an Iwata HP-CR) to do heavy work (priming, big base coats, clear coats etc)

Does that sound sensible?

Cheers,

Nigel

I use a HP-CPlus, a HP-BH, and the HP-C 50th Anniversary, all Iwata's.

I mix the HP-Cp and the HP-C50, no definite preference, when preparing and doing the major part of the work...the gunmetal HP-C50 looks better though;-)

When it comes down to the real precise stuff I exclusively use the HP-BH. It allows me to play with pressure right at the front of the nose, and has the smallest and most precise delivery.

For small stuff, like 1/48, I hadn't realised but your question triggered the realisation that I stick with the HP-BH there...

Paint are acrylics only...thinned with either water or Alcohol.

I wash my plastic before spraying...and use gloves when handling afterwards. All paints I use have no problem being used without a basecoat of any kind this way.

H.

I have 4 I use 2 usually

I have two, one with 0,2 for fine work and one with 0,3 and big cup for general work. I always use the one which happens to be clean

There is no big difference between 0,2 and 0,3 tips if you have a little finger practice.

I've got a 0.3mm double action bottom feed and a 0.5 single action gravity feed, but 96+% of my airbrushing is done with double action.

I have a cheap, noname airbrush that I'm happily using since over three years. The second one would probably be a similar one that can fit the same three needle sizes as the first one (0.2, 0.5 and 0.8mm).

Many thanks.

So do you I assume that you do primer, basecoats and clearcoats with you C/C+.

You said that you would use the BH for 1:48. Would the cup hold enough paint without refilling?

And I had assumed that having a B and a C would Be hard to justify - apart from being quite expensive, I would have thought the performance of the 0.2 and 0.3 nozzles would be too similar.

Cheers,

Nigel

I have a bunch that are collecting dust, that I have used over the years, mostly because my 2 go to airbrushes are.

H&S Evolution AL
H*S Infinity

Only limited by my ability with those 2!

Depends on the model I'm building. Usually at least two base coat and details. Sometimes as many as four when doing complex camo schemes and filters.

PH

I have three (3). Paasche single action which I like but have to be extremely careful to not damage the needle. Then I have a Testors Azteck, which I've found to be really good to work with. Especially the changeable nozzles. Then lastly, I just purchased the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. Hopefully, this will be the one that I'll only use.

Just one,an Iwata HP-CS

I use two airbrushes. An Iwata HP-CH for detail work and an HP-CR for base coats. However after watching Paul Budzik's Airbrushing video's I an going to drop the HP-CR and replace it with an Iwata RG-3. I am looking for smoother base coats and gloss coats and the RG-3 is better designed to do that. The RG-3 puts out more paint and less over spray. This makes for a very smooth coat of paint.

I have 5 airbrushes.

Iwata Eclipse HP-CS - Workhorse...does a little bit of everything. Used Regularly.

Iwata High Performance Plus - Soft-edge, Freehand Camo and some pre-shade only.

Iwata Neo Gravity Feed - for Primer and clears only.

Paasche-H w/No.3 and No.5 Needle, Nozzle, Tip. For Cars only...Paint and Gloss.

Badger 150 - Junk....never sees the light of day.

Gary

I use 3 airbrushes on a regular basis.
a .5 for large areas (Iwata).
a .3 which is my workhorse, for most everything (Grex).
a .2 for fine work and tight freehand camo (Grex).

Surprisingly, there is a very noticable difference between the .3 and the .2 in it's regular performance and what it can do.

I have 2 brushes

a badger patriot for almost everything

a badger 350 for spray my alclad laquor.

I am thinking about getting another patriot with the super fine needle conversion.

- steve

I only have one - a Badger 105. It works pretty well for most of what I need it for.
The only reason I think about getting another has to do with the trigger action, which is a bit "jerky" - that is, not altogether smooth. The mechanism is clean, and lubricated, I think it's just the way it is. This attribute doesn't matter most of the time, but, it does limit the success one can readily have when doing fine work. The "first shot" is usually a blast - which isn't the best way to work into detailing etc. As a whole though, it's pretty good - heck, it's successfully sprayed gallons of Vallejo paints!!

Cheers
Nick

I have 4 Badgers. My 200 I bought back in 86 was my first. I mostly use it now for base coats, flat clear, etc. I have two Crescendo's, one setup for Fine and the other Medium, also for acrylic base coats and some detail work. Last year I bought a Renegade Velocity with the Super Fine tip and needle. This is now my fine detail airbrush. I really love its action and it is my first gravity feed. The other three are all siphon feed airbrushes. While the 200 is now 30 years old, it just keeps on cranking along.

I prefer Badgers since 1) That is what I started with. 2) Parts are easy to get and are reasonably priced; and 3) If you really mess it up, Badger will usually fix it for free! They really stand behind their products.

Thanks,
Stephen

Funny, I originally took this question to mean how many airbrushes do we use on one model kit...

I use these brushes for modeling regularly:
Iwata Eclipse HP-BCS - .50 tip - metallics, primers
Badger Patriot . 50 tip- heavy bodied primers, base coats, clears
Grex TG-3 - .30 tip - light bodied base coats, (fan tip helps)
Iwata Eclipse HP-SBS- . 35 tip light bodied base coats, pre/post shading
Badger Velocity w/ .33 tip package - pre/post shading, tone coats, details
Thayer & Chandler Model A - .25 tip - pre/post shading, tone coats, details
Badger Krome - .21 tip - pre/post shading, tone coats, details
Iwata HP-B+ - .20 tip - pre/post shading, tone coats, details
Tamiya HG Super Fine -. 20 tip - pre/post shading, tone coats, details
Badger Sotar 20/20 - .019 tip- pre/post shading, tone coats, very fine details, inks
H&S Infinity CR .15 tip - pre/post shading, tone coats, very fine details, inks

Each brush has features like feed location, tip type for low or high pressure/volume spraying that make them work better in certain circumstances than others with similar tip size.

Cheers
PH

I have

a 0.3mm Iwata HP-BR to do most work

a 0.5mm Iwata HP-CR) to do heavy work )

and for detailed work and really fine work a Custom Micron Iwata

Use all them in a build.

Paul

Hi! First, and foremost, I use Single-action airbrushes, exclusively. I own and use 2 PAASCHE H-1s, equipped with Fine Tips. I use one for general airbrushing with my Primers and Enamel Paints, the other one for Clear Lacquers, exclusively.

I also make great use of my of my two BADGER 200s, both of which are equipped with fine needles; one for more general airbrushing, (see H-1, above) and the other, I use exclusively for airbrushing Metalizer Lacquers, and metallic paints. This prevents ANY possibility of cross-contamination.

For fine-detail, airbrushing those complicated WWII German Luftwaffe camouflage paint schemes in 1/48 scale, and for touch-up work, I use my BADGER 200G Gravity-Feed with the tiny top-mounted integral paint receptacle. I use an Ultra-Fine Needle in this airbrush.

This airbrush is great for applying the initial "mottling", as seen on the fuselages (and also overall, in certain cases, such as seen on German Night Fighters, such as He.219s, for example, or on WWII Italian Aircraft) of my 1/48 Luftwaffe Fighters, over which I spray "filters" to diffuse this effect. this great little 'brush has served me very well in this fashion over the last 25 years or so...

I like the single-action airbrushes because they are dependable, are easy to clean, and parts, which I very seldom need, are readily available. They are easy to "modulate" camouflage with, and by varying paint-flow and air-pressure, my single-actions are just as versatile as ANY dual-action airbrush out there, at a fraction of the cost.

The real key to good airbrushing is to keep them clean. I break down and thoroughly clean my airbrushes IMMEDIATELY after each use, AND between color changes. Yes, it's more time-consuming, but well worth the extra effort in the long run.

I bought my first "real" airbrush 49 years ago, when I was 14 years old- I still use that very same PAASCHE H-1 today...

I have a bunch of airbrushes that I use. Which one depends on what mood, which model, or what I'm trying to achieve.
I have an Iwata Eclipse G3/5 (setups for both 0.3 and 0.5mm). Great for super smooth finishes. But sometimes I use an Olympos HP-102C trigger action airbrush for the same kind of work.
Several 0.3mm from different Japanese brands. They are all great alround airbrushes. Which one depends on my mood.
Two Olympos 0.18 Microns for details and smaller stuff, and a 0.23mm Micron for detail and weathering. But sometimes I pick some 0.2mm airbrush that I feel like giving a spin, and usually they work just fine.
Favourite brand is Olympos, but most Japanese made airbrushes are of similar quality and performance.