Hello all, I am looking for advice on airbrush complete sets. I am new to modeling and wanting to start using a airbrush system. I am looking for a beginners set so as I go I can add to the current system. Any advice would be much appreciated..

For what it's worth, I am a big believer in you get what "you pay for" when it comes to airbrushes. The cheaper ones just don't last and may make you hate airbrushing altogether.

I would highly suggest buckling down and getting a Iwata Eclipse or other good airbrush (Grex has a nice line). If you go to Hobby Lobby, you can get an Eclipse with a 40% coupon (plus they carry spare parts). Then get a good compressor. I have an Iwata Power Jet Lite, but you would be happy enough with a Smart Jet. Grex has some nice compressors, but I haven't used them.

If I seem like an Iwata fanboy, I am. They replaced my compressor 8 years ago for free when my switch went bad. All I had to pay was shipping to CA facility.

Thank you for your advice.

Jeff,
What do you intend to paint? If it's only 1/35 armor there are recommendations that suit that subject matter. If you do cars there are other brushes are better suited for that type modeling than they would be for armor alone. The recommendation of Iwata Eclipse brushes is a good one, but even those vary based on intended use. A quick heads up on how you intend to use the brush, how much time you spend modeling and budget will make it easier to point you I the right direction.

Cheers,
Paul H

I plan on doing armor and trying my hand at some dioramas later. Right now I am focusing on armor and military figures. The scale I like is 1/35 and bigger.

The first thing I always ask on threads like these is simply: "How much is your budget?"

Then we work from there.

What items do you have or don't have? (paints, compressors, thinners, etc?)

The questions about budget, types of subjects (.i.e. WWII German or Modern Russian), and how much you model are just to know what to recommend. There are lots of good airbrushes from different companies that have features and price points you may or may not like.

For example, if you build only US modern subjects and model a couple of hours a month every other month then a single action brush with a general purpose tip would probably work out well. They are easy to learn and reliable sprayers.

If you model a lot and you are constantly going to be painting or are doing complex camoflage patterns like WWII German then you would probably be better off learning on a double action brush with more detail potential, since they take more practice and use to be good with them. You can do great work with single action brushes, but they are less flexible overall.

Tools that are frustrating and ineffective due to improper choices are ones that prevent people from enjoying the hobby. I've had friends pay $$$ for brushes and use them only once because they bought the wrong type brush for their needs. The brush worked perfectly, but it wasn't capable of doing what my friend wanted it to do.

Retailers like Chicago Airbrush Supply and Coast Airbrush in California have online stores and carry starter kits for brands like Iwata, Badger, Grex, Paasche, Harder &Steenbeck which include different levels and types of brushes and compressors.

If you tell us what your needs are and what you want to be able do, we'll be happy to point you to something that will get you there.

Cheers!
PH

I second Poul H's reply.
I'd would like, however, to add something to it. I usually advice to find something in the middle price range. The cheap ones are........ well - cheap! Poor quality is not only a question on performance, they are unreliable and difficult to use (even for a trained user). The expensive ones are, as Poul H rightfully points out, an investments only for those who has a huge useage for an airbrush.
In the middle range you'll find airbrushs which are reliable and ones you can grow with.
Another thing is the compressor - it's an AIRbrush. My experience is that this an area to invest money into too. A reliable, durable and silent one I find is a determining factor for happiness on the same level as a good airbrush.

Canadian tire in Ontario Canada has a complete kit from mastercraft
$99
You can get dirt cheap airbrushes on Amazon for $23 , I got one & it sprays good.
Compressor , airbrush , hose , cups, water trap, pressure gauge
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/tools-hardware/paint-stains/painting-tools-accessories/mastercraft-air-brush-kit-2991975p.html?utm_campaign=bazaarvoice&utm_medium=SearchVoice&utm_source=AskAndAnswer&utm_content=Default

I'd recommend that you see which style of airbrush you are more comfortable holding. The conventional style or the pistol grip. I am replacing my old single action Paasche H after 30 years and my double action Testors (Aztek) of more than 20 for either a Neo Trn2 or a Grex Tritium TS because I like the trigger style more than the push down/pull back. Those two are pricey, each costs more than I'm sure you want to spend. Also, are you left or right handed? It doesn't seem important but you need to be comfortable while holding it. I'm a south paw and while you could switch which side the paint cup was mounted on the Testors, it was kinda awkward to use the Paasche with the paint cup only on the left side. Remember that compressors can be noisy. My new compressor, with a 30 gallon tank, is mounted in my shed so I don't have to listen to it. My old WR Brown Speedy, which finally died after 33 years, was a noisy, shaking, rattling hunk of steel that let everyone in my old apartment building know when I was painting. Most new compressors are much quieter but again you're going to pay more.

This is a great topic. I have been looking to possibly upgrade. About a year and a half ago I bought the Master Airbrush Set (3 airbrushes/compressor) for about $100. I expected it to be crap but it has performed well and I have not had any issues. So my dilemma is do I really need to upgrade? Has anybody else used this airbrush set and then upgraded? Thanks!

Hmm where to start, like most I modeled when I was a kid. I have always been decent at putting things together. Then in my late teens I got interested in other things ( football, girls, joining the Army, married, job). Now that I retired from the GA ANG in 2012 and we really started focusing on my wife's career. We moved to Ohio (Cleveland) in 2013 for her career. Well 8t snows alot here..lol. so in a 2014 I bought a model at drug mart a M5A4 and when I was done I remember how enjoyed putting it together.
Now I really want my skill level to increase with the details like painting. I have been using brushes and spray cans and now really want to get to the next level in modeling with painting, diorama's, etc.
I spend problem about 3 to 4 hours a day modeling. Budget wise I am looking for something to learn with and as my skill level increase's so will the quality of my kit.
I prefer military, mostly WWII OIF/OEF time frame, but also like knights templar/crusade/Samurai as well. Long term I would love to do a scratch build/ diorama from the Japan dynasty conflicts.

Double action ab's allow more control. Also, I would avoid any brush that uses a separate paint cup or jar. My first brush had a jar and I had to use both hands to keep it from falling out. Look for a brush, with a medium size paint cup. This helps prevent spills and pretty much guarantees that you won't have to refill the cup, mid-session. I have used Iwata and Badger brushes. The Iwata HP-C is quite nice and easy to use. My workhorse has become the Badger Renegade Krome. Both have optional tips and needles for larger and finer lines. The brush, alone will set you back about $150. If you keep an eye out, tank-less compressors can be picked up for another $125. I have no experience, with pistol grip brushes.

Based on what you said in your post, I would expect you to be doing a good bit of larger type surfaces with some smaller one like subassemblies thrown in. For that type of work I would recommend you get a kit with a piston type compressor that puts out enough pressure and volume to do large surfaces well. A kit with one of the Iwata Sprint Jet or the Badger/Paasche equivalent would work well.

For the airbrush, I would recommend a Badger Patriot with the "Fine" nozzle setup. This brush is inexpensive, reliable, easy to clean, gravity feed with a large attached cup, and it will be a great brush to learn double action on. If your skills grow and you want to expand, the brush will still be very useful and reliable despite being your "starter" brush. The .50mm tip size will span large to small pretty well which is important.

The Iwata HP-CS would also work and is a work horse for a lot of people. It is reliable, easy to clean, it's gravity feed with a large cup that's attached and it has has a very good finish. The .35mm tip however is not really geared for covering large areas efficiently. It can do it, but it will take more time and patience. It will do finer detail more easily than the Patriot can but usually costs twice as much.

Other brushes out there that have similar features, but I would stick with easy and reliable and both these brushes are that. No color cups or bottles to clean or cool with, and both are built plenty tough and will probably outlast you.

Kits with airbrushes listed are available through the site I listed above.

Cheaper kits are out there, but performance is often variable, spares are much harder to come by, and warranties are lacking compared to these recommendations.

Hope this helps a little.
Cheers,
Paul H

I only got 1 airbrush with my Master Airbrush Set about 15 months ago, so you probably got a better deal than me, and I have also been happy with my compressor. I did upgrade to an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS airbrush when I saw a great deal for one on Amazon.

Because of what I've read online about the advantages of using an air tank, I am currently considering an upgrade of my compressor to one of the following two models. Although it's a little more expensive ($120 vs $100 on Amazon) I am intrigued by the cool running model, because my current Master compressor does get quite hot after 30 minutes or so and the cool running model has a 5 year warranty:

http://www.myairbrushcompressors.com/review-master-tc-20t/

http://www.myairbrushcompressors.com/review-master-airbrush-tc40t-compressor/