Hey guys,

I'm in the market for a new airbrush. I was hoping to get some ideas from y'all. I figured god would be the best place to get the best advice.

I currently have an Iwata Neo, it's been a great airbrush, but I haven't been so great to it.

I'm looking for something that won't break the bank, offers good quality, maybe comes with a few different size needles.

What are yalls thoughts, and why?

Thanks for any help

For a best answer we need to know more about you.
How would you rate your skill level?
In an honest conversation, how much very fine line work do you actually do verses dreamed of doing?
Do you do aircraft with intricate camo patterns?
Do you do single colored vehicles mostly?
How often do you change colors when painting?
What type of paint do you prefer?
How long have you been airbrushing?
What do you realistically do you want to do with your airbrush (technique wise)?

I ended up with 3 airbrushes. An Iwata HP-A for fine line work,
Iwata Hi Line -C for most of my work and an Iwata revolution for primer/base coats. I acquired my airbrushes over a period of years.
Had a Badger 150 for 20 years before upgrading.

Many poo poo them but I have been using a dual action Aztek for at least 20 years. Never had any trouble with it. If you buy a set they come with several size cups and quite a few nozzles as well. I mostly use the grey and tan ones for my armor work. If you use acrylics they are a breeze to clean. I use Tamiya so when I am finished I shoot some Windex through the AB then water. Then, I unscrew the nozzle and put it in a jar with Windex, leave it in for a while and rinse in water. Never had any trouble with it. At one time they were guaranteed for life. I accidentally backed a chair over mine a few years back. Called and told them the truth that it was my fault and they still sent me a brand new AB.

For some of the Badgers it is possible to buy complete sets of needles/nozzles/heads so even if the original package doesn't contain different sizes of needles it is easy to get the "missing" ones. Ignore the 200, 350, 250, 360 and Crescendo.


The Evolution from Haarder & Steenbeck is also a nice airbrush and some of the sets come with more than one needle size.
http://www.harder-airbrush.eu/en/products.html

One thing to consider is gravity feed versus suction feed
(gravity = cup on top in some way, suction = cup hanging under in some way).
For small volumes of paint and low air pressure the gravity feed might have an advantage.

One very important point to consider is how the airbrush fits your hand. An uncomfortable grip (due to size or shape) will lead to a cramped and unprecise handling. It's just as bad as wrong size underwear ...

/ Robin

Thanks for the replies sirs,

I would say my skill level isn't the greatest, even tho I try new things almost everytime airbrush. I started modeling October/November of 2015, so I haven't been doing it long. But, is say I do fairly well for being so new to airbrushing.

I build 100% armor and almost all of those have been three tone camo. I've done a few US Desert schemes, and one overall NATO green Stryker. All the rest have been German three tone. Which looks fine with what I've been using, but I want to do some US NATO three tone schemes and I feel like my current airbrush.. isn't up to the task of the hard edge NATO. Or maybe it's my skills. Lol

I use taymia paints 99% of the time. I've tried AK and MIG and I never ever can get them to spray right.

Right now I have two builds that are being held up because I don't want to use my current airbrush to try the three tone NATO.

Also, easy clean up is a must, because my life is hectic with my work schedule and three kids. My at home time is very rare, so if I can get something I can easily clean well, then that's what I'm after.

For ease of clean up Aztek is the winner. Trying to do hard edge freehand is just a matter of practice. Since I am now building lots of modern armor I frequently paint hard edge schemes. Three simple rules will help you get the best hard edge without too much touch up. Very thin paint, low pressure, work close to the surface. A guy in our club outlines his patches with Prisma Color colored pencils then fills in. The color pencil mark dissolves into the color you are painting. Also when filling, spray into the patch whenever possible so that any over spray will land inside and will be covered anyway as you fill in. This will not eliminate all overs pray but greatly reduces it. Even if you go the blue tac/silly putty route there will still be touch up.

Hmmm,
I may be wrong but my personal opinion is that the proper airbrush for hard edged camo (or other hard edges) does not exist. All the good quality airbrushes with a Fine needle will probably do the job equally good (or bad). The result depends to a very large degree on other factors like paint, thinning, air pressure, spraying distance, which colour (dark, light, ability to cover et.c) you use. If the paint doesn't cover completely in the first pass you'll need a very steady hand to get the second layer correctly located.

If I were to attempt a hard edged camo I would use some way of masking.
I'm certain that I would not be able to do it without some kind of masking, at least not without a LOT of practice and testing of different settings/thinning/paint types

/ Robin

That's pretty much my opinion too. I would only add the human factor, i.e. good trigger control. In other words, experience.

I agree with both Robin and Israel, there is no perfect AB for a hard edge scheme. Just saying that I have had very good results using the technique I briefly outlined. There is still touch up but greatly minimized.

Are you comfortable using the typical dual action control or would trigger action be easier? I switched to trigger action after decades of standard dual action and I won't switch back.

http://www.airbrushguru.com/choosing-the-right-airbrush.html

I actually watched a YouTube video with one of those AB. It looked pretty cool.

Hi Dustin, as an ex airplane guy I pursuit the El Dorado airbrush.
Now, I do only 1/35 tanks, and and only use an Aztek 470 and a Trn-1Neo for Iwata.
As some people said before, depends more in your practice, skills and and proper paint dilution than the airbrush.
I could drive a Ferrari but in the first curve......
HTH
Regards from the south
Álvaro

So far all I have used is my Neo also.

so far my hard edges have been using silly putty to mask camo.

Iwata HP-CS for me. Nozzle removes very easily for cleaning and I find the airbrush sturdy and reliable.

For fine edge work the paint has to be thin and you are willing to do multiple coats. Try 40% paint 60% thinner and a drop or two of paint retarder if you are using acrylics. Try 5 to 8 pounds of pressure. Work about 1/4 inch from the surface and practice prior to the actual model. Clean tip every minute or two. Fine work use a .2 needle/nozzle.Outline your pattern then fill in. Robin is right. It takes a lot of practice to get consistent. Silly putty as a mask is another alternative. It also takes a little practice but you can get good results.

I used the Tamiya HG SF airbrush for the longest time. Really nice 'brush. Dual action, .2 needle, adjustable needle travel. The adjustable needle travel is a nice feature as you can set how far back you want the needle to move, which is handy if you are doing fine lines. Lets you concentrate more on the pattern. Tamiya ABs have solvent proof needle packings, which means you can clean with Acetone or Lacquer Thinner without worry of drying out orings or seals. Tamiya's airbrushes are made by Iwata so you are getting a solid airbrush without breaking the bank.

Ilove my badger 150. it came with 3 needles. i have 4 abs and thats my go to ab

these guys say that new NEO CN which is partly made by Iwata, is the best airbrush so I tried it and although it feels a bit more on the cheap end, I must say, it really is a damn good airbrush. But I use to have badgers and many more Iwatas too and the high end ones seem to just be leveraging their brand and reputation cause the price isn't necessary when you have stuff like the NEO out now. https://rachetjaws.com/best-airbrush/

I’ve had a Badger 155 for about 20 years, all I do is armor and the occasional helicopter, never, ever had a problem with it. On my second needle though, dinged the first one.

And from what I understand, Badger will repair or overhaul any of their airbrushes, no questions asked, just mail it in

As long as you are buying from a reputable company, buying an airbrush that fits your hand is more important than who made it. I have collected and used airbrushes for quite a while (70+ at last count...hey! don’t judge), and I have brushes that cost $500 that never get used and brushes that cost under $100 that get used all of the time.

For modeling, I’d recommend a gravity feed brush. They will have the smoothest flow at lowest pressures for less overspray. If you are experimenting with each new model and you are attempting to do fine camo, go for a double action standard trigger and not the gun style brush. The gun style brushes will work, but they limit how close you can get for really fine work.

Brushes made by Iwata Japan, Harder & Steenbeck, Badger are very easy to get parts for over the internet and many places will carry them. Tamiya, Grex, Procon Boy, Sparmax, Richpen and others are good brushes but are more hit or miss for parts. I say that not because the parts break because they aren’t well made, but because new airbrushers tend to damage parts easily and unintentionally.

If you need absolutely recommendations, then the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS .35mm tip (good all around), Harder & Steenbeck Evolution 2 in 1(.2 and .4mm setups for all modeling needs) or the Badger Krome with fine and medium nozzle setup (.21 and .33 nozzles and needles) are good choices.

All of these brushes are well made and reliable and if well cared for can be passed on to your children. Practice with whatever you decide to buy! Remember that if it feels awkward in your hand after practice, there are always other options. As long as it’s in good shape as it’s a reputable brand someone will buy it and it may fit them perfectly.

Hope this helps,
Paul H

Normally, if I'm just spraying one color I use my trusty old Paasche H that I've had since Christ was a Corporal. But today I used a Neo for Iwata that I got as a Christmas present at my model club's party a couple years ago. I'm doing a three color NATO camo pattern on a vehicle. I'm able to get really fine lines.

I’ve got an Iwata Revolution and a Badger Patriot. I got them each for in the $80/$90 range. The Patriot came with 2 nozzles- a fine and a medium. They work great for me.

I agree with Paul H recommendations, with the Harder & Steenbeck being easier to clean if that's important for you.

Also, hard-edge camo in my opinion requires masking, in which case you may still find useful your current airbrush.

Practice counts, I airbrushed this HB AAVP freehand, with Tamiya NATO colours, well thinned with X20a, & low pressure.

My first freehand with an Iwata HP-CS with 0.3mm needle/Headset, although most of the time, I use the 0.5mm needle/headset on it.

I've since bought a Badger 4000 & can get lines at least as fine as the HP-CS, but that is under optimum conditions.
I now use it for 90% of my spraying.





I'm by no means an expert, but I'm happy enough with my work. My Gallery

I see you're in the U.S. like myself. In short, I always recommend Badger to builders here in the U.S. I have used many airbrushes from many different manufacturers and I’m a Badger fan through and through.


I started out on the Testors Snap-and-spray (single action external mix) and it was rough for a 12yr old to master by himself in 1998. Using those external jars with siphon tubes; those horrible cans of propellant that linked to the airbrush by way of a cheap plastic line and coupling that the threads would wear down on, misaligning and sendIng propellant gas hissing out into the air as your hand froze over.


I put up with that punishment for a year until I got a Pasche for my 13th birthday. It was a bottom feeding internal mixer but it was a dual action airbrush which was a huge deal to me at the time. I forgot the model number but I think it was, or was like, the 2000VL. I used it for years but realized I needed something with better detail and gravity fed..

Through high school and early college, I used Iawata's HP-BCR, HP-BR for years as a duo; the BCR for broad coverage with its .5mm setup and the BR as the detailer with a .35mm config. I ran this duo until the NEO line released and I went to the NEO CN because they were $40 at my local hobby lobby with their weekly 40% off coupon. I bent a lot of needles back then and could get replacements with 40% off coupons very easily. I think that’s why I was reluctant to change.

I was a lucky enough to meet a Badger representative when I was about to graduate from college and join the aviation work force. She sold me on Badger and I have never looked back. They are my favorite airbrushes, an awesome company based here in the U.S., and work and clean the best for me. How an airbrush breaks down, cleans and how easily and affordable it is to maintain and replace parts, plays a big part in how I asses and rate these things.

The first Badger I bought was the single action 200G to run with my NEO. I fell in love with it and bought a Renegade Spirit and Omni 4000, to serve as my new broad sprayer and fine detailer duo. When the SOTAR 20/20 came out, I knew I had to have it. The problem was that they were super pricey, especially for an insecure 26yr old pilot making 18k a year in 2012. It wasn’t until I was able to get a killer deal on EBay in 2015 that I got one. It’s easily the finest airbrush I’ve ever used. It’s super smooth and I seem to have so much control with it.

I was finally able to achieve the correct size of Rotbraun and Resedagrün squiggles that go over a Dünkelgelb base in a German 3-tone Normandy camouflage pattern. I was finally able to get these lines small enough for equipment like the Sd.kfz.250 Neu, kettenrad, and even a panzerschrek. The SOTAR will eat anything I put in it and as small as I want it. I can’t run to my local hobby shops and get replacement parts, but Badger USA’s website is surprisingly easy and quick to ship replacement parts that are always in stock.

Hope this helps!