I havnt been modeling for long, I use a 2 gal. Campbell hausfield compressor with an aztek 4709 airbrush, overall pretty happy but sometimes i could use a bit more air, and now that i've figured out how to CORRECTLY :-) :-) :-) clean my airbrush, i'm a happy camper.
but back to Dave's question. some people love aztek and soem people HATE aztek. being one of those who msut sya i dotn hate aztek, i must admit that even if there supposed to be "easier" to clean, i found then a lot hard than to clean my badger 150.
And besides things due to my inexperience i havnt had problems with badger andiam looking forward to buying another one
Frank
"The problem with the french is that they don't have a word for entreupreuneur"
George W.Bush
I bought a little 2 gallon compressor from Canadian tire for $99 bucks and it works great. I have an aztek 430 dbl action airbrush that works very well. Like Frank said some love aztek some hate em. Maybe you can try some diff abs at a local hobby shop.