HI, to anybody out there. I am looking to buy my first airbrush. I need some advice on the best makes to choose from. Somebody who have knowledge of airbrushes please help.

Well, you're likely to get 1000 different answers to this one as everyone has their favourite for their own reasons.

The first thing to choose is whether it's single or double action. The single action allows you to vary the amount of air through the brush while you paint, but not the width of the pattern. You have to set that separately. The double action allows both to be varied at the same time by either a single finger action or a combined finger and hand mechansim.

Single action are simpler and easier to clean (generally) and double action are more precise but more expensive and a little harder to clean (generally, there is overlap depending upon exactly what brushes you are talking about ).

If you are going to be painting a lot of precise and varying lines with the brush, double action is the way to go. If you have the money. If you will be painting predominantly wide swaths of one colour then single action is good enough.

I have had a single action Paasche H for over 37 years and it still works like the day I bought it. Really simple to clean and it can still be had for relatively little money (~$35 here in North America). Except for really fine mottled paint jobs (like on some German aircraft or armour) I can paint anything I've ever built with it. It has a metal body that is somewhat heavier than some of the plastic bodied brushes, but this also means it's built like a tank and lasts forever.

I also have a Paasche VL duoble action brush that I bring out only when I need to . It works just fine and I can ge really nice fine jobs with it, but it is a pain in the @ss to clean (as are many double action brushes) so I don't use it unless I need to. And, building mostly olive drab commonwealth armour, I don't need to very often at all. The VL is available for about $130 in North America.

There are a lot of brushes that are really, really nice. Much nicer tham my two, but they are also in the $150-300 range and no airbrush is worth that to me.

Make sure your budget can support the purchase of a half decent compressor, with a pressure gauge and a water trap. Do NOT think you can use those cheap compressed air cans. You'll go through them faster than Kleenex when you have a cold. A modest compressor is a must. Noise is the key component with a compressor. If you are in a shed, then a relatively noisy compressor is only going to annoy you, but if you are in the house, then allow for other's opinions of the noise as well. Make sure you hear it before you buy it.

HTH

Paul

Hi

I too have a Paasche VL - LOVE it!!! I use acrylics exclusively though so it's much easier to clean.



Bob

Thank you, Paul for your advice. It will really help me. My only problem here in South Africa is availability of brands. Anyway I am much more informed now. Thank you again.
Andre.

Don't forget Harder & Steenbeck.....very high quality airbrushes with out the huge prices!

I used a Paasche bottom-loading single-action for several years back in the 1970's. And, yeah, with those air cans... I returned to the hobby after 35 years in 2008- picked up that Paasche, and resumed painting. It still works OK for base-coats and general patterns.

I picked up a couple of Iwata HPCS top-cup double-action brushes and a compressor this year. I found these to be super good at all sorts of stuff, from large patches and base coats down to very fine lines. So, now-a-days, I do almost everything with the Iwatas. Switching colours within an acrylic or enamel line during a session turned out to be mighty easy, and cleaning up the brush after a session is, IMO, very easy and routine. But you DO want to clean it up well...!

My daughter (17) recently won a Badger Patriot 150 DA top-loader at a show- her first AB. She has just started in the hobby and has already successfully broken into air-brushing with this unit, using both ModelMaster enamels and Tamiya acrylic paints.

In my opinion, having been with both bottom (jar) and top (cup) loaders, I like the top-loader better- easier to re-fill and also easier to work with just a couple of drops of paint. Both styles of AB work fine and have their fans, of course!

IF you have never used an AB, maybe the thing to do is see if you can try one out with a fellow modeler, if you know some close by. What you may want to buy is, to some extent, a matter of what you think you want to do. Higher-priced fine-line brushes are the "bee's knees" for fine work- but some may be limiting at the larger-pattern end. So, if you model smaller-scale and like small patches of colour, think about buying a better-quality brush! Quality does pay, as well as cost. And, as said above, do budget in for that compressor- skip those air cans!

Happy Air-brushing!

Bob

My vote goes to Badger. I bought one in the mid 80's and is till on paint duty. If it ever breaks down, send it back to Badger for a free repair.

Thanks, for info. it will really help me in my choice. The choices seems to be getting bigger as predicted by, Paul, but your advice of trying one out at a fellow modeler will help.