Which airbrush to buy?

[Creflo 16]

So it looks like I'm going to need an airbrush to achieve box art color for my Kyosho Optima anniversary (if it ever crosses the Panama Canal).  I've never airbrushed, and in reality am not a very good painter.  Any advice on which airbrush to get?  While I'm at it I'm going to airbrush my Tomahawk with maybe a black and purple mix to get a dark purple.  I'll start on some 2 liter coke bottles to get going, maybe that will help my skills.

[Aerobert 2326]

I would go with a single action airbrush as it's easy to use. Up to now I had no good results with double action airbrush as I didn't manage to use it sufficient. For single action you just need to pull the trigger and it works. Of course you need the right viscosity for the paint and a little bit of sense in your finger. And an additional set of different needles is also recommended. I was at the same point as you and decided to start with a model from the lower price range. I have a model from Amazon like this one... 

https://amzn.eu/d/eL8CYbd

... and I'm happy with it. I'm working with a 10 l compressor with an additional pressure regulator with integrated water separator and a hobby spray booth.

[skom25 2187]

Which paints you will use?

I really DO NOT recommend anything else than PS paints.

[Creflo 16]

3 minutes ago, skom25 said:

Which paints you will use?

I really DO NOT recommend anything else than PS paints.

I have no idea yet, are you referring to the Tamiya spray cans?

[skom25 2187]

Yes. If you want "runner" body, you have to use dedicated paint, which will stick to body really well.

[alvinlwh 7234]

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[Yoshisaur 283]

I also recently got my first airbrush, a Neoeco nct-sj81 with a mini compressor from aliexpress. Watched a lot of Youtube videos, used it a lot and now I own 3 airbrushes and a compressor with a tank  In my, not so experienced and still learning, opinion a gravity fed, dual action as @alvinlwh is the way to go. I advise a Neoeco nct-sj83 https://neoeco-airbrush.com/products/neoeco-nct-sj83-gravity-feed-dual-action-airbrush Easy to use and also important, easy to clean! It comes with 3 needles and several paint cups.

I use primarily Tamiya X and XF paints and generally use Isopropyl Alcohol (99%) as thinner and cleaner. For white and gloss paints I use Mr Color Leveling thinner. 

[alvinlwh 7234]

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[Willy iine 18829]

@Creflo I use a super basic almost a toy airbrush/compressor combo by Tamiya that runs off batteries.  Yeah, that's right it runs off batteries.    Not AA's, but 7.2V.  It's actually great because I can take the whole thing to my sink and wash out the airbrush when changing colors or just cleaning at the very end.

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/airbrushesaccessories/spray-work-basic-compressor/

Street price is about $100-110.

It's not powerful at all, but can get good results using the XF and Mission Model acrylics.  I'm no painter and not going to even pretend to be one, so just got the super basic of the basic and it works perfectly fine for me.  I too use empty blister packs (receivers in my case as I have like 50 of them) as test samples before applying the paint onto actual RC bodies.

If you have a chance to check out my instagram page, I did a reel of the actual paint mix I will be using on the WC Spec MID.  #pretend_RC_shop 

[Creflo 16]

12 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

@Creflo I use a super basic almost a toy airbrush/compressor combo by Tamiya that runs off batteries.  Yeah, that's right it runs off batteries.    Not AA's, but 7.2V.  It's actually great because I can take the whole thing to my sink and wash out the airbrush when changing colors or just cleaning at the very end.

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/airbrushesaccessories/spray-work-basic-compressor/

Street price is about $100-110.

It's not powerful at all, but can get good results using the XF and Mission Model acrylics.  I'm no painter and not going to even pretend to be one, so just got the super basic of the basic and it works perfectly fine for me.  I too use empty blister packs (receivers in my case as I have like 50 of them) as test samples before applying the paint onto actual RC bodies.

If you have a chance to check out my instagram page, I did a reel of the actual paint mix I will be using on the WC Spec MID.  #pretend_RC_shop 

thank you, I just looked at your instagram reel.  great info!  that's awesome your wife helps out with rc stuff.  mine at least lets me put models up in the bedroom since there's nowhere else to put them.

[Willy iine 18829]

5 minutes ago, Creflo said:

thank you, I just looked at your instagram reel.  great info!  that's awesome your wife helps out with rc stuff.  mine at least lets me put models up in the bedroom since there's nowhere else to put them.

Thanks.  Yeah, my wife is a really talented crafter and painter won several prestigious awards in her youth, etc.   I'm just a regular ol dumb Joe you know compared to those people.. no real talent, just luck and hope..  

[Creflo 16]

24 minutes ago, Willy iine said:

Thanks.  Yeah, my wife is a really talented crafter and painter won several prestigious awards in her youth, etc.   I'm just a regular ol dumb Joe you know compared to those people.. no real talent, just luck and hope..  

haha sounds like you married up like me.  I still wonder how I got mine.  this is the plane she let me put up on the bedroom shelf.  soon to follow are tomahawk, optima, optima anniversary, and phantom.

[guggles 295]

Went down the airbrush rabbit hole pretty heavily this winter,

First off, if your using a nice airbrush like an Iwata, then take care of it and it will last for a very long time. Be super careful with the needle and nozzle as those can get damaged easily. Clean it well and clean it after every use. First use whatever solvent dissolves the paint, spray it through and then clean out the cup. Then spray some more of this solvent though until it sprays all the paint out, use a fluid brush or the like on the front cap and then carefully pull the needle and wipe it off only pulling the paper towel away from the tip. If you stab yourself and bend your needle its not my fault! Put the needle back in carefully, I use the tip of my finger on the needle tip to guide it smoothly into the chuck locking nut. When you take out and put the needle back in it should go in smoothly and without much force. Dont force it and check to make sure the needle is going back in correctly. Then I run and backflush cheap hardware store lacquer thinner through the brush and take a q tip and wipe the cup out, then I flush it with cheap acetone and back flush it as well. Buy a bunch of cheap thinner and acetone and dont be afraid to waste it cleaning! a clean airbrush will save so much frustration and problems. Finally dont touch the nozzle unless its absolutely necessary, most times when the nozzle is broken its because of this. Clean the nozzle only with a nozzle reamer or a small sliver of a tooth pick and very very gently.

For painting only lexan bodies, probably want a .5 needle or maybe a .7 for coverage or if you are using createx and other thicker water based paint. siphon fed or a gravity fed is just how the paint is delivered. Siphon fed uses bottles through the bottom. Siphon fed can hold a whole bottle of paint in one spraying session.  Siphon fed if you do lots of single color paint jobs on bodies with a lot of surface area. gravity fed if you are going to be changing colors alot.

Some airbrushes I could recommend,

Iwata revolution HP-CR:  I have one in a .3 and the HP-BCR bottom fed, great airbrushes but the design is older.

Iwata Eclipse: (Model with a .5) I dont have experience with it but its similar to my revolution. Great airbrush, entry level price good for a beginner.

GSI Creos PS-289: pretty common among model builders in asia, not much different from the two models I mentioned from Iwata, except for has a Minor Air Control valve. (Might only be available with a .3)

GSI Creos PS-290: Trigger type but does the same thing as a dual action finger style, more ergonomic, much bigger paint cup, comes in a .5 I dont have one of these yet... but I really want to get one soon.

A cheap airbrush I like but would be hard to recommend to a beginner:

Gahleri GHAD-68: Came with the needle stuck, good enough performance but I think a beginner without much experience would struggle to get the results they are looking for with it. more finicky when it comes to proper use.

 

So, really it comes down to, are you using paint that uses a alcohol or thinner based solvent and you can shoot it good out of a .3 needle? Get a high quality Japanese .3 airbrush. You wont look back. you can shoot some water based paints out of a .3 but its usually thicker so its harder to get a good spray. But this opens up a whole new world of painting and detailing. Its kind of like a hobby within a hobby. The GSI PS-289 is like the best all around airbrush. Super popular with gundam and model builders, cheap and really its made by Iwata so there you go. With a .3 you can do pencil lines to painting a model car really well.

Or, are you going to be using a thicker water based paint like fascolor, and especially createx wicked colors. Get atleast a .5 but .7 would probably be better. This is also a good airbrush to have if you are painting very large areas as the coverage is greater. Larger spray pattern, puts down more paint. The only down side is some of the finer detail work is not easy to pull off, some what of a trade for the paint thickness with most water based paints.

check out the barbatos rex youtube channel he has some good videos. 

I say best all rounder first airbrush either a PS-290 or the PS-289. Yeah its kind of a learning curve. You need to make the paint the correct thickness and use the right pressure. Also learning how to spray with it and properly clean it is going to take some time. I think it is so worth it though for the new possibilities it opens up! 

 

 

[alvinlwh 7234]

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[Creflo 16]

Thanks for all of the replies.  My goal is just to paint 1/10 bodies.  It appears that other than using the cheap Noeco, you have to buy a different airbrush to change nozzle size?  The Noeco comes with .2, .3, and .5, but if you get a PS 290 its .5, and if you get a PS289 its .3, etc.  But maybe the GSI models have teflon seals I assume, so it's worth it to spend extra?  Same with the Sparmax airbrushes, higher quality but looks like you have to buy a different airbrush to get different nozzle sizes?

[alvinlwh 7234]

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[Creflo 16]

I'm just looking to paint the body, one or two colors, no detail work.  Mainly getting this to try to achieve the right color for the anniversary optima.

[alvinlwh 7234]

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[Creflo 16]

The Iwata Eclipse HP-CS seems to be a highly recommended airbrush, but comes with a .3mm needle.  Apparently this is interchangeable with a .5mm, but the manual says that the .5mm needle is only compatible with the HP-BCS, not the HP-CS.  Does anyone know how to get a .5mm to fit the HP-CS?

[alvinlwh 7234]

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[Creflo 16]

Thanks everyone for all of the replies.  So I went with the GSI PS 290, and the Timbertech compressor with tank.  After several hours with Barbatos Rex on YouTube, I'm ready to go!  First order of business will be to try to achieve a dark purple on my tomahawk body by spraying purple then semi gloss black, will practice on some 2 liter coke bottles.

[OnTheTrail 1240]

Fwiw, I got this combo airbrush from Harbor Freight after reading many reviews and watching a lot of YT videos.  So far so good.   I'm sure not the best but has worked well.   I usually just decant Tamiya PS paints and use them.   I use acetone to clean the airbrush.   So far the gun doesn't seem to be effected by the acetone.   I used it/cleaned it a bunch last winter and just used it again the other day and is still working well.   

https://www.harborfreight.com/airbrush-compressor-combo-kit-57637.html?_br_psugg_q=airbursh

 

 

[alvinlwh 7234]

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[OnTheTrail 1240]

13 minutes ago, alvinlwh said:

When you use acetone to clean the airbrush, do not take it apart straight away. Wait for it to dry off before taking it apart or you may find you are unable to reassemble it again.

Thanks for the advise.  I will be sure to adopt this.  I usually let the acetone sit in the bowl with a good spray of it through the nozzle.   After that I let this sit for ten minutes or so.  Once I clean the bowl and blow the acetone through the needle, I repeat this with an airbrush cleaner I bought at craft store.  Perhaps this is why I've been lucky so far. 

https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Model-Kits/Airbrushes/Media-Airbrush-Cleaner/p/80794881?queryId=4aee75ab93178014148c0306f2d7a876

 

Thanks again!

 

[guggles 295]

5 hours ago, Creflo said:

Thanks everyone for all of the replies.  So I went with the GSI PS 290, and the Timbertech compressor with tank.  After several hours with Barbatos Rex on YouTube, I'm ready to go!  First order of business will be to try to achieve a dark purple on my tomahawk body by spraying purple then semi gloss black, will practice on some 2 liter coke bottles.

Good choice, also I forget to mention but always remember to wear a suitable respirator and some goggles while spraying. 

And while you are at it I think its a really good idea to get an airbrush cleaning pot as well. have fun painting and be careful! Its really hard to stop airbushing once you get started.