I'm looking for airbrush which will be used to paint miniature models / miniature terrain modelling. I have no experience whatsover in airbrushing except looking at one, so I have these questions :

1) What are the price range for airbrush?

2) What types of brands are recommended?

3) What are the price & brand for the compressors?

4) Is there a starter kit / some sort for beginners?

I would hope there's people who could guide me in this before I buy one as I don't want to get sliced by cutthroat hobbyshop owners.

For you,I really recommend you to buy:
Level 3 airbrush:price range at 2000-3500
Level 5 airbrush:price range at 4000-5500

The brand that are really recommend are:
SIKI AIRBRUSH
IWATA AIRBRUSH
OLYMPUS AIRBRUSH

The compressor are really depend of what type you choose,some of them has silencer in one,some are not.Like mine was level 3 compressor,come without silencer & it price around RM2500.

BTW,for beginner,I really recommend you to get a automatic heat detector switch.Because,if the compressor getting too hot,it can been damage.

The ink that I really recommend:
If you use a level 3 airbrush:
Dont use a oil based colour,because it cant get a good flow & will make you airbrush get stuck.

& remember,while using level 3 compressor,dont put your air pressure meter more than 50,because you airbrush will easily get stuck & the compressor will getting shutdown quickly[if you buy with automatic switch.]

BTW,I will buy my level 5 airbrush this year......

Good luck to find the best one!

This post has been edited by Cyprid Dark: Oct 12 2005, 01:19 AM

thanks for the explanation there...

i'm also looking for one .. since you're getting better level 5.. any plan of selling your level 3 set?

quite expensi ahh this airbrush set...
i saw in some modeller site.. some use Badger brand (Tamiya Badger Air Brush System) ... is that a good brand? i think i saw a complete set online for less that RM1K hmmm...

anyway thanks for the info

kuman

Hmmm......still dont have any plant to sell my level 3 set,because I mostly use it to airbrush my shirt.
BTW.the Tamiya brand was good too!

A level 3 airbrush cost from 2000 - 3500? Does that include the compressor? Is there a level 1 set? I've never owned or even used an airbrush before so venturing so much money as a beginner would be so risky. Is there anything including the compressor that is really cheap?

Kuman : The Tamiya airbrush, does it come with a compressor?

Dunno.But,level 1 are cheap,cost aRM1000,but,mostly it doesnt have automatic switch & can be use with lower air pressure & short times use only.

For you,dont worry,buy a level 3 airbrush is really worth for beginner,because,when my birthday 2 years ago,my mom bought to me a level 3 airbrush,& I always practice with it & about 2 month letter,I can use it professionally.

So,dont be scare!Always keep learning.[P/S:when in first month practice,I just get my airbrush gun stuck & it was damaged badly,so,always keep your airbrush clean!]

Another thing to keep in mind:
Since your are new to airbrush,I really recommend after you have it & use it for long time & you want to clean it,use this technique:

It really risk to seperate all part of the gun,so the first thing,get a thinner & spray it for a while,& take a hot water,& spray it to clean all the ink inside the gun.Finally,slowly put your hand in front of the gun & close the nozzle whileyour spraying.This will make a reverse air & your ink cup can be clean[be careful if your put a hot water or thinner!]

If you follow it correctly,you doesnt need to seperate all of your gun part to clean it!

BTW,I dunno too much about a Tamiya brand,but it was good for a modeller...

i think so.. because there's another model there that sell for MUC-MUCh cheaper but the picture only show the spray-gun, hose and 1 compressed air...

so basically this would be a complete set with compressor..

and yes,,, its best suited for modeller....

now i paint my model using the normal ANCHOR(RM5.50)/BOSNY(RM7)/TAMIYA (RM21) aerosol spray paint

its a pain... to make it look nice.. so far the result are less 20% satisfactory...
now thinking of getting the airbrush...

last time got one fellow LYN forumer wanted to sell his airbrush set complete with paint & everything very cheap.... but i missed it..

anyway..
kuman

Thanks for the info Cyprid Dark and Kuman.

I'm also into modelling which is why I'm looking into airbrush. Hand painting sometimes couldn't give me the satisfaction that I wanted. Mostly I couldn't get the smooth surface by using hand painted brush.

There was a thread regarding something else but one of the poster did mention that he wanted to sell his airbrush set for RM800+ if I'm not mistaken.

Many thanks once again.

But,its better to you to check if his selling a double action or single action gun.

You guys talking about the Air Brush, is it the Air Brush like Nitro Designs? Fuhhh, DIY?

Nitro Design,the airbrush car paint shop??

fuh...

which thread would that be? Anime Modelling thread...
ChickenWorm.. if you happen to find a good deal on it let me know also... and maybe you can post something in our Suggestion Forum under the Modelling and Hobby thread.. since we're trying to get a subforum mainly for modelling and Hobby stuff..

on The Other note:

what's the different between a single action and double action gun? better control?

ahh and is the modelling airbrush different from the one used by Nitro design (interms of functionality because the price i think canno compare la... )

thanks..

kuman

Double action gun can move the upper trigger sideway & up or down,but single action can move up & down only.

Double Action Airbrushes

Refers to the method action required to control spray pattern. Pressing down on the button activates the amount of air flow and pulling back determines the amount of fluid released. This allows the user to change the width of line, the range of value, and the opaqueness of color with one hand.

With double action airbrush,you can get a finest details & it easy to you to make a dagger effect such like hairs & needle in your artwork.

This post has been edited by Cyprid Dark: Oct 14 2005, 01:50 PM

i'm re-BUMP-ing this thread.. since i still have a couple of questions...

yesterday i was window shopping-ing and go visit this shop Hobby Acme...
i asked about the airbrush set... she pointed to me this SprayWork model from Tamiya selling for RM580

Details on the product...

although the handpiece does look not so comfortable.. she also show me this Tamiya handpiece which look very comfortable to hold.. but the price is RM640

is this a good beginners set? or i might as well just spend another RM1500 and get a better set?

i also saw this complete set from Gunze Sanyo called...
PS-301 Mr. LINEAR COMPRESSOR L5/AIR BRUSH SET


btw i got the spec above from this site... which includes the whole accessory for this product.. Gunze Products

basically i'm going to use it for model airbrushing....

and why do we need the Regulator and the Moisture trap? i didnt see the above set includes the Moisture trap..

thanks in advance for the input..

kuman

ps:refering to the below pics... so the item in the center is the Regulator?

This post has been edited by kuman: Nov 9 2005, 11:20 AM


Attached thumbnail(s)

Here're some comparison of some handpieces. I do find Iwata, Olympos & Tamiya's to be most comfortable. Siki is ok but don't really like it. As again..Tamiya handpieces are not too expensive (if bought online) whereas the Iwatas & Olympos are more pricey esp. if you're going for the 0.2mm. Just becareful if you do find a cheap Olympos handpiece as there're imitation ones. I used to have one called 'Olympus' and it's pretty crappy. Just be wary of the name.

Btw just of of curiousity... what's a level 3 compressor? Is that a reference to the Revell compressor? RM3000++ is just overkill for a compressor tho.. IMHO.



This post has been edited by Kelvw: Nov 10 2005, 08:07 PM

The level is mean the size & how much air pressure & colour is suitable to your airbrush.

Like mine,level 3 compressor cant go more than 50psi because I have damaged is once when I want to spray my PC casing.It also make my needle tip damaged badly because it cannot handle more than 50psi.

ohh.. compressor also got level ones kaa... so what level is suitable for model airbrushing? level 1?

ahh nice comparison of the handpiece there.. i guess the RM640 is the HG double action one la kot.. hmmm...

i'm still looking and open for suggestion..

maybe a trip to KL would be worth while when i'm ready to get one.. i dont think in Penang the somewhere i can get the set etc easily..

kuman

get a paasche or an Iwata one.... both are quite realiable and wont break down that easily

this thread is in wrong section issit ?

btw y all of us gather here also although its not in Hobby subforum hoh

btw i think we better look at ppl using the airbrush set first b4 we really spend money to get one la cause its not cheap and we can see how it works b4 we buy

what about Sparmax brand? i heard its from the maker of Iwata as well...

and i found this over at ebay Malaysia... selling acomplete set of Sparmax airbrush... but ended already..

Sparmax set RM870 by Brandon Artshop

@Jack..

anywhere also can since there already a discussion about airbrush here.. so just ask here lo..

kuman

its probably cheaper to get it from the US

www.dixieart.com

they ship for the US right? hmm.
maybe the shipping itself would cost a bomb...
i'm also making comparison with the online Japanese shop as well... maybe their shipping would be cheaper..

will check..

kuman

i think its best we order from HK i think there hav teh cheapest acc for toy modeling........ anyone wanna use Airasia to go macau for RM 99 and go HK bring back for us ?