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Forums - Modelling / Painting |
The painting forum is for the discussion of techniques on the painting, decalling and weathering phases of AFV modelling and the tools and materials used. |
| Topics | 1382 |
| Messages | 7062 |
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| Subject: | Re: Airbrush advice |  |
| Date: | Sep 21, 2004 |
| From: | John Barnicoat | |
First off, I feel very strongly about my airbrush opinions, so please bear with me and forgive my rant (?). But honestly, I've used so many brands and models over the years in a professional modeling application that there is no doubt in my mind that build quality, reliability, and performance vary greatly. My experience has been with airbrushes available in the US in the past 25 years or so.
First off, many swear by the old standbys of Badger and Paasche. These airbrushes are merely "ok" at best in my book and are mostly representative of the old school philosophy of airbrush design and performance. Badger has a few new models now, they seem to have realized that if they didn't have something new they would sink under the onslaught of better airbrushes appearing in the past few years. In terms of functionality and reliability, they are probably at the bottom of the scale. They can clog easily and some of the internal parts are of poor design. Some of the parts also seem to wear out fairly quickly.
Paasche is a good workhorse airbrush, fairly reliable, but they suffer from either a mediocre design or manufacturing defects. The most common fault is the shape and accuracy of the spray pattern, if you find one that shoots straight and with a good circular pattern you are lucky. This is a function of the needle and tip not working correctly. On the plus side, Paasche makes one of the best airbrush hoses, flexible and durable, the red braided fabric one, but they are prone to leaking a bit at the airbrush end so just seal the leak with a little superglue.
Thayer and Chandler are a journeyman's airbrush, and they suffer from the same problems as Badger.
Azteks are cheap plastic crap that are best left alone. Period.
I have a Holbein airbrush (from Japan, hard to find) that I use for fine camo patterns. It's beautifully made and expensive, but shoots a pencil line no problem and has superior paint atomization qualities.
Iwata, in my opinion, is at the top of the heap in all areas. Their design and build quality are the best, their performance can not be beat. When you pick up an Iwata you know you are handling a precision device. They have models for every application, and their newer lines are inexpensive and blow all the competition away. Contrary to popular belief, they'll handle lacquer paints and thinners easily- I've got 12+ years on one with all the original parts still working like new.
For the record, I now own and use 4 Iwatas (HP-BC, Custom Micron, HP-BE2, HP-BCS) and a Holbein Dash Y2D. My Badgers, Paasches and Aztek have been thrown in the garbage. I paint professionally for (mostly civilian vehicle!!) model companies and have used lacquers, acrylics, and oil-based paints with all types of hobby and commercial thinners. My own builds are armor.
Plenty of people will disagree and report other experiences, and they may be right. These are just my own findings after shooting hundreds of hours with many different airbrushes under many different conditions.
My recommendation? Get a good, inexpensive (less than $100 US) Iwata and get on with it. Good luck. |
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