Hobby air brushes: Recommendations

[Deus Machina]

For paints, most of my collection of acrylics is Vallejo. It's relatively cheap and comes in a million colors and specialties. I often use their Air lines to brush with; the basic Model and Game lines need thinned anyway.
Not a fan of their primers, but some people adore them. I'm either unlucky or mismatching them to the project.

My primer for models is Mr. Hobby's Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500. Self-levels well, supposed to hide micro scratches, and leaves an amazing surface finish, better than the original. Not a filler. It absolutely will not dull out any surface texture. Can't sand it, but you won't need to. I thin it about 1:1 with Mr. Leveling Thinner to airbrush, and the primer coat is just... chef's kiss.

A fan of Tamiya's colors, but not always working with them. My collection for them is metallics for base coats and you won't find better transparent reds and ambers for lights. But they're a pain to thin for airbrushes and brushing second coats is a hassle; the solvent softens the coat under it and starts to streak it. Even brushing on an initial coat has to be quick. Even thinned, it quickly forms a 'skin' that tugs and might leave marks. But work quick, and it looks great.

There's both better and worse paints more expensive than what I have, though. I prefer solvent paints but not cleaning them up in my apartment, so this is what I use. I keep hearing good about AK and such, but don't have a good source local.

None of the current popular paints are bad, just might not be the best or what works for you. A fun part about hobbies like this is finding what you like. Find a store, pick out some things that look fun and like they would work, and try them.

One thing I will recommend is a mixer. Mine is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1 I got on a sale, and I adore it. Especially for things like my primer (the Finishing Surfacers have a superfine grit) and metallics. Say goodbye to uneven mixes and aching wrists.

For premixing primers or common paints, I bought a couple bags of dropper bottles in a couple sizes. Mix, drop in a little stainless ball bearing, no headache in the future. Especially with the mixer. For custom-mixing smaller selections of paints, a set of test tubes in a rack.

PS: looking this stuff up for my reference just reminds me how much prices have gone up. Eesh.

[the_matrix_guy]

Deus Machina, SignOfZeta


Thank you. I already purchased the Iwata. I think it's a good starting point for me, even with that little compressor. I did notice many of the professional air-brushers on Yt running the Makita Quiet Series Electric Air Compressor 1 Gallon. Maybe down the line, I'll upgrade the compressor.

I still have to figure out which paints, and thinner, and accessories I need. I'll look into Vallejo, multiple people recommended those.

And good masking tape:

FBS K-UTG Gold Crepe Masking Tape, still trying to figure the thickness that I need to do the lines/markings/stripes on the racetrack. ( I know Ill need different ones but trying to narrow it down to 2-3 sizes, and also trying to find trhe best place to buy them)

For landscaping, I'll probably try hand brush first, using more of a blotch approach with different earth tones. Thats what I saw on YT, and it came out really great:

This guy is like the David Ross of model scenery:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_N2m9hPagA&t=1149s

[Deus Machina]

Yeah, it was a bit late, but thought it was worth some input. That Iwata's a great pick. Good job.
My choice of Vallejo is also because the Model Air line and the like are going to at least be close to what I want. I can just drop some in and go and don't often have to thin it.
For Vallejo (and at least worth testing with other water-based paints) I use a 1:1 mix of their Airbrush Thinner and Airbrush Flow Improver. I also use just a little to thin brush paints in a pallet. Water works for all that, but these slow drying a little and get me a bit better results.

Experiment!

[the_matrix_guy]

Yeah, it was a bit late, but thought it was worth some input. That Iwata's a great pick. Good job.
My choice of Vallejo is also because the Model Air line and the like are going to at least be close to what I want. I can just drop some in and go and don't often have to thin it.
For Vallejo (and at least worth testing with other water-based paints) I use a 1:1 mix of their Airbrush Thinner and Airbrush Flow Improver. I also use just a little to thin brush paints in a pallet. Water works for all that, but these slow drying a little and get me a bit better results.

Experiment!

This seems like a dumb question, but Im just trying to visualize everything: with the thinner (and additives) you just mix everything in a cup with a brush or stick, and then load it in the airbrush pod?

Are there tricks in spraying different tones at once? Like this guy does in the video by mixing different tones but not mixing it all together completely, so when he takes the brush: he's getting a blotchiness of different tones. Can you do that with the air brush? or you would do that in different coats and using wiping /scraping methods afterwards... or both... yeah I'm gonna have to experiment lol ... thats obviously part of the gig

[the_matrix_guy]

Coast airbrush again for the masking.... https://www.coastairbrush.com/prodde...e_Masking_Tape and again - starting here might be spoiling you a bit, but the wrong tape on your perfect acrylic paint job can really ruin your day. this stuff is just as good not better than the gold standard Tamiya tape. accept no substitutes no matter what the morons on youtube say they found at Michaels for 50 cents.

sold

and this on here: I was actually trying to figure out how to do curvature, I thought i was going to have to use a compass with an exacto knife, this is awesome, 10000x better:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3zDOInIex4

[Deus Machina]

If it's a one-shot thing, you can load multiple things into the airbrush, mix it with something like an old brush, and paint. Pretty common if you need to just need thin paints a little.
Since most of my stuff is repeatable, I measure it into a bottle and label it with the ingredients and proportion for the future. Like my primer and common base coats. Then I can just shake, squirt some in, and go.

I've seen the car painters do the unmixed thing and get like a nebula effect. Not sure how well that would work for an airbrush, especially considering the paint tends to be thinner. But still: experiment! If it works, could be cool. Probably not consistent though.

[the_matrix_guy]

Coast airbrush again for the masking.... https://www.coastairbrush.com/prodde...e_Masking_Tape and again - starting here might be spoiling you a bit, but the wrong tape on your perfect acrylic paint job can really ruin your day. this stuff is just as good not better than the gold standard Tamiya tape. accept no substitutes no matter what the morons on youtube say they found at Michaels for 50 cents.

I think National Tool Warehouse has all of the FBS tape on sale, BTW. Or at least it's the cheapest that I could find it. According to that video, (the one for the fine line tape) each color has a different rigidness, meaning they can achieve different radius with the red able to achieve the tightest turns...



But this website has the same price for the red as the other colors, so there's some redundancy in their product line, National Norther Tools FBS Tape I just got the regular gold tape and fine line tape in a couple sizes each:

[the_matrix_guy]

If it's a one-shot thing, you can load multiple things into the airbrush, mix it with something like an old brush, and paint. Pretty common if you need to just need thin paints a little.
Since most of my stuff is repeatable, I measure it into a bottle and label it with the ingredients and proportion for the future. Like my primer and common base coats. Then I can just shake, squirt some in, and go.

I've seen the car painters do the unmixed thing and get like a nebula effect. Not sure how well that would work for an airbrush, especially considering the paint tends to be thinner. But still: experiment! If it works, could be cool. Probably not consistent though.

Im still trying to figure out which paints to get. i think amazon has good prices on the vallejo kits... but I feel like I gotta do more due diligence to see if I should even get vallejo. I would rather pay a little more to get something that doesnt need thinning & pre-mixing

[Deus Machina]

Im still trying to figure out which paints to get. i think amazon has good prices on the vallejo kits... but I feel like I gotta do more due diligence to see if I should even get vallejo. I would rather pay a little more to get something that doesnt need thinning & pre-mixing

Most paints will. I use Vallejo just because the local shop has a whole rack, including a good selection of their airbrush paints, which work for me.

Even if a paint is sold for airbrushing, there's a good chance you'll have to thin it a little. It's no big deal once you get an eye for the consistency. 'Like milk' is the old rule of thumb.

I'm not going to push Vallejo, it's just what I've settled on and got familiar with. There's a lot of good paints out there. Try what looks right!

And if you find colors you like that aren't sold for airbrushes, remember you can usually still thin it down to work. It might need an extra coat or two, but experimenting with that is fun.
Bonus: some painters do this to be sure the colors are consistent between their airbrush and brush work.

[the_matrix_guy]

Most paints will. I use Vallejo just because the local shop has a whole rack, including a good selection of their airbrush paints, which work for me.

Even if a paint is sold for airbrushing, there's a good chance you'll have to thin it a little. It's no big deal once you get an eye for the consistency. 'Like milk' is the old rule of thumb.

I'm not going to push Vallejo, it's just what I've settled on and got familiar with. There's a lot of good paints out there. Try what looks right!

And if you find colors you like that aren't sold for airbrushes, remember you can usually still thin it down to work. It might need an extra coat or two, but experimenting with that is fun.
Bonus: some painters do this to be sure the colors are consistent between their airbrush and brush work.

I watched a few YT videos, I feel a little more educated. I arrived at these: Monumental Hobbies Acryl 26 Pro kit: Amazon link
. Amazon has a better description, that's why I'm linking it, but I got everything for less at gamersguildaz.com they have a lot of cool stuff, check them out. I got this: I still need brushes, glue, sandpaper, markers…

[Deus Machina]

I've heard good things about ProAcryl, but I've only seen the reviews using it with brushes. Let me know how it works thinned down. The Amazon reviews suggest it will work well.

And FWIW, I can't guarantee the Vallejo thinner will work well with anything not Vallejo. There's a good chance it will and it has for the other acrylics I've tried, but test before mixing anything big. Different companies do tend to use the same, or similar enough, materials.
If it doesn't work out, water should get you by.

I do see a specific airbrush cleaner, which is great to have. For the more basic cleaning, water and some pipettes or eyedroppers are a good start. A lot of people just use ammonia-free glass cleaner, which I'll be switching to my when self-mixed airbrush cleaner runs out (which is basically distilled water and alcohol). Stretches out the expensive stuff for when you need a deep clean.

https://www.youtube.com/@barbatosrex9473 has a lot of good tutorials on airbrushing techniques and maintenance.

[the_matrix_guy]

Pro Acryl doesnt make a thinner, but they recommend Vallejo. From what I read on Reddit and YT: they air brush really well. Actually barbatosrex has a video on them which I hadnt seen till now: just skip the first minute or two where hes naming the colors:

https://youtu.be/OhtoADsuvKQ?si=VsMYaMRSkD3BEP8Y

thanks for all the tips. I’ll definitely look into the glass cleaner, I’ve also seen Gun cleaners get recommended, the spray can type…

[spartan985]

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but another vote for the Iwata HP-CS! Also can vouch for Vallejo and pro acryl being great paints, airbrushed or not. Vallejo thinner is all i use unless it's Tamiya, then I use theirs.

[the_matrix_guy]

Thanks for chiming in

[cellophane]

I can't comment on the airbrush side of things, but for paint I like the AK Interactive, Pro Acryl, and most Vallejo. Their Game Air line is great as they don't really need thinning for painting straight out of the bottle. The GW paint is generally OK as well, but the pots they come in are the worst. I need to buy a pot holder at some point... Reaper paints are garbage. Don't buy them. The Mr. Hobby Primer / Surface Finisher are awesome, although a bit more than a Rust-oleum spray can.

For masking you can use tape for lines, or silly putty if you are masking off something complicated. There are also specialized masking putties, but I've never used one.

Brushes- I really like the Princeton Aqua Elite, Raphael Imitation Kolinsky, and Escoda Perla. Decent artist brushes but not breaking the bank. I always recommend shopping at your local art supply place over the intertubes- but I realize cost / convenience is a factor.

And someone mentioned a mixer- totally worth the purchase if you plan on painting a lot. I have the Lab Genius Vortex Mixer, but there are others out there.

If you want some cool tips on vehicle painting / aging / wear & tear- Night Shift makes some amazing pieces & videos: https://www.youtube.com/@NightShiftScaleModels

[Deus Machina]

Good to hear I'm not off base on the thinner. A lot of acrylics use the same chemicals as a medium, so it's worth a try with anything new.
Tamiya uses a different solvent. Alcohol-based, maybe?

Concur on the brushes. Once you find ones you like, make notes and take care of them. It's worth paying $30 for a brush or two if they're perfect and last forever. I have a few good ones, but since my uses are a little abusive, I do like to keep a pile of cheap ones. Like the 30-pack of 0, 00, and 000 off Amazon. I'd ruin the good ones, might as well ruin cheap ones instead.
My favorite cheap brushes came from Michaels, a pack of brown taklon. Not gold (which aren't bad), not white, brown. Love 'em. But they wear out and they're often out of stock.
Again, half the fun of hobbies is experimenting.

I just instantly subscribed to that channel, cellophane. My current projects are 'achievable dream cars of my youth'--things like an Evo and Skyline... that I'm making look like they were passed around and driven the last 25 years before they got imported.