Hobby air brushes: Recommendations

[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.

[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.