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.

[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.

[the_matrix_guy]

Thanks, fellas.

For brushes, I was looking at these as my main set:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CP6ZCDBD/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A298OIU5371ORF&psc=1

But Aliexpress has a lot of brushes with good reviews, with users surprised by the quality/resiliency. And theyr'e dirt cheap:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806816889399.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.31cc38dau TKqhs&mp=1&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

[the_matrix_guy]

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.

Thats super cool. I was actually looking at slot cars right now. And this 1984 Audi Quattro Rally car with dirt weathering. I dont think it came like that from factory, someone did that custom:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/387464173997

Are you doing Tamiya model cars or RC

[Deus Machina]

Are you doing Tamiya model cars or RC

Models, of whatever brand catches my eye.
Tamiya? Great, they're cast very well, pieces match up nicely. Implant some scratches here and there, paint a quarter panel a different color or the like, rust in the crevices, etc. Old but repaired.
AMT? Sometimes the casting is garbage. So where a body panel is warped or blobby, that's where I paint rust and mud and add in some wrinkles. The hood doesn't lay flat on one corner? Add a ratchet strap. That Datsun 280Z's been around.

For instance, you can really get the point across with a couple 'bent' radiator fins and duct tape.

[Deus Machina]

Once I get any of the three past the 'almost done'. Serious, just a few steps left, but it's the whole '10% work for 90% result' deal. :P
Brushes look like a good place to start. I have a similar set of just the extra fine ones, which have been working okay but feel a little stiff. Different color bristles, though, so maybe a different material.

I worked at Michaels for... way too long. My advice is always to get a basic set, learn which ones you use most and what you like and don't like about them, and then get really nice ones just to cover that. A bunch of mismatched great brushes are a lot better than a set of 'meh' ones.
Or if you're like me and your techniques are abusive, find a bulk pack of the ones you use a lot of. Save the good ones for the nice minis and models.

[JeeperCreeper]

You can grab sets from the Jungle website that
are cheap enough that you wont feel bad if you ruin them. They also have decent variety packs. Just make sure the brushes are compatible with the paint you are using.

[the_matrix_guy]

I noticed for weathering effects, a lot of the builders use the fluffy brushes (not sure the technical name) by wiping off etc. also a lot of the abuse comes from wiping the excess paint I would imagine. So there isnt a well established brand of brushes everyone swear by?

[JeeperCreeper]

Oh this tickles my 'tism. I got really into models in '20

Excuse the dust. I'll have to clean the Supra and show off the blue metallic paint. That ones a Tamiya kit.

The Chevy is a replica of an 86 K2500 I owned. I stole the cowl from a Camaro hood. Added wires and such.

The coup isnt finished, but it had a 2JZ GTE, and I cut the doors out and made hinges.

The grey primer Ford has a blown Hemi engine, and lowered.

The white Ford is lifted and 302 EFI swapped.

The Corvette is box stock, but I did focus heavily on the red paint. Again, I'll have to clean it.

I also bought a really nice Jeep Rubicon, but just like my full size Jeep, its not finished. Its a Meng kit, I highly recommend them, even though they are more expensive.

Oh what were we talking about? Oh I use a Badger Patriot airbrush, with paint thinned to a milk like consistency. I've also used rattle cans if I want a specific color that I cant find in a little Testors bottle.

[JeeperCreeper]

Oh and get plenty of thinner, and a cleaning kit for your airbrush. Taking care of that is #1 to getting consistent paint flow.

[the_matrix_guy]

Oh this tickles my 'tism. I got really into models in '20

Excuse the dust. I'll have to clean the Supra and show off the blue metallic paint. That ones a Tamiya kit.

The Chevy is a replica of an 86 K2500 I owned. I stole the cowl from a Camaro hood. Added wires and such.

The coup isnt finished, but it had a 2JZ GTE, and I cut the doors out and made hinges.

The grey primer Ford has a blown Hemi engine, and lowered.

The white Ford is lifted and 302 EFI swapped.

The Corvette is box stock, but I did focus heavily on the red paint. Again, I'll have to clean it.

I also bought a really nice Jeep Rubicon, but just like my full size Jeep, its not finished. Its a Meng kit, I highly recommend them, even though they are more expensive.

Oh what were we talking about? Oh I use a Badger Patriot airbrush, with paint thinned to a milk like consistency. I've also used rattle cans if I want a specific color that I cant find in a little Testors bottle.

Those are rad. Very nice work. You could leave the dust on the Chevy k2500. It looks like weathering.

very cool. I had a 2jzgte swapped into an 05 Is300
in my early to mid twenties. That car was pushing 800-+ whp.

Thanks for the tips. Yeah, I ordered my first air brush. Mostly for slot car racing scenery building and some Battletech stuff that shooter311 printed out for me a while ago and I never got around to building. But after seeing all of the model builders on YT, I feel like this is only the beginning.

and I still need brushes, glue, sandpaper, a side cutter … haven’t gotten a chance to look into it today, but I came up with those brushes I linked a few posts ago (yesterday)

[JeeperCreeper]

I forgot how much detail I put into this. Alot of hand painting with super fine tip brushes. But the body paint was Testors enamel thinned down, then wet sanded and polished.

[JeeperCreeper]

Certain details can be weathered. I did a black wash to look like engine grime. It was watered down acrylic flat black. For the rust, I applied spots of brown, then hit it with a cotton swab to smear it. It helps if you deform the plastic, too, makes it more convincing. Some of these have gone through hell ever since my daughter was tall enough to climb up and get to these.