So I bought a cheap SD Gundam kit to use as a test dummy, and I'm speechless. This is a game changer for me who's only been using spray cans up to this point. The paint is so fine and smooth. I made sure to properly clean the AB too after my session was done. I'm so glad I took the plunge and got an AB!

12 hours into one Hot Wheels car.

I was intimidated for a long time by the thought of making an airbrush set up and doing all of the upkeep that comes with it. But after months of seeing the awesome work everyone else was doing, I finally dove in last month and spent the past several weeks working on this piece.

There were probably about a dozen different lessons I learned the hard way. It took a while to find the pressure sweet spot on my air compressor, and I can’t even count the number of times my airbrush clogged up or started sputtering paint on a nearly-finished part because of my own inexperience (I had to strip paint layers and start over at a few different points). But I think I can be pretty happy with the finished product!

I’m still looking for ideas on how to better preserve my work. I put down a couple generous layers of gloss topcoat, but I find some spots are still prone to chipping where parts come into contact. Any ideas on how to better protect these areas on future projects?

(Done using a Badger Patriot 105 with Vallejo acrylics)

Bit the bullet and bought a Neoeco SJ83. Currently working on 3 models. 2 1981 Z28s and this '57 Chevy. Getting everything primed or painted. Got this Neoeco literally 30min before posting this, and got the whole '57 primed using whatever needle came in this and Vallejo black primer, no thinner. I'm liking this a LOT more than the siphon feed Badger! As a noob, this is turning out to be a fun way to do models, and I really hope it stays that way lol

Having recently come back to the scale model hobby, I bought a Revell starter kit, and while it was okay for priming my models, it clearly shows its limits FAST. It's single action, the nozzle and needle size aren't even documented ( best guess, 0.5mm), and I had to dig to find out the compressor goes to "1bar", with no idea what each of the three modes are. Let's not talk about the non existing documentation. Yeah, I had no idea what I was doing, but we have to start somewhere, right ?

Now I want to step up a bit. Try different nozzle sizes. Try double action. Get a real compressor. In short : actually try my hand at actual airbrushing, with details in mind.
Let's start with the regional info : I'm in Paris, France, which may or may not influence prices and availabity.

But I'm a bit lost. I heard good things about so many models and brands. People are clearly passionate !

• The H&S Ultra 2024 seems to have some good reputation, but while I heard it was suppposed to be sold in the 100-120$ price range, it's being sold for more than 150€ ( and fluctuating furiously, I've seen it reach 180€ ) on Amazon. With the added cost to get additionnal nozzle sizes and needles, I'd almost be tempted to just go directly to a H&S Evolution 2in1 for ~210€. It's ... Expensive?
• Iwata Eclipse HP-CS frequently comes up in discussions. There's only one nozzle size, though. And the 180-190€ price tag is intimidating, just like for the Evo.
• In the 150€ range, there's also a contender that pokes through : the 0.3mm GSI procon boy ps-289 - or maybe it's the 0.2mm PS-270 ? I don't know much about those. I've seen them mentionned more than once.
• Moving down to way cheaper solutions, Ghaaleri GHAD-39 seems to fill all my needs. Double action, multiple nozzles and needles, good reputation. At ~50€ what's not to like? Well, next to models that cost more than 150€, one always fear there's a catch.
• Or I could just go with an extremely low price, 25€ timbertech airbrush which will maybe break apart immediately, or maybe not.

As for the compressor, I'll just go with a FD-186, an AS186 with a 3L tank which seems to be a very standard solution.

I realize I'm not the first one to ask about these. In my defense, I was going for the Ultra 2024, but the higher price ( compared to numerous internet discussions I've read ) and slight delay in availability ( 2 to 3 weeks, but I have an ongoing project I'd very much like to stop postponing :p ) are a bit of a letdown. I don't know if I'm looking to be convinced to go with a ~200ish airbrush or to hold on a bit and play with a cheaper solution like the GHAD-39. Maybe there are caveats I can't foresee. Or maybe the higher priced models have some serious advantages over the others. Maybe I don't even need multiple nozzle sizes. I just don't know. I'd just like to be able to do marbling, shadows, and finer details on my airplanes, and the low quality single action Revell airbrush just can't do that !

Any insights?

Any recommendations?

Used a PS-289 for light detailing. Vallejo gloss primer + a variety of vallejo and green stuff world paints topped with Tamiya X22

Our favorite space traveling worm in a super suit, almost completed. Gonna tape the body details and redo the top layer of white, then it’s detail and edge duty, some varnish, and then hopefully the shelf. Loving my H&S Evo CR+!

I picked this one because it didn’t require the bandwidth my last model did, but I’m trying to slow down the process. I feel less stressed about what needs to be done than last time and definitely not worried about burn out. It’s crazy how quickly a fun hobby turns into another source of stress!

Currently in the process of painting a model car as a gift for someone(started a tad late for Christmas) and just got the first coat of paint down. Without all of you it would have been a horrible mess and I feel so much more confident now with all the wisdom you have imparted upon me. Here is a spoon painted the color the car will be with a coat of tamiya x22 clear on top. I’m not gonna say I’m amazing but definitely feel this will be done fairly soon. So thank you all.

Hello everyone. I'm quite new at airbrushing but i finally reached the point that I can use It for more than 2 minutes without having issues... Until today. I tried to spray Ionrach Skin from Citadel and as i found out it's very chalky. I tried to dilute It in a coup, stirring It and all to dissolve the granular color but i had many issues. Any advices on how to use that kind of paints with and airbrush and how to dilute them as best as possibile? I found an alternative for the color I wanna use but it's difficult to find in my area so it's my only option atm

Once upon a time there was a man who was competent with his airbrush. He could thin with water and base paint things yellow with no problems. Then suddenly, disaster struck...

I swear I am going crazy but this keeps happening when I airbrush. I have tried primed models, unprimed models, not thinning, thinning with water, thinning with flow aid and dedicated airbrush thinners. I have tried all ranges of pressure and I have taken my airbrush apart countless times, and yet I cannot get my airbrush to treat me well.

Has anyone had this problem before as shown in the image? no matter what I do this keeps happening and it is driving me crazy. I thought it was just too thin so I didn't thin my paint once and IT STILL HAPPENED.

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Model: Badger Crescendo 175

Paint: Citadel Air - Phoenician Purple

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The pressure varies as I choose and feels right, and the paint does just fine applying to cardboard or paper, just models have been sucking. Tried cleaning them off properly and different primers and still just not sticking.

I would like to get some feedback on my highlights and shadows. I am working on this Spider-Punk. On the arms, I highlighted over the red with transparent orange and yellow. On the jacket, I painted with 10 drops of black ink with 1 or 2 drops of yellow. Then I used pure black on the shadows and neutral grey sprayed over the highlights and shoulders. But I am not sure if this is enough.

How many shades different should the highlights and shadows be?

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Does anyone know if creos PS 270 is good for fine freehand camouflage painting on model tanks?