Hey guys, I was finally going to make the jump to using an air-brush.....but I need advice on a good starter machine to begin with.
I think my main use is going to be base coats and then clear coat sprays at the end--so detail sprays aren't that important.

Knowing myself, I think ease of cleaning is going to be a big factor for me.


Anyone have any suggestions?

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yes and no. i bought a $100 set up off ebay several years ago after asking indrox1 for advice. his work was sooo good looking . i didn't give it much of a chance, but i don't paint a lot of big stuff. it worked, but seemed like 30m of set up, 10m of painting at the most, then 30m of cleaning up. i could see it if painting a large project or several things the same color, but for me spray cans (as much as i hate them) was a better fit. i gave the one i bought to my stepson ,but no idea where it ended up.

i don't want to talk you out of trying it! that's just my go at it. indrox said for the $$$ the ebay set was the best deal. it came with a lot of stuff, everything but paint iirc.

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This is a big thing for me... I haaate hassle and so much of it seems like hassle. When I lived in southern California, rattle cans were great....but now I live in the Pacific Northwest in what's called a convergence zone...so its wet 80% of the time and regularly below 50 degrees for 1/3 of the year so I can't spray a lot of the time. And that has negatively effected my hobby....so that led to me thinking now was the time.

I just don't know which way to go.

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i think you should have to take the same steps safety wise with an airbrush as a rattle can. i really don't spray paint a lot so not a big concern for me inside, but airbrushing inside i think a mask or ventilation is recommended too.

i live in MS so hot humid or cold and humid lol

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i have two, but only experience using one. i am still trying to get beyond the novelty of it because i tend to get what i want out of spray cans. usually the reason why i need to use the airbrush is because the color isnt available. i do not buy into zenithal highlighting because watching videos of people doing that, they tend to paint over the highlight and it doesnt end up doing what they want it to do - and it's not something we as customizers are concerned about either.

the one i have experience using is the testors easy snap and spray airbrush kit. if you dig around on the internet you can get it for 25 bucks. the downside is instead of a compressor you use compressed air cans from testors. the tube end that connects to the air can is finnicky, but if you're just learning the process of airbrushing with a mix of "i really dont care about airbrushing" it's fine. it does not do super fine lines like they get on flea market airbrush t-shirts. i use it for base coating or if i cant find a color in spray cans but i can in craft paint. i suggest getting your feet wet with this, because you'll understand the concepts and process of keeping up with an airbrush, and if you decide you hate it, you're only out 25 bucks. and then some if you get a couple extra air cans or your kit doesnt come with one.
https://www.dickblick.com/products/test ... HUisSYLgO8

the second one i purchased after watching this video from ninjon (im also a subscriber). i havent cracked it open because the first airbrush is still operational and i want to get all the air out of my last air can. this is 60+ bucks and a little more "pro" than the air brush air brush hose.

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

one major thing you're going to run into is "what kind of paint can i toss into this thing?" "how can i thin out my paints for this thing?" well if you dont want to spend a whole lot, look no further than dollar tree windex. a jug of that will last forever. this video was helpful with that for craft paint:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvza_T6rFhc
another is isopropyl alcohol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTtx3jR1MhI

the best thing though is liquitex flowaid. there arent any videos that dont show paint being turned into water with this stuff for drip painting; but given that testor's model master is not made any longer - i've had to get into using craft paint (because pro acryl wasnt invented yet and my collection is now entirely craft paint) i had to find the right hting that gave me close to the consistency that i want. flow aid does that. i tend to mix extra flowaid when airbrushing because you want your airbrush paint to be thin.

however if you're using model paint like citadel or vallejo or whatever, you can get away with whatever they have to offer to thin your paints with BUT flow aid works with everything i've found; and it's better than using just water (i havent had an experience where water was any help other than cleaning the paint off something)

i go between the dollar tree windex and flowaid, because the dollar tree windex sometimes gives a bluer tint than iso alcohol and flowaid. my first pick is flowaid though because it gives the consistency that i want and if you're just brush painting, it's not a whole lot.

i dont worry about ppe, i have it, but im not putting my face in the paint spray and it takes longer to put it on than it does to hose everything down. get the cheap airbrush kit first and see if this is something you want to pursue, then you can fall down a rabbit hole of mini airbrush paint booths that have exhaust fans and all other kinds of bells and whistles.