airbrush

I have a birthday comming up and my wife wanted to know what I would like so guys help me out. I do not have a airbrush so any ideas? makes,models,and price.

LAST EDITED ON Nov-17-04 AT 09:35 PM (CST)
 
This outfit in Portland, OR, is said to have the very finest airbrush on the market. As I recall, Will Naemura, of the USA F2A (FAI CL Speed) team is involved with the company in some way. http://www.artoolproducts.com Steve

>This outfit in Portland, OR, is said to have the very finest
>airbrush on the market. As I recall, Will Naemura, of the
>USA F2A (FAI CL Speed) team is involved with the company in
>some way. http://www.artoolproducts.com Steve
>
>http://www.nwskyraiders.com/index.html

No kidding. Will's father founded the company years ago. While his father, now retired, is out and about checking out the women, Will has been running the company for years.

Fabulous equipment. And Will is a great guy. His father is a good guy as well.

Iwata is the brand. I have one. It's wonderful.

Howard... which model are you using? Seems they offer a wide selection which I assume vary in price abd capabilities.

I have an Iwata spray gun and an Iwata airbrush, both bought on Wills recommendation - never regretted it, beautiful instruments - classic case of "you get what you pay for". Will is a top class modeller, his speed stuff is jewel like, nice to buy from "one of us".

Steve,
What do you want to use it for?

Chris IAM GOING TO USE IT FOR TRIM AND FADING.I DO NOT NEED ANYTHING EXPENSIVE.

>Chris IAM GOING TO USE IT FOR TRIM AND FADING.I DO NOT NEED
>ANYTHING EXPENSIVE.

I have a Badger #350 single action airbrush I use for trim,shading and such. I'm happy with it.

Unless you specifically need an airbrush, please check out the Iwata LPH-50. See:

http://www.darrolcady.com/Accessories/Painting_FAQ/painting_faq.html

I bought it based on one review and this dealer's write up, plus a short conversation with the dealer. I still haven't used it. However, a nose-and-tail (no, not THAT kind) artist drooled when I mentioned that I had this gun. He asked if he could paint the first plane I completed, just to try it out; and of course I said yes. He even brought a bottle of "Spray Gun Oil". Talk about a specialized product . . .

The artist (actually, he's an Airframe Specialist for the Texas Air Guard) said he'd heard nothing but praise for the gun, and they were preparing for an evaluation cycle for the next round of purchases.

I did an extensive (but not exhaustive) search, and this source offered the best price.

Iwata, Paashe, and Badger seem to be the main players in the airbrush game. Each make several models. Badger seems to offer the most "basic" model, but those are not always the best way to go.
A decent airbrush from any of these manufacturers will last a lifetime.
I have a single action Badger (200??) that is well over 30 years old, and still works fine.
Some may disagree, but I would go ahead and get a good double action kit, and experiment with it to really get the hang of what you can do.
You can get a real good airbrush for under $100 through the internet, and it will be a tool investment that you can use for a long time.
I have a Badger "Anthem" that I use for all my trim and fading work.
Iwata might actually be the "top line", but they cost a little more, and Paashe has always made good ones, too.
The key to using an airbrush is "using it".
Bill <><

Just my 2 cents worth. ( I teach airbrush illustration for the university)I would recommend the Paasche model VL, the complete set with hose, 3 nozzel sizes, cup, jar, hanger and more is only $59.00 from Bear Air http://www.bearair.com This airbrush is a favorite of many and a real workhorse. It's made in the USA (Chicago) and parts are easy to get and not too expensive. I choose to use a VL for most of my modeling needs. Having said that, there are other choices. The Iwata model BC, BC deluxe,Eclipse HP-BCS, Revolution BCR 2000 and the Peak (made for Bear Air by Iwata) would all be excellant but are either more expensive or don't offer the nice acessories for the price. These brushes are made in japan. Other american brushes to consider would include the Badger Crescendo (set is $76.00) and the Thayer and Chandler Vega 2000 (super deluxe kit is $69.95) both of these brushes were developed to compete head to head with the Paasche VL. They are both nice brushes. The Thayer and Chandler company was bought out a while back by Badger. Again all of these can be seen and ordered from Bear Air. (good people to deal with)I hope this might help. If you have more questions, let me know.

Bob,
I agree that the VL is a great tool, but it's been over 30 years since I have used a Paashe...
Do you have any thoughts/experience with the Badger Anthem?
Thanks
Bill <><

Sorry for the responce delay, I had class this afternoon. The Anthem appears to be much like the T&C Vega 2000 except it uses only one (medium) nozzel/needle combination. I have no personal experience with this model but I believe it should work quite nicely for modeling. The only drawback could be in the exposed needle back end. i.e. if you drop the brush on the handle and the needle chuck nut is not dead tight you run a good chance of driving the needle forward and splitting the soft brass/chrome nozzle (not good). I don't think the "easy access" to remove the needle is much of an advantage if it could cost you a nozzel and I would be tempted to cut off the needle so it is always within the handle.