The fiance got me the Revell Fexible double action airbrush (which is an exact match for the Badger 360 Universal, it even uses the same parts numbers) as a surprise for Christmas and I've just strarted learning to use that (which is a whole new learning curve) and has produced some interesting results to say the least.

I got Badger's 360 and it sure looks quite similar to that Revell Master Class. Interesting results, how?

I don't have anything bad to say about the 360, although I can't say how it feels to learn a double-action AB after using a single-action one, as I started my airbrushing with it.
I don't feel it was too hard or tedious to learn.

I second Allen, do yourself a favor and purchase a compressor. When I was starting out with my airbrush, I used about half of one compressed air can and that was it, went out and bought myself a compressor. You could easily get a bad impression of the whole thing from hassling with those things.

I have returned to scale modelling after an absence of about 40 years. Back in my early teens I grew frustrated with brushpainting, though I did get pretty good results as I recall with good old Humbrol enamels. I remember painting an Airfix 1/72 scale Halifax, a B25, a Lancaster, and an awful lot of 1/72 scale Revell biplanes. One of the reasons I quit was that I realized that if I wanted to continue, I had to get an air-brush - the models looked OK at a distance, but up close.....diffefrent story.

And so here I am at the same crossroads again, and even though for the past couple of years I've tried several different paint brands for brush-painting and I've setteled in on Games Workshop acrylics ( these are very good in my opinion), this time I have the dough to take the leap and get an air-brush set-up.

From what I've read, a double-action, gravity feed unit is the way to go for me. As I understand it, this allows the most flexibily in painting. So that's what I'll be looking for.

Having a background in HVAC, I agree that the best air source is a compressor with a reservoir, pressure regulator and moisture trap. I'd be careful in using make-shift air reservoirs unless they have been ceritified to be used as such - it would be easy to pressurize one of these up to too high a pressure - normally air receivers that are paired with a compressor have a pressure relief device of some sort and/or or a cut-out inter-locked with the compressor.

I've heard that soft-drink companies will rent out compressed CO2 cylinders charged with gas, but I imagine you'd have to put down a deposit on them. Automobile tyres might be a good alternative, but, connecting and dis-connecting them with regulator hook-up might be a chore.

For what it's worth, what I've written is from the view-point of some one who is still on this side of getting an air-brush, so it's theory mixed in with a bit of common sense, and some experience from a related field.

Good luck.

I've tried a few, bu for the past couple of years have been using the HARDER & STEENBECk "Evolution Two in One" set. It works, it always works, it is very predictable and extremely easy to clean. Even if you "forgot" and get confronted with that fact 5 days later. Takes about 5 minutes to get it into full clean working state. It will do all the tiny bits as easily as the large bits. Paints I use are primarily Vallejo & Lifecolor. With these paints and some thinner onecan do wonderfull things. In the aircraft arena I also use WhiteEnsign paint, mainly for their fantastic selectionof RAF colours. I tried DoD acrylic, but had no fun whatsoever with them...

Take a look at the H&D stuff, nothing sexy but absolutely the best I've used. WHat you see is what you get, and do not underestimate the cleaning bit...it makes life much easier.

Harald