I am new to this hobby but have decided to buy an airbrush. I have read a lot on the web and have learnt of the good brands. Unfortunately my finances dont allow me to pay a lot for my first one. I have read a few positive things about the following which is reasonably priced:
http://www.pecoglobal.com/product_p/rm_180_bulk.htm
I intend to make 1/48th models. I see this model comes with a 0.2 needle. Is that OK or should you be getting a .3 or .5 size
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'd be very leery of such an off brand. last year, I found a "deal" at a yard sale, a Badger look alike from Harbor Freight. It had one available needle. All fittings were proprietary to the included compressor. The brush worked well briefly, the compressor died after less than an hour's use over several days and nothing could be used with anything else. When the compressor died, the airbrush was kaput. At least it looks like this one has both a Grex like quick connect and several adaptors for compressors.

If your money is tight, I'd recommend a Paasche H. I bought one in 1982 and it still works fine. With practice, I was able to get tight camo patterns on 1/72 air craft, so 1/48 will be a breeze. Parts are easy to get, maintenance is simple and it's still in the $50 range on Amazon including a couple tips. It's a single action brush but more than adequate as an economical starter. (I have three additional airbrushes from Grex, Paasche and Badger, but use the H for some tasks.)

Thanks AJ. I have read the gravity fed airbrushes are better. I see the Paashe is suction type. I have done a lot more research and now think it is a wrong decision to buy the chinese models. Read a few more posts where they criticise some of the YouTubers who recommend them. Maybe they are getting paid to do it. Seems some are OK but you are taking pot luck as manufacturing standards are not good. I am now looking at the IWATA Revolution HP-CR 0.5mm Airbrush. There is also a good deal with that on Amazon where I can buy it, plus a cleaning station and Iwata Hose and postage for about $150AUD. I think in the long run it might be a safer way. I am a bit wary of some of the stuff that comes out of China.

Laurie,
Definitely agree with your decision to buy a airbrush. I've been painting models with them since the early 70's. All during that time I've used a Paasche H gun. 3 years ago I finally replaced it because the newer replacement parts didn't fit it correctly. And I bought another H model.

Yes, it's single action, and yes it is a suction feed. Neither has ever caused me any issues. Being a single action gun, I can't change the paint/air flow ratio while I'm painting. That's no big deal. I just stop, open or close the cone a little and go back to painting. It literally takes just a few seconds. I do the same thing when I just want full air to dry paint.

For 1/48 scale props and jets, the standard cup holds more then enough paint, but as you can see in the picture, the set comes with jars as well for big jobs.

I've never tried to feather the trigger for less air/paint, rather always shooting with the valve fully opened.

The Paasche H comes with three needles, cones, and tips:
#1 is for water colors. It's also good for thinned out washes.
#3 is what you will be using for 90+% of your painting jobs.
$5 I've used for shooting "Neat" when I wanted a rougher surface.

Learning how to effectively thin your paints, and vary the flow PSI is the key to successful airbrushing, so a good compressor with a tank and two regulators are equally important. A great airbrush with a cheap compressor, or a cheap airbrush with a great compressor, just won't cut it, and you'll never get the consistency and results you're looking for. You don't need an expensive hobby compressor. I bought a Husky compressor with tank, and two regulator valves from Home Depot for $150, and use it for other jobs around the house.

Cleaning a single action gun takes less then 5 min for a complete tear down, cleaning, and reassemble. It's that easy. There is no paint flowing through the gun.

I can paint a fine line to do a free hand camo scheme without any over spray. The "trick" is your paint mixture, and your flow psi.

The only draw back for me was that the cup hangs down on the left side of the gun, and I'm left handed, so it wasn't comfortable to hold it with my left hand. I learned to paint with my right hand, and now I can't paint with my left.

You can find good deals online for both, but the shipping will be expensive for the compressor, so try to get one locally.

Joel

Hi AJ. I had another look at the PaascheI can get it from PowerHobby in the USA for $78 including postage. You get two bottles as well as hose, wrench and User Manual. Some of the post say the single action is good for beginners and as I will only use it to paint the 1/48th airplane models it seems it may be ideal. What do you think? I saw a Rich AB300 for sale close to me in Australia but after googling I cant see where you can buy parts for this airbrush.

The H has served me well for a long time. At one point I abused the tip assembly by letting paint dry in it and needed to replace the tip. The body has been fine. It' s a great starter brush. Gravity feed is nice if you have to do a really small job or change colrs a lot. My Grex is gravity feed but I would suggest a much less costly brush to learn basic skills. Remember, you'll need to budget for a compressor, too, and they start at about $100 USD. At that price point, you can get a very reliable workman's compressor but it will be noisy. To get a good quiet one, double that price.

Laurie---I concur with Joel. A single-action like the Paasche H-Series performs admirably. I have been using a Paasche H-Series for most of my modeling career and it works great. With proper cleaning, paint mixture and air pressure it will perform very well. Remarkably tight demarcation lines can be obtained with the Paasche single action and it is easy to clean and maintain. I have three Paasche VL's and they are also good but a little harder to use and clean. The Paasche H is just a good general purpose airbrush and I have no complaints with it.

Best wishes,

Ian

G'Day Laurie,
If you want to buy local have a look at Hobby Tools Australia, they have a range or airbrushes by different brands, including the one you're looking at.
http://www.hobbytools.com.au/airbrushes-paasche-badger-sparmax-artlogic/

Have to agree with the others . The Paasche H is excellent valve and will perform very well . I started learning on this model and still have it .




Terri

Thanks Guys and Gals,
I think I will go with the Paasche H. The compressor is the next worry. There is one at a local aussie shop:
http://www.hobbytools.com.au/artlogic-ac1318-super-quiet-mini-air-compressor/
Cant find any reviews but it seems ok

Laurie,
I just took a look at that compressor, it doesn't have a air tank. That's a big factor that you should consider. A air tank has these advantages:

1-The compressor only runs to fill up the tank, then shuts off.

2- Goes on automatically to refill the tank when it hits the low preset PSI limit, and shuts off at the high PSI limit. Neither one can you adjust.

3-Since the air comes from the tank, there is no pulsating that you get with a continuous running compressor.

4-Water vapor condenses in the holding tank, and settles to the bottom. It rarely comes out through the airbrush. All tanks have a bottom valve to drain it. I don't have a water trap on my compressor, and have never had any water vapor issues.

5-Most tank compressors come with two pressure gauges: a tank psi gauge, and a flow psi gauge. That's the one that you will come to rely on. You set the static psi, and when you use your airbrush it drops about 10 psi or so, that's the flow psi, and that is the psi you need to know. More on that when the time comes.

6- the compressor will last a lot longer because it's not continuously running.

Joel