What Airbrush to chose for BEGINNING RC Painting ?
#1
What Airbrush to chose for BEGINNING RC Painting ?
HEy Everyone,
People keep asking us the same questions about what airbrush to pick for RC applications so I thought we should make a sticky. Please do not reply to this post unless you have an Airbrush to add to the list and why .
Let's keep it as clear as possible for beginners out there ( or pro who need something adapted to lexan painting)
New to Airbrushing ?? Skip if you aren't
Here are some basic info on how an airbrush is working. Single and double action, gravity or siphon fed, internal or external mix and all the basic airbrush types and lingo explained. I believe It s important to understand what s going on in your gun, it will help you cleaning it, storing it and using it right. It will increase the life of your airbrushes too. Poor cleaning and poor maintnance = poor paint jobs and waste of money, short lived guns...
Click here for an overview of Aibrushes and Air Sources
RC Applications
OK now you should have a general idea of what the options are. Lucky us, we do not need the most expensive airbrushes for RC applications but we do need a compressor capable of reaching 35 to 70 PSI to spray thicker paint and metallic / pearl ( Createx/ autoair/ Faskolor etc )
I personally strongly recommend Gravity fed double action as a main gun, it s a lot easier to move around inside of a body, easier to clean and i like how the balance feels in my hand a lot better too.
Here are the ones I consider the best quality vs price :
Master Single Action .8mm 10 USD. Must have in my opinion. It s a great 1st Airbrush for simple jobs, consider it as an advanced Rattle can if you wish. You d always use it to do larger surfaces and backing up your paint jobs.
Master G22: 40 USD If you are on a buget, that s the best I found ( and use ) in that price range. Get the pack with the 3 needles and if every buck count, get the G22 with an extra .5mm needle and nozzle. It s a fine lil gun for the money.
Master G33 : 89 US and comes with 3 nozzles that are just waht you need for RC .35mm, .50mm and .80mm. 3 cups too . I bought it as a back up to my Iwata and I end up using it a lot as main gun. Really amazing quality VS price product. You can see a limiter at the tip of the rear end that will limit how far the trigger goes and therefore limit the paint flow. That is very handy to keep consitant width.
Iwata Eclipse HP CS :: 120 US, quickly became one of the references in automotive, RC and many other applications. Iwata is one of the best brand out there for us. They are extremly sturdy and very clever designs + high quality components make them both accurate and reliable.
They have a great flow even in .35 mm nozzle.
That s the 3 steps to me 40 80 120. Keep in mind that even when you will upgrade from a Master to an Iwata, you d still use the cheaper gun as a back up or to do quick color changes, dedicate one to chrome for exemple etc so it s not money wasted. a G33 will take you a long way. If you re on a budget spend more on the Air source than on the gun, the best brush with an unreliable air source will spit and cough like a 2 dollar one.
Air Source
If you go air compressor route, don t go under this TC 20 T is a great reliable and affordable solution. Never spray without a filter / regulator, water in your air hose will not only ruin your paintjob but also samage your hose and gun internal vital parts quicker than you think.
If you have space and noise isn t a problem, any larger compressor will do as long as you have a decent Regulator with a water trap.
I would love to set up some CO2 tanks whenever I can expand my lil workshop a bit, they are inexpensive and totally quiet.
Cheap but good solution until you can afford an air source is to use a tire tube. If you have a quick change on your house it will last long enough for a full paint job and you can always roll it down the street to fill it up when needed
You can go crazy on accessories but the basics are :
quick change Allowing you to chnage airbrush quickly, to clean your gun in between paint keeping the pressure in your compressor or not wasting air from your tanks. Must have for 5 bucks ... Time safer ...
Decent cleaning station (bottom of the page ) and a holder will prevent a lot of spilling and bended needles when airbrushes fall and hit the table or ground.
I am not affiliated to TCP Global, I just got tons of stuff from them and always got the best prices and service. Browse their site to get some ideas about spraybooth and make your own if you have a lil time and glue it s really easy to do .
Hope that helps everyone out there and please post any models / ideas you may have, once again I don t make money on these (sadly !) just sharing my experience with them. I think they are amongst the best you can get for your money
People keep asking us the same questions about what airbrush to pick for RC applications so I thought we should make a sticky. Please do not reply to this post unless you have an Airbrush to add to the list and why .
Let's keep it as clear as possible for beginners out there ( or pro who need something adapted to lexan painting)
New to Airbrushing ?? Skip if you aren't
Here are some basic info on how an airbrush is working. Single and double action, gravity or siphon fed, internal or external mix and all the basic airbrush types and lingo explained. I believe It s important to understand what s going on in your gun, it will help you cleaning it, storing it and using it right. It will increase the life of your airbrushes too. Poor cleaning and poor maintnance = poor paint jobs and waste of money, short lived guns...
Click here for an overview of Aibrushes and Air Sources
RC Applications
OK now you should have a general idea of what the options are. Lucky us, we do not need the most expensive airbrushes for RC applications but we do need a compressor capable of reaching 35 to 70 PSI to spray thicker paint and metallic / pearl ( Createx/ autoair/ Faskolor etc )
I personally strongly recommend Gravity fed double action as a main gun, it s a lot easier to move around inside of a body, easier to clean and i like how the balance feels in my hand a lot better too.
Here are the ones I consider the best quality vs price :
Master Single Action .8mm 10 USD. Must have in my opinion. It s a great 1st Airbrush for simple jobs, consider it as an advanced Rattle can if you wish. You d always use it to do larger surfaces and backing up your paint jobs.
Master G22: 40 USD If you are on a buget, that s the best I found ( and use ) in that price range. Get the pack with the 3 needles and if every buck count, get the G22 with an extra .5mm needle and nozzle. It s a fine lil gun for the money.
Master G33 : 89 US and comes with 3 nozzles that are just waht you need for RC .35mm, .50mm and .80mm. 3 cups too . I bought it as a back up to my Iwata and I end up using it a lot as main gun. Really amazing quality VS price product. You can see a limiter at the tip of the rear end that will limit how far the trigger goes and therefore limit the paint flow. That is very handy to keep consitant width.
Iwata Eclipse HP CS :: 120 US, quickly became one of the references in automotive, RC and many other applications. Iwata is one of the best brand out there for us. They are extremly sturdy and very clever designs + high quality components make them both accurate and reliable.
They have a great flow even in .35 mm nozzle.
That s the 3 steps to me 40 80 120. Keep in mind that even when you will upgrade from a Master to an Iwata, you d still use the cheaper gun as a back up or to do quick color changes, dedicate one to chrome for exemple etc so it s not money wasted. a G33 will take you a long way. If you re on a budget spend more on the Air source than on the gun, the best brush with an unreliable air source will spit and cough like a 2 dollar one.
Air Source
If you go air compressor route, don t go under this TC 20 T is a great reliable and affordable solution. Never spray without a filter / regulator, water in your air hose will not only ruin your paintjob but also samage your hose and gun internal vital parts quicker than you think.
If you have space and noise isn t a problem, any larger compressor will do as long as you have a decent Regulator with a water trap.
I would love to set up some CO2 tanks whenever I can expand my lil workshop a bit, they are inexpensive and totally quiet.
Cheap but good solution until you can afford an air source is to use a tire tube. If you have a quick change on your house it will last long enough for a full paint job and you can always roll it down the street to fill it up when needed
You can go crazy on accessories but the basics are :
quick change Allowing you to chnage airbrush quickly, to clean your gun in between paint keeping the pressure in your compressor or not wasting air from your tanks. Must have for 5 bucks ... Time safer ...
Decent cleaning station (bottom of the page ) and a holder will prevent a lot of spilling and bended needles when airbrushes fall and hit the table or ground.
I am not affiliated to TCP Global, I just got tons of stuff from them and always got the best prices and service. Browse their site to get some ideas about spraybooth and make your own if you have a lil time and glue it s really easy to do .
Hope that helps everyone out there and please post any models / ideas you may have, once again I don t make money on these (sadly !) just sharing my experience with them. I think they are amongst the best you can get for your money
Last edited by charlie_b; 10-22-2009 at 02:58 PM.
#2
Tech Apprentice
this is a great post. but the title is wrong for it. maybe should make this a sticky or something.
#4
I too would recommend a gravity feed brush. I bought an Iwata HP-BCS and like it alot, but its kind of bulky inside of some RC bodies (especially 18th scale bodies). So I bought a Paasche Talon and use it most of the time now. Its gravity fed, shoots really smooth and comes with several tips.
#6
Tech Elite
iTrader: (67)
If you want to save $ and still have a great gravity fed brush from IWATA. Get the Revolution Series. Its a lower price-point line. I have the eclipse as well and find myself using the cheaper one more often then not. AND Coast offers free shipping on IWATA Products.
http://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=R4500
http://www.coastairbrush.com/proddetail.asp?prod=R4500
#7
#8
Since I'm not a pro and only occasionally spray a body, I got this and am pleased with it. Can't beat the price.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95810
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95810
#9
+1 for the g22/g23
but I didnt get the brush with the 3 tips, mine you take off the cap to get fine lines
but I didnt get the brush with the 3 tips, mine you take off the cap to get fine lines
#10
Tech Adept
hey guys id like to add a little thought i had a while back here.
when your choosing an airbrush remember that if you get a cheap model chances are you wont be able to resell it when your stuck with poor performance and parts that wear out and are hard to find
if you pick up one of the known brand better quality guns you have a great chance at reselling them if you dont feel like this form of artwork is right for you. plus you will start out with good reliable equipment that you KNOW wont be the problem in your setup
not only that but your net cost will be roughly the same going with the better stuff and selling it than buying cheap and not getting a dime for it.
thoughts to consider when you make your purchase.
as an avid painter i know this is how i would do it again spend the money on good stuff!! you only live once right!!
oh and iwata FTW!!
when your choosing an airbrush remember that if you get a cheap model chances are you wont be able to resell it when your stuck with poor performance and parts that wear out and are hard to find
if you pick up one of the known brand better quality guns you have a great chance at reselling them if you dont feel like this form of artwork is right for you. plus you will start out with good reliable equipment that you KNOW wont be the problem in your setup
not only that but your net cost will be roughly the same going with the better stuff and selling it than buying cheap and not getting a dime for it.
thoughts to consider when you make your purchase.
as an avid painter i know this is how i would do it again spend the money on good stuff!! you only live once right!!
oh and iwata FTW!!
#11
I tried a couple cheap airbrushed and also an expensive AZTEk all composite with nozzle inserts. I never ha da ny luck with them, I was a total newbee. The I got a Paasche VL and it worked great I didnt have to try hard or mess with it to spray good. Still have it 2 years later still works awesome!
#12
i use a Paasche vl and a iwata eclipse in my work bothe are for general use im new to rc paint jobs but the paasche VL it seams to work great it and its a good beginner dubble action air brush
#13
Tech Regular
iTrader: (31)
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Culbertson & Three Forks, Montana
Posts: 361
Trader Rating: 31 (100%+)
I am having great luck with the paasche Talon. Great gun Going to order a Master G22 as a second gun asap.
#14
Since I'm not a pro and only occasionally spray a body, I got this and am pleased with it. Can't beat the price.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95810
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95810
#15
Tech Lord
iTrader: (103)
Just some info needed
i am not a newb to airbrushing but i am wanting to get back in to it and have looked at the iwata,paache talon,parma,i have a paache vl but it wont use water based paints so i got tired of the lacquer and clean up,i may scratch the parma cause i want the gravity feed,how does the talon compare to the iwata.i want to use water based paints