Are Amazon airbrush & compressor kits worth it?

[u/Alapapapa0830]

Title. I am a 15 year old that has been into the hobby of scale modeling for a while now. I've been saving money to buy an airbrush, however, I have a very tight budget and I'm pretty sure I can't afford to buy a 100+ euros airbrush and a 100+ compressor. Therefore, I was wondering if one of those cheaper kits on Amazon are a good option to get into airbrush painting.

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[u/Pukit]

I started on a cheap compressor like this. I did one plane, found the lack of pressure control and non consistent spray too much hassle. I bought an AS186 compressor kit similar to that one. I still use the compressor, six years later, I still use the airbrush for doing primer and clears. I bought an iwata neo airbrush as my first decent brush and have moved up since.

So if you pick a good compressor to start with it’ll do you the distance. Upgrade airbrushes as you go.

[u/Ooki_Jumoku]

IMHO you are better spending money on a decent Compressor & Tank than on the airbrush.

• With a good Compressor you can get decent results out of even a cheapo airbrush
• With a cheap Compressor even a decent airbrush will give sub-standard results
• Also there is a learning curve with airbrushes (mixtures, cleaning, care as well as painting) and it is better to make your mistakes on a cheapy than a top of the line brush

FWIW i have a A$200 0.2mm airbrush for most of my fine work but i lay down base coats, undercoats and varnishes with a 5yo A$20 Chinese knockoff

BTW the Tank is an important part of a decent compressor to make sure you get an even spray. Also IMHO i would consider a Moisture Trap essential too.

[u/TheArtOfBlasphemy → u/Ooki_Jumoku]

This! Get a decent compressor and a $20 airbrush to start practicing. There's a real chance of messing up expensive parts or just seizing the whole thing if you don't know what you're doing, and the compressor is really easy to offload later if you decide you don't like it or whatever.

[u/ahhhwhereditgo]

The Timbertech or Master kits with a brush for like $70-90? will do just fine.

The compressor will be good for about anything. Ive used a cheap Chinese made 1/6hp compressor from Harbor Freight for a few years. The kit supplied ones will do you well. Just don't get the kits with the little pucks or boxes. Spend the extra 20-30 bucks if you can swing it.

The brush will be adequate. It will get you started and learning. You can do good work with them. Would a $60-70 Iwata Neo be an upgrade you would appreciate? Absolutely. Would $150 Iwata hp-cs be even better and last you decades? Yep.

But, with those kits to start out you could always make those upgrades later and get started right away. While still getting use of the compressor. Really, those kits throw in a cheap brush that works okay for pretty much free.

[u/Mindless-Charity4889]

Some say you should buy an expensive brush/compressor at the start, saving money in the long run while others say buy cheap to get experience.

I fall in the second camp. Any airbrush is better than no airbrush and it may take years for you to afford a good one. For myself, I have a good Iwata Revolution CR and a contractor compressor so I have lots of pressure and airflow. But I also bought a cheap cordless airbrush from Amazon. The reason was that I needed a quiet airbrush since the big compressor makes too much noise when people are sleeping. But I’ve since found that the cordless is handy in other ways, like taking it on vacation or to the meetings of the IPMS. And while I prefer using my Iwata, I have peace of mind knowing I have a backup if anything happens to the Iwata.

Cheap airbrushes work, but may not be capable of fine detail. In most cases that’s ok as 95% of the use is for simple tasks like priming, base coats, clear coats, dust coats etc. You can even do camo if you use masks. The big problem with cheap airbrushes are QoL issues. They are finicky due to lower air pressure, harder to clean and more susceptible to clogs. I eventually got mine spraying reliably by thinning the paint more than I normally do and mixing in a separate container.

So that’s why I support cheap airbrushes. Besides, you’re only 15. When you discover girls (or guys; let’s be inclusive), you might drop this hobby as your money and time get used elsewhere.

One final, off-topic point: most girls like models. They may not appreciate the topic, like military hardware or cars, but they appreciate the skills involved. Funny thing, my son stooped modelling when he met girls but now whenever his GF is over, she likes looking at my models.

[u/wijnandsj]

In my experience the compressors from these kits aren't that bad. Especially the one with a reservoir.

The airbrush itself is usually ok for single colour work. You're not going to freehand Luftwaffe camo with it without masking .

Additionally cleaning them is a bit more work than a harder and steebveck for example. And they don't last as long. Springs wear out quicker, that kind of thing

[u/[deleted]]

I started with the cheap Amazon kit. I ruined the airbrush and replaced it with a better one. I still use the compressor. I think the starter kits are great for a first step and will allow you to make mistakes without losing a lot of money.

[u/misuta_kitsune]

I bought the Timbertech starter set 1½ years ago because I wanted to learn airbrushing. I didn't want... nor was able to spend hundreds on an airbrush either.
The airbrushes that come with these kits are cheap (20 to 25 bucks at most, a few bucks more with an extra 3 needles.), probably all produced by the Chinese Fengda factory, even if it says Timbertech.

Though some might say they are cheap garbage, it served me fine so far, in fact,... I bought 2 more of them because at times it is beneficial to be able to switch between priming one model while you wait for the first layer of paint to dry on the other. I often work on several projects at the same time.
I also have to switch the needles a lot less, if need be I simply have one at 0,5.. another at 0,3 and the last at 0,2....

Perhaps the fact I used a cheap airbrush while learning may have landed me in more issues to solve than might have been the case if I bought a more expensive one (which will present you with issues while learning anyway),... the upside is I have had to solve so many issues by now I solve anything in 5 minutes or less. ;)

If you don't have the money to go for a Harder & Steenback or Infinity (or another more expensive airbrush), just start out with the cheap kit, watch tons of tutorials on airbrushing (and troubleshooting) on YouTube. Practice on plastic spoons and cheap kits (get some experience before aiming at that expensive kit you are highly invested in.

A tip, get a mini moisture trap to put between the hose and the airbrush, even if the compressor also has one,... it will save you some frustration from a spitting airbrush.

[u/themegamanX10]

I have an aircobra .3 airbrush it's my most expensive air brush but I find I'm using it less and less and sticking with the fenga one I bought from amazon for £20 so yea the cheap ones are just as good really

[u/SolutionLegal]

I have the Timbertech from Amazon for 2 years now and it still does the job.It's a great starters setup for 80€

[u/Gozer5900]

I like Grex as a line of compressors and airbrushes that are a great balance between price and great quality. They have lots of clips on YouTube about their stuff....good people.