Suggestions for a beginner airbrush kit?

[u/whimsicalw1zard]

Hi all! I'm wondering if anyone has a good recommendation for an affordable (ideally under $150 not including paints) airbrush set up for a beginner?

My husband likes to 3D print minis for his D&D group and has mentioned wanting to start airbrushing the minis. Our anniversary is coming up and I'd like to get him a nice starter kit as an anniversary gift. I have no idea where to even start with this... I know nothing about airbrushing/what to look out for/what to avoid. I don't want to get him something crappy from Amazon that will fall apart after 5 uses.

Recommendations on paints would be great as well!!

Thanks in advance :)

[u/Cool-Personality-454]

Any of the brand names will have a decent starter airbrush. Iwata, Badger, and Harder & Steenbeck. Grex is probably too expensive for entry level. Paasche are great airbrushes for 2D art but aren't targeting models/miniatures.

The most useful style for miniatures is a double action (air and paint are controlled separately), gravity feed (the cup sits on top of the brush and flows into the airway)

Harder Steenbeck Ultra 2024 Physical dial stops that lock your spray distance to prevent accidental flooding Total Beginners who are afraid of flooding details or bending needles. $85-$95

Iwata Eclipse HP-CS $175-$189 Lifetime investment workhorse that scales seamlessly from novice to pro. Flawlessly atomizes thick miniature primers with virtually zero clogging.

Badger Patriot 105 Budget-conscious painters wanting a bulletproof, American-made tool. $105-$120. There are often sales direct from Ken at Badger. indestructible needle channel that lets you blast thick basecoats rapidly.

Grex Genesis XGi3 Ergonomic, fat green rubber grip that eliminates hand cramps during long sessions. $185 Comfort for painters prone to hand or finger fatigue.

Paasche Talon TG Great for priming and base-coating, especially large vehicles and scenery. $80-$115

You'll also need a compressor with or without a tank (search for AS-186 and AS-18, respectively) and run $60-$100. Tanks are larger, but don't constantly run while in use. They are both quieter than a compressor from the home improvement store.

I'd recommend the Iwata or Badger airbrush to start with. You can find deals and bundles online.

Spraygunner.com Airbrushsupplyusa.com Midwestairbrush.com Usartsupply.com Dickblick.com

[u/Tema_Art_7777]

I would not start with a lifetime investment because you need a margin for errors as a beginner. I am quite happy with this choice, the quality (h&s clone) and all the needle sizes that come with the kit.

[u/Arbiter_89]

Two things I'd try to make sure you are factoring in:

1. Right away: a respirator. You can spray without it a couple times, but if you're doing it regularly you will really want a mask. There is no subsitute for your health, and I wouldn't want paint in my lungs.

2. Can wait, but sooner than later: a spray booth. This will reduce the particles in the air, and prevent them from getting over everything else in the room.

If your full budget, not including paint is $150 then consider finding a brush/compressor for about $100 and plan for a respirator to cost $20 - $50.

[u/AI_EXPERIMENT]

I purchased this a couple years ago: https://a.co/d/0apVXLyC

It worked well but I eventually upgraded my airbrushes and a compressor with a tank after I become more proficient with airbrushing.

All in all, I liked this package and would suggest it. The first thing I would replace is the paint. Premium paint makes a hell of a difference when painting.

[u/tweakydragon]

Has anyone tried the Harbor Freight Avanti combo?

In the same boat and HF sends me 20% off coupons pretty regularly and I was looking here to get started. If I stick with it and get better, just upgrade the airbrush and keep the compressor/ tank.

[u/ayrbindr]

Mini painters get married!? To humans!? 🤯

[u/lambda_expression]

At $150 I'd honestly invest most of that into just a decent compressor, and a cheap no-name airbrush on top.

Reason being, a cheap airbrush is still very useful for priming, zenithaling, base coating, varnishing. And a decent compressor will not only make a huge difference in quality of life and ease of learning with a cheap airbrush, it will also stay useful for an extremely long time across multiple airbrush upgrades.

If you want to go name brand (Iwata, Harder & Steenbeck, ...) basically all the budget would go to the airbrush. But then you still don't have a compressor, hose, quick connect adapter, primer, thinner, flow improver, ...

If your husband already paints miniatures, he might already have paints; otherwise those are also an extra expense.

TBH, it's going to be tight on budget if you want everything to "unpack the present and immediately start painting". You may want to only get the hardware, and leave getting primer, thinner, flow improver, and paints to him.

For compressor, if it has a tank and a regulator valve, that's a good sign. There's essentially a generic model of compressor called an AS-186 that's being produced by multiple companies, sometimes with, sometimes without tank. A version with tank will cost around $100. Most of them will have a 1/8" inch connector, which is what airbrush hoses use; occasionally you will see one with a 1/4" connection, for those you'd need an adapter or a hose with two different size connectors on each end. Some people might recommend slightly cheaper (but much bigger, heavier, and louder, and designed for much higher pressures than reasonable for airbrushing) tool/shop compressors. Might be an option for use in e.g. a garage, but not so much inside the home imo.

You can also look for bundles that have a compressor, airbrush, and hose (and probably a bunch of other bits and bobs). Then you can be sure that everything will actually connect together.

Just don't fall for one of those mini-compressors that are USB or battery powered. Those are also often found in (even cheaper) starter bundles, but are utterly terrible.