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I have an Iwata and I really like it. It was the best for a beginner and would work well still as I get better. Plus it's easier to improve when the equipment isn't part of the problem.

This is the one:

Iwata Eclipse (ECL 4500) HP-CS Large Gravity Feed .35mm Airbrush with IS-35 Ninja Jet Studio Series Compressor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003G84INS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6vieBb6G92EAD

It's range is 20 psi. Works best for doing miniatures and smallish sculpture.

And as far as cleaning... Buy a cheap cleaning kit, about $6. And cheap window wiper fluid for your car. It's the cheapest cleaning agent but is the same as the pricey stuff 'made for airbrush'. Learned this from an experienced airbrush artist. I paid $4 for a gallon.

Honestly that's all you need other than paint. I use Vallejo thinner, highly recommend.

Depending on what you're painting, I paint my polymer clay (plastic) sculptures and can recommend mediums if you are going that direction.

honestly your compressor should work fine I just say get a https://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush-Disconnect-Adjustment-Connections/dp/B002KDSRQY/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1XUNVKIXPYIIV&keywords=airbrush+mac+valve&qid=1573166536&sprefix=airbrush+mac+%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-5 keep in mind the cheapest is not always best for theses that should help with the wild psi. As far as the cleaner not really a must have item imo although they are prob. handy keeping it pretty clean after every usage should be good I would recommend tearing it down once a week an deep cleaning it depending on how much you use it. just my 2 cents have a good one

Okay, that's a broad question you are asking.

First you need a brush. Get a double action. I recommend either the badger patriot 105, or the iwata neo for your first brush.

You need a compressor. I used a cheap one off amazon pretty well until I upgraded to a larger California air tools silent compressor.

You want a moisture trap as well, plus an air hose.

As far as paints go I really like the Vallejo model air and game air paints. The game air paints have very vibrant colors, whereas the model air line is more like real camo colors from WW2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004INERK4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511452252&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=iwata+neo&dpPl=1&dpID=31GV4HFiqIL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LYHYHEA/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511452308&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=california+silent+compressor

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000BQO8W4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511452347&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=iwata+hose&dpPl=1&dpID=41K8ruY-CAL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002SAO7QI/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1511452388&sr=8-11&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=1%2F4+to+1%2F8+npt

If that's all you want to do then almost any airbrush will get the job done, but if you think that there's even a chance that you want to go further than that, you might consider getting something at least reasonably good.

I like the Iwata Neo as a good starter brush.

Have you thought about asking around to your friends and seeing if any of them have an airbrush you can borrow? Alternatively, you could look around and see if anybody is offering an airbrush demo/class in your area.

First things first, how big is the armor? Is this something you'll be wearing? If so, a smaller one like this will make your life hard. They get hot really fast and they'll shut off on you. The thing about them is that they run constantly. Push the trigger, it fires up to keep up with the air demand. It can be done, but it'll take awhile. I painted a helmet with one of these and it was very frustrating.

I do suggest investing in something else. Something like this California Air Tools compressor will do you a lot more justice. The storage tank really helps. Your compressor won't turn on as much, thus leading to a much longer lifespan. I have the 6310A version and it has been going strong for about 2 years now. I have been using it for my airbrushes and my smaller spray guns. It easily powers my LPH80 mini gun when I'm painting motorcycle parts. You can usually spray for about 10-15 minutes before the motor kicks in. This is when I spray at lower psi. If you're spraying at a higher psi it'll turn on faster, but it's still not as loud as many conventional compressors. You won't need ear plugs. When it does it isn't very loud. I can turn mine on at 2am when my family is asleep and they can't hear it upstairs. Invest your money wisely as a hobbyist.

I do suggest investing in a mini gun eventually. You'll get faster coverage and more even coverage. If you have any questions feel free to message me. I had to teach myself because no one was willing to help me. I don't mind helping people out whether they have questions about materials or equipment.

You're not going to get a good setup for under $100, but you can get a functional setup to get started and upgrade later if you want.


What did you get from masters? Was it something like this kit because that's probably the best sort of thing to get at the cheap end to get started, and once you learn what you're doing/how to clean & maintain tings/what you want from an airbrush you can upgrade.

In what way was the airbrush not working? And for paint lures are you using acrylic paints or something more involved to work with?

Here is the hobby compressor that I bought and am happy with. I recommend compressor with a tank because the airflow is much more constant.

I bought a cheap Iwata Neo and used a generic airbrush that came with my first compressor before I picked up a Badger Patriot 105. From my experience cheap airbrushes are simply more prone to clogging. If the airbrush can spray water without trouble, it'll probably just be a matter of finding the right ratio in order to get paint to flow. I do recommend just throwing down for a better airbrush, specifically the 105. As far as paints for testing, I recommend just getting a small bottle of Model Air paint. They're specifically thinned for airbrushing and have finer pigment so you should be able to test with them without having to mess with thinning.

If you don’t have a compressor already go with this kit as a starting point. There are other options of similar kits with more stuff, but this is as basic as I would go.

If you already have a compressor I got this one. There are other kits with different needle sizes for not much more if you want to go to that. For me, I figure if I want a different needle size I’ll be to the point of getting a better airbrush so I went with the single needle.

For paints I like Vallejo game air. The badger air paints are good on paper but on minies they are a bit thin on coverage.

I totally agree with this. The airbrush may well get ditched pretty quickly for an upgrade, but as a taster for whether you actually want to stick with airbrushing it's a good starting point.

You could even go cheaper with something like this. https://www.amazon.com/F2C-TC-100-Compressor-Airbrush-TC-100K/dp/B01M28WAQR/ref=sr_1_28 It's practically junk. But it's roughly the same as what I bought about a year ago, and it was enough to learn the ropes and convince me I wanted to invest more heavily.

The most important thing with a booth exhaust fan is that it's listed as brushless or spark protected. Volatiles, like paint fumes are combustible. You don't want to pass flammables through a sparking fan.

I have a paint booth like this. The filter's 9x16 inches, and it uses a 4-inch high-power fan similar to a PC case fan.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KSQHB6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(inexpensive, also includes moisture trap)

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This is the same version I use, pretty useful in a small house. I do use this spray booth to help with overspray, and I use a basic respirator for the air particles. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I1YI09O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Hope this helps!

Do they work? Yes. Are they good? No. They're made cheaply and they're inconsistent. Do you need an air source? If you're just looking for a cheaper brush, look at Neo for Iwata. They are, pretty much, manufactured to Iwata's standards, but half the cost. It's what I've been using for the last two years without any problems. I actually just replaced the nozzle a week ago. If you're looking for compressors also, you can get something like this. It is a cheaper model but it has worked fine for me.

I've only had two but getting one with an air tank helps. That way it only runs to keep the tank full. https://www.amazon.com/MASTER-AIRBRUSH-TC-20T-COMPRESSOR-REGULATOR/dp/B0038D38AA
I've been happy with this one and it's fairly quiet. Much quieter than the Badger one I'd had before.

My 2 cents:

I got started on a Master Airbrush set....
https://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush-Multi-Master-Performance-Dual-Action/dp/B0067BAYNO?ref_=ast_sto_dp

They work pretty good actually.

I now use Paasche - mostly since they have a "fan tip" which allows for a larger spray pattern.

I will say - using the cheaper airbrush paints (Createx) adds another variable - mostly since you need to thin them. The Golden high flow paints never clog - straight out of the bottle - but they are really expensive.

That being said I learned on Createx paints. :)

From a perspective of just buying a airbrush this past weekend, this is my mindset:
I bought https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N64M2HM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
At $90 and using it few times already, I feel like I'm already gaining experience in what I feel like I can accomplish and what I feel is capable in doing. I feel like Id be at the same level with this one vs buying the max level dollar cost one. As I max out my level of knowledge I will eventually upgrade. If I mess something up at the mechanical level of the airbrush, I can troubleshoot and figure it out without the anxiety of messing up some high dollar item. And if I do do some permanent damage due to lack of knowledge, I learn from it without a huge burn to the wallet.

Thank you for the help, I'd also like a QD mount. Here are things ive found. Which one/combination of these things should I get?

https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Co-51-042-Coupler/dp/B003EGZB2Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1549178476&sr=8-4&keywords=badger+quick+disconnect


https://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush-Fitting-Conversion-Adapter-x/dp/B0038NJYHG#customerReviews


https://www.amazon.com/Iwata-Medea-I-160-3-Disconnect/dp/B001P5S5CO/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1549178637&sr=8-13&keywords=airbrush+quick+disconnect


https://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush-Release-Disconnect-Connections/dp/B001MKGOUM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1549178655&sr=8-5&keywords=badger+quick+disconnect

I would suggest something like that for the lowest price:

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush-Multi-purpose-Dual-action-Compressor/dp/B001TO578Q/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=airbrush+kit&qid=1571151881&sr=8-5

I think the compressor will be good , the airbrush will be enough to start. If she really likes it she will just have to upgrade the airbrush. The compressors comes with a water trap built in. Get some airbrush ink set and you are good !

thats a great starter airbrush and should be perfect as a workhorse.

you just need a basic airbrush compressor to start with. the cost goes up the more quiet the compressor is while building up pressure.

i use this kit https://www.amazon.com/ZENY-Airbrush-Compressor-Multipurpose-Tattoo/dp/B01M33C8MV/ref=sr_1_20?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1526986007&sr=1-20&keywords=airbrush+compressor

the hose it comes with should work with the neo.

For your budget I'll go with a Badger Patriot 105 Arrow, it's so easy to use and clean and the Arrow will give you a fine line if needed. A cheap compressor with a tank and a quick connect and you're good to go !

Badger Patriot Arrow : https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Co-105-2XR-Airbrush/dp/B00471RFQA/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=badger+patriot+105&qid=1567304916&s=gateway&sprefix=badger+pa&sr=8-5

Quick connect Badger for all hose : https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Co-51-038-Disconnect/dp/B000BPOJCO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=badger+quick+connect&qid=1567305182&s=gateway&sprefix=badger+qui&sr=8-3

Cheap Compressor : https://www.amazon.com/ZENY-Airbrush-Compressor-Airbrushing-Multipurpose/dp/B01M33C8MV/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=airbrush+compressor+with+tank&qid=1567305014&s=gateway&sprefix=airbrush+compressor+&sr=8-3

With airbrush cleaner and thinner, and a cleaner pot, I think I fit your budget.... You can use the standard Badger Patriot 105 but the needle is .75mm instead of .5mm so you get less fines lines

That is the one, without the lighting. I wound up getting [this one] (http://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush%C2%AE-Portable-Airbrush-Extension/dp/B00NLQ019A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464496077&sr=8-1&keywords=airbrush+spray+booth) because it was roughly the same total cost as the one you linked to since I have prime for free shipping and it came with the lights. If I had to do it over, I would probably get the one you linked to and get some of the LED's pointed out by /u/Bastidgeson.

Here is a video I found of someone actually using the booth. Skip to around 3:20. My only other comment is to make sure that there is enough room for the unit plus the hose coming out of the back wherever you are putting it. I have mine set up on a counter top (standard 24" deep) and, even angling the hoses at 90's to snake it to the window, the booth still sticks out over the edge of the counter by around 8 inches. I measured from the wall to the front edge and it's about 32 1/2" in total, from the front edge to the back curve of the hose. I wound up getting 3 pieces of scrap wood to put under it as support, just in case.

I decided to try to take a photo to show you what the built-in lighting looks like. I manually set up the photo so it looks very close to what I was seeing. I put that orange paint in there to really show the blue lighting effect on color. The 'white' stuff has been base coated with Vallejo Ivory. The AT-ST's in the back are the gray Krylon primer, prepped for painting. As a contrast photo, here are some y-wings with the same Vallejo Ivory (and one with just white Krylon primer), but under natural LED lighting. Also, you can see two of my tricks for prepping to airbrush large groups of things. For flat-ish objects, I can use double-sided tape on those jumbo craft sticks. For everything else, I use the blue poster tack stuff. I also keep empty medicine bottles in case there is just one thing that I am painting. Really, that turntable hasn't helped me much.

I have this one. It is great and it has never let me down. As far as an airbrush, I suggest the Neo. If you are from the US they will be cheaper yet.

I went ahead an replaced the fan after all. I bought a fan and a power adapter for it. I now have a working booth.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009OWRMZ6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you already have the hose that comes with those China airbrushes (1/8 size). You will need this adapter to be able to fit your badger appropriately to the hose you already have.

A more convenient and practical solution though is to get a Iwata QD set

and then just get a Badger QD adapter. The reason being that 1/8th fittings are more commonly used by more airbrushes (Iwata, Chinese made, GREX, Harder&SteenBeck, Mr.Hobby, Tamiya) than Badger's fittings. Sticking with 1/8th gives you more options and it is better that your Badger adapt to the 1/8th fittings rather than the other way around where you have your China and other airbrushes adapt to Badger's fittings.

Also, for these QD and coupler attachments. I advice you buy the real branded ones from Iwata and Badger. Do not settle for those unknown China branded ones as they leak air horribly.

If this was the kit you're looking at then I should warn you that it is missing the compressor. If you already have an air compressor capable of producing a steady 20PSI then you'll be good to go, but if you still need a compressor them, fair warning: the compressor can be just as expensive as the airbrush itself - which is probably why they didnt include one in that kit. Asside from a missing compressor, it does look like a solid kit

Master Airbrush Multi-purpose Gravity Feed Dual-action Airbrush Kit with 6 Foot Hose and a Powerful 1/5hp Single Piston Quiet Air Compressor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TO578Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_eaeDDbF9RM0RK

That's the one I got.

ZENY Pro 1/5 HP Airbrush Air Compressor Airbrushing Kit w/ 3L Tank and 6FT Hose Multipurpose for Hobby Paint Cake Tattoo Nail https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M33C8MV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wO.KDbYYQ7CR2

Own it myself. External tank and . . . Do I even have to mention the price. Nice unit.

remember to get spare parts for the badger ab. those are not expensive but better safe than sorry. a couple of needles and nozzles should do. you need to get an hose adapter too . i think this one will do
https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Air-Brush-Company-Iwata-Adaptor/dp/B004RM2DIO

I have this, and I love it. The brush is not bad. $60 you can get iwata airbrush and the setup won't be bad at all.

VIVOHOME 110-120V Professional Airbrushing Paint System with 1/5 HP Air Compressor and 1 Airbrush Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N64M2HM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fUTzDbD4M9WQ4

I was thinking something along these lines:

ZENY Pro 1/5 HP Airbrush Air Compressor Airbrushing Kit w/ 3L Tank and 6FT Hose Multipurpose for Hobby Paint Cake Tattoo Nail https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M33C8MV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KP4sDb35QGMKY

Not sure what you could do to make it quieter. Maybe sit it on a towel to absorb some of the vibration or something like that?

You can't go wrong with Iwata eclipse.

https://www.amazon.com/Iwata-Medea-HP-CS-Eclipse-Airbrush-Compressor/dp/B003G84INS

Airbrush/Compressor used: From Amazon

First I disassembled the controller, then sanded it with fine grit sandpaper. I used opaque white (Createx 5212) as a base coat. Once dry, I proceeded with Fluorescent Violet (Createx 5401) in two coats. I then applied 3 layers of gloss top coat (Createx 5604) with a heat gun application in between.

I realize you said she already had done the "kids" pumping version of the airbrush, but there are also a couple versions that are battery operated.

Crayola $19

Alex Toys $17

If you were serious about it not being a toy however, there are some cheap alternative systems that wouldn't be good for an adult trying to get serious but for a kid should be more than enough.

Master Airbrush $80