My Mosquito

JudgeDredd · July 07, 2012, 04:42:15 AM

Can I ask some questions please - for all you airbrush boys out there...

The wife isn't going to give in yet for an airbrush/compressor kit - so I'm thinking about buying it piecemeal...so getting an airbrush now and then getting a compressor later in the year.

So - questions -
1. If I bought this Gravity High Precision Dual Action Airbrush, would I be able to use it with tins of propellant until I got a compressor?
2. How do I clean them? I guess with white spirits for enamel and water(?) for acrylic?
3. How do you the top feeder bowl?
4. If it does work with tins of air, would the brush come with a connector to a tin, or do the tins come with adapters or would I have to buy something else to get it to work with a tin of air?

Ta

LongBlade · July 07, 2012, 10:08:06 AM

No need to go for a high-end airbrush.

Badger makes one for ~ USD50 that comes in a kit with canned air. I started that way, and the brush is good enough for you to get started.

Honestly, I haven't messed with my dual-action airbrush enough to really feel comfortable with it yet. The Badger is plenty as a starter.

As for a compressor, they are more reliable than canned air. To my knowledge any airbrush should work with either a compressor or air. It's just that compressors are preferred if you can afford them.

JudgeDredd · July 08, 2012, 01:28:28 AM

Cheers LB.

I didn't know that was a high end brush. I was just looking around and most that were cheaper than that had bad reviews. I'm not sure I would be any good with the Dual Action either.

I'll look at the Badger stuff.

JudgeDredd · July 08, 2012, 01:30:53 AM

Oh - and one of the reasons I liked that model is because it was top fed. I can imagine putting paint into the jars and taking it out would result in considerable wastage?

JudgeDredd · July 08, 2012, 04:44:01 AM

Ready for the decals

I'm really unsure what to do about the canopy. I paint with brushes. I don't seem to have a steady enough hand to paint the canopy. At the same time, I haven't ever used masking tape and have no idea how I would be able to do that anyway...so I may well be stuck with leaving the canopy clear.

JudgeDredd · July 08, 2012, 04:46:38 AM

And for UGC - this is the kind of scale.

The Mossie is a 1:48, the He-111 is 1:72 and the Spit is 1:72. I'm staying away from 1:72 fighters/fighter bombers and keeping to 1:48. Bombers at 1:72 whilst aren't quite as detailed as 1:48 take up plenty of room!

bob48 · July 08, 2012, 05:46:23 AM

I do like the scale of the Mossie, JD. I've always had a penchant for stuff like that. On the up side, the detail levels are better on good kits, although it obviously means a lot more work - and finding somewhere to display them.

You're obviously getting a lot of enjoyment out of them, and that's the important thing. Well done mate :-)

undercovergeek · July 08, 2012, 06:12:08 AM

Thanks jd.... On your model choices.... Is there some order as in your faves or ones you come across in the shop?

JudgeDredd · July 08, 2012, 07:15:26 AM

Yeah - the Mossie scale is a decent scale. I would like to do 1:48 on bombers for the detail, but they are just too big I think.

UGC - as with all hobbies, I'm getting better.

In terms of my build quaility the Mossie is by far the best, He-111 second and I've got a wee Me-109 that's 3rd. In terms of kit quality, I really like Tamiya and Hagegawa. The He-111 is a Hasegawa and the Mossie is Tamiya and both seemed to go together effortlessly. In terms of era - I prefer WWII. Although I've always loved tanks, I've never wanted to make a model tank for some reason. Same with modern fighters and helicopters...never really had an interest in doing them.

My next one is a B-17 - unfortunately I may have bought tthe wrong kit for this - I choose Academy...but we'll see. After that, I think I want to get a 1:72 B-29 and following that a 1:48 P-47 Thunderbolt Razorback and sometime in the future an A6 Zero.

JudgeDredd · July 08, 2012, 10:26:40 AM

Decals on

Next stage is cover with clear then use my weathering solution...that may screw it up...but I need to practice - and it's not like I've got alot of space fr models anyway - so if it ends up in the bin, it just makes room for others :-)

This is the first model EVER that I have put all required decals on...I always found them too fiddly and thought "what the hell...they're so small no-one will notice"...but every decal that should be on this IS on this

LongBlade · July 08, 2012, 11:04:51 AM

Masking tape shouldn't be too difficult. I haven't used it on a canopy, but I suspect some tape and a razor hobby knife (x-acto) should suffice to trim it for your needs.

JudgeDredd · July 09, 2012, 04:48:37 PM

I eventually capitulated and bought an Eduardo canopy set for the mossie.

LB - or anyone else - any ideas on half decent airbrush/tins of air kits? I've managed to persuade the wife that I could buy the kit in two parts - airbrush and used with tinned air first and get a compressor later in the year - so I'm keen to get a decent brush that will work well with tinned air.

Ideas of what I'd need, have to look for (e.g. size of needle? Anything else?) would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know if I prefer bottom feed or top feed tbh - so I'm open to persuasion there. I do think I prefer the sound of internal mix and I guess I'm not overly fussed with dual action as I'm not sure how I'd get on with it having read about it.

Jack Nastyface · July 09, 2012, 05:59:43 PM

I've just started using my dual action air-brush this year...here's what I have discovered:
1) I bought a bunch of cheap acrylic paints from a local art-supply store for practice. I didn't want to start on a model, so I figured I could benefit from some practice work, first. In retrospect, I think it was a good idea, as it gave me a good idea about "how much, how close, how fast, etc..."
2) I was supposed to buy some kind of acrylic paint dilution solution but I just mixed in a bit extra water. Worked fine for practicing, but I think I'd want to use some good stuff on models.
3) I have (and tend to prefer) a gravity fed airbrush. The "bottle fed" system seems kind of wasteful to me (you will inevitably wind up with lots of unused paint in the bottle and feeder tube) and I also figured I might want to do "mini" paint batches (for example...I creating a tiny batch (about 4 - 5 drops paint with 4 drops of water) that I used to weather the sides of a LAV model...probably couldn't do that so easily in a bottle feed model)
4) I got 1 nozzle and only 1 nozzle...works fine
5) although the purists will say I'm daft, for now I am using a disposable can of propellant. Works okay...but if I was doing the number of aircraft models you are doing I would probably start saving up for a compressor, only for costs sake.
6) FWIW...I know another guy who bought an old scuba dive tank off ebay for cheap; got it filled at a local scuba shop, and then bought the necessary adapters, etc. Works great...but it is a little bulky.

The ONLY problem I had when setting up my airbrush system occured when I tapped into the propellant can for the first time. I accidently had left the flow valve slightly open, so when I broke the seal I got a blast of compressed air in the face...which may not sound all that bad, but they put mustard oil in the propellant cans so kids don't sniff the propellant to get high, so I basically pepper-sprayed myself.

Staggerwing · July 09, 2012, 06:38:58 PM

Quote from: Jack Nastyface on July 09, 2012, 05:59:43 PM

The ONLY problem I had when setting up my airbrush system occured when I tapped into the propellant can for the first time. I accidently had left the flow valve slightly open, so when I broke the seal I got a blast of compressed air in the face...which may not sound all that bad, but they put mustard oil in the propellant cans so kids don't sniff the propellant to get high, so I basically pepper-sprayed myself.

I wonder if it would work on Zombies... could be helpful in the 'things within reach when 10 zombies crash through your door' thread. Also, practically speaking, could an old gas BBQ grill tank be retrofitted for an airbrush? It'd be easier to lug around than a scuba tank :D.

Actually, here ya go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44cuKCCzUwk&feature=fvwrel

Personally, I'd buy a compressor instead. Too much damn work to fix up those propane tanks.

JudgeDredd · July 10, 2012, 03:31:35 AM

Quote from: Jack Nastyface on July 09, 2012, 05:59:43 PM
...so I basically pepper-sprayed myself.

Is that why they call you Jack NastyFace?

Thanks. I think I'll go with a gravity feed, dual action, internal mix type. From what I read last night, they are the best combination and will save me buying another one when I wanted to move to dual action.

I quite like the look and price of this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Airbrush-BD-130/dp/B00472D1ZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341908753&sr=8-1

I'll get a tin of compressed air, some vajello(?) paint and cleaner and then start work on my B-17. I've got some "crappy" builds that I can practice on before hand.

As for the tins of air - if I buy the airbrush and hose separately, what do I need to connect the hose to the propellant? Does the propellant come with a adapter? If not - what exactly do I have to look for? Also, someone mentioned pressure drops from the tin of air because it gets cold as it dispenses it's air and said to sit it in a pot of luke warm water...do you do that? Or notice a difference in air feed? Do you use a particular make of tinned air or would any do?