Airbrushing or not?!

Question
wanna start airbrushing my 1/24 scale models ---- mainly car bodies and play around with some creative details--i dont want to invest a lot but dont want junk--need something that will last and is fairly easy to maintain-- i live in an apartment i would like to use indoors,, any suggestions on what i should buy?? -is a compressor necissary -if you could tell me everything i need to finally get a good paint job!!---and if you got time is there a way to paint your models with acrilic paint with a brush and make it flawless??-or enamel--just a thought --much appricated

Answer

While I have seen some hand painted models it is a skill I have never been able to develope. Most really bang up jobs are done with airbrush. For that I would recommend a Paasche model "H". It is good, durable airbrush that is packaged with three different tips. It is cheeper than an Iwata, though some Hobby Lobby stores carry both and you can usually score one during Hobby Lobby's 40% of sales.

Acryllic paints are something that I have not gotten into and do not know much about. The advantage is that you do not have to use special thinners. Some modelers use Windex to thin. My experience is mainly with enamels. I have a friend that uses finger nail polish thinned with laquer thinner on his cars as he likes the range of colors and fine grain of the metallic/metal flake ones.

You do not have to have a compressor, some people prefer to use a CO2 bottle, but that seems somewhat expensive. Some of the discount tool companies (like Harbor Freight) stock inexpensive compressors.

Probably the most import thing to a good finish is good surface preperation. In other words a good clean. smooth surface. As I have gotten older I have developed a tendency to prime the surface and after that dries well to sand it with very fine grit paper. 3200, 2500, in that range. Afterwards I wash it and allow it to dry thouroughly. Thinning the paint is an art, not a science. That is something you just have to experiment with.