shading miniatures with an airbrush

[jus]

Holy amazing awesome sauce shading! You want it, I want it, everyone wants it. I just saw this article over at dakka covering some of the awesome things you can do with an airbrush and I'm sold sold sold. so, I'm interested in getting an airbrush, like a pretty good one, to try some shading techniques, does anyone one of you fine people know where to acquire one in this strange and foreign land? I thought I saw some at the shop not far from joshins that sold the creepy dolls.

p.s a show of hands please, of everyone who uses airbrushes, (I know MIj does, and uses it to great effect on his modelling)

[Admiral-Badruck]

Tokyuhands is where my wife got mine...

send me the link so I can finaly use my Airbrush for shading... .

[me_in_japan]

i got mine here:

http://www.airbrush.co.jp/english/index.html

easy as pie, and v reasonable prices.

a word of advice: BUY AN AIR COMPRESSOR.

I cannot stress this strongly enough. Air cans are worse than useless. Do NOT be tempted by their cheapness. They may only be 1000yen, but honestly, that is 1000 yen you are throwing away. Worse - youre wasting time that could be spent actually learning to use an airbrush properly, with a compressor. If you really, really want to waste 1000 yen, come round my house and give it to me, and Ill show you the difference between canned air and a compressor.

I got this one: http://www.airbrush.co.jp/english/store ... search=all

btw, I own a Tamiya single action airbrush. While its ok, I wouldnt recommend it. Get a cheapish (15,000yen) double action one. I wish I had, but I didnt do my research enough to realise the benefits at the time.

also, pls post the airbrush shading link. Me wanna see!

[Primarch]

btw, I own a Tamiya single action airbrush. While its ok, I wouldnt recommend it. Get a cheapish (15,000yen) double action one. I wish I had, but I didnt do my research enough to realise the benefits at the time.

also, pls post the airbrush shading link. Me wanna see!

Whats the difference between a single action airbrush and a double action airbrush? One sprays paint the other sprays paint and makes you some coffee? What?

[Admiral-Badruck]

Yes MIJ What is this double action you are talking about...

[Mike the Pike]

Seems Primarch has caught the Madmiral's disease: Whybotherlookingsomethingupforyourselfwhenyoucanpestersomeonelesetodoitforyouitis

[Admiral-Badruck]

and now Mike the Tip has it too... soon you will all be caught in my web of pain... hahahhahah

[me_in_japan]

single action: you presses the wee button on the top and air and paint come out.

double action: you presses the wee button on the top and air comes out. You then wiggle the wee button forward and paint also comes out. Thus you can control how much air AND how much paint come out. You have more control. (and apparently, you can do dagger strokes, which it appears are vital should you ever wish to paint either trippy moonlit dolphins or flaming harley paint jobs. I read that doing dagger strokes with a single action is nigh on impossible.)

@badruck: I explained this to you last time I was round your house. you have a double action, btw.

[Mike the Pike]

Basically, a single action airbrush shoots out air and paint at the same time.

A double action airbrush lets air through when you push the button down(or equivalent) but you have to pull/rock the button back (typically) to let the paint enter the nozzle.

The latter supposedly gives smoother results and more control but takes more getting used to as it can be a bit finicky to control with only (usually) your index finger.

I have both but experience with neither. I also have the Citadel spray gun, which looks cool but is just that, a spray gun. It's actually pretty good for base-coating large minis like Tanks etc but I wouldn't want to try doing the eyes on a 28mm elf with it.

P.S. Even though I lack experience, I have to agree with M_i_J about the compressor thing. If you are serious about spray painting, save your pennies and get a half-decent compressor. I have dried canned gas (fiddly, not eco-friendly, inconsistent, uneconomical in the long run) and a small pocket compressor (Grrr, what was I thinking?). Finally, I broke down and got a decent one for around ichi-man. I haven't painted with it very much yet (as I wait to transfer hobby rooms) but what I have done seems to confirm what everyone says in all the books/websites.

[Mike the Pike]

D'oh, M_i_J beat me to it.

@badruck: I explained this to you last time I was round your house. you have a double action, btw.