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Other Stuff => Bazaar of Obscurities => Commercial => Topic started by: dampfpanzerwagon on August 24, 2015, 02:08:10 PM
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The local Lidl discount store had a couple of things of interest;
A compressor and airbrush set
Rubber tipped sculpting tools (pack of five)
Tony
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I'll look tomorrow.
How much was it- did you make a note?
Darrell.
The local Lidl discount store had a couple of things of interest;
A compressor and airbrush set
Rubber tipped sculpting tools (pack of five)
Tony
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It's on the website:
http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=26133
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It's on the website:
http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?action=showDetail&id=26133
That's the one.
Tony
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They had one of those over here in Belgium a couple of weeks ago. I'm not an airbrush expert, but I think the following are negative points
- single action
- no moisture trap or air reservoir (at first glance)
- siphon fed has some disadvantages for miniature painting (larger quantities of paint needed)
It might be better suited for terrain work.
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To be fair, £50 for the bundle is about average price for the stuff; if you shop around and try and beat it (in the UK at least), you'd be hard-pushed to improve on it much.
That said, gnomhome's assessment seems to be pretty accurate to me - it's basically a spraygun rather than an airbrush.
For "proper" miniatures painting, I think you'd need around double the budget to get a suitable compressor and starter airbrush.
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What they have said.
And yet, I've bought it (a couple of weeks ago). I know it's technically a spraygun, but I just want it to prime minis. And at its price, it will pay itself soon over buying spray cans.
The sculpting tools are rather big, not very suitable for 30mm scale... But at three euros for the set, I also bought them! lol
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To be fair, £50 for the bundle is about average price for the stuff; if you shop around and try and beat it (in the UK at least), you'd be hard-pushed to improve on it much.
That said, gnomhome's assessment seems to be pretty accurate to me - it's basically a spraygun rather than an airbrush.
For "proper" miniatures painting, I think you'd need around double the budget to get a suitable compressor and starter airbrush.
Blimey! It's complicated! o_o o_o
i've been wanting to buy an airbrush for a long time for painting 1/56 and 1/48 tanks and plains etc but have never had the courage to take the leap as I really don't know what to look for. I guess it's a learning curve but it could be a steep one (in more ways than one!). :)
Darrell.
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I'm with Darrell. I've wanted one for a long time but I really want to see one in action and test it out before my hard-earned £ gets spent. There are so many different opinions on the many varieties available.
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I'm with Darrell. I've wanted one for a long time but I really want to see one in action and test it out before my hard-earned £ gets spent. There are so many different opinions on the many varieties available.
Last couple of times I've visited Euro-Militaire there's been a vendor giving demos and some hands on time for interested parties. It's not that far from you if you want to try it, although it would make sense to find out if an airbrush vendor is attending.
www.euromilitaire.co.uk/ (http://www.euromilitaire.co.uk/)
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I'm with Darrell. I've wanted one for a long time but I really want to see one in action and test it out before my hard-earned £ gets spent. There are so many different opinions on the many varieties available.
Yep, it is very confusing. do any of the Osprey "How Paint X/Modelling the X" books talk much about airbrushes?
Perhaps another publication that's not too extensive in it's detail?
Darrell.
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There's at least one thread on the forum that's very comprehensive about airbrushes, just type in 'airbrush' in the search bar...
cheers
James
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There's at least one thread on the forum that's very comprehensive about airbrushes, just type in 'airbrush' in the search bar...
cheers
James
Thanks James- that may just be a godsend as i really have no idea of what i ought to be buying. 8)
Darrell.
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I got one will let you know how it goes, although I have a Badger airbrush I will use.
I will use the one that came with it for terrain work probably, so will get an idea of what it can do.
Ditto on the priming use.
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I have a decorators' spraygun and compressor. Great for terrain.
I used to have a Badger airbrush for 1/35 tanks.
I cannot imagine using even the finest, most expensive airbrush successfully on 28mm miniatures, except maybe on (relatively) large, flattish areas like horses' flanks.
So i'd say the Lidl spraygun would be useful for terrain and priming only.
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Blimey! It's complicated! o_o o_o
i've been wanting to buy an airbrush for a long time for painting 1/56 and 1/48 tanks and plains etc but have never had the courage to take the leap as I really don't know what to look for. I guess it's a learning curve but it could be a steep one (in more ways than one!). :)
Darrell.
Yeah, it does seem expensive/complicated!
The following should help though:
1) Air compressor. It needs the following features:
- Motor - couple of horsepower at least if you can!
- Air tank - AKA a reservoir. This gives you a smooth flow of air rather than the "pulses" that you sometimes get from a compressor without.
- Pressure gauge, air regulator, and moisture trap. So that you know what pressure you're getting, you can adjust/control it, and the trap... should be obvious! You can get these from Amazon for cheap enough, and screw them onto a compressor if it doesn't come with them - normally it looks like this (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Airbrush-Compressor-REGULATOR-Moisture-Filter/dp/B00171BFKK/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1440492293&sr=8-8&keywords=air+pressure+regulator).
A couple of quick compressor examples from Amazon here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-Tools-24975-Air-Compressor/dp/B00GYZIYMG/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1440492349&sr=8-11&keywords=air+compressor) and here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/COBRA-TOOLS-COMPRESSOR-115PSI-POWERFUL/dp/B00KW902R0/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1440492349&sr=8-13&keywords=air+compressor).
I would be wary of spending a lot on a compressor, as unless you are mechanically-handy, they're a nuisance to fix once out of warranty (and you're better of just buying a new one IMO). Probably better to accept that you'll spend £80 every couple of years on one rather than spending £250 and hoping it'll last 6-7 years!
2) Air brush. It needs the following features:
- Gravity feed. Suction feed is fine for large volumes of paint. Since most 28mm models don't require a whole bottle of paint (normally), suction-feed is overkill and wasteful. I'd probably try and get a model with a larger gravity feed cup though - you don't have to fill it, but if you're doing something bigger/lots of models, it can save faffing about.
- Dual action. This means that the trigger has two controls - pull back for the amount of paint released, and push down for the amount of air released. This is essential (and frankly worth learning early-on) for better control of your spraying.
- A fine nozzle. A 0.35mm is reasonably fine and often the starter airbrushes will manage this. You can get finer nozzles for smaller detail work, but this takes more practice to get right. Some (many?) airbrushes have replaceable nozzles, but I would really save this for your second-plus airbrush and start with something simple.
It's often recommended that your first airbrush is a cheap non-brand one that will probably break soon-ish. This may seem daft, but as long as you get a couple of months from it, it will teach you what you need to know for a modest outlay. That includes learning the maintenance required.
A couple of quick examples from Amazon again here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/0-2mm-Dual-Gravity-Feed-Airbrush/dp/B00832H5VO/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1440493432&sr=8-13&keywords=air+brush) and here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Airbrush-Type-double-action-function/dp/B003EJYY38/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1440493432&sr=8-5&keywords=air+brush).
Like the compressor above, I'd be wary of spending a lot on your first airbrush. You will need to learn how it works, how to use it, how to clean it, and whether you like it. If you like it and learn, and find that you're ready for something more refined as your next purchase - great. However, if it's not for you or breaks quickly... well, you've only lost £9. (which is probably still cheaper overall than replacing the just needle on a more expensive brush!).
I know you can get smaller and cheaper compressors or sets (like this one (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Quality-Airbrush-Compressor-Painting/dp/B00KXTDJJC/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1440494685&sr=8-6&keywords=air+brush+compressor) for example), and that they are tempting, but the differences the features I've outlined above make are big enough that you won't really be able to assess the airbrush correctly. In other words, below a certain price point, you are more likely to just be wasting your money without gaining much actual experience from what you've bought.
A couple more final thoughts then...
- You may need to buy some hoses and adaptors. Should be cheap enough, but be aware that your setup may not be quite ready out-of-the box, and that you may need to see what comes first so that you can get the right sizes.
- You will need some cleaning equipment too. Probably airbrush cleaner and a little brush to start with, but there's a lot out there to tempt you! Worth reading around a little, and then seeing what you can access on your cheap starter brush before you go wild buying lots of stuff.
- Learning how to thin your paints is it's own trick! Lots of guidelines out there, but you will need to practice a little. Isopropyl alcohol very cheap if you buy a couple of litres, so do play around and see what works for you.
- Some interesting thoughts here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_imma6_XhA&index=27&list=PLAE53AC5A5D241ECE) and here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvso4uluxyU&index=26&list=PLAE53AC5A5D241ECE) from Dr Faust's Painting Clinic. I like the videos this guy does as they are "hobbyist", but at the same time are not amateur or dictatorial as others I've seen. These two reviews of his own kit are quite interesting in that it's clear that just throwing money at fancy products doesn't necessarily mean you're really buying anything better, but that sometimes good design is worth paying a little more for. And, there are lots of reviews on YouTube that you can dig up for further advice and demonstrations.
There's at least one thread on the forum that's very comprehensive about airbrushes, just type in 'airbrush' in the search bar...
Good advice!
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I cannot imagine using even the finest, most expensive airbrush successfully on 28mm miniatures, except maybe on (relatively) large, flattish areas like horses' flanks.
Imagine, or not imagine, no more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu5Iu1kto30