Is this a good airbrush deal?

[The_Jackal]

Never airbrushed before but want to get my hands dirty finally.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPLETE-AIRBRUSH-KIT-AIR-BR...

If you know of any better deals feel free to suggest.
Thanks

Oh and please dont go buying it so I cant get one lol

Edited by The_Jackal on Thursday 14th August 22:18

[Eric Mc]

It sounds like a VERY good deal. However, I can see no no mention of the make of the airbrush which could be a deliberate omission.

On the face of it, though, the specification of the airbrush and compressor looks very good.

[Shar2]

As Eric has already stated, it does look good. If you buy it practise a lot on anything other than the models first. The double action can be a bit tricky to master if you've not done airbrushing before.

[Red Firecracker]

It looks like a far eastern copy, but don;t let that put you off. I have one of those exact same brushes and it is actually quite good.

If they do a compressor with a reservoir go for one of those.

[The_Jackal]

Well I have gone and ordered one.
I am going to be using it hopefully to paint some plastic airplane models I am currently building.
Do you have any recommendations for a primer and a final matt clear coating or any other handy bits I may need.
Ideally a handy place online to by these would be good too.

[Eric Mc]

Many people (including me) now use Halford's automotive primers as a base coat. Primer White and Primer Grey are the most useful.

[Red Firecracker]

As per Eric on the primer front (I think I keep my local Halfords in business just through primer). For a clear coat, investigate Johnsons Klear floor polish from your local large supermarket.

A good resource of information on this product is here;

http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.htm...

[The_Jackal]

Wow that seems lke a real wonder product.
Where would be the best place to buy that in supermarkets? What product name would it be in say Morrisons or Tescos?

[Red Firecracker]

The_Jackal said:

Wow that seems lke a real wonder product.
Where would be the best place to buy that in supermarkets? What product name would it be in say Morrisons or Tescos?

It is rather good stuff.

In the UK it looks like this;



and is normally in the 'cleaning stuff' aisle.

There's plenty of info to be Google'ed about it on model web site as well.

ETA: it was about 3 quid last time I bought any.

Edited by Red Firecracker on Saturday 16th August 08:05

[Eric Mc]

And one bottle lasts for YEARS.

In fact, I had to stop using one bottle as, after about six years, it was still half full and the liquid was turning yellow.

I use it for glossing up the airframe before applying the decals and I also use it for "dipping" canopies - which puts a proper gloss on the sometimes dull clear plastic found on some canopies. It can also be used as a glue for attaching canopies although I still tend to use white PVA glue for that at the moment.

[The_Jackal]

So do you airbrush a coating of clear, apply the decals (is it right you can also use Klear as a decal softener or is it worth buying a proper softener) and then spray a matt clear coat or another final coat of Klear?
the matt clear coat is something I never did when I was younger but I do like the look from what I have seen.

Do you have any pics of your models with glossy and matt finishes?

[Eric Mc]

You can apply Clear with either an airbrush or a broad normal brush. In fact, it is so fine that brush application is probably better. This still applies even if the basic painting is applied by an airbrush.

Once the Clear has hardened to a nice gloss finish, the decals can be applied. After they have set, a final Gloss or Matt coat can be applied over the whole thing - depending on what final finish is required..

I do not think that Clear can be used as a decal softener - although it can be "painted" UNDER a decal if the decal is showing reluctance to adhere to the model. Another use for Clear is to paint it over a decal sheet BEFORE the sheet is cut up and the decals dipped in water. This might be useful if you discover that a a particular decal sheet is prone to cracking or breaking up.

[Red Firecracker]

Indeed. A drop of Klear in the water can also stop the silvering effect that some decals get around them.

I gave this Hunter the 'Klear treatment'

[The_Jackal]

Cool, that doesnt look too shiny.
I'm doing a Jaguar GR1A in Desert Storm colours so it will be quite a matt finish anyway. I may even try a bit of "weathering" lol
Its only 1/72 but will be good practice for my next project which is a 1/32 Heinkel HE 162 "Salamander" which I got for a bargain £4.99 from Modelzone.

[Eric Mc]

A very good bargain, considering that I bought the Hobby Boss 1/72 He162 for £3.99 a few weeks ago.