New member

Hi, I’m Liam, I’m 38 in November, I live in the uk/England.

I have been a painter of Warhammer 40k figures for 20 years and would say my standard is ‘pro’ but not competition standard. I have always been a traditional painter using
vajello paints (game workshop ones don’t cut it for me) and using just the old fashioned way, painting with a brush. I would like to take my hand to competition painting but realise I need to move with the times to compete. airbrushing in certain situations gives the better results so I need to evolve and invest.

I hope to get some advice on where to start with a budget of £350. I have spent about a month looking through the mine field of airbrushes and compressors. I really don’t want to waste my money if it ain’t up to the job I want it to do, so see you in the forums!

Welcome.

Welcome from somerset in the UK

liam said:

Hi, I’m Liam, I’m 38 in November, I live in the uk/England.

I have been a painter of Warhammer 40k figures for 20 years and would say my standard is ‘pro’ but not competition standard. I have always been a traditional painter using
vajello paints (game workshop ones don’t cut it for me) and using just the old fashioned way, painting with a brush. I would like to take my hand to competition painting but realise I need to move with the times to compete. airbrushing in certain situations gives the better results so I need to evolve and invest.

I hope to get some advice on where to start with a budget of £350. I have spent about a month looking through the mine field of airbrushes and compressors. I really don’t want to waste my money if it ain’t up to the job I want it to do, so see you in the forums!

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Welcome from the South East. It’s great to have some model painters joining in, I don’t paint models myself, but used to be a gamer and still enjoy some well done 40k models. I’ll put together some suggestions of kit and the best places to get them when I get back from work later. Hopefully you’ll find it useful.


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SiRoxx said:

Welcome from the South East. It’s great to have some model painters joining in, I don’t paint models myself, but used to be a gamer and still enjoy some well done 40k models. I’ll put together some suggestions of kit and the best places to get them when I get back from work later. Hopefully you’ll find it useful.


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Click to expand...

That would be extremely helpful, thanks! Only just got back on the forum, guess it was down.

Welcome to the forums

beanpoleuk said:

Welcome from somerset in the UK

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Thanks, not to far off me, I’m in the Cotswolds near oxford

Welcome from Australia, we have several UK members so they should be able to help you with local suppliers.
Air-craft.net and EverythingAirbrush.com seem popular over there.
We have several modellers here so if you have specific questions then make sure you ask.

As for what to buy, have a look through various sections for ideas.
@SiRoxx seems to have some ideas for you, generally we don't recommend prepackaged 'kits' because most of the time they are less than ideal, people get frustrated then throw the lot in the corner to gather dust.
You've already provided the info we'd generally ask for
But for any other newcomer reading this, if we have some basic info like
1. your location
2. what you want to paint
3. what, if anything, do you already have.
4. What is your budget
Those 4 basic questions will get some quality suggestions.

never be afraid to post up a picture/write a description of make/model of something you are planning on buying, we could possibly have a better suggestion that may save you some heartache or even some $$

Welcome to the forum from China!

JackEb said:

Welcome from Australia, we have several UK members so they should be able to help you with local suppliers.
Air-craft.net and EverythingAirbrush.com seem popular over there.
We have several modellers here so if you have specific questions then make sure you ask.

As for what to buy, have a look through various sections for ideas.
@SiRoxx seems to have some ideas for you, generally we don't recommend prepackaged 'kits' because most of the time they are less than ideal, people get frustrated then throw the lot in the corner to gather dust.
You've already provided the info we'd generally ask for
But for any other newcomer reading this, if we have some basic info like
1. your location
2. what you want to paint
3. what, if anything, do you already have.
4. What is your budget
Those 4 basic questions will get some quality suggestions.

never be afraid to post up a picture/write a description of make/model of something you are planning on buying, we could possibly have a better suggestion that may save you some heartache or even some $$

Click to expand...

I have sent a PM rather than clogging up an intro thread. But you pretty much nailed the suggested sites.


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Welcome from Worthing UK.
Straight away, first bit of advice. Take your time in purchasing your equipment. Airbrushing will revolution your way of painting. The first purchase you should be thinking about is the air supply! There are loads of small but good air compressors on the market. Just look at Ebay for instance. Research your compressor. If your thinking of using your airbrush for a few minutes at a time then one of the smaller compressors could be for you. But remember the compressor will run for the majority of the time while using it. But if like me you might be thinking for the future then a larger size compressor might suit you better. Bambi or Sil Air are a great purchase. Compressors that utilise a fridge compressor are ideal. They are quiet. Using them in the house is not a problem. But they can be very expensive brand new. My suggestion is look on Gumtree or Preloved first. Put in silent air compressor in search engine on the site. Don't give up if nothing comes up first time. Keep looking day after day. I got my Bambi 75/150 on Gumtree after about six weeks of looking. It only cost me £100, even though I had to travel 200 miles to pick it up. That is another good thing. You get to see the compressor working.
Next is the Airbrush. What a minefield. Just one suggestion. Don't buy a cheap Chinese knock off. I'm talking about the Ebay special. £20 gets you a brush that you will find nothing but frustration and disappointment. Iwata do a good intro brush or take a look at Bartsharp on the web. If looking at Bartsharp then only look at the brushes that boast their new nozzle. The 183 is a good bet. I have one and it is excellent, especially for the money.
One other thing which overrides all I have wrote. Ask all of us for advice. We may differ with some of our responses but be rest assured that you will get your ideal setup.
Good luck for now.