List Price: $526.00
Sale Price: $285.71
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The price of the combined products is well below what one might pay if purchasing everything separately. The only thing 'missing' from this kit is the lavish airbrush case that comes with the brush when purchased separately. It really isn't that big of deal, but it did take me by surprise when I opened it to find that the brush came rolled in bubble wrap and in a cardboard box.
Here is a quick rundown of the items in the kit and my initial thoughts on each. This is the first time I have ever used an airbrush so I am very much a novice. I use the brush for painting plastic model kits and I plan to use it for various wargaming terrain pieces as well. Please keep my user level and use of the brush in mind as a seasoned airbrush user may have different opinions.
DVD: Overall I am fairly satisfied with the DVD. There are two parts to the DVD the first is very basic and describes the different types of airbrushes and a touches on how to use them. Most of the material I already knew just from the research I did to get me to the point of knowing what airbrush I wanted. The second part of the DVD was very interesting to me. It goes through a start to finish weathering process of a model train car. The process 'looks' fairly simple and produces good looking results. What I really like about the video is that it actually shows pretty much every minute of the process rather than showing the start, then cuts, then miraculously shows the end result. This being the case, I really had the feeling that with a bit of practice I could actually get the same results.
Cleaner: I'm not sure what is in the cleaner, but it seems to work ok. I haven't had any dry paint in the airbrush so I'm not sure exactly how effective it is on that (and hope to never have to find out). Water seems to work to clean out the acrylics I use and I mainly just use the cleaner as a final cleaning at the end of a painting session. Although not strong, there is definitely a smell to the cleaner and I'm glad I have the Iwata cleaning station to contain the fumes when cleaning. It would have been nice if this kit included some sort of cleaning station, but probably a good cost cutting decision since a 40oz plastic cup could probably be used in a pinch.
Hose: The hose seems fine and tightly fits on the airbrush by hand tightening without any air leakage. It does, however, leak at the connector to the compressor without using a wrench to snug it up. Teflon tape would probably work even better without having to use any tools. The hose was fairly kinked when I unwrapped the rubber band which was keeping it neatly folded. The kinks seem to have gone away after leaving it out for a few days.
Airbrush: The airbrush works great and was easy to use even after first picking it up. It is fairly easy to clean and I have yet to have any clogging issues while spraying. I messed up and bumped the needle when putting it in the holder on the compressor which resulted in a bent needle. It is very difficult to fix since it is so delicate. Even after a few minutes of tweaking the needle, it still wasn't right, but still works just fine for priming and larger work. Fortunately the replacements are less than $10 and available here on Amazon which I already purchased and received. I do, however, wish the tip was surrounded fully by metal rather than the two prongs that leave the needle open to getting bent.
Compressor: The compressor seems to work good so far. It is small, lightweight, and fairly quiet. I've got nothing to compare it to, but it was better in all of these respects than I expected. Initially I had a problem with it continually running/stopping/running. After tightening the hose to the connector 'gently' with a wrench that behavior stopped and everything worked great. The pressure is easily adjustable with a knob on top. There is also a pressure gauge which is easily readable. The only minor usability observation I have made so far is the location of the power switch. It is a bit awkward to access and not near the rest of the controls. Certainly not a big deal. The worst part of the compressor is the plastic holder that is affixed on top of it. With other airbrushes it probably wouldn't be a problem, but the plastic forming the holder isn't thick enough (or beveled out) and sort of attracts the two prongs on the airbrush to straddle it resulting in a smashed needle. I'm now using the holder on the Iwata cleaning station which is much more needle-friendly.
Paints: The paints look quite useful indeed. The weathering set is of particular interest to me and is the same set used in the DVD. This is a rarity as it always seems a tutorial video uses slightly different paints and there is something else that one needs to buy to get the same results. The exact colors used in the weathering tutorial are included in the kit and are a very pleasant surprise.
One additional note I did contact Badger support for some questions and they responded very quickly and are extremely helpful. A+ for customer support.
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