He is an example of a MiJack airbrushed machine yellow. The model was orange plastic.
As you can see the detail of the door handle is still visible, even the mesh screen is rendered (zoom in on image). The ability to maintain such detail is in the control of the volume of paint sprayed. There are factors that play into achieving this level of results. Now that we can see what an air brush can do, lets understand the basics.
Air brushes uses air to apply paint. The amount of paint delivered depends on the size of the brush or in this case the size of the needle, valve and tip. The needles and tips are banded 1,3 or 5 (Paasche). This is your size indicators.
When the paint is siphoned by the air through the airbrush it is atomized into a mist. The density of this mist depends on the opening of the tip and how much the needle is pulled back. The recommended dual action brush allows you to control the amount of air and paint. This gives you the control needed to create realistic clouds and sky lines on your back drop, fading in the blues and whites with touches of grays highlights the sky scene just as matt finishes on your building can look like concrete.
The viscosity of the paint is important. Thick paint with a small valve will do nothing by clog just as thin paint with a large valve will run and spit. You must maintain a balance in order to shoot a great finish.
Air supply has its contributing factor that proves to sway or deter people from using an air brushed. It is either the poor results or the excessive noise of the compressor that drive them crazy. Unfortunately the starter kits starts us off on the wrong foot. Although they are in the right price range it does not provide us with the air we need to shoot N-Scale modeling. The small compressors have diaphragms that creates pulses of air that can be seen on the finish. Because of these pulses the painter will try to correct the finish and end up applying multiple coats covering the small details or ruining the model.
The best compressors are the oil type with a few gallon air tanks. These are more so refrigerators motors, quiet and costly but well worth the money. There are issues where oil enters the air stream but traps are placed in line to remove the oil. Any compressor that can maintain 116 psi with an integrated tank should work. You want the tanks to maintain a steady air flow. Someone mentioned using and filling an air tank but the problem is the steady loss of air. This causes an uneven pattern. Eventually you will lose pressure and the brush will die off. It if dies at the wrong time it will spit on your work of art and ruin it.
There is no cheap way around "Good" airbrushing and no better way of adding the finishing touches on your layout.
Inobu
