Badger Airbruses.

**wonwinglo** · 01-11-2004

Recent interest here with air brushes propted me to renew my long deceased Humbrol Studio model,a letter to the company stated 'this model has now been out of production for the past 25 years' !! well at least it shows what sterling service this precision tool gave me with hundreds of models painted up over those years.
So the search began in earnest after an offer of a early christmas present from my good lady,a few phone calls determined that there were two basic models on offer by the specialists ( I dont doubt that there are many more out there ?) the long established Badger with its all metal heavy feel body,overhead cup and single action with a rear line adjuster,the copetitor is the Testors Aztec with state of the art multiple nozzles,self cleaning no hassle cleaning cup and a 'no fiddle' non dismantling body which provided it is cleaned should give no problems.
The metal Badger appealed to me so after exchanging pound notes my precious new air brush was quickly pressed into action,good job that I checked a few requirements in the respective shop as the purchase of a seperate airline and brass adaptor for attaching to my trusty compressor was necessary.
The instrument is ergonimically well designed with a thumb/forefinger grip that may feel a bit alian at first,but you soon get used to the sensitive air valve arrangement as it purrs into action,the manufacturers suggest that your first attempts be made with water based paints so I filled the cup with Tamiya acrylic paint thinned down to the consistancy of milk,with a paint hack in front of me I tried for a swath of colour to cover a fairly large area,you need to get used to the distance from the object but this soon comes with some practise,the handbook suggests crosses and dots at first seeing how fine you can go,sure enough as I adjusted the rear screw thread the instrument responed beautifully with a series of fine lines,no problems there,so I then simulated a typical Luftwaffe camouflage on an old Me.163 model that looked most effective as the colours blended nicely.
Next it was time for the enamel paint treatment and a small batch of colours were prepared starting with white,then yellow and the ever difficult red shades.
Once again a series of broader strokes were applied to the model with a steady build up of colour ( remember that old adage 'two thin coats are better than one thick coat') well that is certainly true with an air brush,go for thinly dusted coats at first,then progress to a steady build up as the paint grabs the last one,I usually pause after spraying and allow a tack off of the paint,then apply another coat quickly and allow to dry out overnight,check the next day for any flaws and blend out with fine grit wet and dry paper.
I have to say that the improvements over the old studio model were apparent straight away,the Badger felt as if it had a definate pedigree and was to prove a most capable instrument with plenty of practise once again.
My respective marks are as follows after a weeks operation of different spraying tasks (out of 10) -

The feel and looks of the Badger-8
Easy to clean ability-6
Adjustment settings-8
Value for money-6
Quality-8
Ease of use-5
Availability of spares-9
Adaptability of different types of paint-8

The spares availabity glows as the Badger is a popular choice in industry with graphic artists and craftsment,a good test before you buy any air brush is to test the spares availability first,some are not good at all with poor back up,little known models with limited sales are the usual culprits,you will eventually need spare needles and certainly seals to keep your air brush serviceable.

rapier · 29-11-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonwinglo

Recent interest here with air brushes propted me to renew my long deceased Humbrol Studio model,a letter to the company stated 'this model has now been out of production for the past 25 years' !! well at least it shows what sterling service this precision tool gave me with hundreds of models painted up over those years.
So the search began in earnest after an offer of a early christmas present from my good lady,a few phone calls determined that there were two basic models on offer by the specialists ( I dont doubt that there are many more out there ?) the long established Badger with its all metal heavy feel body,overhead cup and single action with a rear line adjuster,the copetitor is the Testors Aztec with state of the art multiple nozzles,self cleaning no hassle cleaning cup and a 'no fiddle' non dismantling body which provided it is cleaned should give no problems.
The metal Badger appealed to me so after exchanging pound notes my precious new air brush was quickly pressed into action,good job that I checked a few requirements in the respective shop as the purchase of a seperate airline and brass adaptor for attaching to my trusty compressor was necessary.
The instrument is ergonimically well designed with a thumb/forefinger grip that may feel a bit alian at first,but you soon get used to the sensitive air valve arrangement as it purrs into action,the manufacturers suggest that your first attempts be made with water based paints so I filled the cup with Tamiya acrylic paint thinned down to the consistancy of milk,with a paint hack in front of me I tried for a swath of colour to cover a fairly large area,you need to get used to the distance from the object but this soon comes with some practise,the handbook suggests crosses and dots at first seeing how fine you can go,sure enough as I adjusted the rear screw thread the instrument responed beautifully with a series of fine lines,no problems there,so I then simulated a typical Luftwaffe camouflage on an old Me.163 model that looked most effective as the colours blended nicely.
Next it was time for the enamel paint treatment and a small batch of colours were prepared starting with white,then yellow and the ever difficult red shades.
Once again a series of broader strokes were applied to the model with a steady build up of colour ( remember that old adage 'two thin coats are better than one thick coat') well that is certainly true with an air brush,go for thinly dusted coats at first,then progress to a steady build up as the paint grabs the last one,I usually pause after spraying and allow a tack off of the paint,then apply another coat quickly and allow to dry out overnight,check the next day for any flaws and blend out with fine grit wet and dry paper.
I have to say that the improvements over the old studio model were apparent straight away,the Badger felt as if it had a definate pedigree and was to prove a most capable instrument with plenty of practise once again.
My respective marks are as follows after a weeks operation of different spraying tasks (out of 10) -

The feel and looks of the Badger-8
Easy to clean ability-6
Adjustment settings-8
Value for money-6
Quality-8
Ease of use-5
Availability of spares-9
Adaptability of different types of paint-8

The spares availabity glows as the Badger is a popular choice in industry with graphic artists and craftsment,a good test before you buy any air brush is to test the spares availability first,some are not good at all with poor back up,little known models with limited sales are the usual culprits,you will eventually need spare needles and certainly seals to keep your air brush serviceable.

What model number did you purchase and how much did you thin the enamel paint?

Kiwi · 29-11-2004

How would you compare it against a Paasche H3?

**wonwinglo** · 29-11-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapier

What model number did you purchase and how much did you thin the enamel paint?

*** It is a model 200G,I thin paint the consistency of milk as a rough guide.

**wonwinglo** · 29-11-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwi

How would you compare it against a Paasche H3?

*** To be honest Neville I am not familiar with this product so do not feel qualified to comment.

Nigel.D · 02-10-2005

I own a Badger 200, Iawata, Devilbiss 63, Paasche vjr x2 and a badger 350. They all have their uses from large area covering to freehand camoflage on a 1/72 model to be honest as long as you use the right tool for the right job (and that most definately includes the compressor) they will perform wonderfully my fav is the paasche though!! just make sure you have a moisture trap and a pressure regulator and life will be serene. If any one wants to know any specifics email me or ask on here?

croakle · 17-01-2006

I'm just getting back to modelling after a long break and am tempted wth an airbrush but have got no experience of them at all. Can anyone recomment a good one? Is there much overspray? Is it necessary to construct a mini spray booth? etc.

Best wishes

Julian

Nigel.D · 17-01-2006

In the next day or two i will be putting up a guide to the different types and usages of airbrushes please bare with me

maxidad66 · 06-02-2006

Like Croakle I am coming back to scale modelling after many years and want to use an airbrush. As it happens, I got a new aztek "contempo" for £30 on e-bay which should do nicely. It's still in the box as I 've no compressor yet - and before making a serious investment in one, perhaps someone can advise me here: new? 2nd hand? water filters? regulators? It's all a bit double-dutch.

Nigel.D · 06-02-2006

have a gander at the tutorial mate and welcome aboard. Great to see new people on the forum. You will find its a very freindly place and some one will be able to answer any questions you may ever have