Mierce Miniatures

Ok, so I've been thinking of getting an airbrush and wondered if I could pick some of your brains on this. Have found what looks like a good starter set here without breaking the bank
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Airbrush-Compre ... o_pC_nS_nC…
I realise its not going to give Volomir results but if I practised on my gaming board project then upgraded the airbrush to something like a badger 155 anthem or even Sotar 20/20 do you think the compressor would do the job OK? Seems to have good reviews.

Here is a good article I've bookmarked for personal use: http://www.akaranseth.com/blog/tutorials/airbrushing-for-figurine.htm

Good article. Thanks for the link. Think it has reinforced my decision to get the one I found in my link and upgrade the brush once I have some experience.

Look for scale model medic on YouTube. He does a lot of airbrushing of tanks and armour but theres plenty of useful tips on how he achieves techniques and he looks at the Vallejo airbrush primers in a few of his vids...

Cool. I'll look him up.

Thanks Gref, probably the best advice I've read yet.

No problem. I find that article very useful as well. I think it gives some great "heads-up" for starting.

I think I'll invest in some Vallejo model air paints while I'm at it. They seem to have some good greens for my Trolls. I would like to match the cover art as opposed to the painted models. Although they are amazing too of course!

Just tried my Airbrush for the first time, and I'm going to need some time getting used to this.
Didn't get anything clogged thankfully, but I guess I was being too cautious.

Did manage to mostly prime 6 minis in 2 hours.

Unfortunately these were pretty small minis (28mm Infinity models, which are quite small due to their proportions).
At that speed the Mierce Monstrous Infantry is going to take quite a while.

Lots of cleaning between steps and because I swapped it to a 0.4mm needle and nozzle beforehand I needed to pull back the trigger quite a bit further than I needed to while practising in the store (where I used a 0,2mm one).
I have a universal stand coming to make it easier to manoeuvre the models while spraying, as that proved quite tricky. The bigger nozzle is handy for larger surfaces and works better with coarser paint.

I did learn that the new Vallejo Air Polyurethane Surface primers and Premium paints dry pretty quickly and forms a really tough finish.
If it dries, then normal airbrush cleaner won't get it loose, and it needs a soak with Vallejo Air thinner to clean up.
Coverage is pretty great though, which I suppose is the point with this stuff.

Sounds like a lot of work for 6 models! I'll stick to priming from a can for now I think.

AndyS wrote:Sounds like a lot of work for 6 models! I'll stick to priming from a can for now I think.

More my incompetence, unfamiliarity with the new toys and the paint than any fault on part of the airbrush.
This is new ground, so I took it slow and steady. With more confidence and practice it should go a lot faster.

The last thing I wanted was to mess up my airbrush the first time I actually used it with paint.

The few times I dared to actually open up the airbrush I primed most of a model in 2-3 minutes.
Taking it apart and making sure I hadn't fouled anything up between refills took a lot of those 2 hours.
I was being very careful.

What airbrush have you got?

AndyS wrote:What airbrush have you got?

Harder & Steenbeck Evolution (2-in-1 kit, 2 needle sets, 0.2mm and 0.4mm) with a Euro-Tec 20A oil compressor (really quiet, weighs a ton though).
Not exactly cheap, but should last a very long time with proper care.

But I presume you also weren't particularly fast the first time you sprayed a model with your airbrush?
Your Trolls look amazing, but those skills took a little time to develop I presume?

Mmm, Ronald...So you bought the exact same set-up I have at home? No wonder you had a hard time carrying that compressor home..That thing isn't fun to move around at all

Actually, I have a 30A..Only 2kg difference though

Rick_Boer wrote:Mmm, Ronald...So you bought the exact same set-up I have at home? No wonder you had a hard time carrying that compressor home..That thing isn't fun to move around at all

I assume you went shopping at Airbrush Services Almere?
That was basically their recommended combo-pack if you're wanting to start and don't mind investing in the future.
Works a treat though, lovely hardware.

Well, I bought my second airbrush there, but the set I bought for €250 second-hand from a lady who used it twice for spray-tanning at her beauty salon

So I even have some tanning paints for when I want to brown-up a bit...Those aren't cheap either!

Useful if you're ever in need of a quick tan.
Sounds like you got a great deal.

Actually the Trolls were my first time with airbrush. I only used it for blocking in the base colours. The trolls vane worked out well though.

AndyS wrote:Actually the Trolls were my first time with airbrush. I only used it for blocking in the base colours. The trolls vane worked out well though.

Then you are considerably more confident in your own skills than I am.
I hope to get up to a similar standard fairly speedily, mainly be practising as much as possible.

Jump in the deep end! When I was younger I would practice endlessly on lesser models and leave my favorites unpainted until I thought I was good enough. Got bored of that!

AndyS wrote:Jump in the deep end! When I was younger I would practice endlessly on lesser models and leave my favorites unpainted until I thought I was good enough. Got bored of that!

I don't think jumping in at the deep end is something I do anymore.
Lack of confidence might even be considered my defining characteristic.
Also, it didn't help that when I was spraying those 6 Infinity models it was raining. So the humidity must have been far too high for the airbrush.
Hopefully we'll have some nicer weather fairly soon.