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Airbrush Triple Treat Comparison

Introduction
This is a cross section feature/review of three top quality airbrushes. This review is quite a bit more than what you are used to seeing. It not only gives you the lowdown on the individual brushes, it goes the extra step and compares the three brushes against each other.

Overview
Three brushes one review, lots of information. This review will attempt to give you enough information to purchase the correct air brush for you. Each brush will be reviewed for its own unique qualities. As a cross sectional view of the brushes they will be compared and contrasted among themselves.
Take your time read the whole review, check out the images, and check out the videos. There will be a lot of information on all of these brushes: if you're going to invest in your tools know what you are investing in. This review will be broken down into short segments that will make it easier to glean the pertinent information. Look for the headers for what will come next, know that there is a similar section for each brush.
Cast of Brushes
This review will cover in Alphabetic order by manufacturer:
  • Iwata - Revolution BR
  • Paasche - Talon
  • Premi-Air - G35
Iwata - Revolution
The revolution is Iwata's entry-level airbrush. To quote Iwata "Iwata airbrushes are world-renowned for unsurpassed performance and control." The Revolution BR has a sleek ergonomic handle design. It has been desgned with internal Teflon™ needle packing for use with solvent-based paints. In an effort to increase durability the nozzles are made of machined steel alloy, not brass. The spray range is from "broad" to "fine detail" with one size nozzle. The cup size is 1.8ml (1/16oz). The nozzle is .3mm. The billing claims hairline to 20mm (3/4 inch).
This brush is billed to be easy enough for beginners and high enough quality for professionals.
Paasche - Talon
The Talon is a new airbrush for Paasche for 2008. To quote Paasche, "The Talon was designed to be a high-end airbrush for detail and control." This brush was resigned to allow for a smoother trigger and better durability. It is targeted at the hobbyist right up through professionals. This Talons nozzle is made of nickel silver at .38mm. At that size nozzle, they claim to get hairline to 38mm (1.5 inch.) The cup is large , at .4 oz (approx 11.8 ml), for big batches or spill control. You'll notice the cutout handle for quick adjustments.
Premi-Air - G35
The G35 is made by Premi-Air; the Airbrush Company's own brand. They are dedicated to the airbrush industry so much that they make their own. The Airbrush Company has been around for 60 years and started the Premi-Air brand around five years ago while looking to expand their customer base. The G35 is engineered for top quality, good performance, and good longevity: all at an economical price. This brush has a .35mm nozzle and a 3cc gravity cup. The claim is for fine lines.

These three brushes are all marketed about the same. They are targeted at the same user base. They are all basically the same overall brushes: gravity feed, dual action, internal mix brushes.
First Impressions - In the Box
First impressions can never be taken back. When you open the package the postman brings that’s when ideas are formed. Overall each is well packaged, all very professional and well done.
The Paasche comes in a cardboard box with foam packing keeping the Talon safe through all kinds of shipping. It can also serve as a storage box if required. I would probably use a hinged box or a two part box for storage if required. Note: I did not get the kit version of this brush, just the basic brush.
The Premi-Air comes in a hinged snap lock plastic box with form fitted solid dense foam 'holder'. I would use this for storage when not using the brush.
The Iwata comes in almost a jewelry quality hinged plastic box. Inside is a form fitted solid dense foam 'holder'. This box will serve as a solid storage place.
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About the Author

About Scott Lodder (slodder)
FROM: NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

I modeled when I was a teenager. College, family and work stopped me for a while. Then I picked it back up after about 12 years off. My main focus is dioramas. I like the complete artistic method of story telling. Dioramas involve so many aspects of modeling and I enjoy getting involved in the ...


Comments

great read gave me alot to think about thanks for the info
NOV 07, 2008 - 12:46 PM
Hi Scott, Thank you for your effort - it was very interesting to read this review. Just wanted to bring to your attention that Paasche is also offering fine nozzle/needle combination for the Talon. Please see the link here: LINK I wonder if the Talon could show better results in terms of fine detail spaying with these ones. Some idea: another airbrush worth looking at is Peak C-5 carried by bearair.com - it is made on Iwata's factory in Japan, has a 0.3 mm aperture and is basically a little bit altered old Iwata HP-C model with a needle travel adjusting knob thrown in. Just for information of everybody, if you are interested in a more affordable airbrushes, you can look at PrecisionAire at Bear Air, Master airbrushes at TCP Global at LINK, and Airbrushcity Airbrushes at LINK You can find affordable air compressors at LINK In none of the cases I cannot comment on the quality. HTH, Regards, Doncaster
NOV 08, 2008 - 04:07 PM
must say im quite geard towards getting the premi-air for xmas, anythings better than me old badger, plus for 100 £ i get a compressor with it
NOV 11, 2008 - 08:38 AM
I'm currently using the Paasche VL double action airbrush. It is a good tool, though there are several things I dislike about it, including the open gravity cup (moving about I have spilled a lot of paint!), the fragile needles that are often damaged by the need to remove them for cleaning (spraying any clear acrylic, for example, gunks it up big time), and the lack of any instruction manual that has left me to figure most things out for myself. The three airbrushes reviewed here are all similar, but I noticed the Iwata is an entry-level product. I. I am interested for recommendations on something for a more-advanced modeler, though I can see the Paasche is supposed to cover the gamut. I know the Iwatas are admired, but I don't know which model would be best. FYI I'm using the Paasche D500 30 psi compressor which seems fine with the airbrush I'm using.
NOV 11, 2008 - 08:50 AM
Hey guys Can someone tell me if this is true, the rumors i have heard are that the Talon cannot shoot enamels? I really liked the look of the Talon and down the road was thinking about getting one but i use strictly enamels only. Thanks in Advance. Jerry
JAN 02, 2009 - 05:03 AM
Nice artical. However he did not mention that you can get the Iwata Revolution with a larger cup size and a .5mm nozzel for painting larger areas. I use mine for base coats and an Iwata HP-C for my fine work.
MAR 10, 2012 - 05:06 PM
That's a great article. One question, how would you evaluate the G35 for larger scales/areas to cover? Matt
MAR 11, 2012 - 01:53 PM
I've been using a G35 for ages and I find it covers large areas with ease. The paint cup isn't too large though, so if you are doing a ship or a big base or something then a couple of re-fills will be needed but the actual spraying is brilliant- it is a real workhorse of an AB.
MAR 12, 2012 - 01:02 AM
Hi Matt, I've got a G35 and use it for all my 1:35 tanks. It can take multiple passes to cover big areas, but then again I tend to "layer" my paint in thinned coats anyway to get some tonal variation so it's ok if I fail to get a good overlap. However, where I've needed a good solid coat it did the job well enough. If you're doing really big stuff and need to solidly cover more than a half-inch-wide stripe with each pass you'll probably need an external-mix firehose like the old Badger 350 that I also have. Hope this helps! Tom
MAR 12, 2012 - 01:10 AM
I may have to get one. My Badger is beginning to break down and I've been looking for a solid, reliable airbrush for basic use as a replacement. That prices is awfully hard to beat! Matt
MAR 12, 2012 - 02:10 AM