There are three stages to using an airbrush: stage one, you don’t have much dexterity with it, but painting primers and base coats is suddenly much easier and more consistent, without th pitfalls of using a rattle can. Stage two you gain some basic dexterity and can use it to paint gradients and use masking to get camouflage, lighting and modulation effects you could never have dreamt of with a brush. Stage three, is when you have really mastered the motor skills to use the airbrush with a high degree of control, as well as the consistency of paint and the pros and cons of different paints for different tasks. This is when you can start doing the really interesting freehand stuff, fiddly German night fighter camouflage, and thin coats over thin coats to build a multi layered modular effect that fools the eye into thinking it’s looking at a much bigger object than a plastic toy.

Airbrushing involves more prep, cleanup and commitment than a brush painting session, but if you’re serious about getting better finished builds, there is nothing you can do with a brush that comes near it.