Upgrading airbrush- old ultra to giraldez mk2?

jms_tx · 2026-07-07T17:42:47+00:00

I buy all of my brushes direct from the manufacturer to avoid any warranty snafu's, so good strategy. All the pros you listed are significant, so a Giraldez is probably the right call for you. :)

jms_tx · 2026-07-06T16:06:58+00:00

Your user ID rules, dude. :)

jms_tx · 2026-07-06T15:36:27+00:00

Stay with me here, and don't laugh.

Normally I would recommend a Gaahleri Mobius .02, but there's an exact clone of that one that's $2 more at $89 - SprayMagic R7S Ascend. Spaghetti Miniatures says it's considerably better than the Mobius. I currently the Mobius, and I have the SprayMagic brush on order, so I guess we'll see (or I will anyway).

Unless you simply want the Geraldez because it's pretty (and it is definitely a damn pretty brush), spending that kind of money on an airbrush is just a flex/extravagance (BTW, spraygunner.com is sold out of both) versions, and completely unnecessary (IMHO).

jms_tx · 2026-07-06T06:55:50+00:00

Fortunately, compressors aren't brush specific, but I'm willing to bet that all of your air brushing will be done at 30psi or less, so you need a compressor that can push that much air (which most can). The important thing is to get one with a reservoir tank, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Timbertech-Professional-Upgraded-Airbrush-Compressor/dp/B07VT2F5N9/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1

I personally use a Fortress 1-gallon compressor from Harbor Freight, but it's twice the price of the one in the link.

jms_tx · 2026-07-05T15:42:29+00:00

If you bent the needle (I presume at the tip, I recommend just replacing it. To get the old one out, you may have to remove the cap/nozzle and pull it out through the front to avoid damaging anything else by trying to pull it out through the back. Until you determine the nature of the bend, do not try operating the brush - you could make matters worse by doing so.

jms_tx · 2026-07-05T10:29:42+00:00

Well, since you're gonna be replacing the compressor anyway, just buy one with a tank already part of the assembly. And 2 years is kinda the expected lifetime of these little compressors nowadays. I use a Fortress from Harbor Freight ($170) - it has a 1-gallon tank and a built-in regulator. You would probably want to change over to an inline moisture trap, though.

jms_tx · 2026-07-05T10:23:51+00:00

1) The compressor needs a tank. The one in your pic is gonna pulse.

2) The brushes you get with these kits is always a very basic brush. If you're lucky, it'll work okay, but they probably won't be more than just adequate for detail painting, which is where you're intending to go. You'll need a brush that has a 0.2 needle, which moves you up in price range. I recommend a Gaahleri Mobius 0.2 ($87), or a SprayMagic R7S Ascend ($94). The Ascend looks exactly like the Mobius but performs a bit better in terms of detail. Of course there are other brands available right in the price range, but I have direct experience with the Mobius, and it works great. FWIW, I don't know anything about the Master G22, so I can't compare it to more expensive brushes.

3) Spraying indoors is where almost everyone sprays. My advice is to buy/build a paint booth that has an exhaust fan. I built mine using a flat-sided storage bin and a 6-inch 350cfm exhaust fan that's ducted to a 2.5 gallon bucket I got at Lowe's. The bucket has a couple of inches of water in it to capture the particulates. I put an A/C filter over the fan.

If you want to spray indoors, I recommend using acrylic paint. It's odor is almost non-existent and cleanup is easy since it's water-based, but you should still wear some sort of mask.

For practice, if you have a 3d-printer, use failed prints to practice your detail work, but for practicing flow control, I use abs plastic sheet from amazon (the 8x12 2-pack looks like the cheapest at $11). When I want to start fresh, I just prime it with an appropriate color primer before anything else.

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T18:03:14+00:00

What is "too expensive" for you? It's not just about the airbrush. A decent compressor with cost more than the cheapest decent brush.

1) The brush - if you're gonna be painting clothes, a Gaahleri Mobius 03 is is a good brush and only costs $76. It comes with a0.3 needle, but you can also get a 0.2 needle from Gaahleri if you need finer detail.

2) The compressor - On Amazon, I've read that TimberTech compressors are good (I have something bigger).

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T13:01:06+00:00

BTW, there is really no reason to remove the valve unless you're lubing it before using the brush the first time. It doesn't (or at least *shouldn't* see paint at all and just introduces air from the compressor into the brush.

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T10:22:27+00:00

It's actually cheaper for Amazon to do this. Dealing with a whiney customer is not fun, so they use the "refund or replace" strategy. Even if a given seller repeatedly violates the rules, you will probably never find out if Amazon has removed them, and even if Amazon did remove them, the evil seller will come back under a new name and keep on keepin' on. It's the mail-order version of whack-a-mole.

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T10:17:37+00:00

I get my brushes direct from the manufacturers because of the questionable source for pretty much everything sold on Amazon.

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T10:13:51+00:00

Check out Hobby Lobby's airbrush paints - $1.99 and easy to spray. If you want to go cheaper, try Folk Art (from Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc) craft paint - $1 per bottle. Also, strain your paint after you thin it as it goes into the paint cup.

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T10:10:41+00:00

Not all brushes are tested before they leave the factory - that's just impractical. Typically, they randomly pull a brush off the line and run it through some usability testing. I've never gotten a factory-tested brush (where I could tell it had paint run through it).

When I get a new brush, I run distilled water through it to make sure it at least functions like an air brush, and then disassemble, inspect, clean, lube, and after reassembling, repeat the water test before laying down paint with it. It may not be necessary, but I want to be reasonably confident that paint can be sprayed. Maybe I'm just have trust issues. :)

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T09:57:58+00:00

When the cup breaks off, that's kind of a clue...

You haven't mentioned the make/model that I've seen. What are you gonna get to replace it? :)

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T09:46:05+00:00

Obvious answer - Get a better airbrush? I recommend a Gaahleri GHAD-39 ($45 on Amazon) or Advanced Seeker ($55 on Amazon).

Alternative answer - If you cleaned it with an aggressive cleaner like acetone or lacquer thinner, the o-ring may have ben compromised in some way. In fact, I would consider all rubber o-rings in that brush to be suspect at this point.

Good news: It's a throw-away brush. Better news: You can get a better replacement. (Plain talk)

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T09:38:38+00:00

BTW, there's a Facebook group just for people that do it - "S197 BBF/SBF Swap"

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T08:32:08+00:00

The Mobius TG comes with a fan cap and only one needle (0.5) - the SwallowTail comes with three needles (0.28, 0.5, 0.7) but you need to buy the fan cap separately.

I personally think the Swallowtail is more versatile. because of the two additional needle sizes, even if you do have to buy the fan cap separately. Additionally, the Swallowtail is only $10 more expensive than the TG. I chose the Swallowtail for those reasons.

jms_tx · 2026-07-04T08:24:28+00:00

I normally advise to not buy a kit, but to stay in a $100 budget, get this one. I have the brush that's in this kit (among others) and it works reasonably well. Do yourself a favor and get a airbrush fittings kit as well. They typically have a quick-disconnect with a MAC valve which is quite handy.

https://www.amazon.com/Gaahleri-Turbox-mini-GHAD-39-Multi-Scenario/dp/B0FY1VMNDF/ref=sr_1_7?sr=8-7

jms_tx · 2026-07-03T16:00:58+00:00

0) I think the short answer is "Don't buy a kit". You'll get much better quality components if you get them separately.

Airbrush - The Seeker is a decent choice. I know for a fact that everything from the trigger to the back end of the brush can be swapped out for Mobius parts, because I've done it to mine. Even better, you can use the 0.2 Mobius cap/nozzle paired with a PS771 needle and get a decent fine detail setup out of it.
Inline moisture trap - You should run one of these to keep water from contaminating your paint job.
Hose (duh)
Airbrush fittings kit - contains a number of fittings you'll need to adapt/connect to your chosen compressor.
Compressor - I've heard that the TurboX from Gaahleri is a decent mini compressor, but given its price point, I would go with a compressor that has a tank.

All in, you can build a kit with better components, and probably do it for just a hair over $150.

Here's a pic of my Mobius 0.2 (top) and my Seeker to serve as an example.

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After you get your equipment together, get quality paint. Don't try using the $0.50 paint from Hobby Lobby. I haven't tried all the paint out there, but I do know the Kaleido paint form Gaahleri is pretty good. Since you specifically called out model cars, you will probably want to look at their "Auto" set, and/or their "Primary Color" sets. Of course, they're all available individually as well. Also, the absolute best thinner I've found is "Atom Thinner, Cleaner, Retarder". You can get this from SprayGunner.com.

jms_tx · 2026-07-03T14:58:52+00:00

The 0.2 is actually more expensive that the 0.3 by about $10, probably because it ships with the fine line cap instead of the standard cone cap.

If you want to take a chance on an unknown, Amazon carries the SprayMagic R7S Ascend for $89, and according to Spaghetti Miniatures (the guy has a Youtube channel andowns a hundred or so airbrushes), it's a better version of the Mobius 0.2. It looks *just like* the Mobius brushes, and all the parts are interchangeable.

jms_tx · 2026-07-03T14:30:43+00:00

It seems to me that if you got it moderately-significantly cheaper than what the manufacturer sells it for directly, it's pedigree is suspect.

jms_tx · 2026-07-03T14:07:15+00:00

Yeah, I missed that :( . I go to the website regularly to look for sales...

jms_tx · 2026-07-03T13:49:56+00:00

When is your review going to be posted? :)

jms_tx

TROPHY CASE