Testors Amazing Airbrush Set

Like many modelers, I gave up on Testors products years ago for the most part. Their tube cements aren't terribly effective. Their contour putty is terrible. Most of their spray-can enamels are a joke. Yes, the Model Master and Floquil lines were pretty good, and the majority of their lacquer paints are great. I still swear by their dull coat lacquer, and their One Coat line won me over. But most of us have moved on. The only reason most of us ever used their products in the first place is because they were right there on a shelf next to the model kits at K-Mart. And I don't see things improving... looks like they're focused on hocking spray-chalk these days.

So... combine this low opinion pertaining to much of Testors' product line with the low price (about twenty-five bucks) of this airbrush set, and let's just say I was prepared to be anything but amazed.

Let's clear the air on one thing right now. There isn't anything at all amazing about the airbrush itself. It's low price is really it's only real standout feature. Let's set the bar low. It's only amazing for the purpose of alliteration, folks.

The paint is the Testors (of course) Acrylic, in the small "square" bottle anyone who's strolled past the paint section in any hobby shop will recognize right off the bat. The bottled Testors acrylic paints like these are actually pretty decent- I use them all the time for brush-painting details. They cover pretty well and they're water soluble, so cleanup is a breeze. I've had hit-or-miss results using them for airbrushing straight from the bottle, though- sometimes they're fine, other times they need to be thinned considerably. Mix them thoroughly before you try spraying them.

Now, onto the brush itself, and how it works.

You're going to need at least one empty Testors glass jar at the ready, unless you want to spray the paint included with the set.

As far as I can tell, turning the nozzle in or out does absolutely nothing. It's supposed to adjust the diameter of the spray pattern, but I noticed no difference no matter how far forward or backward I screwed the nozzle.

The instructions tell you to place the propellant can in warm water. This caused the can to get too warm, increasing the pressure and causing nothing but frozen condensation to blast from the brush. I do not warm the can in water unless I notice the pressure begin to drop. Another thing I've tried is placing the can into the warm water, taking it out for a few minutes, and then spraying with it for a minute or two before placing the can back in, when I notice the pressure drop. I also tried it with a big can of Badger propellant, which ironically worked better than the can supplied by Testors. The Paasche propellant cans will also work. This may be handy, as no shop near me stocks the Testors cans (even places that sell the brush), but there are a couple places in the area that carry Badger and Paasche.

Don't leave the airbrush connected to the can of propellant when not in use. You will empty the propellant, and you run the risk of the vinyl tubing bursting.

The caps which screw onto the jar and snap onto the brush have a very tiny hole at the top. I used a safety pin to open up the hole- that seemed to help the paint flow better and made it much less likely to clog.

If all of this sounds like it could be a major pain in the ass, well... yes, it can be. Remember, when it comes to equipment like airbrushes, you get what you pay for. And often, if you cheap out to save money, you'll end up spending more in time to get the product working the way you want. This is bargain-basement beginner stuff, and even then, I worry if taking the time to figure out the set's little quirks and how to work around them might scare off any potential airbrushing enthusiasts.

That being said, it is not completely useless. If all you need to do is spray paint onto the substrate, this will get the job done just fine. And you can use it for subtle weathering effects, like adding a muddy spray along the flanks of a car body, or diesel smoke grime to the top corner(s) of a semi trailer. I'd love to try the airbrush hooked up to an actual compressor. Like I said, it's not the best airbrush by a long shot, but it throws paint just fine.