GSI Creos - Mr. Procon Boy WA Platinum Airbrush with Air Up System 0.3mm, Mr. Hobby

If you're unsure how an airbrush can be different, or better, because you can get by with your included kit airbrush... you're not alone! I too wondered what could possibly be different enough to warrant spending $100 on an airbrush, let alone $150 for the much recommended Iwata Eclipse. The reviews for $100+ airbrushes all mention things that don't sound very integral to the experience, but if you're doing figure/miniature/gunpla painting, they absolutely are. I feel that learning on a bad airbrush helped me get over my fears, but it taught me to be afraid of doing detailed work. I haven't used more expensive brushes than this, and my skill level isn't at a place to appreciate the differences to a $400 brush, but I recommend this airbrush to all beginners/intermediates. This air brush is that line where the tool will no longer hold you back; it's all on you from here on out. What makes this air brush different than a Master or generic kit brush? 1. The trigger has a smooth action. This didn't seem all that important because, again, I got used to my airbrush. I figured a little bit different wasn't a huge deal. I was wrong. A smooth action and no slightly grainy texture helps prevent you from making splatter mistakes. Letting go of the trigger too abruptly causes splatter when the needle smacks into the nozzle. That doesn't happen with this brush because the margin for error is much higher since it has a great spring and smooth pull. 2. The modulation on the paint spray is much greater. What I mean is, you have more degrees of spraying paint when pulling back than with the other brush. I know what you're thinking: "I'm fine". But it's a game changer. Instead of your airbrush basically having 3 settings: Dry "I'm testing it out" Spray, "For-real this time Spray", and "Torrential Downpour", it feels like you now have way more freedom. It actually took me some time to get used to it because now I could actually be precise and move in close with the brush to get primer in small nooks. 3. The cap doesn't get clogged because the needle is higher quality. I had to buy a new needle for my kit brush ($12 for a set of 3) because it arrived SLIGHTLY bent. My spray was leaning upwards which meant the cap kept getting clogged. This brush's cap isn't circular and even if you mess up and get paint in it, it won't pool it up in front of your needle. 4. The cup is easier to clean. It's actually well finished all throughout. I'll guess your kit brush looks chrome all through but has slight ridges towards the bottom. Or maybe it's super cheap and looks like unfinished brass towards the end. That's because it's machined cheaply. A fully finished and well made cup equates to a huge time saver. Changing colors is now no longer a 3-4 minute activity but 30-40 seconds. Full clean only at the end of the session. 5. Lack of nozzle leaks means it atomizes paint like a champ. Let's be straight, my cheap brush with a decent compressor can atomize paint. However, because it leaks air near the nozzle (check by putting soapy water near the nozzle cap and needle cap) it means I can expect it to spit every so often. Not to mention additional clean up and o-ring damage. My old airbrush spit tiny, tiny dots of paint once in awhile. Speckles ruin the finish. If you want to do any sort of slight detail work like pre-shading you probably gave up already. I didn't realize this was a solvable problem. I've primed over 40 pieces today and not a single sputter or speck. What fresh hell have I been putting myself through? If you're looking to stop fixing your models and get to actually painting them, I suggest you start here. Just comparing the specs with the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS this air brush blows it out of the water for $50 less. Nozzle/Needle replacement ready, perfect needle size for all the hobbies I listed above, and you get a mac valve! Just make sure you invest in a real compressor with tank first (The standard $79-89 kit compressors are more than fine).

Final Review: I've written two prior reviews below and everything stated in the previous reviews is fact by me. Just to finish this up I am completely satisfied with this airbrush. I've since painted 3 MG Gundam Model kits mostly using Tamiya Acrylics in various colors and Tamiya Clear Acrylics. I love to use Alclad Alclad Laquer's paints. I especially love their Gloss Black Primer in combination with their Chrome paint top coat with their Aqua Clear Gloss. Most noticable for me coming from my previous experience either Masters Airbrushes is how well this brush atomized the paints and how much less thinner I have to use to get the paints to flow to my liking. In my Masters Airbrush I'd have to take the cap off when I could tell I'm coming to the very last drop because it would blast a huge load over whatever part I was painting ruining the piece. This isn't from me not know how to properly thin my paints and it certainly wasn't due to any water in my line since I always run with a double water trap (tip: buy an inline water trap that attaches to the hose that then connects to the airbrush. It's usually like $9 and I have never had to buy a new one yet. Saves a lot of headache and also gives you piece of mind if you're painting with humidity.) The issue was just the Masters Airbrush it self. I'm not at all saying that their brushes aren't good. I'm just saying they aren't great but their airbrushes got me into this hobby and have worked for all of my previous projects as an amateur airbrush painter. If you have the money this airbrush is certainly worth the money. If you're new to this hobby and aren't sure you want to spend +$130 on an airbrush alone then I suggest the Masters Airbrush bundle. I believe I got mine with the Airbrush, air compressors, the hose, and some very crappy free paint for $130 two years ago from the date of this review. In hindsight, if I could do it all over again; I'd buy this airbrush and Masters Airbrush Air Compressor. Probably be about $70 but it very inexpensive, not terribly loud, and I haven't had any issues other than I added that extra water trap as previous stated because water would still get in my line when the humidity was high or just from using it for hours. Air compressors can get ridiculously expensive and I currently don't understand what I'm missing out on with the air compressors that are +$200. Until I meet someone who has one of those kinds and see if it is at all worth that amount of money the Masters Airbrusg air compessor has worked perfectly fine with this brush. The air hose it came with also works with this brush as well. Final word, if you don't read my previous reviews below; the airhose this brush comes with is complete crap. I'm pretty sure it's made for Creos's C02 cans. Don't waste your money on those cans. Buy a compressor and have the ability to set a proper PSI rather than fiddling with thr airup system that's built within this brush. Second Review: I'm not changing the 5 star rating but I will say it's for the airbrush only. Wanted to mention though that the air hose that comes with it is very very generic. It's also extremely short. Pretty sure it's made for one of those airbrush 02 cans since it comes with parts to adapt the airbrush for that purpose. So if you don't have a compressor and hose already before you purchase, be sure to buy one. I believe it's a 1/8". I had purchased a Masters Airbrush kit before I purchased this and the house fit perfectly on this airbrush. First Review: I love building Gunpla's. I also love airbrushing Gunpla's. A quick google search for best Gunpla airbrushes and you won't see this on the top 5 list. You'll see Iwata, Harder&Steinbeck, Badger, and a few others namely Masters. Like most people diping their feet into this hobby, I went the cheap route to start. I have probably 5 different ones since they are super inexpensive but my work horse has been the Masters G23. I got extra needle sizes but I've always just used the 0.03mm needle. Creos is the maker of top of the line paints and thinners Mr. Color/Mr. Hobby. I usually use Tamiya paints since it's less expensive but I always always always use Mr. Color Leveling Thinner to thin my paints. That stuff is a game changer and makes painting when you're new to this much much easier. Anyhow, I decided to buy this over the coveted Iwata HP-CS. Admittedly, I have never used anything beyond Masters airbrushed but on paper this was a little bit less expensive and had more features. So I bought this after reading review after review. After I purchased this though I watched a YouTube video of it from a fairly popular airbrush guy and my heart sunk when he stated that this can't perform a backwash. Immediately, I went on here and asked about it and immediately people said yes it can! The YouTube's reasoning was because of the way they crown for the nozzle is shaped, it doesn't allow your finger (this is how a back wash is performed on regular airbrushes) to cover the tip to create an air tight seal to do it. However, he was wrong! You literally unscrew the nozzle (the part right after the crown) and it does it! When I first tried it I was like how tf does this actually work?! When you loosen it it seals itself however you'll probably be surprised like I was that there's air still flowing out the front at what ever psi you're spraying however no paint is going thru and the paint cup is doing a backwash! Backwash is extremely important not only for cleaning but for mixing your paints. Very cool feature with this airbrush and you don't get paint on your fingers while doing it. The air up system on the front is new for me. You could set your compressor for 60psi if you wanted to and control your air pressure with that. The paint flow limiter in the back is something you'll see with top of the line expensive airbrushes unless you buy Masters brand. I'm not knocking Masters brand at all. They really opened the door for me in this fun hobby and are all around a great value with top of the line features for cheap. Last two things. The button is much softer and it glides a lot easier. I'm use to painting all day and the next day regreting doing so because I have a tendency to press down too hard and hyper extend my pointer finger in the process without knowing. My only complaint which isn't much of a complaint is that I believe you need a special type of holder for this because of the air up system in the front. It won't fit in my holder/paint dump jar. 5/5 stars so far. I'm one to update reviews in the future.

A very well designed and manufactured piece of Japanese engineering. I stand by the Mr. Hobby/GSI Creos brand and use most of their other products. I primarily use this airbrush for painting Bandai gunpla and Tamiya kits with their line of Mr. Color lacquers. I also occasionally spray Tamiya solvent based acrylics. My first airbrush was a syphon fed Badger. I loved that old airbrush, but compared to the Procon the difference is like night and day. The Procon airbrush feels solid and hefty in your hand. It feels very balanced and is comfortable with any grip. It sprays very smoothly and I love the tactile feedback of the soft trigger. The built in backwash function is a nice touch too (just unscrew the nozzle head a couple of turns and you can backwash the cup WITHOUT covering the tip!). The crown tip allows for up close fine painting while still protecting the needle. The built-in MAC valve is also a bonus. You can fine tune the pressure at the gun instead of reaching for the regulator valve on your compressor. This Procon PS-289 replaces my existing Sparmax Max-3 airbrush as my main airbrush. I also use a Master Airbrush Cool Runner II air compressor with tank by TCP Global and the brush uses the standard 1/8 fitting. I plan to purchase a GSI Creos mini water trap / dust and drain catcher for added protection from condensation. I'm already thinking of getting another Procon SQ (0.4 nozzle) for broader base and top coats. Just get one. You won't regret it.

It's not perfect, but it takes five stars for value. For less than $100 you are getting a very nicely machined, reliable, Japanese airbrush. It is well worth it to upgrade from the typical Chinese budget model to this gun. It's not without some drawbacks, though. GSI Creos uses its own hose system instead of the industry standard Iwata style. I never use the hose, which means I am paying for something that is useless. Also, this is a heavy airbrush. If you are doing t-shirt work or illustration where you are standing up and supporting the airbrush, it will have some drag on your hand as you work. The MAC valve on this airbrush allows you to set the airflow within the body of the airbrush itself. I never use these. Instead, I use a quick disconnect that has a MAC valve on the air hose. The MAC valve here just adds weight and additional cost. There is a version without the MAC valve, thankfully. The fit and finish are really good, as you would expect from the Japanese factory. I have 9 of the airbrushes from this series and they all perform well. Replacement parts are more of an issue, as you'll have to hunt around a bit. Trigger action is fine... not light, not super heavy. You can get a nice fine spray pattern out of the 0.3mm. Most users (particularly modelers, who are complete idiots when it comes to airbrush technique) will be well served by the 0.3mm. There's no need to get a 0.18mm or 0.2mm unless you are doing illustration.

Good quality and very versatile. Can spray multiple ways and adjust pressure through brush in many ways. Performs extremely well for price.

Firstly, I'm a longtime Badger user. That said, you'll need an adapter to get this airbrush to work with your compressed gas source. I use CO2, and the fitting that came with this airbrush would not work with my CO2 regulator. Mr. Hobby sells a set of three adapters I purchased through Spraygunner's Ebay store, one of which adapts this airbrush to my Badger hose. I found this airbrush to be of high quality, it fits my hand very well and its heft is welcome but will not make your hand weary. Disassembly and cleaning is easy and again, the quality of the machining and fit of the parts is first rate. I build models and paint them with lacquers and enamels for the most part. Lacquer thinner used to reduce almost all my paints. No ill-effects were seen in the airbrush. The very nicely chromed body of the airbrush makes spills easy to clean up. The nozzle has a feature where you unscrew it slightly and you can backwash into the color cup - a handy thing to have. The MAC valve feature is still lost on me; perhaps with more use and experimentation, I will get some value from it. The airbrush comes with an air source adapter (but I'm unsure what it will fit), a hose and a wrench and is shipped in a foam-cutout within a sturdy plastic box. Instruction sheets are also included. All told, this is a very nice airbrush at an excellent price and should serve my needs for quite some time.

Well worth the money, atomization is great and can do detail work with ease

Researched best quality starter airbrush you can get if you want something nicer to start. This is the only airbrush ive used but from a learning perspective, I rate, this high. There are cheaper brands but their reviews and ratings suggest they don't last like this one. There are a couple versioms of the procon. PROCON 298- 0.3 sized is a good inbetween the .02 version finer point for small detail but clogs easier and .5 more paint for more coverage, but harder to get fine detail. I wanted to try a bigger trigge using gun.action and there is a procon 0.3 that has a trigger on it, but it doesn't have the platinum adjustment valve. The valve only comes on the platinum, it's made learning how to use the aitbrush much easier than I think.It would have been not having it. You can use the included hose on a c 02 canister but for correct, consistent pressure, I got a compressor with tank, plus with new hose extra, as the hose included only works well with the co2 cans. Right now both ways work well with the valve adjustment system and is easy enough clean up. Would recommend.

For the price a really nice airbrush - perfect for the intermediate and advanced modeller

... ou plutôt - QUALITÉ ! Jour et nuit à côté de mon ancien aerographe à 25€. Pourquoi je ne l'ai pas acheté avant ?

Llevaba un año utilizando un aerografo genérico de esos que tienen un mini compresor cuadrado incluido para adentrarme a este mundo y ver si me gustaba lo suficiente para después hacerme de uno de mayor calidad/más caro. Después de practicar lo suficiente con él aerografo genérico y de hallarle a sus mañas, decidí actualizarme, pero mi presupuesto estaba apretado y al final estaba indeciso si irme por un Iwata Eclipse, un Neo, o por este modelo, el GSI Creos PS-289. Al final elegí el GSI Creos ya que leí maravillas de el, y en que prácticamente es catalogado como un Iwata Eclipse disfrazado, pero a un precio mucho menor por el simple hecho de no ser marca Iwata, pero eso si, con la misma alta calidad, ya que este aerografo también es fabricado en Japón (Y en el que incluso se afirma que son fabricados en el mismo recinto en el que se fabrican los aerografos Iwata, a diferencia del Neo, el cual está fabricado en China y en el que Iwata unicamente presta su nombre para ese modelo. En fin, eh estado probando el PS-289 por varios días de forma exhaustiva y wow. WOW! De lo que me estaba perdiendo al no haber adquirido un aerografo de alta calidad, amikos! Es esplendido y simplemente no se compara en lo absoluto al aerografo genérico ya que para empezar, con ese me era muy difícil atomizar la pintura de forma precisa, si no es que imposible y yo se lo atribuía a mi falta de practica, pero con el PS-289 lo puedo realizar de forma natural y con una facilidad que asusta! Además gracias a su real acabado pulido en el interior del vaso, es súper fácil de limpiarlo una vez que terminas de pintar, por lo tanto si requieres cambiar de colores de forma rápida, solo basta con una pequeña enjuagada y listo además de que es capaz de pulverizar la pintura sin necesidad de diluir en exceso las pinturas (Yo utilizo pinturas acrílicas comunes diluidas con agua destilada y sin problemas). En resumen, si estas buscando dar el siguiente paso en adquirir un aerografo de alta calidad sin gastar mucho, este es el aerografo que buscas ya que básicamente estarás adquiriendo un Iwata Eclipse pero tres veces más barato. Realmente me sorprende como un aerografo de nivel profesional puede costar prácticamente lo mismo que un Neo de Iwata, pero con una calidad mucho mayor en todos los aspectos.

Axcellent general purpouse airbrush. 0.3 nozzle will be good for meduim coverage and smaller detail work. Large cup is usefull. Nozzle design allows fine control and tight lines. Body is a bit larger, be aware. Mac valve can be usefull to someone who has a compressor not easily accessable so you can change the "preasure" on the go. Recommended

Great value for the price. The finishing is flawless and impressive it is MIJ at this price.