Sheet 01 · From First Cut to Final Coat
Gunpla, miniatures, and airbrushing carry a wall of overwhelming gear advice and dead buy-links. Sprue Cut walks one honest path — nippers to airbrush to final coat — with a 3D field guide to the tools that scare people off, and gear picks that are actually in stock.
13 categories · 60 field guides in progress · a 3D field guide · builder-culture goods
TECHNICAL PLATE · GRAVITY-FEED
Original graphics for scale modelers and Gunpla builders, printed to order and shipped with tracking.
Runner A · Field Guides
Three airbrush-and-compressor starter kits compared for Gunpla and scale models on what their Amazon listings and TCP Global's pages state: nozzle sizes, pressure control, moisture traps, heat protection and what ships in each box.
Sprue Cut EditorialOct 17, 2026
The Master Airbrush Cool Runner TC-426 kit pairs a dual-fan piston compressor with a 3-liter storage tank, a regulator with gauge and three airbrushes, per its Amazon listing and TCP Global's pages. Here is what both sources state for scale-model work, and where they differ.
Sprue Cut EditorialOct 17, 2026
The Badger Patriot 105 is a dual-action gravity-feed airbrush built around one needle and nozzle for every paint. What Badger's manual says about running it, how the Xtreme version differs, and how to check a used one.
Sprue Cut EditorialSep 28, 2026
The Paasche VL is a double-action, internal-mix, siphon-feed airbrush with #1, #3 and #5 heads. What Paasche's own manual says it does well, where a gravity-feed brush beats it, and how to check a used one.
Sprue Cut EditorialSep 28, 2026
Four display-ready 1/18 diecast cars across two budget tiers — Bburago, Motormax, and Solido at about $40–60, Kyosho at about $340 — plus what separates the tiers, buying criteria, and how to keep a display shelf from fading or gathering dust.
Sprue Cut EditorialAug 25, 2026
The Custom Micron CM-C Plus and Infinity CR Plus are the airbrushes hobbyists graduate to when a mid-range brush stops being the bottleneck. We compare nozzle systems, trigger control, parts costs, and when the Micron actually pays off.
Sprue Cut EditorialAug 25, 2026
Runner B · Signature Feature
Spin it, zoom it, tap any part. The Bench takes the tools that scare off new builders — the airbrush, the compressor, the sprue itself — and labels every part in plain language, so you know what you’re buying before you buy it.
Sheet 02 · The Whole Bench
Thirteen categories, one honest funnel — from your first snap-fit kit to a display-grade final coat.
First-build paths, starter kits, and the cheapest good way into the hobby.
Snap-fit kits and grade tiers: what to build, in what order.
Single-blade nippers, hobby knives, and clean nub removal.
Files, sanding sticks, and seam- and nub-free surfaces.
Gravity-feed, dual-action, nozzle sizes: choosing and running one.
Tanks, PSI, moisture traps, and apartment-quiet air.
Acrylics, lacquers, primers, and speed paints matched to the job.
Kolinsky brushes, layering, edge highlighting, wet palettes.
Accent color, waterslide decals, and setting solutions.
Washes, chipping, pigments, battle-worn realism.
Matte, gloss, semi-gloss: sealing and protecting a build.
Spray booths, respirators, and ventilation for lacquer work.
Mats, lighting, magnification, paint racks, organization.
Runner C · Deep Dives
Money Page · Reader Favorites
The short list — see the full ranking on the best-gear pages.
$129.99
Check price on Amazon$98.95
Check price on Amazon$69.13
Check price on AmazonA quick, honest note: some links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we may earn a commission when you buy through them, and we also earn from other programs such as eBay Partner Network — at no extra cost to you. It never changes the price you pay.
67 field guides published
67 products vetted
5,462 reader price checks
Sheet 09 · Bench Goods
A couple of no-cost sign-ups the whole bench actually uses. Try them free; cancel anytime.
Free · Lead Magnet
A one-page, print-friendly sheet that walks your first build in the order that dodges every rookie mistake — shopping list, cutting ritual, sanding ladder, finishing pass. Free.
With one snap-fit kit, a $20 nipper, and two evenings — no glue, no paint. Our Start Here path lays out the whole under-$75 first setup and the two-snip cutting ritual that keeps your parts clean. Airbrushes and paint are later chapters you add when clean building feels easy.
No. Brush painting is a complete craft, and one-coat speed paints finish whole squads without a compressor in sight. An airbrush is a force multiplier for smooth large surfaces and gradients — worth it eventually, never required to start.
Yes, with three habits: acrylics as your default paint, a tank compressor that runs in quiet bursts, and a folding booth vented at a window. Save lacquers and rattlecan topcoats for a balcony or a properly vented booth with an organic-vapor respirator.
That’s the whole point of Sprue Cut. Every pick is a real, currently-available product with a working buy link, chosen against a published bench-test rubric — not an aging affiliate list with dead links. When we can’t verify something ships, we don’t link it.
