madbadger:

Well, propellant cans are one of the WORST ways to provide air to your brush (short of that tire-adapter do-hickey) IMHO

If you want to really airbrush without the cost, go to eBay and pick up a Paasche H series unit when the art students dump theirs after the classes end. Then you can get a $100 (US) set for anywhere from $25 to $50 depending on who bids, and condition. Mine was practically unused, with fine, medium and coarse needle, a few bottles and a ~braided~ hose, for $30 bucks. I ~love~ it. I've even run thinned epoxy through it for sealing my wooden boat hulls!

When I got into it with my old Badger 350 (which I thought was so-so) I used the free can with it, then blew for a Badger compressor. I'm still using that same unit 20+ years later, but the prices have dropped incredibly. The only thing I'd add now is a storage bottle between the compressor and the brush, to help regulate the feed to the brush, otherwise you get a pressure drop in the line during spray runs, and re-pressurizes when you're off the button. With a bottle, you can keep the compressor filling the bottle to say 60psi, but you use a 30 psi feed off to the brush. Oh, and a moisture-trap in the air line.

Then mebbe invest in one of the 'How To Airbrush Models' books. You can read online these days too... http://www.howtoairbrush.com/ but some focus more on art & photo-retouching than models. Amazon found these on modelling:

Airbrushing and Finishing Scale Models (Hardcover) by Brett Green, Publisher: Osprey Publishing; Spi edition (Sep 23 2008) ISBN-10: 1846031990 , ISBN-13: 978-1846031991
Airbrush Painting Techniques (Paperback) by Jerry Scutts, Publisher: Osprey Publishing (Nov 15 1999) ISBN-10: 1902579224 , ISBN-13: 978-1902579221
How to Use an Airbrush (Paperback) by Robert Downie, Publisher: Kalmbach Publishing Company (June 2001) ISBN-10: 0890242879 , ISBN-13: 978-0890242872
Airbrushing and Spray Painting Manual (Paperback) by Ian Peacock, Publisher: Motorbooks International (Dec 31 1987) ISBN-10: 0852428022 , ISBN-13: 978-0852428023