Gunpla Airbrush for Beginners: $45, $81.99 or $481.98

A compressor cost almost five times the entry Gunpla airbrush at US shops this week, and the cheapest way in uses no compressor at all. Decide first how far you want to go, because the three common starting points run from $45 to almost $482 at US shops.

Gunpla airbrush? (quick answer)

Start with the Procon BOY SQ on canned air if you want to spray real paint, or the GMA01 if markers are enough. Buy a compressor only after a few kits. The L5 fits most airbrushes with nozzles of 0.4 mm or less, GSI Creos says.

Key Takeaways

• Cheapest: GMA01, $45.00 at Gundam Planet; painting Gundam Markers only.
• Entry airbrush: PS268 Procon BOY SQ, 04 nozzle, 7 cc cup, 7,480 yen with tax in Japan.
• Compressor: L5, 39,600 yen in Japan, $399.99 at Gundam Planet; runs all day.
• Thinning: Mr. Color up to 1:2; more thinner means finer mist but more runs.
• Booth: FT03 catches airbrush dust; not for spray cans.

Overview: three ways into a Gunpla airbrush

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: GSI Creos Mr. Hobby pages (Japanese, our translation); Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store listings, Oct 24.

1. Marker airbrush. The GMA01 connects a hose and an air can to a painting Gundam Marker. GSI Creos says you change color by swapping the marker and the body needs no cleaning, so beginners can airbrush easily (our translation).

2. A real airbrush on canned air. The Procon BOY SQ (PS268) is GSI Creos's "low-priced entry airbrush", with "the delicacy of the 03 size and the ease of use of the 05 size" (our translation). The set includes a 1 m hose and a regulator valve for air cans.

3. Add a compressor. The Mr. Linear Compressor L5 suits most other makers' airbrushes with nozzles of 0.4 mm or less and can run all day, its maker says.

Desk note: At the two shops on Oct 24, the PS-268ABL ($81.99) plus an L5 ($399.99) came to $481.98. The compressor alone cost about 4.9 times the airbrush. That is why canned air is a fair first step.

Step-by-Step: your first Gunpla airbrush session

1. Set up air and ventilation. Mr. Color contains organic solvent; GSI Creos says to ventilate well during and after use.

2. Thin the paint. For Mr. Color, GSI Creos gives paint 1 : thinner up to 2. For Gundam Color the guide is 1:2.

3. Read the mist. GSI Creos's how-to page lists the trade-off: more thinner gives a finer mist, more gloss, more runs and longer drying; less gives a coarser mist and a grainy surface (our translation).

4. Spray a light first pass. The Mr. Color page says to coat the part only lightly at first, then build thin coats on the second and third passes.

5. Use leveling thinner only with Mr. Color. Mr. Leveling Thinner dries slower and dissolves more than regular thinner, but GSI Creos says it cannot thin paints other than Mr. Color and Mr. Metal Color.

6. Clean before the paint dries. Mr. Color thinner also cleans airbrushes used with Mr. Color; Tamiya's X-20A cleans tools used with its acrylics.

Diagram: PlamoDesk. Sources: GSI Creos Mr. Color, Gundam Color, Mr. Leveling Thinner and how-to pages (Japanese, our translation).

GODEEPER: The same paints by brush, with the 1:1 ratio. Hand painting Gunpla →

Tips: what beginners overspend on

• Nozzle size is not a skill level. Tamiya's HG Super Fine has a 0.2 mm nozzle for lines under 0.5 mm wide, aimed at 1/72 aircraft camouflage. The PS268's 04 nozzle covers more area.
• The top model is not the first model. GSI Creos calls the PS289 (16,500 yen with tax) the top of the Procon BOY series. The PS268 costs 7,480 yen.
• Compressor size. The L7 ($445.00 at Gundam Planet) is rated for 24-hour continuous running. The L5 already runs all day.
• A booth is not a spray-can booth. GSI Creos says the FT03 catches airbrush paint dust but is not for aerosol cans.
• Marker airbrush limits. The GMA01 takes painting Gundam Markers only, and no marker comes in the box.

A different maker's marker airbrush, not a Gunpla product: the same idea as the GMA01, a marker fitted to a sprayer. Photo: TaurusEmerald / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

GODEEPER: What to spray first: a surfacer coat. Gunpla surfacer vs primer →

What builders say

One r/Gunpla reply from this week, read through Arctic Shift, from a builder describing a first airbrush:

"I know it sounds daunting, but it is easier than it looks." … "The hardest part was learning the correct steps to clean the airbrush, at first it is a slog, over time it becomes quite easy." u/pol131 on r/Gunpla, October 2026

Cleaning is the part the GMA01 skips. That is most of its appeal.

What we don't know yet: We did not read GSI Creos's pressure figures word for word in this check, so we do not quote PSI or MPa. Start low and follow your airbrush's manual.

Our take

Start with a $81.99 Procon BOY SQ on canned air; buy the $399.99 L5 only after a few painted kits. GSI Creos built the PS268 as its entry airbrush, and its set already includes the air-can valve. The compressor costs about 4.9 times as much. Pick the $45 GMA01 instead if you only want smooth marker color and no cleaning. We recheck prices with the next tools update.

How we checked this

On Oct 24, 2026 we read GSI Creos's Japanese pages for the PS268, PS270 and PS289 airbrushes, the L5 and L7 compressors, the FT03 booth, Mr. Leveling Thinner, Mr. Color and its airbrush how-to, the GMA01 page, Tamiya's 74514 and X-20A pages, and US listings at Gundam Planet and USA Gundam Store. A research assistant gathered most pages; we re-read the PS268 and GMA01 pages and two prices. Bandai's site was in maintenance. We did not test this equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest way to airbrush Gunpla? The GMA01 Gundam Marker Airbrush System, $45.00 at Gundam Planet on Oct 24. GSI Creos says you plug in a painting Gundam Marker and an air can, change color by swapping markers, and never clean the body. It takes painting markers only.

What airbrush should a Gunpla beginner buy? GSI Creos's own entry model is the Procon BOY SQ (PS268), which it calls a low-priced entry airbrush with the delicacy of an 03 nozzle and the ease of an 05. It has an 04 nozzle and a 7 cc cup; USA Gundam Store listed a PS-268ABL at $81.99.

Do I need a compressor to airbrush Gunpla? Not to start. The PS268 set includes a regulator valve for air cans and a 1 m hose. A compressor is the long-term step: Gundam Planet listed the Mr. Linear Compressor L5 at $399.99 on Oct 24, and GSI Creos says it can run all day.

How much should I thin paint for an airbrush? GSI Creos gives paint 1 to thinner up to 2 for Mr. Color, and 1 to 2 for Gundam Color. Its how-to page explains the trade-off: more thinner gives a finer mist and more gloss but more runs; less gives a coarser, grainy finish.

Do I need a paint booth for an airbrush? It helps indoors. GSI Creos's Mr. Super Booth Compact (FT03, 25,300 yen with tax) catches airbrush paint dust, but the maker says it is not for aerosol cans. Mr. Color also contains organic solvent, so ventilate during and after painting.

Is the L5 compressor compatible with other airbrushes? Mostly. GSI Creos says the Mr. Linear Compressor L5 suits most comparable airbrushes from other makers with nozzles of 0.4 mm or less. The bigger L7 is rated for 24-hour continuous operation and was $445.00 at Gundam Planet on Oct 24.

Related Reading

• Gundam Marker Types: which markers fit the GMA01.
• Best Gunpla Top Coat for Beginners: the spray-can route to a finish.
• Gunpla Weathering for Beginners: the next layer after color.
• Gunpla Tools Guide: every tool from the first nipper to the finish.
• Gunpla masking tape: which tape width and liquid mask to put down before you spray.

References

• GSI Creos Mr. Hobby (Japanese): Procon BOY SQ PS268, PS270, PS289, Linear Compressor L5, L7, Super Booth Compact FT03, Mr. Leveling Thinner, Mr. Color, airbrush thinning how-to, GMA01
• Tamiya: Spray-Work HG Super Fine Airbrush 74514, X-20A 81020
• Gundam Planet: GMA01, L5 Compressor, L7 Compressor
• USA Gundam Store: PS-268ABL Procon BOY SQ