amnesia0287 i kind of felt everything you just said. Maybe I can help guide you a little bit here. I’ve been printing and paint my parts of close to 9 years now. Until about two months ago I’ve never really used an FDM printer. Never thought that highly of them. I did have one about 5 years ago which cost well over 1k at the time so it wasn’t a “cheap” printer but returned it two weeks later. I fully understand there’s a learning curve but from my experience I never liked the prints it produced. The print lines were very noticeable. Mind you i was coming from SLS prints so my bar was very high. PLA is also not in the same class as SLS prints either. Not even close so I simple went back to outsourcing SLS prints. Eventually upgraded to MJF when that technology came out. I build people blasters on occasion and the last thing I want is for them to break. But I’ve always keep an eye on FDM prints. Went to a convention about a year ago and saw some new FDM printers that blew my mind. The prints looked like they were casted from molds. Crazy. Still though I was waiting for that “plug and play” printer to come along.. and it has.
Save your pennies and treat yourself to a Bambu labs printer. I don’t think it really matters which one you get. I have the P1S and yes there a learning curve but it’s pretty short if you have any interest. This printer I have is amazing. The downside is the prints are a little fragile being an FDM print. If you get the X1C you can print in carbon fiber which should increase that strength quite a bit but the X1C is pretty expensive and so is that filament.
Long story short. Get a Bambu labs. These were test prints I did a little while ago. These are straight off the printer and simply assembled. I’m still working on improving the print quality even more. It’s really impressive..
As for airbrushes I just got into that this summer as well. Get the compressor kit from Harbor Freights. It has everything you need to get off the ground. The compressor itself works really well and has a nice clip attachment..
Amazing deals on this Airbrush Compressor Combo Kit at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com
You can use the airbrush that came with it as it’s ok. I got myself a Harder & Steenbeck airbrush which is suppose to be top of line. It is really nice but honestly save yourself some money and get this airbrush..
I got one myself cause the needle in the Harbor Freights one got bent (and you’ll probably want to upgrade quickly anyways). Wanted a 2nd airbrush cause I was afraid of ruining my HS. But this Gaahleri airbrush is amazing for my needs. I liked it so much I honestly got a 2nd one. Don’t even use my HS really at all. I don’t think I’m ready for it anyways. The airflow, the control.. it’s all there. It’s also only $45 compared to a $200 top of the line airbrush. I painted this blaster with it. This is a MJF print by the way not a BL FDM print..
If you ever want a saber let me know but honestly I’d save up for that BL printer. It’s a game changer. Good luck to ya and enjoy the process!