Kind of depends on the size of the models you are painting, and whether noise is an issue. But as a rule, you need something with a storage tank so that it doesn't pulse the air, and also doesn't need to run constantly. The bigger the tank, the less often it needs to fill, so if you had a noisy compressor, but the tank was large enough not to need to refill, for the duration you need to paint, than it may not be an issue. One that takes oil is better too, otherwise it will over heat after being used for a surprisingly short time. You could get one really reasonably priced from any tool store. If noise, and size is an issue, you may want to go for the whisper style, if you want a small tank because of storage space, it will kick in more often, but as it's quiet (but not silent), it doesn't matter so much, but these are very pricey.