I purchased the patriot 105 and paasche D3000R and have been very happy with both of them. I am also new to airbrushing and have been using them for a few months now. I have found the patriot good for priming base coating, shading, and have just begun to do a little detail work but I think this may be a bit limited at least with the patriot.
Oh and with the models I stated they are completely compatible with the stock parts from badger and paasche.