You’re gonna love the airbrush. It’s a bit of a learning curve, but the results are worth it. I was in the same place when I started.
I don’t think there’s really a thing that ”everyone does.” Metal parts are really nice and make a huge difference in visual and tactile quality. Depending on your budget and accuracy goal, you don’t have to get them all in metal either. I really like the look, but it’s important to cost this out properly .