Having used a diverse range of airbrushes over the years, I've had a mixed relationship with them! 5 years of making art with a brace of Badger 200 single action brushes - which never gave me any grief, ever - and then, more recently, various airbrushes for modelling - which have given me a fair bit of grief!! This situation was considerably eased, when I bought an SMS single action 0.4mm brush from John earlier this year (review elsewhere on this site). This was all fine and dandy for AFV modelling, but I've recently built a 1/48 Tamiya P47D, and felt the need to lay very thin coats of paint on it, and also free-hand spray the wavy line between olive drab upper and grey underside. Cue lots of watching YouTube videos and reading loads of reviews...
So, I bought the above, far more than I wanted to spend at the outcome, but as you'll read, it was worth every penny. I've included Tamiya paint in the title, as I feel it is a significant element in my own new-found confidence in spraying. Having watched a fair few vids from Andy's Hobby Headquarters, I was amazed at how he was painting tank wheels and other small elements without masking and free hand. Also, how he never primed a model, and clearly said he's never needed to with Tamiya paints. My P47 was already primed (Stynylrez) when the new brush arrived, but as I was getting to the stage where it was finishing details, I bought a cheap 1/48 Zero to limber up on! Using Andy's thinning technique (adding 20-30% X20a thinners to the new bottle of Tamiya paint), I sprayed the Zeke with IJN Green, straight onto bare plastic, cleaned with X20a, using the 0.15 needl/nozzle set. The first thing to appreciate with this airbrush, is the lack of any drama! Totally well behaved, so, so easy to use, and a perfect finish, and I mean perfect. I used the quick-fix needle stop - which is an adjustable nut at the back, to prevent the needle going any further back than you want it to, whilst still being dual action. Just simply stunning performance, and with this needle plus thinned Tamiya paint, picking stuff out on the sprues becomes a doddle, going back to a bit you might have missed, also a doddle, no drama.
I've tried the 0.4 nozzle/needle and doubt I'll use it much, unless I gravitate to 1/32 kits, and suspect I'll be buying an 0.2 set before to long, for base coating. Cleaning up afterwards couldn't be easier, no paint gets behind the trigger stage, and using a cleaning pot and a bit of thinners, it's soon squeaky clean and ready for the next colour. At the end of the session, I stripped it down, to make sure, and all it took was a wipe with a cotton bud, and a probe with an inter-dental brush in the nozzle, all clean as a cat's butt!
Conclusion:
I love this bit of kit already! Even though it is pricey, once you use it, it all makes sense, and I genuinely believe it'll bolster anyone's confidence in airbrushing, using these paints or, from what Barry W reports, the laquer paints from MRP, it just gets on with the job and is total pleasure to use. I also love Tamiya Paints much more now. I never used to enjoy airbrushing before, just a means to an end, and a shag to clear up afterwards. Not any more!
So, I bought the above, far more than I wanted to spend at the outcome, but as you'll read, it was worth every penny. I've included Tamiya paint in the title, as I feel it is a significant element in my own new-found confidence in spraying. Having watched a fair few vids from Andy's Hobby Headquarters, I was amazed at how he was painting tank wheels and other small elements without masking and free hand. Also, how he never primed a model, and clearly said he's never needed to with Tamiya paints. My P47 was already primed (Stynylrez) when the new brush arrived, but as I was getting to the stage where it was finishing details, I bought a cheap 1/48 Zero to limber up on! Using Andy's thinning technique (adding 20-30% X20a thinners to the new bottle of Tamiya paint), I sprayed the Zeke with IJN Green, straight onto bare plastic, cleaned with X20a, using the 0.15 needl/nozzle set. The first thing to appreciate with this airbrush, is the lack of any drama! Totally well behaved, so, so easy to use, and a perfect finish, and I mean perfect. I used the quick-fix needle stop - which is an adjustable nut at the back, to prevent the needle going any further back than you want it to, whilst still being dual action. Just simply stunning performance, and with this needle plus thinned Tamiya paint, picking stuff out on the sprues becomes a doddle, going back to a bit you might have missed, also a doddle, no drama.
I've tried the 0.4 nozzle/needle and doubt I'll use it much, unless I gravitate to 1/32 kits, and suspect I'll be buying an 0.2 set before to long, for base coating. Cleaning up afterwards couldn't be easier, no paint gets behind the trigger stage, and using a cleaning pot and a bit of thinners, it's soon squeaky clean and ready for the next colour. At the end of the session, I stripped it down, to make sure, and all it took was a wipe with a cotton bud, and a probe with an inter-dental brush in the nozzle, all clean as a cat's butt!
Conclusion:
I love this bit of kit already! Even though it is pricey, once you use it, it all makes sense, and I genuinely believe it'll bolster anyone's confidence in airbrushing, using these paints or, from what Barry W reports, the laquer paints from MRP, it just gets on with the job and is total pleasure to use. I also love Tamiya Paints much more now. I never used to enjoy airbrushing before, just a means to an end, and a shag to clear up afterwards. Not any more!
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