Holy cow Renarts, you need to write a book about Aztec or something! I had to take a break between paragraphs!
LOL, seriously though, I use an Aztec (470) and agree with everyone else who said, as long as you take care of it, get used to the light weight, and thin out the paint properly, you won’t have any problems. It’s a great airbrush with a great setup.
I have an aztec and i love the thing, do not know what u guys are really complaining about? yeah u keep the tips soaked and its a beauty, i can blend, weather, paint, and everything, even spray future and artist oils, its all about how u use it, i love the alloy body, its nice.
Small honk.
I was given a 2nd-hand Aztek and was not impressed with it. Still prefer the brushes that come from the Factory(sorry MikeV).
Also I don’t see the benefit of an AB where the maker is halfway round the globe and I need to send it away for weeks to either get it repaired or replaced if something breaks. Tips were also too pricey over here.
I like to maintain my own equipment and be able to get spares at my HS so that I can fix a problem and be up and runnin again in a very short time.
Any tool is only as good as the person using it. [;)]
No appology needed MMF, the “Factory” builds some sweet airbrushes but they are a bit pricey for my tastes. You make good points about service too. Since you live in Japan it is much easier for you to get what you need for the Japanese airbrushes, and they are probably cheaper there too aren’t they?
I would imagine that Iwata in Japan is like Badger here in the U.S. in terms of popularity at the LHS isn’t it?
If I need my Badger’s serviced then I just pick up parts locally or off the internet and have them here within a week, so we are in the same boat my friend. [;)]
Mike
Mike.
Yes, Iwata and it’s clones can be found everywhere here and are really affordable.
Things can be funny here too my mainbrush is by a Company called Wave but all the spares for it are from olympus. Same thing with the Tamiya AB I think.
[:D][:D]
FWIW, sharpened my AB teeth on a badger Model 200 bottom feed many years ago. Had 2 of them in succession.
well i have to give it a Medium honk!!!
I borrowed my friends Aztesk for a few weeks, just to see how it compares to my Paschee VL…
I really tried to go into using it with an open mind…
And I still dis-liked it!!!
But hey, you use what you like and what you feel comfortable using!!! Plain and simple!!!
I have 2 Aztek’s both high end double action one’s the composite the other the alloy , however I also have a Iwata HP-C and 2 Paschee VL’s . I have’nt had problems with any of them and espically the Aztek , I use it almost all the time , to easy to change nozzles .
I’m sure there’s lemon’s in every brand , it’s just like car’s , but if you were to buy a specific brand of car you like and it happened to break down all the time but other people who have the same car runs like a champ , would you blame the brand or just that one car ? Just a little something to think about .
Large Honk…I’m an Omni Lover!!!
I can`t help it. But I am quite satisfied with mine. Then again I´ve just used it 4 times[:D]
HONK!!!
I used an Aztek for several years. Then I got a Paasche VL last year. Case closed. I haven’t used my Aztek since.
I purchased an Aztec A470 about a year and a half ago on the recommendation of my LHS. I was getting back into modeling after a long, long time away and had never used an AB.
The short version is I fought the Aztec all the way. The nozzles were a pain – always clogging. Soaking was only marginally successful – and I pulled the nozzle immediately after completing a job. Sometimes I had to change nozzles several times during a session. I almost always had to pull the needle out and clean it and the spring. The caveat is I use Tamiya flat acrylics exclusively – thinned 1:1. This could have been a factor.
But, the biggest problem was it would never worked in double action mode. It started shooting paint as soon as the trigger was depressed, regardless of the adjustment setting, the air pressure setting or the nozzle being used. A warranty replacement still didn’t fix the problem.
I finally resolved the problem a couple of months ago. I purchased an Omni 6000, so I could use my Aztec cups. Now I can actually airbrush for the first time and start to learn how to paint and not fight the equipment!
Jim
Jim,
How do you like that Omni 6000? I am always curious as to people’s feedback of Badger products. [;)]
Mike
Hi Mike,
I love the 6000. It just fell out of the box and worked. I was really beginning to doubt my abilities as a modeler because of my A470 hassles. I really appreciate your participation on the forum. I bought the Omni based on your advice – from Coast Airbrush. The LHS’s here were not much help. It was “buy what’s in my showcase”. All I could find was Aztec’s or low end Badgers.
From what I read, the 6000 is the same as the 4000 and 5000 except for the side feed, removable cup. I use this feature when cleaning the AB. I drop the Omni cup in some cleaner, plug in the big Aztec bottle I keep full of Windex, crank up the pressure and spray until the paint is flushed out. Done……
The only criticism I have is the documentation included with the Omni was very minimal, at least for a beginner like me. No “how to” information was included, like how to clean the AB, how to disassemble/assemble, when and how to lube the AB, etc.
Thanks again for your help.
Jim
Thanks for the reply Jim and the kind words. [:)]
I’m surprised you were able to walk out of Coast Airbrush with an Omni.
They push Iwata big time! [:D]
I haven’t seen an airbrush yet that had documentation that I would consider real helpful to a beginner. The best way to learn is from some of the good people on this forum. I learn something new everyday from this group of experienced modelers. [tup]
Mike
I’ve had my Aztek now for well over 4 years and I never had a problem with it yet. I’ve even taken apart the needles to clean (I was a bit anal about cleaning for awhile) and put them back together with no problems. Now when I clean I just shoot (actually force through with the trigger open, no air) Polyclens, followed by water. A few blasts of air to dry it out and I’m on to my next colour.
I agree Jim, about the breakdown, and lube part missing from the manual, but one thing I did like, is the suggestion of “backflushing”. I have never heard of that, and It has been such an awesome technique to use during cleaning of my Omni 5000.
I love Aztec when it comes to acrylics. But I will never use laquer in it ever again. The laquer ate the seal in the nozzle. Also, I’m too lazy to take the more expensice airbrushes, like Badger, apart to clean.
Hello,
As my english is poor, copy part of Aftermarket message, i subscribe this, the same!!!:
“The short version is I fought the Aztec all the way. The nozzles were a pain – always clogging. Soaking was only marginally successful – and I pulled the nozzle immediately after completing a job. Sometimes I had to change nozzles several times during a session. I almost always had to pull the needle out and clean it and the spring”
After, double action works several months, but one day… stop work!! some adjustement is broken, trigguer is “free”… i send mail to Testors, they respond fast; i send my airbrush, and five weeks later i receive a new body airbrush…
But in July my small brother travel to USA for Hollidays, and i think…order a new airbrush!!! I read many, many msg in this forum about the subject, and decide purchase Iwata Eclipse (sorry Mike, i also considere the Omni 5000, but at finish…[:I]).
Well, my Aztek (new body) rest untouched more… sometimes i sell in Ebay… My Eclipse is…oooops[:D] Never clogged, simple and fast cleaner, beautiful finishes… Thank to the members of this forum.
Peppp61
Thats odd, I use my aztek with no problem what so ever. I like my aztek in the fact that it is very simple to use. Yes you probably would want to use Superlube for it, available at:
www.dixieart.com if you get superlube, put in a drop every once in a while, then you will have no problems with the airbrush. That lube stuff is awesome!! it keeps the paint from adhering to your airbrush, beautiful stuff.
Hey kik36 ------ Coast Airbrush says back flushing is a no-no.
I thought the back flushing was OK too, that’s what the instructions tell you to do, until I called Coast AB to ask about a manual, cleaning and lubricating the AB. I told them I was back flushing.
They said: “Never do that. Back flushing forces paint into the body of the AB.”???
That’s when I came up with the routine of using an Aztec siphon bottle loaded with Windex at high pressure. It’s worked so far……
Jim