I thin Model Air 10-20% or so with my own blend of thinner and it sprays beautifully through my .25 Badger at around 23 psi.That tip has always been an exceptionally good tip imo. No complaints at all. I’m sure their own flow improver would do the same with however much it took to get the job done. I’ve shot it straight from the bottle with the same tip and it works but I have to open up more, it doesn’t take much to thin it that little bit and get nice smooth results in a range I like to shoot in.
i do not think it is your manager. we have a GREAT LHS in Denver and they are not fully stocked with Tamiya.
There were definitely supply chain issues with a lot of overseas manufacturers for a while, but I think things are about to get better. I had Tamiya and MRP items I had been waiting for for at least 6 months that all came back in stock a little over a week ago at Sprue Brothers.
The key to spraying Vallejo Model Air and other water based acrylics as Hataka Red Line and AK Gen 3 is thinning them with Vallejo Flow Improver. In our dry climate, I use 2:1, Flow Improver to Paint. Vallejo AB Thinner causes tip dry too quickly and I don’t use it anymore to thin paints (I do use the thinner on occasion to thin Vallejo Poly clears (satin or matt)).
Thinning with Flow Improver makes Vallejo Model Air spray like properly thinned enamels, smooth with no tip dry. Yes, drying takes longer using more Flow Improver but paint still dries as fast or faster than enamels. I lay down one coat and let dry 24 hrs, then spray Camo pattern, let dry 48 hrs and then lay down an acrylic gloss (I like Createx 4050 or Vallejo) to protect underlying paint for decals. Seal decals with gloss, let dry, and then coat with Vallejo Satin Varnish, let dry and begin weathering!
I second this. Also, don’t use alcohol initially in the cleaning process. That will also give you a mucked up airbrush. I run distilled water (from my dehumidifier) through my airbrush first, and then once it’s fairly clean, I’ll run alcohol through it.