Well the Iwata arrived today and it is in pretty good condition although the lady who owned it needs a really good lesson on cleaning an airbrush. [:0]
The trigger was sticky because the needle still had dried paint on it along with paint in the tip, in the bowl, on the outside of the bowl and body. It is getting a good cleaning and the tip and aircap are soaking in lacquer thinner as we speak.
I don’t have the quick connect for the Iwata yet so I cannot try it out until it arrives so that I can attach it to my hose.
First impressions are pretty good. The chrome job is excellent and the fit and feel are nice. One thing I do not like, and it is not really that big of a deal, is the pivoting bottom of the trigger. It is designed like the Paasche VL’s trigger in that it is a little harder to insert it back into the air valve because of it wanting to pivot.
I prefer the Omni and Badger one-piece triggers as they are quick and simple, but as I said already it is not that big of a deal.
Also, the trigger tension is not adjustable very far so if you like a tighter trigger you aren’t going to get it with this airbrush. I was surprised they didn’t give it more room for adjustment.
The needle has a long taper and is more like a #1 needle on a Vega or other fine needle on airbrushes. It does not have a double-taper like Badger’s Anthem and 360 needles do.
When I get the quick connect I will try it out and see how it feels.
that wasnt too bad mike, im proud of ya![;)] i personally like the hp-c better because of the feel. the hp-cs is larger and heavier than the omni so thats the main reason i like the hp-cs over the omni. plus, with both of my iwatas, i like the longer “stem” if you will that the air hose connects to which acts as sort of a pistol grip for me. again, i have thick hands and the iwatas are more comfortable in my hand than the omni. later.
I am not going to be biased on my opinion of an airbrush Chris.
If I think another brand is as good or even better than a Badger/T&C then I will say so, but I will continue to be a loyal Badger user and proponent regardless of what other country’s are producing.
You have the Omni 5000 though which has a smaller cup than the 4000.
The HP-CS is slightly heavier than the Omni 4000 but they feel similar.
Actually the trigger on my Omni 4000 is almost as good as the HP-CS and the Anthem and 360 are just as good as the HP-CS in every way. [:D]
Outstanding MikeV, hope (I know you will) you enjoy it! Yeah, the trigger was weird when I was looking at it before I sprayed with it, but when I sprayed with it it was the best feeling to see extremly fine lines without having to beg or plead with the AB to get them![bow]
Hey gang im purchasing an iwata hp this weekend based on reading your assesments.I will ley you know how thing go.thanks for your opinions and look foreward to chatting with all members. willie65
That’s the nature of machined parts. Sometimes some are smoother than others.
I noticed that my Omni 4000 got smoother as it was used and broken in. Did you notice the same thing.
oh dont get me wrong rooster, its smooth per say, its just not as smooth as my hp-cs or omni 5000. i have no complaints whatsoever about it. didn’t you say that you have an hp-c?
since you have the hp-c, then you probably still use the .3mm n/n right? if so, what type of painting do you do with it as far as modelling goes? i just found that model paints and the .3mm n/n really a problematic combo in my experience. i tried several different thinning ratios and psi with the same basic result. later.
Ditto, salty. With the .3mm nozzle you have to be really careful with the thinning. If the paint was too thick I would get sputter and clog. If it was too thin a paint mixture then the coverage wasn’t good and I ran the chance of overspraying and the dribble effect. I could never spray a larger metallic paint like square bottle Testors Gold.
So I save the HP-C for just very small and fine area of a model painting. With the proper thinning the HP would make an easy to do thin and sharp line.
An Omni or HP-CR is a better airbrush for modeling to me. If I just had an HP-C then I would consider converting the airbrush to a larger nozzle. Or for a little more money just buy an all new airbrush. As you can tell I really think the conversion is too costly for the HP. Isn’t is around $40 + shipping for a coversion kit?
well rooster, out of pure ignorance, i purchased the hp-c for modelling as i researched the chart on the iwata home page and it says “E” for excellent for hobbiest, enamels, and acrylics, so i bought it. i was very disappointed with the results to say the least but i loved the comfort and feel of the airbrush. i could never get the line i wanted consistantly with the .3mm n/n combo. i finally decided that the .3mm n/n was maybe just too small to handle the pigments in model paints so i went shopping for another airbrush. i read much praise about the hp-cs on this forum and other places on the web so i decided to go to dixieart and purchase the hp-cs. while there, i stumbled across the .4mm n/n conversion kit for $49 which was cheaper than purchasing an hp-cs for $105. converted the hp-c to the .4mm n/n and fell in love with the airbrush. a couple of weeks later i came across a little extra work (i buried a dead horse for a guy down the street from where i live with my backhoe[(-D]) that paid well and i went ahead and purchased the hp-cs and i love it too. i have some more after hour backhoe work to do and i plan to purchase an hp-cr next. i noticed on the instruction sheet on my hp-cs that they list a .5mm n/n combo as an option. i cant find any information besides this so do you know if this is available? if so, ill just buy the .5mm n/n. with the conversion kit on my hp-c, it is by far my favorite airbrush. but, like you say, i wouldnt go that route. i just stumbled down that route out of ignorance. the hp-cs is the best modelling airbrush OOB that ive used. later.
im thinking of getting this airbrush. do you recommend this one? mine just broke somehow. im going to send it in but i think its time for a change.(i noticed that this a very old post but i need help) thank you.