Earnest

This is the cutaway at the cup

I will try to find photos of the cutaway

Summary: A good airbrush for its job but with some peculiarities that can be a deal breaker. Yesterday I had my first painting session with my new Badger Sotar 20/20 V, which I bought directly from Badger with the 2020 Birthday discount. The V has a 0.3 nozzle / needle and a larger cup (sort of - I will explain later). For reference, I have been an owner of an Olympos side-feed airbrush (0.3) for something like 20 years, and a Harder and Steenbeck Evolution (0.2 / 0.4) for one and a half year. The Olympos is a great airbrush but the side feed always bothered me, and the H&S is also great but I cannot get comfortable with the position of the trigger. Both the Olympos and the H&S are manufactured like precision surgical instruments. Upon taking the Sotar out of the pouch it came with, two things impressed me: First, how it fit in my hand. Like the shoe that you will not throw away even though it is falling apart because it is soooo comfortable. I got an immediate similar feeling from the Sotar. Second, that any movement of the needle felt rougher than what I was used to. I took the needle out to find that it was well lubricated, so I attribute the roughness to the back-and-forth friction against some sealing o-ring. Which I do not consider a bad thing, given that my H&S will, when backflushed, send paint back to the trigger section. During painting, the Sotar gave me good atomization, even though I noticed that I needed about 5 PSI more in all scenarios, which I attribute (probably because I am physics-illiterate) to the smaller aperture of the air inlet (which also delayed my enjoyment of the airbrush as I had to find the appropriate adapter!) I am not a big detail painter but in my fooling around with the Sotar, it seems that details wouldn't be a problem. Also, I have to point out that Badger does not provide any protection for the needle while in use and only a badly-cut rubber tube thingy like a cap for when not in use. I understand that this is a discount item but it makes the whole thing feel a little cheap. What is weird in this airbrush is the cup. The Sotar V, being a more general purpose airbrush, has a bigger cup than the other Sotars. However, the cup has a cutaway on its back side from the top to half the height of the cup which makes a significant portion of the cup useless. Deal breaker: The airbrush is great so far but I will not buy another Sotar. The deal breaker is the miiiiniscule nozzle. Smaller than my H&S (of course, since H&S have comparatively huge nozzles - which was its selling point for me, compared to my Olympos) but also smaller than my Olympos which I understand is Iwata-sized and for me was already marginally too small but thankfully has two flat surfaces on its two sides that made it much more handlable. Sotar nozzle is so small that I can barely hold between my fingers - and I have normal fingers. But I also have a standing relation with the floor monster (no carpet) so I am sure that one of these days this small small nozzle will disappear never to be found again. So a good airbrush for its job but with some peculiarities which can be a deal breaker.

I also have a Sparmax. 610. Once in a lifetime purchase and its quality guarantees that.

Mostly for Luftwaffe and IJA / IJN mottling. Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately I cannot achieve it in this way. Yes Mission Models (if only they expanded their line - they would be my exlusive line). I will check it out. Thanks

I spray Stynylrez with a 0.3 side feed Olympos and a 0.4 gravity feed HS. Working fine on both. I don't thin it and I never had problems.

Never used Tamiya. Only this and it's fine. Quite forgiving.

Hello fellow modellers (in the words of Plasmo) I have been trying for quite a while to achieve pencil-thick lines with Vallejo Model Air. Didn't manage so far. I have Harder Steenbeck and Olympos airbrushes. Always thinning with Vallejo Thinner with a couple of drops of Vallejo Flow Improver. I have thinned the paints in oh so many ratios, used all kinds of low pressure going PSI by PSI. I either get spider lines or thick atomization with chunks going all around. I am quite desperate. However, I am willing to continue my efforts as long as someone tells me that it is doable and that they achieved it themselves. I am interested only in Vallejos (and maybe MMP), not enamel- or lacquer-thinned paints (and that includes Tamiya, Mr. Hobby / Gunze). Thank you in advance.

Got it. Thank you

Hi guys, I am a newb in AFV that wants to build some tanks. One of my favs being Matilda, in my searches, I found the Red Army Matilda by Tamiya more or less 15 bucks more expensive than the original Matilda. Can somebody tell me why is that? Searched for it but couldn't find something. TIA

Beautiful work

Saw it up close in Moson. Beautiful kit. Bought one

Add also Mission Models Paints, MPR, Hataka, Akan. And also make it an app. Then you can make some money.

That is very inspirational!!! Where are the figures from?

Thank you. That looks great!

I just bought the new SS-100 and 88mm Flak 37 Set by Tamiya and was thinking to combine it in a diorama with a Bf109 E4 that I am building. The question is whether the 109 and the 88mm were / could have been ever so close together in a field in a real situation. I know that I can do whatever I want but I would like to build something that could have been even if it never was... ;)

Ba Dum Tss :) :) :)

Awesome work!!

I finished my first tank with a heavy weathering of mainly oil washes. Can I use acrylic matte varnish on top of that?

I am using a small spray booth and a mask (good habit kept from the enamel days) so I cannot really say much. From what I smell when I sometimes unmask, MMP do not really have a strong smell. Vallejo have this vinegary / windex smell from their thinners and cleaners. However, as fas as I can say I prefer the MMP by far.

Vallejo mainly and lately Mission Models Paints. You should try MMP if they are available close to you. Thanks Paul. Probably I will.

Thanks. I will probably get the adjsutment piece also. I forgot to mention that I am a strictly acrylics user too. I will edit the post.

Background I am a strictly acrylics user (Vallejo mainly and lately Mission Models paints). I have owned and used an Olympus Hp-23 (sidefeed, 0.3 needle) for many years (I am an on and off modeller for the last twenty years). Olympos are quite similar to Iwata airbrushes. I haven't had any experience with other airbrushes in actual use. I had some hands-on experience in various modelling events but without actually using air and paint. So, Santa Claus (using my wife as an informer) got me a Harder & Steenbeck Evolution 2 in 1 (0.2 and 0.4 needles and nozzles). After a lot of research (mainly youtube videos and the occasional handling), I decided that this brand and model would be the best for me and my needs. First impressions in the box and on the hand A beautiful piece of hardware. Very nice weight, not too light not too heavy. Before starting up my compressor, two things felt weird: One, the distance of the trigger from the nozzle opening compared to my other airbrush (my Olympos is more than a centimeter shorter in that respect). Two, the trigger gave me a little crunchy feeling. However, keep reading... Impressions in use (I used so far only the 0.4 needle nozzle combo. I have some models I am finishing and none of those need detailed work so far. I will probably edit this post for the 0.2 nozzle in the near future) So 0.4 combo! Wooow!!! This is like a fire hose. I almost flooded some areas but I quickly got control over it. Very good and fast coverage. Quite risky until you get used to it. The weird things I mentioned above disappeared. The distance didn't bother me anymore after two minutes of use (plus I found out that H&S sits perfectly on my cleaning station which was not the case with my "shorty" Olympos). The trigger had a fantastic response in both air and paint. However, having mentioned that I have to say that I found another weird thing (at least for me). The "only air / no paint" position of the trigger is a little too forward - for my habits at least. So every time I press the trigger thinking I am at the "only air / no paint" position, I am actually at the "minimum paint" position. Not a big problem and I expect to get used to that soon enough. Cleaning A Christmas miracle! Not having to use the special spanner to remove the miniscule nozzle which was hell to handle and even heller not to lose, is great, great, great!!! Plus not having to deal with all the peculiarities of the side feed as opposed to gravity feed was also a big plus. Conclusion I would definitely buy again. I would also consider the Silverline for the needle adjustment which would be quite helpful with the fire hose 0.4 combo. Questions? Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.

Try White tack https://goo.gl/images/RmY8Mg

Silair is virtually silent. However, I think that it requires some maintenance (don't quote me on it). Sparmax makes some noise but barely audible outside a closed door. I even put it on a folded rug and that dampens it even more.