bmwh548

I get along ok with Green Stuff World (only tested the inkjet paper).

Try an automotive parts shop. The seals should be more resistant to wear (and possibly solvents, but that's not really relevant for the application).

I use it exclusively through the airbrush for my homemade decals. Heavily diluted with IPA, 0.4mm nozzle. Works fine.

Everytime I used CA as filler it becomes visible in time. You'll sand it nice and smooth, apply primer, sand that, all is well, birds are chirping. Come back to it a week later and you can clearly see the contour of whatever flaw you filled with CA. I've had better luck with "sprue goo". It's still not perfect and it takes a fair bit of time to dry, but it doesn't show as much as CA.

You have the original stuff, just the older versions. They changed the markings on the needles and nozzles a few years ago. Make sure you get some photos when you order replacements so you don't mix them all up. Not an issue for the needles, but I think the old 0.4 nozzle had one marking and the new 0.2 has one marking (don't take my word on it, it's been a while).

The rubber seal on the nozzle cap IS solvent resistant. It swells up a bit after taking a hit of lacquer thinner and it goes back to the normal size in a matter of minutes after it dries up. I'm not 100% sure, but I think mine still has the original seal (after....6 years maybe?). Make sure you didn't cross the set (the 0.2 nozzle cover with the 0.4 nozzle, or maybe the needle...). There's markings to help you sort them out. The nozzle covers you can tell apart just by looking at the diameter of the holes. Get a dental brush and clean the nozzle covers, there might be some dried up paint in there blocking your airflow. Every time I had bubbling I just gave the nozzle cover a twist and the problem went away.

Maybe changing the technique a bit? I would try a lower viscosity putty, slow drying time. Fill in the gap (as best as you can) and then smooth it using your finger (maybe a bit wet). After the putty hardens do some sanding, look at it in the light, apply a second coat of putty where needed. I typically apply the putty, do the initial sanding and the follow up with a brushed coat of Surfacer 500, sand again and move on to primer.

I think they removed the stainless steel ball because some users complained the bottle shattered. You realize it would be a legal nightmare if said people would get cellulose paint in their eyes and end up with partial/total blindness. Some colours mix fairly quickly, but others will definitely need more than 30 seconds for mixing all the pigment. I have a bottle of Dark green blue (Sukhoi paint) that needs A LOT of shaking. Some of them will cover in one go, others will need a lot of very thin layers and yes, it does dry to a satin finish. Also: be very careful with trigger mishaps. I've seen plastic crazed by MRP because someone got a bit too trigger happy.

From personal experience: Tamiya's flat paints tend to have a slight sheen when brush painted. The same paints dry incredibly flat when airbrushed. Revell's Aqua range (of flat paints) dries dead flat when brushed. Again: strictly my own experience.

Did you try a single bottle of paint during all the experiments? At some point I've had some gritty Tamiya (old stock probably) that would clog up completely random. After putting it through a filter it left grit inside the filter (the pigment must have solidified at some point). After filtering it the problem went away. The issue is more predominant as you go down on the nozzle diameter.

Do you mean that paint just splutters out when you turn on the "compressor"? Without pulling back on the trigger? That would suggest the needle isn't seating properly/nozzle is cracked/there's a bad seal somewhere.

You could cheat and do partly opened front windows. That would make the slot (on the windows) invisible and you could just sand off the excess plastic from the doors.

I think they call it an alcohol based enamel. I used lacquers as a base for it, I'm guessing you want to avoid compatibility issues hence the question. You don't thin it. It's almost like pure thinner, it really doesn't need any more. I clean it with bog standard lacquer thinner. I used GX112, just make sure it's 1...maybe 2 light coats. If you go heavy it will rehydrate the AK stuff (also it will give it a weird super glossy look). Also remember testing Alclad's Aqua thingy and it didn't change the sheen of the paint. You should do some tests on scrap with various varnishes until you find the right one for you.

Never have I ever. My eye is the first measuring tool. The way the mix moves in the cup, how "liquid" it is. Second measuring tool is my ear. If you hear the airbrush crackling something's up. Typically during summer thinner will evaporate faster (I use 99% lacquers) so the mix will actually become thicker...when it happens I hear the airbrush starting to sound differently and I feel the need to up air pressure. I just add a drop or two of thinner in the cup and remix and it's all good again.

Their thinner might be towards the cellulose range. And those will do a number on plastic parts. I use IPA to clean up paint from styrene, hasn't failed yet. Sometimes it can take a while to soften the paint, others will start swelling/dissolving within minutes.

If you're using a different front end (like the one on the Infinity or Evo) you may want to check/change the seal on that too. It wears out after a while. The Ultra standard front end comes without an O ring there (or at least that's how mine was delivered).

All the seals are interchangeable (except for the specific "waist" ones). I used a CR+ kit on the Ultra.

The original Dremel chuck can fit shanks that are only marginally bigger than 3.2mm in diameter. Just tried to fit a 3.5mm drill bit and it aaaalmost fits. So my guess would be 3.3-3.4mm maximum shank diameter. There's aftermarket chucks that can go up to 6.5mm, but I have no idea if they'll actually fit your Dremel tool (the thread and diameter on the tool's shank isn't universal).

AK says it's actually water based so X20A (which has some alcohol in it) won't mix properly. Try the AK thinner (or maybe some Vallejo if you can't find AK). Try mixing it in an external cup with various thinners. Stir it and check for lumps and/or gritty stuff. That way you can narrow it down to the correct thinner.

Tamiya and Gunze Clear paints over...whatever you like. Popular choices would be a gold/silver/chrome base and then several coats of Clear (until you get the desired effect). I would suggest Tamiya's metallic paints as a base just because (to my eyes) the flake is larger and it makes the clear "pop". It really depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you need to stick to less harmful stuff you could look at Green Stuff World. They have a range of candy paints.

You can still find the diecast version. It's made by Schabak and it's an ancient model (so the body isn't exactly sharp). You might be able to use the kit's other parts to give it more detail (like the underbody, interior).

As an Ultra owner/user I repeat: you need the whole Infinity nozzle and needle cap. Not just the needle cap. Unless H&S decided to do a full redesign on the Ultra front end, you still have the one piece part as standard. You can't take off the needle guard on it's own and just put another one in. So yes, you will need to spend somewhere in the 20-30 quid range if you want the pinch tip. I've had it on mine for years, it's definitely worth it. Alternatively you could get an entire set (needle, nozzle, nozzle cap, needle cap), sooner or later you'll need to replace the needle/nozzle and this way you get more for your money.

You can't buy a generic one because you need the nozzle cap as well. The standard nozzle cap and needle guard are a single piece on the Ultra. If you want the two prong tip you'll have to get the Infinity set. It might feel expensive, but it's a part that will last you a lifetime.

Is it an old bottle? How long did you shake/stir/mix it? Maybe the flattening agent settled on the bottom and it didn't mix properly?

Happened to me with a Tamiya kit. My routine was water, soap (the standard one, no added softeners for your skin or whatever), heavy rinsing, primer and so on. Never had an issue. Until that Tamiya kit. All the primer was just flying away (Mr. Surfacer 1200). Cleaned up everything, went back for a heavy degreaser, rinse, primer. No more issues. My conclusion is that some manufacturers might be using some mould release agent that isn't easily washed away and needs a thorough clean. To clean the primer I let the parts soak in IPA overnight followed by a bit of scrubbing with a hard(er) paint brush. Worked fine, no scratches.