I consider getting me a back-up compressor. Since I have a Tamiya airbrush, I wonder how good their compressors are?.One is powered by recargale batteries, so I need to have a charging device also?
Hi this will be long and may bore you. Also I’m in the USA so everything I say applies to this country.
Early 1990’s a long closed hobby shop had the Tamiya Spray Work AB for $89…I had been using a basic Badger AB with cans of compressed air…a real pain . The Tamiya Spray work AB came with a compressor. Had never heard of the Tamiya AB and all on me when spending the $89… I didn’t ask the clerk at the store enough questions or read the box carefully. It is meant to be hooked up to a battery for RC cars/trucks. Ok, now what ???
My then GF now wife…had a co-worker with a computer geek husband. I took him the Tamiya Spray Work compressor…he rigged it up to a computer power pack and the compressor worked fine, I plugged it into a wall socket for power. The compressor itself was loud…and you “regulate” your air flow off the trigger style AB handle. Much of the AB itself is plastic and much of the parts are replaceable. The needles, nozzles and internal workings of the AB are either metal or brass. And I liked what it could do/how it worked.
It was a great AB till the compressor gave out about 3-4 years ago and I used the thing probably 10-14 times a year. I shot mostly Model Master and Testors enamels…for some reason I could thin those brands down nice. lt worked hassle free all the time…that was until Tamiya acrylics started to come on the scene and I’d use both enamels and acrylics through the AB.
The Tamiya Basic AB trigger style I found was great for a single color…I’m an armor guy so OD Green, Ger. Gray, Dark Yellow, Russian Green, etc it worked great. The AB was not the best for camo’s, the "fine " nozzle was not “fine” enough for really nice camo’s on German and other tanks. I sometime do 72nd planes and doing a camo pattern didn’t always look perfect…the fine nozzle still had “overspray”.
The compressor was working good and as internal AB parts wore out with sometimes careful searching I found mail order shops…one in CA that sold nothing but AB’s for cars and tatoo’s…had access to Tamiya AB’s.
Early 2000’s a armor buddy won at a model show a Tamiya HG gravity fed AB he sold it to me for $100. Its very different then the Basic Trigger style, but it can do very fine and perfect camo’s on tanks or planes. This AB is 100% all metal…no plastic anything and it’s rumored to be made by Iwata though I have no proof .So, I’m looking good up till maybe 2019-20. The compressor from the 1st basic AB I bought early 1990’s, running off some computer power back plugged into the wall… started to give out.
2021 my wife from AMAZON got me the Tamiya Spray Work Advanced compressor. I had researched this model and knew I could use my Basic Trigger style AB and the HG AB, I can regulate the air flow with a knob on the compressor and it’s quite and very small. It was not cheap even from AMAZON. Both the Tamiya HG brand gravity fed AB and the Advanced Compressor come with “adaptors” to be able to hook the AB to a different brand AB and the compressor has an adapter to allow other brand AB’s to mate with this machine.
Again no idea where you are. My part of the US has very few “hobby shops”. Pre COVID times…when Hooby Lobby stores where still kind of “new” they offered 40% of one item coupons. They carried and still do…no longer do the coupon thing, Iwata AB and compressors. What hobby shops are still around an AB and compressor are much money, unless buying some starter type set up…but at Hobby Lobby 40% off an AB one week then the next week 40% off the compressor…you could score a real nice Iwata set up for $200 maybe less. I think Hobby Lobby has other brands, not sure. I didn’t take advantage of those coupons …should have.
I have seen videos on YouTube and model sites where guys try out less pricey AB’s and compressor’s and the results look very good. I like what I have and how they work.
It’s up to you how you spend your money. Some brands are less then Tamiya across the board…part of the cost is paying for the name…same with Iwata …there are plenty of brands and sellers in the US of compressors and AB’s out there. I do not believe Tamiya AB’s or compressors are very popular in the US…not sure really. No model buddy I know, no matter what they build use a Tamiya AB and/or compressor.
If I bored you sorry, was trying to be honest. Good luck Mike.
Thanks for the info. I need to find a shop that has the compressor and can give me advice face-to-face.