Iwata Custom Micron Takumi Side Feed Airbrush has a redesigned, compact body style, combined with a new gravity assisted side feed cup and siphon cut lid improves paint flow.
“compact body style” hummmmm…
That knurled rear end would probably end up scratching the skin at the base of my thumb.
I need/want at least 4 inches between the trigger and the rear end of the body.
Most airbrushes are a little short for my taste. Maybe I could make a body extension for it …
I’m after a very fine detail solution for airbrushing and this airbrush’s predecessor, the Custom Micron was on the (short) list.
Issue i have with it is that if i’m spending EUR450+ on a really amazing airbrush, will i be able to use it as i do my Eclipse? That is to say, if theres a 2mm or 1.8mm needle in it, wont i have to thin the paint down an inordinate amount and will it struggle with things like Vallejo Model Air that goes in the cup very thick and only needs a drop or two of drying retarder?
I don’t mind spending the money, i just want to know if it will cope with the sort of acrylic paints I want to spray through it.
Anyone have any thoughts?
Although I know people who sprays Vallejo effortlessly with a 0.2mm needle, personally I prefer not going below 0.3mm.
Have you looked at the HP-C
https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_403_1_9_49&products_id=34
or the HP-CH?
Any advantage to side-feed? Or… was it just a design necessity due to the compact size? The article mentions better user view of the work area but it’s an airbrush, not a rifle. I don’t have any sights on my Badger.
A bottom feeder (cup below the AB) requires more suction to get the paint up to the business end.
A side or top feed allows you to use lower pressure since gravity pulls the paint towards the needle/nozzle.
Badger also have AB’s with side or top feed
I mix in the cup….the horror I know but the top feeder has the needle in the way and the side cup does not. I use an Iwata HP-SHS with an Aztec side cup. It’s a larger cup then Iwata’s default cup. The other is an in cup Iwata HP-CP.
My mark I eyes can mess up both top and side spraying. I am what you call a double threat. 
But, it there any advantage to a side feed VS top feed aside from mixing in the cup?
I’ve seen Night Shift (Martin Kovac) do that on his videos.
I’d say that mixing in the cup is stupid but that is just my opinion.
I do it myself sometimes when I’m in a hurry ( I can be stupid too …),
it can be done in the siphon-feed cup hanging under my Badger AB.
Mixing in the cup is not an exclusive feature for side or top feed.
The side feed brings the cup away from my fingers making my grip on the AB
less crowded which is one advantage.
The other advantage would be the possibility to use lower pressure for fine work.
The side feed isn’t unique to this AB, many others have it.
My favourite hate AB, Aztec 470, also had it. I disliked it because it had special feature
which provided randomised spray pattern. Every time I let the needle close the nozzle and then opened it again the spray would go in a new and unpredictable direction.
I managed to sell it to someone who still believed the marketing hype. That was a lucky day 
I probably have too. I know some of my club members would be clutching their pearls at the idea just like @Uncle-Heavy and I am sure others on here will string me up too. Oh well, to each their own.
I usually end up saying bad words after spilling paint whan I try to save time by mixing in the cup …
I get that, I have a plastic sheet under the paint area and a make shift hanger for supporting the ab to be hands free help prevent that.
Errrrrr…No comment then on how I mix my paint 
Umhum … You too huh?
That’s one of the advantages. A side-feed cup allows you to have an unobscured view of the area you’re painting at all times. You can even rotate it a little bit if it still obscures the view. This is not the case when the cup is mounted on top of the body of the airbrush, especially when you paint fine details with constantly changing angles.
Another advantage of a side-feed airbrush is that you can attach relatively large, siphon-feed cups for painting large areas, as well as smaller, gravity-feed cups when you need less paint.
The last thing is, as mentioned, the ease of swapping cups, as well as cleaning them.
That’s an interesting twist on the Iwata Custom Micron but I’ll stick with my original Custom Micro with gravity feed. I’m sure it’s an excellent AB etc.
Holy Cows Make The Best Hamburgers 
I’ve always mix directly in the color cup 
Pipettes make it just too easy to do:)