ausf
Master at Arms
As promised, my AB report of the Iwata HP TH. Wasn't sure where to stick the thread, feel free to move it if necessary.
I arrived at my porch the same time UPS did, so about 15 minutes later (I have the house to myself for a few hours), I was firing the puppy up.
First impression, this thing is huge, but definitely gorgeous, hefty Iwata solidness, all for $154 (no tax/no shipping on Amazon). This is the Japan release, they skipped the grip style water trap, aluminum case and the customary Iwata QC test paper that the US release has, but it's also $250 less, so a cardboard box is fine with me. It included two air caps, flat spray and round as well as a small tube of needle lube and Japanese instructions.
I haven't had a gravity feed with a color cup before, I wish I knew it popped off, I was trying to twist it and for a few minutes thought I had a cross threaded piece. I eventually got it off, but I can see I'll need to be careful in the future, not to go through any hijinks with a cup full of paint. Probably won't use the cap much, it's a sizeable cup, can't see filling it anywhere near the top.
Mr. Budzik knows his stuff (as if there was a doubt). What a difference in how the paint lays down. I truly can't believe I used to prime and paint 1/16 armor with my HP-BC2. Wide, wet coverage, no pebbling. I'll prime Batman with it soon to really give it a once over. I can't wait to lay down a coat of Future with this thing.
Here's a comparison shot of the three Iwatas I have and their patterns on black styrene stock with grey Vallejo Poly Primer straight from the bottle, no thinning. Pressure about 30 PSI across the board, I plan on messing arounnd with mixtures and pressures in the next few days to get the most out of these three.
In order from top to bottom:
The new HP-TH, pattern is two straight passes from about 2 inches away.
The HP-BC2 and finally the HP-AH.
Here's closer pics of the brushes in their cases which have changed over the years more than the brushes have.
My workhorse, the HP-BC2. I bought it from the original Pearl Paint on Canal Street in Manhattan back in '81 or '82. Still has the original tip and needle. Been working flawlessly all these years, but didn't start being used on models until the 00s. Nice wooden case.
Next up is the HP-AH I picked up a few years back. US release, I bought it for detail work, but mainly for quick color changes of a gravity feed (washing out the siphon cup between colors is a drag, plus so much paint is wasted feeding that way). Plastic snap case.
Finally, the new toy, the HP-TH. Huge, moves a ton of paint, easy to clean, the needle is almost blunt by comparison to the others. Two caps. Simple cardboard box.
I arrived at my porch the same time UPS did, so about 15 minutes later (I have the house to myself for a few hours), I was firing the puppy up.
First impression, this thing is huge, but definitely gorgeous, hefty Iwata solidness, all for $154 (no tax/no shipping on Amazon). This is the Japan release, they skipped the grip style water trap, aluminum case and the customary Iwata QC test paper that the US release has, but it's also $250 less, so a cardboard box is fine with me. It included two air caps, flat spray and round as well as a small tube of needle lube and Japanese instructions.
I haven't had a gravity feed with a color cup before, I wish I knew it popped off, I was trying to twist it and for a few minutes thought I had a cross threaded piece. I eventually got it off, but I can see I'll need to be careful in the future, not to go through any hijinks with a cup full of paint. Probably won't use the cap much, it's a sizeable cup, can't see filling it anywhere near the top.
Mr. Budzik knows his stuff (as if there was a doubt). What a difference in how the paint lays down. I truly can't believe I used to prime and paint 1/16 armor with my HP-BC2. Wide, wet coverage, no pebbling. I'll prime Batman with it soon to really give it a once over. I can't wait to lay down a coat of Future with this thing.
Here's a comparison shot of the three Iwatas I have and their patterns on black styrene stock with grey Vallejo Poly Primer straight from the bottle, no thinning. Pressure about 30 PSI across the board, I plan on messing arounnd with mixtures and pressures in the next few days to get the most out of these three.
In order from top to bottom:
The new HP-TH, pattern is two straight passes from about 2 inches away.
The HP-BC2 and finally the HP-AH.
Here's closer pics of the brushes in their cases which have changed over the years more than the brushes have.
My workhorse, the HP-BC2. I bought it from the original Pearl Paint on Canal Street in Manhattan back in '81 or '82. Still has the original tip and needle. Been working flawlessly all these years, but didn't start being used on models until the 00s. Nice wooden case.
Next up is the HP-AH I picked up a few years back. US release, I bought it for detail work, but mainly for quick color changes of a gravity feed (washing out the siphon cup between colors is a drag, plus so much paint is wasted feeding that way). Plastic snap case.
Finally, the new toy, the HP-TH. Huge, moves a ton of paint, easy to clean, the needle is almost blunt by comparison to the others. Two caps. Simple cardboard box.
I have been studying this topic for a couple of years now and I feel pretty certain this is the way to go.
