Airbrushing Vallejo Model Air Colors

Hi Tankster,

I like using acrylics, including craft acrylics and Model Air, and I think 'tip-dry' goes with the process. Retarder will help but not completely solve the problem. I do use airbrush medium and retarder but I keep some Q-tips, CottonBuds or whatever by my spray area together with a little dosage cup of Windex. When I begin to have a problem, I dip a QTip in Windex, retract the AB needle and swab inside the needle cap and, then, slowly and carefully let the needle reset then remove the Q-Tip. A blast of paint then clears everything and I don't remove the needle cap. Works for me and might be worth a try. Just be careful when you let the needle reset into the Q-Tip and when you remove the Q-Tip. HTH.

Perfect timing. I just tried a Vallejo primer for ther first time and boom - clogged AB nose ports.  Been soaking in thinner for days to clean up.  I had used ModelMaster acrylics with no issue.

@Hokey You might wanna get an ultrasonic cleaner so you don't have to soak it, I use mine every time I'm done airbrushing and it really cleans it the best.  MM Acryls have given me the same issue in that Iwata airbrush but the Badger they don't.  I used MM Acryl Sandy Brown on that Jagdtiger on my avatar and no issues, I can get it to behave a little better with some Future in the mix.

I'll give that a try they're good paints as far as coverage goes although I do question the accuracy of their rlm 74/75 colors but everything else is nice.  Once I get that little bit off the needle it goes back to spraying just fine then but its irritating when it hangs up as your doing fine detail work or tracing out camo patterns.  

@Blick, I just tried your suggestion and it worked very well.  I added a few drops of vallejo thinner and swabbed the needle cap with some windex and it kept everything flowing nicely.  I just ordered the Model Air Panzer set so I was a little worried about having to swap it out with something else.  But I think all is well now.  Thanks for the suggestion.

Yep and I use a Badger too.

I thought about getting just the basic Paasche H external mix airbrush since they're cheap and reliable and I think the clogging issue wouldn't be a problem w/ that one.