How long have Aztec ABs been around now? The last time I spent any time in the States, I was seriously thinking about getting one. Musta been about '93 or '94.
I was impressed by the literature and their seemingly easy-to-use operation, but I'm kinda glad I never got one! It does seem very strange that there's such a huge dichotomy of opinions out there. Maybe we should run a simple poll, just "like" and "don't like" or something similar, and get a head count of supporters and opponents.
I finally got a Tamiya HG Trigger AB about 4 years ago, and have had absolutely no problems whatsoever, right from the very first time I used it. I just made sure I did my homework: read all I could on airbrushing in general, asked my fellow modelers for their advice, and THOROUGHLY read the instructions that came with my AB and compresser, so I knew it inside and out, backwards and forwards. A few quick spritzes on an old model to get a feel for the handpiece, and I was off to the races!
I have no experience with the Aztec line of products, but I can't help feel that some of the problems ya'll are running into might be related to a lack of preparation in some area or another, rather than some congenital flaw in the product itself.
Remember: the artist does not blame the brush!
Unless it really does suck, in which case I withdraw that last statement!