Testor's Aztek paint cups fit snugly onto the Iwata Custom Micron SB. It is easy to fit the siphon side cup on the Iwata which gives the benefits of a slightly larger volume and a lid that prevents unwanted paint spills plus an excellent balance since the Aztek's plastic side cups are as light as a feather. And best of all, the cup does not block the artist's view on what (s)he is airbrushing, which is kind of nice when sweating on minute details.... To some purists it may feel like mounting a Skoda wheel onto a Ferrari, but for those who will stop at nothing, it works...
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| Aztek siphon paint cup on Iwata Custom Micron SB |
Testor even created a gravity feed side cup that also fits on the Iwata Custom Micron SB. See the image below. It also comes with a lid, but it is rather costly (almost 5 UK pounds...) for such a small accessory. In this construction the advantages of gravity feed and siphon feed are combined, which are quick response to trigger action and unobstructed view on the art work. It is also good news for artists that commonly spray with extremely low air pressures (just enough to push the paint out): gravity feed results in quicker response to trigger movement and gives a more constant line width, especially when using very diluted paint mixes (paint : water = 1 : 10 or even 1 : 20).
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| Testor's gravity feed side cup |
The Testor Aztek side cups have a better fit than the custom paint cups that I tested and described in an earlier post. The smaller tolerance of the cups' stubs in the Iwata's housing results in a tighter fit. The type of plastic used to produce the cups also makes them very easy to clean. So if you don't mind making your cherished Iwata look like an unfamiliar tool to unsuspecting observers, I would like to suggest: Go for it!
