IS IT REALLY "THE FINEST AIR BRUSH EVER MADE"?

One of the most common air brush related questions we've received in the past year was our opinion of the Sotar 20/20. We've been avid users of Paasche air brushes for years, especially using the extremely persnickety Type AB turbine drive, external mix air brush for fine detail work  and, quite frankly, had not considered wandering out of that product line. However, as the questions mounted, we contacted Badger to inquire about this tool.

Badger, Thayer and Chandler, Sotar; we had to be impressed with a manufacturer that has as many corporate banners as we do! Our inquiry was directed to a charming young lady named Jan who proceeded to expound near poetic on the virtues of this air brush! Grandma always said, "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is", and, all of us having lived through the Nixon years, skepticism is not rare in this studio. Jan graciously offered to provide us with a unit we could try ourselves.

From her description, I was half expecting the air brush to be delivered on a satin pillow by the King's Messenger himself. Instead, a small cardboard box unceremoniously appeared in our stairwell in normal UPS fashion. Inside was a considerable amount of foam packing and a small black box with a plain black and white label marked Sotar 20/20, "the finest air brush ever made". Also included was a neat four-color book showing the Badger-Thayer and Chandler product line, technical information, accessories, the MODELflex paint line and a collection of different types of models and artwork that have been finished and produced using air brushes from their product line. A second publication included contained parts information and parts numbers for what appears to be everything the company manufactures. We also found that Jan had included parts 20-125 Medium Needle, 20-140 Head Assembly with Protective Arm (M), 20-126 Large Needle, and 20-141 Head Assembly with Protective Arm (L). The remainder of the contents consisted of warranty cards and such.

Upon opening the little black box, we were immediately impressed with the quality of the air brush. This air brush has the look of a fine quality camera. Besides the tool itself, the box included a separate fine Head Assembly with Protective Arm, an additional needle, rubber trigger pad, rubber finger rest, wrench and screw driver. Also included is an "Instruction Booklet" consisting of a single letter sized double-sided sheet.

The air brush needs to be set up for use, as with other air brushes, so read the instructions VERY CAREFULLY. As a matter of fact, written instructions such as these are always tough to decipher, so we suggest reading the instructions enough times to get the picture in your mind of what needs to be done before you actually begin setting up the tool. Pay particularly close attention to how you seat the needle before tightening the set screw on the micrometer collar, Use just enough finger pressure to seat the needle fully into the paint tip, but be careful not to push it too far or you may spread the tip.

Once the air brush was ready for use, we had to spend a few minutes just handling it! It is very comfortable to hold and the balance is perfect. The top mounted cup is set at the perfect angle to aim the paint flow without tendency to spill paint. We decided to go ahead and mount the trigger pad, using good old trusty BSI cyanoacrylate as per the instructions, and this addition really improved the feel and control of the trigger.

Anxious to get started, we found our first hurdle. In a studio that has been Paasche-loyal for years, we couldn't find one air brush hose that would fit the threads on the Sotar 20/20. A quick phone call to Jan and the normal UPS transit time and we had the solution in the form of part 50-090 Badger-Paasche Airline Adaptor. This little fitting certainly saved us a lot of compressor re-plumbing!

Is it "the finest air brush ever made"? Let's find out. Most air brushes are tested at the factory before they're packaged so, as with any other new tool, we put a couple of cups of lacquer thinner through it before any color. This accomplishes two things. First of all, it removes any paint or chemical residue that may be left over from factory testing. Second, it lubricates the interior of the paint channels prior to using pigments. This also allowed us to familiarize ourselves with the micrometer feature. Watching the flow of straight lacquer thinner, we could tell we had our hands on a different type of tool!

Since the Sotar 20/20 came so highly touted, we decided to go straight to the acid test. Most modelers who use an airbrush are familiar with one of the most difficult pigments to get to flow, Floquil Grimy Black! It also happens to be our favorite color to use as a base coat for simulating rubber tires. Not only does Grimy Black have a more course pigment, it's a fast drying lacquer to boot. Cutting it 40% pigment to 60% Diosol, we loaded up the Sotar 20/20, set the compressor regulator to 18 pounds and gave it a go.

The only thing we can report is that we have never seen performance like this before! Not only did we accomplish a smooth air flow with a difficult pigment the first time out, adjusting with the micrometer, the pattern just kept getting tighter and tighter! We managed to accomplish a consistent fine spray for the duration of our test, 2/3rds a cup of paint.

The common adage for mixing paint among air brush artists is to attain the consistency of milk. The common question is whether that should be homogenized or two percent! Floyd Werner suggests achieving the consistency of a fine wine. Our rule is to thin the paint in a container until, using a toothpick, you pull the paint up the side of the container. If the paint hangs on the side of the container, it's too thick. If it barely stains the side of the container, it's too thin. With the Sotar 20/20, if the paint is too thick, it won't flow. If it's too thin, it's prone to halo. Get your mixture just right and you'll be amazed at what this air brush will do for you.

Further tests with Testors Model Master enamels, Tamiya acrylics, Windsor and Newton oils and tube acrylics yielded similar results. Once again, the performance of the Sotar 20/20 is directly related to how well the paint is mixed.

Switching from the fine needle and tip to the medium and large needles and tips proved the Sotar 20/20 to be versatile. With this one air brush, you can accomplish the entire paint regimen of model building from priming and pre-shading to finely detailed camouflage and weathering. This tool is perfect for applying the soft camouflage schemes prevalent on German and Japanese aircraft, and perfect for them any any scale!

Is this "the finest air brush ever made"? We're old guys, but not that old! I suppose you'd have to ask the caveman in the commercials for that answer. We can say, and without reservation, that the Sotar 20/20 is far and away the finest air brush we've ever used.

A special thanks to Jan and Badger-Thayer and Chandler Sotar Air Brush Co. for the review sample.

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