Testors/Aztek

Aztek A4309 Professional Airbrush Set

Stock Number: A4309

Reviewed By  Mark Aldrich, IPMS# 39295

MSRP: $149.94 Website: www.testors.com To airbrush or not to airbrush…that is the question. For me, that question was answered after my first issue of Finescale modeler way back in 1979 (or there abouts). I have to thank my Dad for fronting the money for a Badger 350. After airbrushing my next aircraft kit, I was hooked. Through the years, my airbrush preferences have changed but I have always had one. I even took that old Badger 350 with me to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 1994. I even got to re-live my childhood because the PX there only carried the old 1/48 Monogram WWII fighters and they did have the F-14 also. You should have seen the looks of soldiers walking by while I had the airbrush hooked up to a 2 ˝ ton inner tube for an air source. Badger, Iwata, Paasche, Master, Devilbiss, Aztek and Testors are just a few of the brands out there. In my opinion, the Aztek 430 series of airbrushes is the best bet for all hobby painting needs. In the terms of cost, ease of use and cleanup nothing comes close to the A430.

The A4309 comes packed with everything the starting airbrusher needs to have. You get the A4308 airbrush in a beautiful wooden case containing the double action airbrush (you control both quantity of paint and amount of air), 7.5cc gravity feed color cup, 28mm siphon cap and bottle, 33mm siphon cap and bottle, nozzle wrench, brass adapter, and three nozzles. Testors color codes their nozzles and there are nine available for use with the A430. The three that are included with this kit are the white .50mm wide coverage nozzle designed for acrylics, the gray .40mm medium coverage nozzle and the turquoise .50mm large area coverage nozzle. You get the Testors cleaning station which comes with a universal airbrush adaptor to use it for cleaning other brands of airbrushes. I know it works on the Badger 150 and 350 models as well as my Paasche model H. You get a six ounce can of air and a six foot airbrush hose with an adapter for the can and compressor attached. There is also a small instruction sheet that covers the assembly and set up and a DVD. The DVD is worth watching. It covers all available airbrushes and Testors might want to make it available to hobby shops as an advertising option. It is well thought out and demonstrates the abilities of all their airbrushes. The best is the ability to change nozzles while painting and the ease of cleaning the nozzles when you are finished. It is very well done indeed. There are several neat features about the A430 airbrush system. The first is the ability to have your paint feed from either side. This is accomplished by simply removing the plug and inserting it into the other side of the airbrush. I am used to having the paint feeding from the left and therefore moved it to the other side (it came installed in the right). The siphon cap bottle lids threaded right onto Testors Model Master paints and also Testors/Pactra RC racing color line.

Another feature is the ability to swap nozzles on the fly, as demonstrated in this short video clip.

I would like to thank Testors for the EXCELLENT sample, the Testors customer service center for all the help with my questions, and IPMS/USA for allowing me to review this sample and hopefully show members how great and simple the Testors A430 airbrush is to use and clean.