- First Impressions -
Procon Boy FWA
Well to start things off, i'd like to say sorry for having not posted this up sooner. I'm very close to writing up the complete review for it - only problem is that I accidentally dropped the needle chuck screw down the sink when I was cleaning. Unfortunate story really: I went to grab the needle from the bench-top to give it a clean with a piece of tissue with Windex on it to clean off the acrylic top coat. Unfortunately as I was about to clean it, the chuck screw came flying off it and went through the hole perfectly. You know one of those times where everything goes in slow motion? Yeah it was one of those times. Now i'm having trouble locating a replacement part. And because it is essentially the Iwata HP-C, it's almost impossible finding any replacement parts let alone such a small piece and almost seemingly insignificant piece. I do have a spare needle chuck screw I bought for my Krome so I think I might just use that. It isn't a perfect fit - a little rough on the first few turns but I think it may do the job. I'll just have to drill the hole at the end to make it a little bigger to fit the needle for the Procon Boy. If not, I have found a really good deal for a brand new Procon Boy so I can have two and use one for acrylics and one for enamel. Unfortunately the guy doesn't have Paypal and wants me to transfer him the money to his bank account. I'm not sure if he's trying to scam me or not but we'll have to see when he replies back. Seems like a very honest person though so don't think it will be a problem.
Anyway, let's get back to the topic. My first thought on it. Well to begin, the airbrush does look very nice. Although the Sotar and Krome are more aesthetically pleasing, the Procon Boy was a very nice change. I do like the fact that the Procon boy does not have the cutout to showcase the needle/needle chuck/needle stopper mechanisms. They are nice to look at but can sometimes get in the way or become a little uncomfortable when airbrushing for an extended period of time (close to maybe 1 hour or more).
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| Sotar 20/20 with the cutout. Sotar with the finger rest and Black colored not reflective chrome. |
At first, when I saw that the airbrush was without a finger rest, I was a little hesitant. I thought that it may annoy me or it may become uncomfortable but turns out with the added length of the two adapters i use to connect it to the hose, it's actually not bad at all. I have only found it to become a little uncomfortable maybe twice so far but that was because I was holding it incorrectly. This may vary from person to person but personally doesn't bother me. We'll have to see how that goes it the full review.
The airbrush does get scratched pretty easy - but this is what is expected from an all chrome airbrush. It's not any harder or easier to scratch than any other chrome airbrush. Definitely no different from any of the Iwata's that's for sure. But it has held up pretty nice.
The Procon Boy due to it's omission of the cutout for the mechanism showcase, it is very easy to clean off. The design makes it very easy to spot any left over paint or oils and therefore makes the job much easier when you clean it. Due to the simplistic design, the airbrush it does not have very many areas where paint can get trapped.
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| Procon Boy without the cutout. Without finger rest and reflective chrome finish. |
Now so far iv'e had nothing but praise for it but I will say this. There are two things I miss from the Sotar specifically. Because of the reflective chrome finish on the Procon Boy, oils left over from enamels are very apparent. Sometimes I just couldn't be bothered with completely wiping off all the oils because it does become a bit of a hassle. If you don't mind this or don't mind putting in the little extra time to clean it all off then you'll be very pleased. This negative probably wont matter if your previous airbrushes have the metallic chrome finish as well like all the Iwata's and most of the Badger's.
The only other negative I have yet to encounter for me personally is the crown. The tip of the airbrush has a crown design which perfectly protects the needle from harm inserted. This design makes it almost impossible to bend the tip - making for a great bending prevention ( a great money saver to). My only gripe is that it can be annoying to clean off. Because of the crown design, paint can get stuck in the crevices. Now this is no problem if you have the cleaning brushes which will make it very easy to clean. Now if you don't have one, it may become a little annoying and you are better off buying some anyway to clean the insides of the airbrush.
If you are using acrylic paints, dry tip is very common and because of the design it may be a little difficult to wipe off paint from the tip without removing the crown.
Of course this isn't the full review and I have just a little more painting left before I can fairly review the unit. But I have completed painting the MG Wing Gundam EW exclusively with this airbrush with various paints - Tamiya Acrylic, Tamiya Enamel, Vallejo Air and Vallejo Gloss and Matte Varnishes. So far its been great but need to do a little more painting before I can give it a fair judgment.
MG Wing Gundam EW Painted Build Showcase - Coming Soon!
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Always room for more friends!
I also am currently selling items on ebay so have a look if your interested at all.
Any questions? Leave a comment if you have one or just wanna say something.
If you guys are interested in buying some of the items shown above, please use the links below from amazon. It would really mean alot to me and doesn't cost you an extra cent. Just a few suggestions if at all interested. Many thanks guys and all the best!
NOTE: Right now the Procon Boy FWA can be bought for less than $100 (a better deal than what I got). The link is below if your interested.
