Procon Boy FWA First Impressions

- 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).

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.

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!

 If your a member on the new hobbylinktv site, click on the link to see my profile. 

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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.

http://myworld.ebay.com/bauihobby/

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.

Procon Boy FWA Unboxing

- Unboxing -

Procon Boy FWA

Here's an unboxing of my new airbrush - the Procon Boy FWA. If your interested in looking for a new airbrush the Procon Boy series may be just what you are looking for. So if your interested in the Procon Boy FWA, here's an unboxing for you.

Front shot of the packaging. You may notice that the picture at the very top of the post is slightly different from the packaging of my received unit. The unit I received is the Procon Boy with the newer packaging. If you buy the Procon Boy FWA in particular, this is most likely the packaging your unit will come with.

A back shot of the packaging. It shows you the uses of the airbrush and how it can be used along with spray can bottles. It also displays some of the other products they sell - paints, thinners, airbrushing equipment such as airbrush holders and spray booths.

Side angled shots of the packaging. The packaging is very nice and looks very appealing (to me anyway). It clearly doesn't scream quality when compared to the Iwata HP series or the Badger Krome/ Sotar series but it is still very nice and adds to the simplistic design.

This is what you're presented with as soon you pull it out of the box. Just a simple layout with all accessories presented before you. No spare needle included.

Under the Styrofoam packaging are these two little manuals. The one on the left has both English and Japanese whilst the one on the right is just in Japanese.

This is the first manual included with text on both English and Japanese. It shows you how to use the features of the airbrush, how to properly care for the airbrush, the assembly guide, how to use the Spray can connector and how to properly clean it. There is a troubleshooting guide on the backside of the manual - in English and Japanese of course.

This manual is just in Japanese but goes into more depth on the features of the airbrush and how to properly handle the airbrush. Its has a Q and A section with pictures to demonstrate however all text is in Japanese. The are more Q and A's at the back of the manual.

 Now for the main attraction and the sole purpose of this purchase. The Procon Boy FWA airbrush unit. As you can see, the chrome plating is very very nice. Coming from the Sotar 20/20 it was very appealing because of the completely different airbrush design and choice of color. One thing that I already miss from my Sotar and Krome is the black rest grip that felt very comfortable especially for long painting sessions.

 A very nice addition that came with the airbrush is adapter you can see on the bottom. Because this airbrush is essentially a re-badged Iwata Hp-C the male connector is the same as what is expected of an Iwata. This means that for those with an Iwata quick disconnect set lying around can put it to good use without having to buy a new one for this airbrush. It also means that you can use an Iwata air-hose with no problem at all.

The addition of the adapter though was a very pleasant surprise as I dont have any Iwata's and have just been using Badger's the whole time, it allowed me to use the Badger quick disconnect with no problem. The male connector at the bottom of the adapter is the same size as the Badger airbrushes and so I was able to use my current setup without having to buy any else. It is also the right size for the included air-hose.

Speaking of the air-hose - here it is. Just a smallish air-hose for your setup. Helps save a little money and allows for a spare in case of emergencies.

This is the Spray can connector/adapter. It will let you attach the airbrush to a Spray can and use the paint and air supply from the spray can instead. This will be very useful for some like me. Because here - it is cheaper for me to buy a topcoat from the Mr. Hobby range off ebay than it is to buy topcoat from say Vallejo off ebay. The Mr. Hobby top coats are also praised heavily and some modelers prefer using spray can topcoats over bottled topcoats. A very handy tool that may or may not be used by you but it still very nice knowing that you have it in case you need it.

And of course, no airbrush is complete without the inclusion of a wrench. Helps with dis-assembly of tight connections.

Well that just about wraps it up for the unboxing of the Procon Boy FWA. You can expect to receive similar accessories when you buy the other airbrushes from the Procon Boy Series.

I will try my best to upload the review of this FWA as soon as possible because there is very little information on the internet about this particular airbrush. I know some of you are in the same position I was in where you're really interested in the Procon Boy series due to its similar make of the Iwata HP-C but also due to the huge price difference between these two brand names. I was intent on buying either this or the Iwata HP-C (second hand) due to my budget but wasn't sure if I wanted to take the leap of faith in trusting an second hand Iwata or buying a brand new version of the exact same airbrush. Of course, you can already tell which option I opted for.

So on a concluding note, thanks heaps for dropping by and be sure to tune back for more news, updates and reviews!

If your a member on the new hobbylinktv site, click on the link to see my profile. 

http://www.hobbylink.tv/members/baui

Always room for more friends!

I also am currently selling items on ebay so have a look if your interested at all.

http://myworld.ebay.com/bauihobby/

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.