No idea about the PUMA brand, but the air tank is supposed to prevent the quick overheating, as the compressor fills up the tank first, then cuts off. It only comes back on when the tank's pressure drops below a certain level.

U might wanna check with the shop on how long can u switch it on continously before it overheats. My Sparmax that I got from Venus Arts, I was advised by the uncle there to only run it for 15 minutes at a time. So u can use that 15 minutes for without an air tank to judge if the running time's alright or not.

hmm.. if its just 15 minutes with an air tank, then its not really worth it, as my Sparmax without an air tank runs for the same duration too. U might wanna check with the Venus Art's ppl on how long that Sparmax with the air tank can run for.

The chances of the motor burning out will be marginally higher.

Well, yes and no in its own way. I guess the compressor getting hot might contribute to the air coming from it being more damp (and hence resulting in more water splashes from the AB), but the real danger in prolonged use for such baby compressors is in the motor burning out.

Also I seldom do any AB work when the weather is wet (raining, or dark clouds in the sky), as that's got an effect on the splattering as well.

Something else to think about as well, I've read in quite a lot of other forums saying that the moisture traps found in our types of baby compressors r pretty useless, and don't work too well, and they recommend getting a heavy duty one off a hardware shop instead. However I've not yet tried hunting for one as yet.

Yeah, its quite different indeed from using an airbrush. Although I currently do things the opposite of what u do. I use acrylics for hand painting, and lacquer for ABing.

Lacquers dries too quickly to hand brush for my liking, and acrylics dries too slowly for ABing for my liking.

Yup, lacquer is more durable.

And in regards to the clogging, I used have the same thinking and phobia as you in regards to the clogging. However when I finally got around to trying out lacquer on my AB, I was rather surprised indeed.

Clogging when using lacquer and clogging when using acrylics r kinda different indeed. When using acrylics, u're guaranteed to run into clogging after 10 minutes of airbrushing, however that doesnt happen for lacquers.

Normal cleaning for lacquers is a lot easier than for acrylics as well, just spray thinner through your airbrush, while for acrylics, normal cleaning can be a lot more stubborn to do.

When using lacquers, just remember these points:
- Always spray thinner through your AB after u're finished with each cup of paint, or each color.
- Remove the needle for cleaning often as well
- Never ever forget to spray thinner through your AB after painting.

That's about it, for using lacquers in your AB. A lot simpler than acrylics, just that the mistake of not cleaning your AB is a lot more fatal than compared to acrylics.

What I tend to do currently, is to finish up the model nicely using lacquers, to obtain that tough finishing that's less prone to scratching. Then I apply the top coat for extra protection, then switch to acrylics for the weathering work. Any mess ups at this point (and mess ups during weathering is more frequent too), can be cleaned up using spirits, which does not run the risk of peeling off the lacquer paint at the bottom.

Here's some of the models that I've posted before:

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=12293208

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=11188991

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=11532341

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=11943247

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=12184108

eeeeeeeeee... bad place to do AB work. If you're using acrylics, still not as bad, but definetely a big no no if working with lacquers.

The auto off is only applicable if you've got an airtank. And well, without those 2, then its more of classified as a baby compressor, with a limited run time. But still pretty good enough for hobby use. Just don't go and just 'test' on how long it can be switched on continously as that'll risk a burn out Best way to find out is to check with the shops, and other ppl who've used the same compressor before.

Hey, when cha coming back to Malaysia, and which part of Malaysia r u from? Might wanna ask a favour, if u can help me get an Iwata AB or not The prices that u got the stuff for in Japan is really cheap, especially the Iwata stuff.

Anybody used Mr Hobby airbrushes that can give comments? Would the airbrush fit into a Sparmax compressor, or is there a need to fiddle to get it to fit?

If I'm not mistaken, in order to attach the spray can right, they give you some connector for it? But to use a compressor, you just need to attach the fitting directly into the AB itself.

I think it'll be easier to see if you post a pic of the AB.