Iwata Eclipse
Takumi Airbrush

Iwata by Anest Iwata

Reviewed by Brett Green

I have bought a few Iwata airbrushes over the years, mainly the HP-C Plus model, and I have been very happy with them.

My airbrushes endure a fairly hard life as I paint 20 models or more per year with all sorts of paints and thinners so I usually buy a new one every few years.

I was just about to buy another new replacement when The Airbrush Company sent me this airbrush for review.

We are taking the recently released Iwata Eclipse Takumi Airbrush for a test drive. This is a double action, nickel plated airbrush with a side feed 7ml colour cup and a 0.35mm needle and nozzle. The airbrush is presented in a stout black plastic storage box.

"Double action" means that you have independent control of both the air and paint flow with the single trigger - push down to increase the airflow and pull back to increase the paint flow.

The 7ml paint cup may be fitted to either the left or right side thanks to a removable side plug. The side cup should make cleaning easier and more complete, and will also reduce the chance of foreign bodies - grit, pigments and other small bits of junk - from proceeding into the nozzle and causing blockages.

If you prefer a smaller paint cup, an optional 3ml cup is available separately.

The front-end configuration is interesting. The 0.35mm nozzle is screwed onto to a brass mount that is covered by a head cap. You don't have to unscrew the nozzle when dismantling the airbrush for full cleaning. The conical nozzle mount is securely seated when the head cap is screwed onto the front of the body using the supplied Head Cap Spanner.

The benefits of this system are twofold. First, the large Head Cap Spanner is far less fiddly than the tiny spanner used to remove the nozzle on other Iwata models. Secondly, you don't have to remove the nozzle itself to thoroughly clean the airbrush. The nozzle can stay attached to its conical mount and the mount is simply pulled from the front of the body once the cap has been removed. This reduces the risk of stripping the miniscule nozzle thread or breaking it off altogether (I have accidentall done this on my HP-C Plus myself).

A cap for the paint cup is supplied.

The Takumi airbrush is shorter than my HP-C Plus and the trigger is located further forward too, so you will be working closer to the subject than you would have been with other Iwata models.

Removeable parts are seated with PTFE seals. PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene better known under the proprietary name of Teflon. This is a chemically inert material that will not be damaged by the majority of solvents and chemicals.

The cutaway handle offers quick access to the textured needle chuck. It also features a rotating preset knob at the rear to mechanically control the flow of paint. This is a very handy feature.

The front of the body is fitted with a removeable crown cap. This allows the airbrush to be used very close to the surface of your subject.

The double-action of the rectangular textured trigger is smooth, even using my strange thumb-trigger technique.

A tube of Iwata lubricant is also included.

Test Spray

I tested out my new Iwata Eclipse Takumi Airbrush for this review.

I loaded up the airbrush with a mix of around 75% Tamiya acrylic thinners and 25% Tamiya XF-81 Dark Green 2 paint - just the first jar that came to hand - and airbrushed a number of squiggles and waves onto a couple of Post-It Notes.

Performance was good. The paint flow was consistent and I could achieve reliable fine and medium lines.

Broader coverage was also achievable. This is a good General Duties workhorse of an airbrush, and it will be ideal for plastic modellers.

The Iwata Eclipse Takumi Airbrush is a versatile side feed airbrush for fine lines up to medium coverage.

The removable side feed paint cup should make cleaning easier and more complete.

This will be an ideal workhorse airbrush for modellers.

Thanks to The Airbrush Company Limited for the sample.

Text and Images Copyright 2021 by Brett Green
Page Created 17 November, 2021
Last updated 18 November, 2021

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