seems kinda weak to be any good

Just out of curiosity, I read the specs on this mini compressor that Tamiya most likely doesn't make, but puts it's name on it, since it's marketed as a hobby type compressor that's most likely sold at a very low price point. The specs of a max 20 psi vs a sustained flow rate of 12 psi during air brushing is very poor to say the least. No one air brushes at that low of a flow rate. I'm currently air brushing at 15-16 psi with very well thinned out paint. No matter the price point, it's basically useless for our modeling needs. Save your money, and buy a compressor that meets your needs, and will last. This unit certainly won't attain either goal. Joel

Not to disagree too strongly, but I seldom (if ever) paint at 20 PSI, and usually paint at between 8-12 PSI-- so the air pressure is fine. If you use an airbrush, you should be thinning your paint anyway. I wouldn't say this compressor is useless for modeling needs, but it wouldn't suit my general detail needs because it doesn't have a water trap, tank, or a fine tuning regulator. The clear hose is innovative, but by the time you see it collecting water it's probably too late, although you can disconnect and hope to clear the hose-- so I like that feature depending on what you use this compressor for-- I'll get to that in a bit. I suspect it also "pulses" as most small compressors without a tank do. However, being one of the leading manufacturers of quality hobby items, I doubt Tamiya will be selling "useless" equipment. I do like the compact nature and the on-off feature of the compressor when you lift the brush from the hanger. It's probably a good "first" compressor for beginning airbrushers---or a good "travel" or "backup" compressor depending on price, which will probably be high based on the Tamiya name. Let's not sell it short till we see it in action though--I've been looking for a good simple "portable" compressor for a while now-- if the price is right, I might give this one a try. I occasionally like to work outside on my patio table in the summer, or in the family room in the winter, both locations are away from my normal fully equipped workshop-- this compressor might be just the solution for those small jobs and locations. VR, Russ

Not to disagree too strongly, but I seldom (if ever) paint at 20 PSI, and usually paint at between 8-12 PSI-- so the air pressure is fine. If you use an airbrush, you should be thinning your paint anyway. I wouldn't say this compressor is useless for modeling needs, but it wouldn't suit my general detail needs because it doesn't have a water trap, tank, or a fine tuning regulator. The clear hose is innovative, but by the time you see it collecting water it's probably too late, although you can disconnect and hope to clear the hose-- so I like that feature depending on what you use this compressor for-- I'll get to that in a bit. I suspect it also "pulses" as most small compressors without a tank do. However, being one of the leading manufacturers of quality hobby items, I doubt Tamiya will be selling "useless" equipment. I do like the compact nature and the on-off feature of the compressor when you lift the brush from the hanger. It's probably a good "first" compressor for beginning airbrushers---or a good "travel" or "backup" compressor depending on price, which will probably be high based on the Tamiya name. Let's not sell it short till we see it in action though--I've been looking for a good simple "portable" compressor for a while now-- if the price is right, I might give this one a try. I occasionally like to work outside on my patio table in the summer, or in the family room in the winter, both locations are away from my normal fully equipped workshop-- this compressor might be just the solution for those small jobs and locations. VR, Russ[/quote] Russ, That's not exactly what I said. Compressors have two pressure numbers: the 1st one is basically the max pressure it can generate without the air brush being used. In this case that's 20 psi, which is basically a useless number. The 2nd number is the flow rate/psi, which is what we use while air brushing. The units max flow rate is 12 psi, and that is basically useless for anything but detailing work for the average modeler. The odds are that it rarely even reaches that psi past the 1st few seconds of use. As for your assertion that if I air brushed only proves that you've never read any of my build blogs. But if you did read any of them, I state my thinning ratios of what type of paint I'm using, and what I'm thinning it at, as well as what psi I'm using for what air brush. As for the quality of the unit, who knows. Tamiya didn't make it. their line of Air Brushes and related equipment are generally made in China like almost everything that sells at a price point these days. you get exactly what you pay for. I'm on my 2nd compressor since coming back into the hobby. The 1st one was a Home Depot general duty home unit that worked well, but made more nose then my wife would tolerate. So I bought an Iwata compressor with a storage tank that has duel air brush valve setup. It's super quiet as well. The down side was that it cost $450 plus shipping. And even though it had the Iwata name on it, they didn't make the unit either. It's also sold under several high quality air brush names. That's just how business is conducted in the Asian markets. It's not a knock on Tamiya by any means. If you can A/B at that low of PSI settings, that's great, but the average modeler can't, and that's my point. Joel

Joel, are we looking at the same compressor— with 30 PSI max and 10 liter per minute output? It has an operating pressure of 12 PSI under load? That ought to be plenty of pressure for hobby purposes, especially for small projects, maybe not for painting a large area, but with Tamiya Acrylic lacquers thinned to 60:40 or 70:30, it should be plenty, which is what it looks like this is designed for. I never exceed 20 PSI for any paint, and I’ve owned six compressors, 2 Binks diaphragms, an Aztec tank, an Iwata tankless, an old Thayer & Chandler tank (which is nearly 50 years old, and has outlived them all, although I’m tired of repairing the leak in the tank) and a newer Chinese made Iwata knock-off tank (that works fine even though it has a repaired crack in the air outlet. True, this new one from Tamiya isn’t a top of the line, but they are advertising it as a “detail” compressor— as such it ought to be enough for small jobs. VR, Russ