Finally! Yes -- finally a product to relieve the angst of modelers worrying about losing or damaging delicate and precision parts during the dreaded airbrush cleaning process. It’s simple, it’s attractive, and it’s ingenious – it’s Iwata’s Raised Ridge Airbrush Cleaning Mat.

Although, unfortunately, it does not clean your airbrush for you, it provides a soft, durable surface with a raised boundary edge – much akin to a giant mouse pad with wall around the edges. Springs, nozzles, needles, tips, seals, and the like have little to no chance of escaping into the jaws of the carpet monster or into cracks between work surfaces. It’s non-skid backing keeps it securely in place – even against moderate bumps or jostles while moving around at the workbench.

Kudos to Iwata for this gem! I highly recommend this product to all airbrush owners who actually tear down their airbrushes for cleaning. You can’t go wrong with this – especially for under $20!

Background

The world’s first and most-produced supersonic trainer, the Northrop T-38A Talon has trained over 5,000 military pilots since its introduction to service in 1961. Of the nearly 1,200 T-38A’s produced, the US Air Force continues to operate over 500 of the type as of 2014, of which most will be upgraded to T-38C configuration with new wings and improved avionics, including heads-up display and inertial navigation systems, and will continue to operate them until at least 2020.