Sage advice for model painters is to buy fresh tinlets when performing important work. This is what I did, but the results weren't what I expected.
I'm a "man of the people" style modeller. No fancy pants paints for me if I can help it. Humbrol is readily available in many high streets and I like to think that my model-making brothers and sisters will feel confident when looking at my projects if they can buy the same materials easily.
That and I rarely remember to buy the fancy stuff but there is a Humbrol rack in my local shopping arcade and I raided this for new tins fo all the main colours I planned to use.
The first colour to be sprayed was 103 Cream. Taking the top off, it was a tar-like consistency. With loads of thinning (white spirit) I managed to get it through the Iwatta airbrush but I'll admit it was a shock. I like my paints on the thick side, one reason I've never been keen on Revell as it is thinner, but pale bunker oil? No thanks.
The 118 Brown was fine, although I wouldn't want it any thicker. Blue and red were perfect, as was the green, which I'd bought years earlier and half used.
A spray can of satin varnish lasted 3 squirts before gumming up. What I got out did seem very thick.
Come on Humbrol, I want to love your paint, but you do make it hard sometimes!