Can anyone give me some tips to cleaning an Iwata HP-Plus airbrush? I used to use Paasche airbrushes and they were easy to clean, just take them apart and clean each piece, no big deal. (I just couldn't paint fine lines with them.)

The Iwata brush has this damn microscopic tip that you have to unscrew to get the needle out. I'm afraid if I don't pull the needle out and clean the paint off, its just a matter of time before the airbrush is so clogged it will be useless. I also know that sooner or later I'm going to cross thread the tip and ruin the gun, too. I have run several ounces of airbrush cleaner through it at one time and the needle still has paint on it when I take it apart. (Before you say it, I read the instruction book and it wasn't much help.)

There has to be a better way, any suggestions?