I learned to airbrush with a Paashe VL in an Adult Ed class, then bought a Badger Crescendo 175 on special.
I had to go through many practice sessions before I felt comfortable with it.
- Clean it - well - many times until you get the routine down from 30 minutes to 5 or 10. Then, I started to trust its mechanical operation and came to depend on it.
- On every session, if something isn't right - quit! I got to sand lots of bad paint off models because I pressed on when the paint was too thick, the air feed clogged, the pressure not right, etc. All that remedial sanding time taught me to stop, put the model away, then backtrack and change things, but practice only on scrap.
- I had to get over AMS - I tried to paint the perfect model every time. Then I realized that I should have the model prepped, but put aside, set up the airbrush and paint with twice as much paint as I would need for the model, then practice on a scrap model or plastic until I had the rythmn and the paint was flowing on the way I wanted.
Turning each session into a time to experiment and not a timed contest final made this a hobby again, instead of a job.
The Crescendo has worked out fine. I suppose I could buy a better one, but I'd rather depend on it and have some fun at the hobby than be like my golfing buddies, who are forever buying new clubs as though the equipment were the biggest factor.
Good luck, enjoy the Crescendo and the hobby.