Greets,

This is my first post on this forum, but others will follow (soon) as I'm new to 'tanking'.

When you said 'cheapo' air brush I'll assume you meant one that is single action, external mix. This is not meant as a degrogatory comment, as a lot of very nice air brushes are single action, including the Pasche that I own. However that style of function is also common to less expensive brushes. Having said that, you're probably going to need to start with a 1:1 mix of paint to thinner. This is what I've found with Floquil acrylics. I have no idea what paint your using, but this is where I'd begin with a paint that is water based. After you have your paint mxed and air pressure adjusted (less than 20 psi) practise on a like surface first to see if you are obtaining the desired results. Empty card board beverage containers work well as their semi glossy surfaces duplicate plastic pretty well. HTH and good luck.