1.hmm.. 800 is very rough, try getting above 1000.. i'm using 1200 to smoothen the surface
2. use 1000 cos tat's the most suitable
3. hand paint a PG? IMO, PG hand paint a lot of work, would recommend AB or Spray can lo..
4. lining 1st then decal coz ltr if the decal above the lining leh...ya, lastly topcoat. got 3 types(gloss,semi-gloss,flat) u chose glossy so up  u.


yea, acrylic paint most suitable for painting although i nvr use it b4.. haha.. but i would really recommend AB or spray can unless u're very good in hand painting

hi funkaymunkay1985 - i hope you try not to handpaint PG 1st and pratice on HG or FG 1st because handpaint from my experince Can damage your inner Frame if it not too carefull and i recommending not to handpaint at 1/60 because very very hard to paint large part except Air brush ^.^ or u may get not very smooth surface result.
hope you can be a little patience and pratice out small parts then to bigger parts

For 3) Acrylics are water based, so you don't thin using normal thinner. What that's recommended for thinning acrylics depends on the type of acrylics actually. I normally use a mix of water + alcohol, but water alone should be alright. For the ratio, it depends a lot not only on the brand of the paint, but also on the color. Start off with a 1:1 ratio, and test out on a piece of scrap plastic first, then adjust accordingly for each color.

Also, remember that for acrylics, you're supposed to apply multiple thin coats. The first coat is to be thin enough that you can still see through it, to avoid too much buildup of paint.

As for whether acrylics r better for hand painting or not, I cant really comment on this one, as different ppl may have different preferences. Acrylics has got the advantages of being more forgiving should you mess up, and need to remove the paint and redo, but lacquers tends to give a finishing that's less prone to scratching.

i think this is becoz the brand of the spray can u bought is not suitable for gundam or plastics...
Try the brand Nippon which i used for my gundam.. u can check at WIP Thread of my Red Zaku.
whole kit using tat brand's spray can, so far no problem with it. i even sprayed like 10 cm away b4 and it's perfectly fine.

hmm.. tat's weird.. tamiya spray cans shud be fine...
when u mean ruined, how is it?
did u prime ur kit? it's recommended to prime ur kit 1st before spraying so that ur paint would stick well.
yes, nippon as in those commercialized one...
the spray can is called Nippon Pylox.
here's the link for my zaku result of using nippon
LINK

like what z3r0717 said to prevent bubbles when spray caning is to apply a layer of surfacer 1st on the kit then spray can

hmmm.. that's really weird coz u're using tamiya brand, it shud be ok..
so far, i've nvr get this bubble thing b4.
Does spray cans have expiration date? just wondering

but if u dont spray, hand painting on BIG surface is a tough job. B4 i used spray cans, i alwiz have problem in painting big surface. Couldn't get the smooth surface i want.. anyway, this is just my opinion. I cant stop u if u wan to hand paint.

first, yes like zero1st said when spraying move the spray can. this u nid to get experience for spraying. i've got it right after a few kits..

thanks for u coment.. sure i'll tell u my steps...

First,
snap fit the kit(testing)-->sand to make it smooth or get rid of the nips on the part --> prime the whole kit to cover the scratches made by the sand paper --> start spraying the colors desired
--> topcoat 1st layer to protect the paint --> apply battle damages --> weathering(dry brushing) --> putting decals --> and lastly 2nd layer of topcoat(i havnt done this step.. haha..)

Something to add to the paint to give it a better finishing? That's likely to be retarder I think, but the smooth finishing that it provides is not what I'm referring to here.

Ok, I'll start from the basics. For hand painting, you've got 2 types of unevenness to worry about. One is to do with brush marks, where you'll see marks on the plastic from the brush. This is the result of the paint drying too fast. With slower drying paint, the brush marks (which cannot be fully avoided) will have the chance to settle down and meld away before the paint dries. This is where the retarder comes in. Whether the retarder is needed or not will depend on the paint, and also how you mix it, so again, you'll need to experiment a bit on this one.

The 2nd type of unevenness is to do with too much buildup of paint. Acrylics by default is rather thick (hence the need to thin it down properly). Having the paint too thick will result in 2 main problems:
- prevent moving parts from moving properly. this is especially obvious for something like a PG, that has got plenty of moving parts
- tends to scratch off easier when parts rub against each other

So hence you'll need to thin down the paint properly, so that it can still run off the brush smoothly, but thick enough to cover the area that you're painting.

Normally I would use up to 3 coats when handpainting using acrylics. The first coat will be pretty much still see through. The 2nd coat will cover fully, then the 3rd coat will the finishing coat.

it's ok.. everyone starts as a noob.. i have the same problem like u so i learn and learn..
well, there are different ways of doing it. I'll tell u my way 1st
go n get satay sticks with clips if u can find...
like these

i use these to hold the parts, yes, parts by parts to prime and spray.. by doing this only u can get the parts painted equally.
ppl's method..
i see some ppl, snap the kit 1st then just prime the whole kit.. this way i think becoz he wants to save primer gua
when spraying colors only part by part...

what i mean in moving the spray can  is something like this



note.... only press ur spray at the side ....... do not what so ever press ur spray can when ur kit parts is in front of the spray can ....

and yes it look like wasting the paint but if u wan get good result thats the only way .....

it's ok.. i also alwiz gather enough info 1st then only i try.. hmm... i judge by, looking at it.. every part is spray then

i lazy custom made so i bought them.. haha.. a guy called oldman in zero g forum. but u can order from his website hobbiescorner.com

z3r0717 - here is another way to make the clippers 







funkaymunkay1985 - if u have done all the step and still goes wrong then i also dunno y liao ...... 

sure sure..
hmm.. weird.. cant find in the website d.. but u can try asking him..

when building gundams, kenot hav fear.. i used to have them then i told myself if i scared then why not just snap fit only.. lol.. Thus, now i very daring to try anything new..

Last advice, hmmm...
Gam Ba teh! lol.... just do wat u believe in.. scared then can come back here and ask..

yup.. true.. satay stick with blu-tack is much more convenient..
and cheaper also..
i bought satay stick at "Kedai 2 ringgit" @ "RM2 shop"..
rm2 for 200 stick..
faber castel blu-tack around rm3 - rm7.. (depend on size..)

just go snoop around satay shop and steal those finish eat one... lolz... dirty....   

if really hard and really want it... i send it for you la... hehehe...

weathering marker! U can refer back to a few page before for wat the weathering marker look like!
AB can do camouflage, u can do it with doll to cover up or maybe straight shoot! I tried before but the effect not so good since back then i did have enough color and material to do so! my ACGUY was a failure.......may tried again on the upcoming Tieren 1/100!!! This time will go challenging this:

funkaymunkay1985, your Kaempfer is spray by can ??
Very nice man, is it nippon Pylox paint ??