My latest is a HOK brandywine kandy '66 Riviera. Primed in black and set down some tape, applied making tape, sprayed a gold base, removed tape and shot the brandywine kandy. And then 2 part urethan clear over it. I like it. The rest of the build is pretty much out of the box except the wired engine.
Welcome Blake.
1. I don't wash anything but I do wet sand most parts.
2. Yes decals need to be thoroughly soaked.
3. I prime all the body parts that will be airbrushed using automotive primer. I use a lot of HOK paint and it's fairly hot.
4. Urethane 2 part clear goes on all my builds. I like the SHINY ???
5. Enamel for interior, engine, drivetrain brushed on. HOK for bodies.
I have several of the plastic multi-drawer units as well as several larger units (3 drawer). Large parts go into cut down 2 liter pop bottles and then into a pop bottle crate.