Hi Calvin, haven't checked in on this build in a while. The troubles with the decals, aside from being on the thick side with Tamiya, may be due to the fact that they are old. Additionally, if the kit was unsealed and stored somewhere with drastic temp/humidity changes, it could affect the decals as well. Ask me how I know... π
Some kits are just like that, I don't think it has anything really to do with your skill level, after all, each kit is just practice for the next one, right?
I hope this does not put you off on the Tamiya kits as usually, they are very well engineered and a joy to build.
Keep at it, you are doing good!
Cheers,
Mathias