Gloss finish

I'd say mist coats, building it up and final wetter coat. If you use TS spray cans, shake properly. Oh, and rather obviously, don't be too close to the subject! Some people also get worked up about weather conditions, saying it should be a sunny day, but over here it's anyways sunny more often than not.

I consider gloss painting an exercise in brinkmanship.  One must bring the final coat to the point just before it runs.  Only way to know what that point looks like is practice.

I generally do not use anything finer than 1000 grit unless it is a very important model.  Lacquer finishes look nice with polish.  Clearcoat can make a simple job of gloss finish, with the restriction that it often looks too wet.

Another thing people tend to forget is, Never spray in direct sun light.  The heat from the rays can cause particles of paint to dry before actually hitting the subject, thus creating a matte or dull finish.   Also can apply if the temperature is very hot.   Enamel dries slower and is less prone to be affected by the heat than lacquer.  However I am a lacquer fan so sometimes I have to wait till the mercury drops during the summer.  

Also if your using rattle cans put them in a bowl of warm warter for a couple of minutes before spraying

I agree 100%. Warming up the can makes a huge difference in reducing orange peel.

its not much work, just wet sand with 3000 grit until there is no gloss spots anywhere, and then apply meguiars ultimate compound and boom show quality finish. takes maybe 15 mins.

Can I use any car polish or does it  have to be a compound paste?  Also, am I wetsanding gloss paint, enamel gloss coat, poly or Future??  thx

One problem with car polish is that many contain silicone.  Silicone is poison for paint adhesion. If you use auto polish it should be absolutely the last step in the build.  The only solvents that completely remove silicone will make junk of finish and decals.

Most should know ;

What you said is true . You know why? The warmed paint is atomized better when it's warm .This allows the paint coming out of the can to be finer and that helps in both Gloss and No Orange Peel ! T.B. P.S. Also shake the can continously during the process between sweeps of applying paint and don't stop or start on the model but before and after it .

      This also keeps the paint atomized better .

Use this for polishing ....

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You WON'T be disappointed! I guarantee you that!!!

I thought I'd add something to this thread five years on, as I tried a different approach to getting a gloss finish.  This after struggling for weeks and stripping the gloss coat on a model that I had been working on for a few years.  I think the Humbrol acryic gloss (said to be a substitue for 'Future') was incompatible with Tamiya acrylic paint or the latter had not dried sufficiently - even after weeks - because the Humbrol crazed and drove me crazy.

The 'solution' was to apply AK's 'glass coat gauzy agent' meant to 'clarify' windscreens and canopies - removing scratches, etc.  I used it on the nose cone of a highly modified 1/12 scale Tamiya Lotus 49 F1.  It has to be poured on an allowed to run off.  I think I did the nose cone in three separate sections and was reasonably happy with result after all the frustration, though sorry I did not work harder at removing the masking line (or avoiding it completely.