First car finish

Yeah, I have used the closest thing we have to Future over here (South Africa) to good effect... Don't know what you have as base colour, but mine was not over a metallic colour. And it was in small scale (43rd).

Thanks for the tip. I had not tried it. What would YOU recommend?  Carlos thinks Future and I think the car guys do use it?

Thanks for your time.   

Jake I just had to chime in because I saw it was you. ;) I am not a car model guy as you well know. I have only completed one for me in the past 30+ years. But it does sound like the decals have an adhesive problem. In that case, a top coat is a must. I can't say anything for or against Krylon. But I would suggest my old favorite of Future. Or you can check with the car guys at IPMS Chapter meet in a couple weeks.

Do clear coat.

I don't like Krylon. It's cheap but you get what you pay for. It goes on pretty thick.

Carlos - what are YOU doing in cars!? I am giving this one to a friend who gave me the kit as a joke, so now the jokes on him. I already tired the license plate decals and they fell off some after drying so I coated them but I think a clear coat would be necessary to hold them. If not Tamiya TS13, do you think I can use Krylon Crystal Clear gloss?  

Seeing that you've use Tamiya rattle cans up to now, I agree, stick to the same!

BUT... TS13 (Tamiya gloss clear rattle cans) can be notoriously difficult for some people and may "eat" decals. I have not had such problems (touching wood!) - BUT I tend to apply over other TS spray (you're safe there!) and thin layers usually helps.

However, I have not yet applied polish and either decal or clearcoat over that...

If you do not seal in the decals with a too coat, and you plan on keeping the model for many years, the decals will eventually dry out and pull away from the surface. We are talking in the 10-20 year range. But it will most likely eventually happen. Especially in the climate of the area that we live in Jake.

Decals should stick to a gloss finish fine.  Problems come with use over matt finish.  Decals do not really need sealing, but  a clear coat helps with uniform sheen over both decals and paint.

What Jake???!!! A car?! ;)

They should still go on ok. If you don't mind the difference in sheen, you can forego the clear coat.