Great old kit!
I painted that kit and the Bandai kit the same way: rattlecan Testors Gold, drybrushed with lightened Testors gold enamel, washed with thinned flat black acrylic, then finished with Testors Dulcote in the rattlecan (this was about 12 years ago, pre-airbrush!). The drybrushing and wash really accentuate all those scales!
I've always wondered why Aurora skipped the scales on the backs of the necks...lazy dogs! Bandai gives you every single scale!