you'll poo your pants when you take it out in the sun. indoor lighting is probally the worst for how it really looks, espically flourescent lights. enamel paint does not have that "wet" look like base coat/clear coat paints tend to, but the "depth" of color i find is really true, looks very vibrant, espically in the sun, and twilight i find are when the paint really looks deep. as for the polishing, i used a 10" 3600rpm random orbit electric polisher, and the cheepest turtle wax "polishing" compound paste (white) NOT the rubbing compound. i would put about 2 table spoons of the paste on the buffer, then polish for a few mins, i would say after a 3' x3' area i would spray the bonnet with lots of water, then continue polishing. don't push on the polisher, just a slight pressure using the weight alone. for exapmle the trunk lid would take me about 20 mins to do, bisically just standing there letting the polisher do it's thing. looks from you pics that you've got the process down pat, you'd be supprised how fast you do the whole car. your test area is a bit small, and probally would be harder to do than a larger one. i found that going over even 1000 grit took too long to wetsand, and polishing alot was eaiser and faster then wetsanding. i think i used 1500 grit as my "final" sand. also i waxed the paint right after the polish, again with the el-cheapo turtle wax "extreme" wax. i really like that turtle wax stuff, i tried the 3M stuff, mothers, i have a shelf in my garage full of every imaginable wax and polish, turtle wax is the cheapest and the best. as for the toughness of the paint, honestly i can say that it is really scratch resistant, chip resistant, i like it. enamel is alot "harder" then any other type of paint. i wax my cars 2 times a year, once in spring, and once in fall. good job by the way, i'll let you answer all the questions from now on, you officially have the helm!!!
Thanks 69charger. It's surprising how easy it is to do, and the little specs of crap that fell onto the paint when it was wet, they all came out with wetsanding. I was worried about them.
I hope others will try this too, it really is a great deal and it's fun seeing what you can do by hand
Now I'll hopefully get off my can and finish up the bodywork!
good job by the way, i'll let you answer all the questions from now on, you officially have the helm!!! 
It's surprising how easy it is to do, and the little specs of crap that fell onto the paint when it was wet, they all came out with wetsanding. I was worried about them.
