Nice work!
It really takes some brass to start painting. I started with some P-40s from HBG. They looked awesome until I dipped them. ishould’ve primed them or not have dipped them.
A good way to practice is to buy some army men. Wash them. Dry them. Prime them. Paint with model paints and detail with permenant markers if you wish. Then dip them with Minwax Polyshade. When they dry they will be super shiney if you like that look you can leave it or spay a coat of dull acryllic coating.
When you’re with this process you will give weight and durability to the pieces. You can damn near bounce them off the wall without a scratch.
As far as my P-40 debacle, I ended up painting over them again in a simple olive drab and re-dipped them. They didn’t look as fancy but it gave the small planes a much heavier and solid feel. Additionally the Minwax sealer gave a weathered “veteran” look that stands out from the plain plastic look.
Good Painting! and Good Luck!