Thanks Wojtek, I didn't know about a retarder for acrylics - but then, I haven't got much experience with acrylics! Sounds useful stuff though.
Corey, if you haven't primed the bird yet, see if you can polish the areas where you've sanded first. This should eliminate any possibility of fine scratch marks showing through the Alclad later. (They're not always visible until it's too late!)
You can use 'T-Cut' (Don't know if that's what it's called in the 'States, but it's a car body colour restorer/scratch remover), but only use a small amount on a soft cloth, and ensure there's no residue left on the model. Give it a good polish, then wipe over with a clean, dry cloth or tissue, to remove any dried residue, which should show up as a whitish, or yellowish powdery substance, if present. If you can't get 'T-Cut', the next best, apart from a dedicated, and expensive, plastic polish, is a metal polish, as you'd use for cleaning brass or silver.Lastly, if all else fails, use toothpaste! It's a bit messy, and needs cleaning off thoroughly, but at least the model will smell nice!