Thanks very much chaps, it's really appreciated.
Cory, a word of caution regarding the decals. On a normally painted surface, they're fine, and can be positioned quite easily, although wetting the surface will help if a decal needs to be moved to its final resting place. I didn't use any decal solutions, my normal type being 'Micro Sol', partly because of the caution shown in the instructions, warning against more aggressive solutions, but mainly due to the fact that these agents can 'stain' the NMF which, not being clear coated, can quite easily be spoiled by such solutions.
However, when handling the model some 12 or more hours after applying the first decals, I accidentally caught the top edge of the roundel, on the starboard nose area, with a piece of tissue, whilst removing water and decal adhesive residue I'd missed earlier. This caused a small segment to flake off - obviously due to the 'metal' surface, and not being sealed with a clear coat. Fortunately, I was able to retrieve the small piece of decal, wet the area where it came from, and put it back in position, minus a tiny 'notch', after wetting the surface slightly. (the missing bit will be painted - in later).
This was then sealed with just a tiny spot of clear gloss enamel varnish applied off the tip of a fine paint brush - I would normally use a good clear acrylic varnish for this but, due to the problems I've experienced with the 'new' Future, I didn't want to mess things up, and didn't have a replacement for the Future, which will be replaced, come Thursday, with the new Humbrol 'Clear', an equivalent to the original Johnson's Future / Klear.
So, if, or when, applying these decals to a 'naked' metallic-painted surface, be extra careful, and seal the decalled area with a good quality acrylic clear coat as soon as possible after the decals have set.
Just the decal, and around the edges of the carrier film, needs to be sealed on the raw NMF, and an acrylic is preferable, as this should not alter the appearance of the painted NMF, whereas an enamel clear coat might do.
Apart from that, you should find these decals are a pleasure to work with, given that 'normal' handling precautions are observed when using thin decals - the decal and carrier film is so thin, that there is absolutely zero trace of any clear film on the 'metal' surfaces, even when inspected under a magnifying glass.