See that'd be great if my washes turned out like that. But they dont. I just end up with black pools everywhere I dont want them and they end up looking dirty as hell and making all the colors darker than I want.

Washes frequently end up like that, it can be hard to stop them from pooling, that's why you highlight after the wash. Try dipping your washing brush into your water cup, tapping the excess off onto a paper towel and tapping the panels where you don't want the wash to pool. With a little practice the wash scoots into the cracks. Oh and grab some Simple Green, you almost certainly will ruin a model and need to strip it, part of the practice process.

http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=54

Pick a few washes for the colours you're likely to use(Red, blue, etc.) or just get the soft body and armour washes, they're all you need to start. Just remember you're not done after the wash, I used to fall into that trap myself.

After Macross mentioned thinning my paints I did take the advice to heart, hopefully the result can be seen in my Outrider, Gunboats and Starviper.

Oh yes, the result is indeed visible. You've achieved a smoother finish which looks quite good. A side effect that might not be apparent with a smooth finish is that it makes washes look better. Washes will find any nooks and crannies on a model, whether or not you want to. A smoothly painted basecoat makes it easier for the wash to reach the intended areas and reduce uneven pooling.

So in the past month or so Ive done a few repaints, mostly on new ships to my collection. And then there was the incident with the Tantive and some white paint....

Anyway, first up is the Missile Boat from the TIE Fighter video game, which I snagged on Shapeways.

And my second Aggressor

And then the ATR-6 Assault Transport that I picked up from Shapeways.

And finally... a First Order TIE Fighter. Which Im not happy with, but ive spent far too much time attempting to fix it/redo it. (Seven if youre curious. Seven attempts)

Looking really good! The aggressor is fantastic.