How do I install Mountain Lion on an accidentally erased drive?

Honestly, I feel such a fool...
My new MBA arrived and I tried to migrate from my old one via wifi. It stalled, so I decided to migrate from the most recent TimeMachine backup on an external Thunderbolt disk. That finished, but the new MBA looked nothing like the old MBA and apps did not work the same, so I decided to go back to square one...
...which ended up with me having reformatted the internal SSD in the new MBA and unable to put OS X back on it any way at all. When I boot the mac, I get the no-entry/prohibited sign. If I press Option when booting and try to boot from a startup USB drive, or a Thunderbolt drive, or anything, I just get the no-entry sign.
I also tried Internet Recovery (Command Option R) which took 25 minutes to go through the initial stages, then presented me with the Startup Manager so I selected Reinstall OS X and it told me it would check with Apple's Servers to see whether I was allowed, but it then said it could not do this and put me back to the Startup Manager with no particular place to go other than Apple's own website. Sigh.
This is two days of frustration. I am not near an Apple Store, so cannot vent my frustration - not to mention humiliation - on anyone "real".
I have a brand new, apparently bricked, MBA. I have my old, still functioning, MBA. I have a 1Tb Thunderbolt disk which is partially used, a 500Gb USB disk which is partially used and a USB multireader with assorted SD cards etc. What can I do? Stop bashing my head against the wall would be a start, I suppose.
PS - I have tried using Target Disk Mode via the Thunderbolt cable to reformat and install OS X to the SSD, having googled a lot (too much!) but have achieved nothing. It seems as though the new MBA, because it shipped with Mountain Lion preloaded, refuses to acknowledge any attempt to install it externally/remotely. Do I have no option but to return it to Apple?
Thank you!
Message was edited by: ianbl

Well, I opened the case again with Apple and this time they did call. A very helpful chap called Gerry has set up an appointment for me at an Apple Store tomorrow. The drive will be worth it, I'm sure.
The Internet Recovery process probably failed because OS X is too big to download via 3G and the nearest wifi I can connect to uses WPA encryption and Internet Recovery can only handle WEP, or vice versa I'm not sure.
With the new MBA I had got as far as registering it to my Apple ID and setting up messaging, App Store, FaceTime and all those other things that need the ID, so it should have been recognised as being mine and legitimate.
Anyway, thank you for the support - I hope nobody else tears as much of their hair out as I have over this. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

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pforkes wrote:
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OS numbers and names
OS X 10.4.x - Tiger
OS X 10.5.x - Leopard
OS X 10.6.x - Snow Leopard
OS X 10.7.x - Lion
OS X 10.8.x - Mountain Lion
More about Macs
The Apple History site has specifications for every Mac ever produced: http://www.apple-history.com
Upgrade to Leopard
Those wishing to upgrade to Leopard should be aware that install disks can be expensive. Details: http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-os-x-leopard-prices.html Standard Leopard installers impose several hardware limitations including speed and RAM size but all these restrictions can be overcome. Google for details. Leopard works well at 500 MHz with 1 GB of RAM and many happy users have less than this.
Upgrade beyond Leopard
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Upgrade to Mountain Lion
Information about upgrading Snow Leopard or Lion to Mountain Lion: http://www.apple.com/osx/specs/
Important
Check that your Mac complies with any requirements.
If you are not in the US you should use the Change Country link at the bottom of Apple pages.

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How do I install Mountain Lion on an accidentally erased drive?

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