Vince

Excellent! I knew I could count on you guys.

Where can I look for a ready made tool kit. I know I can probably piece one together, but I'm not sure what I'd need to make a good, comprehensive kit with everything I'd need. Any suggestions? Perhaps a shopping list?

I can see the look on my wife's face now...

Thanks for this insight. I'm certain technique only comes from practice, which I plan to get a lot of. When you say test the paint on the plastic, I assume you mean on the discarded trees and not on actual parts.

Again, GREAT answers to what I figured was a simple question. With this much info, I think I am ready to go shopping for my materials. Thanks a million!

From browsing the forums, I can tell that patience is definitely the key. I will try to remember that as I go along. I was reading another thread and the people in that were gung-ho on automotive paints and not so high on hobby paints. The responses here made it sound as if hobby paint is perfectly acceptable. Is there any sort of consensus or guiding principle?

Thanks for the insight, guys, (and the welcome). I have wanted to start building for a while now, and I'm finally finding the time to do it. I appreciate the tips...and I'll definitely try to get pictures taken as I progress.

...what type of paint is best to use for plastic models? Do you recommend airbrushing or painting by hand? Thanks for helping out a beginner!