Tips

When you buy a model, throw away the packaging. It has no particular value. Once the model is assembled, toss it out. There are plenty of books and online references for your vehicle.

If you see a model you want, buy it. Next time it will be more expensive or perhaps even unobtainable. If you can't afford all of them you need for your wargame army, then make regular purchases. Many hobby companies disappear and many are run by individuals, who when they die or retire their products are gone forever.

Use sharp knife blades. Dull blades are dangerous and don't do as good a job as sharp ones. I keep my used blades for rough projects or to heat and use to melt plastics.

Buy a pin vise and use it to drill little, tiny holes in stuff. It is much easier than trying to make holes using a knife blade.

Get a cutting board and do all your work on it. They are not only sold in hobby shops, they are also sold in fabric stores and often cheaper.

When painting, put your open jar of paint inside a small low sided plastic box. If you knock the paint over, you will not have a disaster.