Tip #2: After finishing a painting job on your model and just washed the paint of your hands with terpentine: Don't light a smoke. This can result, besides the loss of your facialhair, in a burning desk, a crashed aquarium and a broken chair.
But seriously: Tips form an expert would be great. Maybe I'll dare to start a new model after all. Last time I build a model without a plan. It turned out to be a crappy Tiger Tank...on second thought I should have stuck with the plan and built that Spitfire.