Model building (cars, planes)

1:24 for cars and 1:48 for aircraft. These are the most popular scales, which means the widest kit selection, the most aftermarket parts, and the most online build guides when you get stuck. Larger scales like 1:18 show more detail but cost more and take longer. Pick a popular scale first so help is easy to find.

Four things. A sharp craft knife (Swann-Morton or X-Acto), a sprue cutter for removing parts cleanly, a set of needle files, and a few grades of sanding stick from 400 to 1000 grit. That covers assembly and cleanup for around €30 total. Everything else (airbrush, paint booth, fancy tweezers) is something you add later once you know you are sticking with it.

Two causes. Either you are using too much cement, or you are using the wrong type. Plastic model cement (Tamiya Extra Thin, Revell Contacta) melts the plastic to weld it, so a tiny amount wicked into the seam is enough. The white fogging around clear parts comes from super glue fumes, which is why you never use super glue near canopies or windscreens. Switch to a PVA-based glue like Gator's Grip for clear parts and the fogging stops.

Completely. The first kit teaches you that thumbprints show in fresh paint, that mould seam lines need sanding before assembly, and that patience between coats matters more than skill. Build a cheap kit first and treat it as practice you are allowed to ruin. The jump in quality between your first and fourth build is dramatic, and it comes from mistakes, not talent.

Brush painting works fine for most kits, especially smaller ones, as long as you thin the paint slightly and build up thin coats rather than one thick one. Vallejo and Citadel acrylics are formulated to brush well. An airbrush gives smoother large surfaces like car bodies and aircraft fuselages, but it is a €100-plus addition with a learning curve of its own. Start with brushes, and only buy an airbrush once a brushed finish is the thing holding your builds back.