Lessons Learned: A common-sense guide for idiots (such as myself). : When doing mutliple paint masks, wait a full 24hrs between taping!  And always do any metal paints as the last mask!  Taping over the metal will pull the finish even once. : Even if your decals are under several coats of sealer, do not put tape on them as a masking solution!!!  Your decals will still rip away, making you sad. (Good thing you scanned those decals before use, eh?  D'oh!) : Before spraying, always allow paint and parts to equalize with the ambient temperature.  Otherwise blistering may occur, thereby ruining your piece, making you sad. : Never use water soluable marker or pens on your model.  Once handled, even days later, you will smear all over the place -and then it won't come off! : Always fasten your lids tight! If not, the very next time you pick that jar up by the lid, it will splash all over the place. : Keep your empty cans and jars of thinner.  You can store the waste back in there. : Even when you know you don't have wet paint on your hands -you actually do.  And you have already smeared it on the model you are handling at the time. : Even when you know you don't have wet paint on the table, you do.  You have already smeared on the next kit you are working on. : Even when you know the paint is dry, don't drill/file/sand in the same area. When the dust settles, your paint job will be ruined. : Even when you know the paint has fully dried and is ready for more work/handling, give it another full day at the very least!!! : Even when you are only going to drill/file/sand 'just a little', wear your goggles!  You will get shrapnel in your eye and it will hurt (and hopefully not blind you!). Also, wear your breath mask! Fine particulate matter in the air will get in your lungs and will, over time, help to kill you. : When using super/crazy glue, move your fingers around immediately.  You have already glued them to the model -or to themselves! And it hurts to rip them apart! : Feeling goofy?  Do your lungs have a 'strange' sensation? Always keep a fan or two running while working to keep the air moving! : Keep your freshly painted/puttied pieces in a box near an open window/door with a fan blowing on them. : Don't use a file to pry the lid off a can of spray paint.  You will break the file! Go get a proper screwdriver like you should have done in the first place! : Patience, after all these millenia, is still a virtue! : Scrub your hands clean til they hurt before eating -even just a few bites!  That's how Vincent Van lost it! (via ingestion of toxic work-related materials.) : Expect Murphy's law to kick in when it's supposed to -when you are least wary! : Even though you've got the rough math in your mind, write down your wiring diagrams! The LEDS will continue to burn out until you do! : The putty may be dry, but it hasn't thoroughly cured yet. Give it another full day! : Clean your sculpting tools after applying putty -every single time!!!  Once it builds up, you've lost a good tool! : Keep track of your parts and always keep them together!  As soon as you put one part to the side 'just for a moment' it will get itself lost, possibly forever! : Sprayed paint will always get into every possible crevice that hasn't been fully and completely masked off! Give two full days before remasking for another color! You've been warned! : Even using a straight-edge, you are not going to cut a genuinely 'straight' line of masking tape!  Get the right size pin striping tape needed (below 1/16th, you don't have too many options though...) : Even though you know what the 'original' looks like down to the last detail -collect your references before you start painting! You will be surprised every time! : Keep your ref's handy! : Yes, it is worth it to go that/those extra last step/s to get that last few percent of finish!