[Jeff Higgins]

You'll be fine, Ayles. These are far less complicated than R/C cars. My son and I raced every variety of those you can name, at least on-road. 1/12th pan cars and 1/10th touring cars on carpet, 1/10th gas and 1/10th F1 electric outside on asphalt, spec Tamiya Mini Cooper, and finally 1/8th gas with the old SARCAR club in Renton. We built (and rebuilt) every car we raced from a kit. A quality hydro kit will be a piece of cake in comparison.

You will need a few things that you didn't need for the cars. First and foremost is a large, flat work surface that you don't have to disturb. In other words, once you start, you will want to leave the hull undisturbed until it nears completion. A trick I learned in building R/C airplanes was to use a hollow door, or part of a hollow door depending on the size of the kit. This allows you to put it on a work table, and take it off of that work table when you need it for something else. Oh, and plywood isn't flat enough for this...

The only model "wood working" tools you should need are x-acto knives and saws, plus a good straightedge and square. This is more like framing a house or building a deck or something - it's not "mechanical" assembly until the hardware goes in. Use a good medium CA glue, and maybe some ten minute epoxy where specified. Put wax paper over the plans if you are building over them. A box full of push pins and some tape will hold things in place for glueing when necessary.

Modern CAD designed and laser cut kits are what we called "determinate assembly" at my old job. In other words, the parts fit so well that they self-determine where they go, with no play or slop. You may have to establish a centerline and start by squaring up the beginnings of the basic structure, hence the straightedge and square. Once that's established, though, if a part fits at all that's just where it goes, with no trimming or adjustment required. Oh, and the old Dumas kit is absolutely not like that... Let's call it a "craftsman's kit", in an effort to remain polite...

So, yeah, you have nothing to be afraid of. Dive in. You'll have fun. And if you well and truly get stuck, I'll be more than happy to help.