I have been doin this since I was 8 and did a horrible job on an old Hawk V-! kit. That was 55 years ago. I have gone thru hundreds of kits, yes hundreds because they were cheap when I was a kid, 25 to 89 cents each. Didn't get good at painting till the last 20 years.
Have gotten a few pictures into FSM, sold a few privately and my best efforts went into a display at the Pacific Aviation Museum recreating the Battle of Midway.