Model ship building: Getting started
So I've decided to take up a hobby, and I've mostly decided on model ship building... old sailing ships, mainly, but warships up through WWII era are interesting as well. When I was a kid, I built a few model cars... nothing really complex, and cars never really held much of a fascination for me so I didn't stick with them (although thanks to a glue incident, I did once stick TO one of them... ). I have plenty of patience and focus, and developing both of those traits a bit more is a goal of this hobby.
What I'm looking for is a bit of basic information:
1) Aside from the basic stuff (glue, paint, brushes, and plenty of change for the Swear Jar), what will I need to get started?
2) How can one judge the complexity of a model kit and make a selection that's appropriate to his skill and experience?
3) Any recommendations on particularly interesting ships to work on?
4) Any tips on displaying the finished projects (other than ship in a bottle, which is a bit past the level of insanity I want to devote to this hobby for the moment).
Thanks in advance for any help.
James