RE: please help this newbie out
Well, looks like a mess.
Wat kind of plane is this?
Covering
Let's start with the covering. The holes/rips can be patched with new covering or just packing tape is you wish. Make sure to clean the area around the holes with alcohol so the covering will stick. If you are going to use monokote or something similar, you need an covering iron to heat the covering so the glue on the back will stick and t srink it.
Hinges
Next. You will need new hinges. I can't tell what kind you have now but you will need to replace them. You need to cut new hinge slots and get new hinges. I would use CA hinges with thin CA to glue them in.
Check out this article from MinnFlyer
[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/article_display.cfm?article_id=55]CA Hinges by MinnFlyer[/link]
Cracks
Now the cracks, first the front. I am assuming that the nose is just cracked, Looks like you could just put some CA in and let it dry. It should hold. You may be able to put some wood on the inside of the fuse to help hold it. That is if you have room.
The rear horizontal stab, that one looks like trouble. Is the stab made out of solid balsa or built up with covering over it. I can't tell. You will have to get the covering off in order to assess the damage.
Well this is a start.
Good Luck