Hmmmm...well for me, if I'm building an airplane just for my own enjoyment and not for any type of competition, I just build it straight, and put a nice paint job on it with a touch of weathering. I don't worry about the details such as rivets and all the col stuff that doesn't make the airplane fly any better...ya know, the eye candy stuff. Okay, once in awhile I'll put on some panel lines just for fun...but nothing more than that. That way you don't have hundreds of hours or more of detailing...just tends to add to the pucker factor!
Well, that's my 3 cents worth.
Best of luck,
Rob Bailey / Pickupsticks