It's amazing what you learn along the way... but in retrospect, that's part of the fun.

IMHO, your most import ant tool is your building board. If it's not straight, your plane won't be....


Invest in some long, straight sanding blocks. Don't scrimp on #11 blades, a razor saw comes in quite handy, lots of T-pins....

Patience. Take the time, be sure before you glue. Make your joints tight and go sparingly on the glue. Never build a kit too strong, lighter is better, less force on impact and it'll fly better so will be less likely to crash....

Consider better hardware. Most of the stuff thrown is kits is junk.
If a piece of wood looks questionable, replace it and use it elsewhere (eg. bracing, next plane, test scraps etc.)

Take the time while building to ensure everything is well built. Stand back, look at it, admire it... notice you built two left wings.
Don't be afraid to disassemble, make new parts and start over. Nothing will annoy you more than knowing your plane has some subtle flaw. No one else will notice, but you'll know....

The 4 Star is a nice easy kit to build and it flies very well, consider going with a separate servo for each aileron (I don't recall but, I think the kit recommends torque tubes).

You'll really enjoy it if you're happy with your handiwork. Pride of workmanship is the only form of pride that's not a sin.

Enjoy!

Jim