Congrats on your first attempt! With the plethora of kits coming out now you have no problem building more and improving as you go along! As for the hip guns I have a suggestion that may result in a slight improvment in the positioning--- you'll notice on the kit that the lower part of the fuselage that connects to the legs is hinged, and it locks into place. What you do is pull out only that lower part so that it unlocks, then position your legs exactly where they should be, with the hip guns all in place, and then lock the fuselage part. Hope it helps!