Building model rockets weather from a kit or from scratch is not a difficult undertaking. Some of the newer kits come with all parts precut, and only have to be glued together to to fly. More traditional kits come as a bag of tubes, balsa sheets, a nosecone, and a parachute. We suggest that you start with a kit, such as one of the simpler Estes kits, to get the feel for what is involved when building rockets. After you are comfortable with building kits, you should consider designing your own.
Model rocket building is a good evening hobby as many of the steps are short but you have to let glue and paint dry before going on to the next step. Unlike plastic model airplanes and cars, a model rocket is not something that you completely build in a single sitting. If you try to work too fast, you will either end up with a mess or your rocket will not be strong and will disassemble itself at the first launch. For example, a paint job needs to dry overnight before applying the next coat. If you don't let it dry, the new coat may soften the previous coat and cause it to sag or run.
Table of contents: