Ummm..
http://www.tisinc99.com/ma16scnolymi1.html.
This is a vinyl kit not a resin one. Not a huge difference in approach but very important difference nonetheless. Vinyl kits need to have the hollowness filled with something, (plaster of paris) especially the legs to add stability and prevent deformation. You are going to pin the figure to the base with brass rod.
So what do you have? Soft Vinyl or resin?
Assuming you have the vinyl kit here are some answers
Solvents yo, no plastics like solvents. Too much squadron's (which you should avoid always as it is poo) will melt styrene, but hey! This is a vinyl kit and is super awesome easy to build.
Superglue! I like Zap brand personally. A tube of thin for capillary action and a tube of thick for filling seams.
Whatever paint you are most comfortable with. I like Tamiya, my roomate likes Gunze Sangyo, but I really feel that Tamiya makes the best everything. I have had ok result with Model Masters acrylics but really: enamels, acrylics, oil, it is all about finding a process that you are comfortable with.
All kits must be washed! All! This is your mantra. Quite hot water, dish soap, and a toothbrush for scrubbing. Let parts soak to help remove any possible distortions, then scrub away trying to get in all the nooks and whatnot. Vinyl softens in heat and you can fix any distortions quite easily by holding piece in place and letting cool.
White Primer of course. I have used Model Master rattlecan primers and they are ok, Tamiya spray rules, but If you are airbrushing Mr. Surfacer 1000 is nice. My basic rule of thumb is white primer for figures or super colorful things and gray for robots.
Totally, nothing beats very small razor-blades when it comes to cutting things, including yourself.
You can use a hair dryer to heat up the vinyl a little bit to make it easier to cut safely. The hair dryer also comes in handy as you begin to test fit your pieces together as you can heat the sockets up a bit so they fit nicely and come apart easily. Do not go overboard with the dryer! Play around with the sprue a little and find a setting the works good for you.
Personally I like Tamiya putty (basic kind) for filling big, Mr surfacer 500 for small, and Milliput for sculpting. Putties come in two parts mainly and have to be mixed up. I use Milliput super fine (about 15 dollars for enough to last years) and really enjoy the long work time and using water to thin it and feather the edges. I have not got around to Mori Mori or any of the super cool Japanese putties but I hear they are the absolute bomb. Another word here about the superglue, while it is awesome for its gap filling awesomeness; when it is fully cured it is way harder than any plastic. So if you have any excess sand it to shape immediately after it cures. (10 minutes?) If you let it go overnight it will be a real pain.
There are a million and one tips for sure. Not alot of sanding on a vinyl kit though, usually just minor seam lines and whatever putty needs to be sanded to shape, though you should be getting the majority of putty shaping done when it is still workable. Really though the best secrets are the ones you learn yourself, You have to make some non-museum grade kits before you can make one you are happy with. Each kit you build you will learn more and hopefully each one will be the best one you have ever made. Model kit building comfortably straddles the line between craft and art so there is tons to learn and experiment with. Don't get too frustrated!
Or rather when you do get frustrated just try to learn from what you did wrong.
Helpful links:
Vinyl faq at Starship Modeler
A good looking faq from a google search
Another One, see vinyl section. pretty thorough.