The thing that strikes me about Blender this time round (having wasted too much cash on 'real' programs in the meantime) is that Blender isn't just a great program because it's free... but actually it's a great program because it's better than some software that costs hundreds of dollars. Would any other learners be interested in starting a sort of 'assignment' thingie? It could be something as vague as 'model' a weapon. Newbies like me might struggle to produce a simple untextured sword (or club... or rock!), while those with a bit more know-how could produce a tank or battleship or something... just a thought. I think that having some sort of definite task and associated deadline might help me (us?) learn the program more quickly than just fiddling around reproducing tutorials all the time (Not that I'm dissing the tutorials - I find them an amazing help).