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I've just gotten my first metal model, a Necron Lord with Res Orb and Staff. I've looked online for a tutorial on trimming the flash, smoothing mold lines, etc, but I haven't had any luck. I've seen a couple of speed painting tutorials, but nothing for tips on actually putting together the metal model.

So, what advice do you have for someone?

cleaning flash on metal is... frankly.... near impossible. I tend to not bother. I use cutters to get the obvious bits off, and a knife and file and work carefully at the larger more obvious areas, but to my recollection, a necron lord doesn't have much in the way of offensive flash as a robed model would. If you are having trouble seeing what the model is supposed to look like, take a dab of black paint, water it down heavy, and liberally cover your model, wait for it to dry, and you should clearly see what is detail and what needs to be cleaned off. Just pass it through a cleaning substance afterwards, rinse off and away you go. Just do be careful, once metal gets marred, you can't cover it up as easy as with plastic, so dont you come blaming me about ruining your model

Normally, i would reccomend pinning, but since the Necron Lord is so fiddly to begin with..... eh, don't go for the epic pose, go for the pose that looks reasonable while offering maximum surface area with which glue can adhere to the pieces.

Mind you, metal is about a hundred times easier to strip and repaint than plastic.

If you're having trouble assembling it, you might consider pinning. First, you'll need a pin vice (google or a quick trip to Hobby Lobby should net you one. The latter has spring loaded ones as well, IIRC). Once you have one, just drill a hole in either side, then clip a piece of paper clip to fit into both sides with no extra space. Glue it into both, and your metal model is now pretty much unbreakable (WARNING: do not test this. I lie. A lot.). Enjoy!

Given fiddliness (which, honestly, is a lot better than a lot of models I've pinned in the last year or so), you might want to practive a little bit before trying it on a centerpiece model. Plastic models like the majority of your necron force, as well as metal Immortals, etc. make good places to practice if you're not anal-retentive like me.

Ball/socket joints generally don't require pinning. Anything smaller than 3mm will take practice to get right.

Flash can be removed with a hobby knife (do NOT cut with it, rather scrape it off) or files (needle files).

Beginners really shouldn't start with metals.

That's rather like jumping in at the deep end.

Let me clarify...
I've put together and painted a box of warriors, and I'm assembling a Necron army.

So, if beginners aren't supposed to do metal models, exactly how are you supposed build an army? I guess it's a good thing that the metals are going away.

Thank you, everyone. Your advice will defiantly help.

Sand paper all the way. I tend to use from 1000 to 2000 (the higher the number the "lighter" the sand paper) and I tend to start with 1000 on metal models with lots of flash. Cut a small square (2-3") and fold it.

If you want to use it between two areas that are hard to access, cut a very long but thin strip. Like 5-6" or more in length, and 1/4". Then I can't really explain how to do it, but I'm sure you'll figure it out Really helps cleaning the inside of Space Marine legs (though plastic is softer so you're better off using a 1600-2000 type).

Don't leave mold lines on your model, they really kill any kind of paint job. But don't rush it either, it's a chore to do but once you get the hang of it you'll do it pretty quickly.

Also I wash my models with a toothbrush and some regular soap; this will take away any grease from hands and the dust that results from sanding.

Hope to see your army posted! Keep at it, you'll only get better

One thing I've recently started using on metal minis is superglue accelerator, like Zipkicker...GF9 makes one as well.

In my experience, at least for normal sized troops and characters pinning isn't necessary. For me, the problem has always been that glue seems to take forever to cure on metal. Solution: sand or file both pieces to get a rough edge, apply small amount of glue, hold in place, spray accelerator. It evaporates like crazy, leaving no residue behind.

That, and use a file. Files IMHO work way better and faster than sandpaper for cleaning up mold lines on metal.

Thanks for the tips!
Got some files and I'm taking my time. I'm not happy with how the end of the staff looks, so I'm using the files to refine the edges.
The black wash is a great tip! Definitely doing that before I move on to priming.

I studied polyisocyanates (super glue) in college, and I can tell you to save your money on accelerators. Ever notice that super glue really seems to stick fast on a humid day? The only catalyst to the polyisocyanate reaction is water vapor. My technique:
#1. Lightly sand or file the edges. This increases the surface area of the joint.
#2. Put super glue on both sides of the joint.
#3. Practice your mouth breathing. Breathe on the joint as if you were trying to fog up a mirror or window.
#4. Put the joint together and hold for a few seconds. Ta-da

I understand that there are different 'qualities' of super glue, that have different curing times. This seems to work best for the cheap super glue that you get in the check-out line next to the stale bubble gum and the latest trashy, celebrity gossip magazines.

Huh. I never thought water vapor would do anything for drying super glue faster. Should try that one day...
I didn't seem to have a need to pin the arms for my necron lord. I just needed to make sure everything was sanded down that needed to be. Other than that, I think everyone else got it down for you. Good luck!