Even if you build only from kits a belt / disk sander and a drill press will pay enormous dividends. Drilling engine mount holes in hardwood mounts is possible, but sooo much more accurate and esier with a drill press.
A belt / disk sander makes short work of sanding a profile fuse, tapering edges on flaps / elevators, and a host of other tasks.
In my small but crowded shop I have a bench top mounted drill press & bandsaw, a scrollsaw and belt / disk sander on a flip top roll around stand, and a couple Dremel tools. Those plus a bunch of X-acto knives and sanding blocks let me do just about anything needed to build from a kit or plans.
Ryobi, Sears, Delta all make suitable bench top tools, more $$ = higher quality, but for about $100 each the Ryobi stuff works fine on most materials we use, Delta stuff is about 2X as much money- but equally higher in quality and construction. Watch Craigs list, go to garage sales, and check out Harbor Freight for bargains on tools.
Welcome back- life is good in CL these days, and answers to almost any question are just a few mouse cliks and a message away.