Hi Don,
I thought this might be of interest to you.
I’ve just received Allen “Stiglr” Dickerson’s three disc AC3D tutorial. Although it’s an aircraft tutorial, I believe it’s well worth the $10 + s/h since much of what he demonstrates can be used for other projects. Watching his technique also eases the learning curve.
You should be able to reach him on the AC3D forum, http://www.ac3d.org/forum/, if you’re interested.
Regards, Chris