I agree with Pier that this is definitely not for those starting out with DIY. I did a write up on this forum a while back for those who are just now starting out building their own gear (https://groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=68195.msg867001#msg867001) and without trying to be self promoting, I would encourage you to read through it before you start ordering boards. It's meant to help people like yourself to avoid making all the mistakes and waste all the money I did trying to learn building gear.
Thanks!
Paul
Thank you Paul for the advice, it's a very well thought out text and with very good intentions. I'm not your usual newbie though, I'm extra meticulous in everything I do, and take special care in new fields, like DIY gear for me. The first time I've picked up a soldering iron was last month, and I built a colour palette with 3 colour modules (vintage bundle). I started with the 15ips card, measuring resistors 3 times, and using the iron for the first time. This card was the sloppiest, but soldering the other modules was much better. I learnt to be aware of polarity (very well marked on all the pieces concerned), it's OK as long as it's clear where the + hole is. And then I built the palette, the most challenging piece, but the best is that it worked well from the very first time. I had to correct some cold solders (looked like bubbles), but it was easy, and it was an amazing experience that made my heart race. The best bit was when I plugged it in, the LEDs light up, all knobs worked, and all colour modules passed sound as expected. A great experience, not sure why I didn't do it before.
But maybe you're right, and I should go for other "easier" builds to get better, and come back when I have more experience. Hopefully Pier Paolo is still around in a few months time
Off to research now 500 series eq kits now, thank you both very much for your time and advice.