Thank you all for your replies. I'll definitely be able to use your advice.
I guess I left out several important details in my original message. He likes airplanes. As far as scale, I think that 1/48 or larger is what he likes, and I base that on the fact that most of the stuff he has is pretty big. (Okay no laughing at that last sentence)
Anyway, I haven't seen any metal aircraft in his place, so I don't know that a metal kit is his cup of tea. The F/A-18 is intriguing, and I know he also likes the Stuka. I searched on this group for Stuka and saw that it basically boiled down to Airfix or Hasegawa. Is there a winner between those two? He especially likes cockpit detail, so I suppose any aircraft with a particularly nice cockpit that he could show off would work.
Finally, I am a complete amateur, so if there is special lingo, you will have to explain it in your message. I finally figured out what "Gunze" was after reading about 50 posts.
Once again, thanks in advance.
N