Hi Rich, and welcome!
Where are you based? I ordered a WNW kit from Weta on Saturday 12 November and it arrived on the following Thursday. I am in the UK and WNW has a Weta distribution centre in Holland. If you are in the EU, Weta adds on the VAT and a delivery charge to the kit price.
However as I was also a WWI newcomer a few years back, and was a bit daunted about cutting the relatively expensive plastic, I shied away from a WNW for a while. However the price represents good value considering the time the kits can take to make, plus the quality.
I have other kits in 1:48 mainly Eduard, which have all been decent so far. I can't compare other 1:32 makes as I only ever got WNW so far in that scale.
Take a few minutes (or hours) and scan the site here and look at some of the build logs. Not only can you see some great models in process of being built, but also the modellers are without an exception happy to share hints and tips, point out issues with any kits, painting and weathering etc. It is all here, and all freely shared.
I would also recommend having a look at Des's parent site via the big red banner above the forum pages. Des has built many kits, with highly detailed build logs, and he also features his outstanding scratch builds.
No apologies for the shameless plug for Des, there is some inspirational stuff on here!
Oh, and if you're an experienced modeller in other genres there is the "Time to Relax" off-topic section on this forum, where you can share your other work..