To be completely honest, when I saw the first photos I thought this kit was beyond repair. You did a great job. Despite being a beginner myself, I would recommend you use an extra thin cement (I use Tamiya's; for what I've read, Mr. Hobby's Mr.CementS is just as good). What I (try to) do when working with large parts, is to glue them by sections: I try to make an area fit the best I can, glue it, hold it with spring clamps/clothespins/tape and then move to the next section. It may take 40 minutes to an hour to glue two large parts together this way, but it will save you a lot of time and work later, as you will need to do a lot less filling and sanding.
Again, great work.