Best sets for a newbie to work on

This board's been pretty quiet, so I thought I'd post!

As someone who is just geting into old tv's, are there any sets which are better for beginners to work on? I like the look of some of the old Admiral Bakelite consoles of the early fifties, but how are they to work on? Conversely, are there any sets to steer clear of (I have a hunch things like the Predictas are pain in the necks to get going).
Also, I eventually want to get a hold of a specific model of early sixties GE portable (11" screen, plastic cabinet, knobs beside the screen (right side) that came in grey and red (possibly other colors too). Does anyone know this set and whether it had transisxters in it, or was it primarily tubes. I had one in my bedroom as a kid and I seem to remember seeing tubes glowing through the vents, but I'm not sure whether there were transistors as well. I think the set was a 1963 model.
I had posted something similar to this a few months back, but it has fallen off the board.

Thanks for any advice

Eric