I odnt have any of the models for the turtoils if someone knows a place i could download them that waould make me on my way to finishing them.
Have you ever heard that saying "If you have to ask..."
If you are wanting to tackle this before working your way through the manual (TaoA:M) I would suggest you don't model but rather modify some models that are already there. By modifying a character model you will better understand where you are heading and you will know what to look out for as you model.
Once you have your character modeled you'll still want to animate him right?
For that you'll want to understand a little about rigging.
Work your way through TaoA:M as it will teach you all the basics you need to set yourself up for success.
If you really must model a character before getting the foundation laid first I would suggest creating a very simple model using Lathing and Extrusion to get a good feel for the tools. Lathing, Extrusion and Stitching *are* the basics.
Consider starting a topic in the Work in Progress forum. That way you can post your progress and get feedback too.