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Hi Linda and Guy and welcome to IIS!
My 3rd scope was a GSO 12" dob which was essentially the same as the Bintel one. It is a big scope for a first one, which is not to say it is not suitable as long as you are happy with the size etc.
The good thing about a scope like that is that it is basically ready to go, the first accessory I got was Dew heaters. It is possible to use a hair dryer but it gets annoying having to stop observing to use it. I went with a set of Kendrick straps, and secondary wrap around heater and Digifire 7 controller and a battery that I mounted on the base of the scope. You can go cheaper but it worked really well for me.
The other essential is a good atlas. A big scope like this can see lots of objects so an atlas that will enable you to star hop successfully is a big help. Sky Atlas 2000 is a good starting point or even better Uranometria 2000. The Deep Sky Observers Guide 3 volume set is very good and will give you lots of targets to aim for.
My usual advice with eyepieces is to stick with the ones that came with the scope to start off. Try to get to an observing night and talk to others about eyepieces or even give them a try before spending cash. It is VERY easy to spend a lot of $$$ on eps, but you need to know that they are what you want.
With filters and light pollution I am lucky that it is not too bad a problem here so I really use them to improve contrast rather than reducing LP, so cannot comment on their usefulness for LP reduction. I have used the GSO filters that Bintel sell (both the Nebula and OIII) and found them satisfactory. Now have an Astronomik OIII and is is very nice, although a bit expensive in the 2" version. Really good contrast, sharp images.
Anyway hope this helps!
Malcolm
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