Where to start?

As always, the best advice is to take it on a kit by kit basis. Not sure about Miniart armour kits, but the others have a good reputation. This is a current WiP of a Bronco kit, and it has lots of nice detail. I don't have any yet, but after seeing this, I may well be getting a few of their kits.

cs.finescale.com/.../159286.aspx

Those companies ytend to go for the more obscure subjects, often not done by anyone else.

What's your skill level Zack? While some of the kits available are dizzying in accuracy and detail, they can be 500 parts too.  Are you looking to just get your feet wet?  Then I would recommend a 1/35 Tamiya kit (avoid the Tamiya Panther Ausf A, however).  Online reviews exist for most kits out there. If something interests you, try a review search.  Or post there and people can post links for you.  For example:

http://www.amps-armor.org/ampssite/reviews/reviewsSearch.aspx

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/subject.htm

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/reviews/vehicles/revafv.htm

Hi Bish and Roy,

Thank you for the links and kind advice!

The local hobbyshop has a Bronco 1/35 Humber Armoured Car Mk. IV at a 50% discount.

I just might 

Happy Modelling

Zack

www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/.../cb35081sp.html

This is a review of their "clear" version.  Regardless, it gives you an idea of the level of detail and skill required.  I'd say no Bronco kit is for the faint of heart.  Highly detialed but many small pieces.  Lots of skill & patience required.  A deal isn't a deal if it'll be sitting in its box, half built, 16 months from now.  

Roy is right about the Bronco kits. They are pretty detailed. Sometimes, I think they give you little pieces to work with just to do it. They could easily have been molded as part of something bigger and probably wouldn't have made any difference in the outcome. They are fun to build, though, and the instructions are fairly good if you take your time to read and re-read and compare before and after pictures in the instructions. If you're just getting started again, I'd suggest a Tamiya kit, maybe one of their anti-tank guns with a few figures. That should give you a range of practice and lkely not many hair-pulling questions to have the scour the internet for answers to. Plus, you won't mind experimenting some in order to learn because you don't have a lot of money invested in the kit.

Hi Zack. I just finished Mengs Minenraummer. It's really offbeat as far as subject matter, but Meng put out one heckuva kit of it. Not too many parts, the tracks are large and easy to go together and the overall fit is excellent. The only fiddly bits are some hinges, hooks and U-bolts. Just remember not to install them till the very end and you'll be okay.

www.squadron.com/.../mmss001.htm

Are you going to be posting any pics of that.

Hi,
Thank you for your kind advice everyone.
Much appreciated!
What a monster that Minenraumer is, thank you for the link!
Asked the guys at the local  hobby shop what they reconned and walked home with a 1/35 KV1 from Trumpeter 

Now the real million $ question - what color is russian green  

Happy Modelling
Zack 

Looks like a great kit, with lots of challenges and opportunities. Congratulations on jumping all the way in. Please keep us posted on progress. Best wishes to you and happy modeling.

Sackgasse

Now the real million $ question - what color is russian green  

Happy Modelling
Zack 

Zack, congrats on the kit. I've built that and it is very good.

Bish if you were asking me if I was going to post pics, the answer is yes if I can figure out this camera.

Well, I hope it don't take you to long, look forward to seeing that. I wouldn't mind getting one of those myself.

Bish, check this thread: cs.finescale.com/.../159937.aspx

Zack, sorry for the hijack.

Sackgasse

Now the real million $ question - what color is russian green  

4BO? One of these: