So it turns out reports that my modelling mojo was interred over 2 years ago (with semi-military honours, they aimed at the coffin with live ammo) have been exaggerated…
There are 3 members I’ve privately mentioned this mystery item to recently, y’all know who you are so schtum guys - the quick quiz for other players is : Does this thing drive, fly, float or swim?
I’m really not sure why I bought this kit 18 months ago, except it was a complete change from anything I’ve done before. Or where it’s going, although I do have a couple of half-baked ideas for a vignette. Rest assured it won’t require cranes to move it, or take five years to complete, consider yourselves lucky 
Right now it just feels weird, like learning to walk again & getting back on the bike all at the same time. But it’s nice to float into that Zen feeling again at the bench, it’s been a while.
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Mmmmmmmmmm, the cheapest narcotic 
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It’s a Nengine… probably Wehrmacht…
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I think you’re plowing, not floating! Glad to see you’re back hard at work in the fields! 
Cheers
Nick
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It can do all those things but some not that well or that long. 
About time you got back into the game. 
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Glad you’re back on the wagon. I look forward to seeing new stuff from your workbench.
It’s a catapult?
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Thanks guys – OK so it didn’t look like a piece of 19th century nautical engineering, or a giant WW1 trench-flamethrower. No, of course it’s a…
MiniArt kits. Some love ‘em, some don’t. My own commentary to most of their kits typically goes like this:
“Hmm nice box art. Good subject. Comparatively reasonable price. Buy. Open box. OMG seriously? 47 sprues to make a telephone booth? Oh well plenty of fodder for the spares box. Nice Instruction booklet…only 95 steps. But hey I like building complicated kits…ah wait, I know you guys at MiniArt (I’ve built your Trams for starters…you’re certifiably insane & so am I), unnecessary multi-part components you could have cast as one piece. And I recall you don’t seem to actually test-built your kits, otherwise you’d know Step 31 should have preceded Step 17 in order to better support/gain access to/facilitate construction. And those incredibly fragile 1mm diameter 6 cm long rods with 5 attachment points which you should have designed to go in the middle of a sprue – nope, you sometimes put ‘em at the end where they’d flex and snap before I got anywhere near teasing them off…
Wait I apologise! I DID successfully tease it off and…aww not so much, it fell apart while trying to glue it in place.”
And yet… I love MiniArt kits. Go figure. The tractor has actually been fairly easy - I accidentally bought a bottle of Tamiya Extra Thin Quick Setting glue. I didn’t know they made a Quick Setting glue, but it’s exactly what’s required with MiniArt kits, sets faster than CA. Even less room for error.
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A few years ago I built all of my unbuilt Panzer III kits; 13 of them. The hardest were the Miniart Ausf B, C, and D because of those thin, over-engineered, not-always-correctly-sequenced parts you speak of.
But they look good.
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Exactly 100% right. I love a shake’n’bake Tamiya kit as much as anyone but there’s a latent feeling of it being too easy. I haven’t always mastered a MiniArt kit (to my complete satisfaction anyway) but when I do, it’s a blast.
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Well, I guess the good news is you didn’t jump back in with an easy build!
A good way to either: A) realize your decision to go on a building hiatus was a good one; or, B) realize how much you secretly enjoy the anxiety brought on when discovering that you need a third, steadier, hand to install that one tiny part that will be very hard to see, yet essential if you want your overall build to work!
Looking forward to seeing more!
Cheers
Nick
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You probably don’t recall but I told you about Tamiya airbrush cleaner. It’s even a little bit faster than regular green bottle and cheaper than the quick.
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Welcome back to the bandwagon… You’ve been trailing behind waaaaay to long! But take a seat, cut some plastic, sniff some glue and paint your fingers! And most of all, enjoy!!!
You make me wonder: what is Operation Lazarus (yes, since nobody dares to ask, I’ll do so).
I only could only find a rescue action in Vietnam. Hardly a place for such a place of German engineering?
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Something to do with Saint John’s Gospel maybe ?.. 
The raising of Lazarus - Today's Catholic.
H.P.
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In Dutch, when you are lazarus, it means that you are Sh!t faced, pished or simply put drunk as a fish!
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