Perhaps Rivetcounter is wrong, your quickness to pick fights sounds more like someone who is 14 rather than 43.  Still some of your story seems odd.

I have seen your KT on another thread and I think it looks good.  The only part I think is kind'a "cheesey" is the fake snow, but then who would expect someone "down under" to be an expert in snow, Russians and Canadians perhaps, but not them.  I see snow lots and lots so it's the one thing that stands out to me.  I'm not qualified to pass judgment on the other details, just the snow.

As for the Bergepanzer project, I think you should save up and buy a HL panzer III or IV and do the make-over yourself.  It is the main fun with this hobby and your efforts will earn the respect you desire.  I too am bumbling into this hobby after a LONG break from my 14 year old days and I value the input from guys like Rivetcounter etc...  They have helped my very much.  In the end, it's the building and painting that sets our models apart.  Other RC toys are about performance but tanks are diffrent.  Because they have a historical context, tanks have another level of detail that we can explore.  This is why these guys are into it, because there is more fun in RC tanks than just driving them arround.

If you are a kid, then remember that it is the duty of "old farts" to pester young boys, it is how we grow.