My stash just grew again 2021

[scooter]

Yup. Spray them (black for Cyberpunk, copper or brass for Steampunk) and them as functional props to cosplayers. 

Well before you go and do that, I'd read this news article. It happened just south of us last year. The latest on it is the cops have been exonerated over the incident.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/lethbridge-police-criticized-for-takedown-of-star-wars-storm-trooper

If you do spray paint for cyber\steam\dieselpunk, leave at least a 1-2 inch band of orange muzzle (or the whole thing, depending on the pistol) unpainted.  I've done that with all the NERF rifles I've done.

[Old Wombat]

1 x Tamiya 1/35 Citroen Traction 11CV Staff Car - will undergo some minor mod's to become a late-40's/early-50's model & find itself in a Vietnam War diorama as a civilian freelance photographer's vehicle

Pre US involvement ? So a nice looking adventurous French female journalist ?

No, it's going into an expanded diorama as per the following;

Just because I've got nothing better to do, right now, I'm going to give you the run-down on why the M41 build occurred (apart from because I had one in the stash).

The theory behind the M41's in RAM's service is that, with National Service & the increased demands on available resources due to their operations in Viet Nam, the RAM's found themselves short on armour in the field but unable to afford to buy anything. They approached the US with an eye to leasing something. The US needed its remaining M48's & their M60's but was in the process of introducing the M551 into service. As the M551 was replacing the M41 in US service, this meant that there were M41's to spare. Slightly modified these entered service with the RAM's as the M41AS Rowell (after Gen. Sydney Rowell, the only army officer to become an honorary Marine), obviously becoming the "Syd" in RAM's vernacular.

Just for fun I'll give you the run-down on what my model & dio will depict.

The diorama it will be placed in will include the Italeri SAS Pink Panther Land Rover, from which the loader's mg came, modified & painted as a RAM's vehicle plus figures in the Land Rover, on/in the M41AS & on foot. The vehicles & troops (maybe with a civilian or two) will be depicted travelling along a road in South Viet Nam.

The write up will include something along the lines of;

M41AS Light Tank
Bravo-3, 2 Troop, B Company, Royal Australian Marines Armoured Regiment depicted on the road near Nui Dat during the Tet Offensive two days prior to being separated from the main force by a spirited Viet Cong attack. Whilst separated from the rest of the RAM's forces Bravo-3 received a hit to the turret from an RPG rocket. A partial penetration of the armour knocked out the turret & wounded the gunner (Lance-Corporal Thomas Lieberstadt), loader (Marine Jeremy Davenport) & commander (Sergeant John Richter). The driver (Corporal Clarence "Clarry" Cranfield) was unharmed. As Corporal Cranfield attempted to extricate his tank from the ambush a second RPG knocked out the right track. Corporal Cranfield then got out of the driver's compartment & into the turret, where he used the .50 calibre machine gun to knock out the enemy RPG position. During the next 25 minutes Corporal Cranfield engaged in an almost constant battle with Viet Cong troops moving in on the tank. Alternating between firing the .50 calibre heavy machine gun, at the commander's cupola, & the 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun, field-mounted next to the loader's hatch, & administering first aid to his crewmates, Cranfield was forced in one instance to resort to using his side-arm to shoot enemy personnel from the hull of the tank. After 25 minutes troops of D Company, 2 RAMR, reached Bravo-3 & extracted the wounded men from the vehicle, by this time Corporal Cranfield had, himself, been wounded twice, once in the left arm & once in the face. Luckily both wounds were minor. Unable to hold the ground D Company destroyed Bravo-3 in situ, with a satchel charge, & withdrew to the main RAM force, so an accurate body-count is unavailable. However, experienced Marines amongst the relieving troops estimate that Corporal Cranfield may have killed up to 20 Viet Cong & may have wounded up to 3 times as many. For these actions Corporal Clarence Cranfield was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

PS: The designation has changed slightly from M41AM (Australian Marines) to M41AS (Australian Service), it just seemed more right to me & had been my initial working designation (until I forgot it ).

https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=38552.30

There will now be 2 x SAS Land Rovers (1 x Italeri, 1 x Tamiya) modified & painted to suit, a US M706 Commando armoured car (HobbyBoss), the M41 Walker Bulldog, the Citroen & a bunch of figures.

It's going to be quite a big diorama.

[NARSES2]

It's going to be quite a big diorama.

Slight understatement   

[The Wooksta!]

Another Airfix Spitfire Vc, the full kit this time, not the starter one.  I think it'll cross kit with the mk IX to do a later Vc with the narrow gun blisters.  Which means the Vc uppers on the IX to do an early IXc.

[Howard of Effingham]

From a friend who was disposing of them at £5 each.

2x 1/72 Hasegawa F-8E Crusaders

[Dizzyfugu]

A cheap (less than EUR 10,-) Modelcollect 1:72 E-100 assault SPG with a mid-engine hull.

[kitbasher]

Another Airfix Spitfire Vc, the full kit this time, not the starter one.  I think it'll cross kit with the mk IX to do a later Vc with the narrow gun blisters.  Which means the Vc uppers on the IX to do an early IXc.

So you've already got one of the new quick build/starter kits, Lee?  Haven't seen one (only in the Red Arrows Hawk/Spitfire double boxing) - not even a review.  If so, what's it like?

[The Wooksta!]

Nice enough, but bearing in mind it's the same price as the normal kit (they cover the price of the paints), just get the normal Vc.

All it really needs is a bulkhead behind the pilot, and those are usually spare in an Eduard kit anyway.  The exhausts stick out a tad too much for my liking too, but if ALDI have them in for a fiver at Xmas, it'd be worth buying them just as clothes horses for decals.

[kitbasher]

Ta.  Oh yes, get the 'real' one, absolutely (I have one already).  I guess it'll be ripe for numerous repops in the future. 
But the quick build one at the right price has, as you say, 'clothes horse' potential.
And whif potential, of course.
And if it gets the yoof into the hobby, well that's good.

[Gondor]

Received from eBay today

1 x 1/72 Master MiG-25 (Foxbat) (all versions except PD/PDS) Pitot Tube

For the build I have for the Photo/rece GB thing

Gondor

[zenrat]

Metro Hobbies sent me a money off voucher and all this talk of A&A Models on here...

...led to one of these arriving today.

[Dizzyfugu]

With 304(!) parts?! 

[NARSES2]

Always liked the look of that, truly looks like a flying tank

[Nick]

With 304(!) parts?! 

The Airfix Shackleton has 242 parts. That includes a full interior, multiple choices for flaps and bomb bay doors, 32 separate prop blades and several aerials!

It must be the weapons included and that each seat in the IL-102 has 23 parts 
https://vvsmodelling.com/2020/04/27/aa-models-172-ilyushin-il-102-build-article/

[kitnut617]

With 304(!) parts?! 

The Airfix Shackleton has 242 parts. That includes a full interior, multiple choices for flaps and bomb bay doors, 32 separate prop blades and several aerials!

It must be the weapons included and that each seat in the IL-102 has 23 parts 
https://vvsmodelling.com/2020/04/27/aa-models-172-ilyushin-il-102-build-article/

One engine nacelle has eight parts, for most of which you don't see ---