My stash just grew again. (2022)

[Dizzyfugu]

A vintage Hasegawa/Minicraft/Academy 1:72 MiG-23 as a body donor bank for two or more kitbashing projects. 

[Wardukw]

I decided yesterday that I wanted a model plane which I've wanted for many yrs ..a 48th FW TA-152.
So the hunt began and I wanted  a Hobbyboss version as the Dragon one is very old and has issues with the reviews I've read and the Hobbyboss kit is quite cheap.
Well I found one here on trademe for the utterly ridiculous price of $122 NZ ..oh but it came with free postage ..swear words followed and the hunt began.
After some hunting and a bit more I found Creative Models...price after I joined ..£17 and £10 postage ..price converted to NZ was slightly cheaper than here..so brought it 
So I got a Hobbyboss 1/48th FW TA-152 on its way 

[scooter]

After some hunting and a bit more I found Creative Models...price after I joined ..£17 and £10 postage ..price converted to NZ was slightly cheaper than here..so brought it 
So I got a Hobbyboss 1/48th FW TA-152 on its way 

Best hope it comes by airmail and not by a surface carrier whose name could be construed as a class of year round greenery.

[Rick Lowe]

Not new acquisitions, but I did some tidying and found:

An Airfix Me-262 and most of another
an Airfix Me-163
an Airfix Zero (all old toolings)
an Academy MiG-21
- all stuff I thought I'd gotten rid of.

The Airfix stuff is assembled, but still good for whiffing... and most of the canopies are there, too!

The MiG is telling me I want to do something Trigan Empire with it... we shall see.

[Rheged]

The MiG is telling me I want to do something Trigan Empire with it... we shall see.

That's a blast from the past!  Look and Learn comic in the 1960's if I remember  right.

[Rick Lowe]

Yup - 1960s to at least 1980s, when I stopped collecting it.
I understand there were collected editions also.

[DogfighterZen]

Back in the day Italeri were considered to be at the top table as far as producers were concerned. Unfortunately they haven't really moved with the times, although to be fair I've not seen their recent F.35's, or a review, so maybe they have moved on over the last couple of years. It's a shame really as they've always produced kits of subjects others wouldn't touch, especially Italian types obviously, but others as well.

They are currently rereleasing some very old kits with good box art and great transfer options (something they've always been good at) which may well lead to a few disappointed customers especially among the unwary, which is sad.

Yep, i totally agree. Italeri kits can be disappointing if you don't know what you're buying but, most of their 1/72 kits aren't that expensive but they have been getting more expensive in recent years.
I've built the 1/72 F-35A, which is probably one of their most recent 1/72 kits and although it's not a bad kit, i'd say it's typical italeri with soft detail on some parts, fading ram panels on the bottom fuselage, ejector pin marks on awkward places, some fit issues with the fuselage halves and canopy, and overall detail is a bit simplified... but still, i think it's the cheapest 1/72 F-35 kit on the market. I say this after having compared it to the 1/72 Academy, Hasegawa's A variant and Orange Hobby's C variant i have in the stash.
I've been using the second Italeri kit i bought for parts donations.
F-35ADF of the PoAF:  https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=44694.msg793819#msg793819

On the stash acquisitions front, the Pegasus XP-40Q has been released from customs and arrived today!



All i can say is that i'm very impressed with the kit, i had a wrong idea of the quality of the kit and i was very wrong. 
Although there's a lot of flash on some parts, not as much on others but should be easy to clean. The kit looks great, detail is good, fine engraved panel lines and some rivets. Decals are a bit yellowed but should be usable.
The parts i was more worried about which were the canopy and white metal parts look great except for the prop's spinner, which is a bit rough.
This means i will still try to find a more streamlined canopy with bulletproof windscreen and also a prop because of the spinner. The truth is that i really want a more conical spinner because i think the XP-40's was too rounded and i think that the change will probably be an improvement in looks... We shall see.

[Rick Lowe]

How about using a standard P-40 spinner (and maybe prop)? No, it's a 4-bladed prop, isn't it.
IIRC when I made mine using a Hasegawa kit, I used a Heller P-39 4-blade prop and the front part from a P-51 spinner with a P-40 rear part (for the right diameter).

I think I also used a Heller P-47 canopy (it's a bit big for a P-47 anyway), though a standard Hasegawa unit could work as well.
(It's probably not as long as the Q's one, but you could call it a Production version canopy.)

Hope this is of some use.

[Old Wombat]

From Hobbyco in Sydney:

2 x Airfix (Academy) 1/35 M3 Grant tanks - one will be RW as per the photo's below, the other ....... I have no idea, yet.

[AeroplaneDriver]

From the Ebay Fairy:

1/48 Hasegawa Douglas Dauntless.  No plan for it so far but have wanted this kit for a while. Got a good deal on it on eBay. One of my good work friends' dad flew them so it may end up a RW build for him. 

1/48 Xtradecal Jet Provost Parts 1 & 2.  Very cheap with combined shipping for the whiffery bin until Airfix release a 1/48 JP5.

[Wardukw]

After some hunting and a bit more I found Creative Models...price after I joined ..£17 and £10 postage ..price converted to NZ was slightly cheaper than here..so brought it 
So I got a Hobbyboss 1/48th FW TA-152 on its way 

Best hope it comes by airmail and not by a surface carrier whose name could be construed as a class of year round greenery.

Yeah I don't want to 60 when it gets here ..I want to build this and mount two jet engines on it   
Nope it's OTB but not the paint job 

Right guys I came home today with another random pile of crap..so I thought..in this I found
The shell and chassis for a 32 Ford Victoria..from AMT
A Monogram 40s era pickup ..missing one front wheel..that might turn up..
A Tamiya old school F1 car ..with fly saudi decals and Alan Jones is the driver .
Now even tho I dont really care for 57 chevs I now have one..
A AMT  car culture series 57 2 door coupe ..it even comes with very nice PE for some of the chrome and stick on chrome sheet for the rest.
I don't think this would have been a cheap kit with all its stuff.
Separate chassis too.

[DogfighterZen]

How about using a standard P-40 spinner (and maybe prop)? No, it's a 4-bladed prop, isn't it.
IIRC when I made mine using a Hasegawa kit, I used a Heller P-39 4-blade prop and the front part from a P-51 spinner with a P-40 rear part (for the right diameter).

I think I also used a Heller P-47 canopy (it's a bit big for a P-47 anyway), though a standard Hasegawa unit could work as well.
(It's probably not as long as the Q's one, but you could call it a Production version canopy.)

Hope this is of some use.

Those are very good ideas! I think i'll try a few different ones on to see but the P-47 also seemed like a good candidate because of the fuselage's shape and size. Thanks, Rick! 
I have an Academy 1/72 P-47D "Eileen" kit that may end up as canopy donor but i'll have to try a few prop and spinner combos to see what looks better from what i have in the stash.

[Rick Lowe]

Happy if I helped. 

[Dizzyfugu]

I have one of these in The Stash, too, with the plan to give it an NMF livery with bright late WWII PTO markings (probably from a real Mustang). My kit also has a rather clumsy spinner, and I think a P-51 spinner/prop will be a good alternative. Quickboost does nice resin props for the P-51 with various blade variants, including the cuffless post-war blades. For a canopy alternative, there are nice 1:72 vacu pieces for the P-47 and the F8F around that should work well on the P-40Q, too. A Spitfire bubble canopy should also be a suitable contender.

[Gondor]

Just arrived today in the post from NEKO Models in San Salvador, Spain

1 x 1/72 DP Casper 72039 Hot Glaciers of Kashmir. Decals for aircraft of India, Pakistan and China who all have parts of Kashmir and this gives me some decal options for real world builds other than OOB.

Gondor