I have so many potential projects in mind i sometimes forget “important” stuff, like eating lunch… Some of the things percolating are combining a Merkava 1 hull and the gun/fighting compartment of an M40, another “upgrade” of an M41 Bulldog, and a “proposal” for an eventual IDF Chieftain with a US-sourced Continental powerpack. The IDF actually tested two Chieftains and came very close to a large purchase, which would have happened if the British hadn’t backed out due to political pressure. My model has actually already been started. I just need to find another Tamiya Chieftain.
Also bubbling to the top of the soup are several ideas centered of current tanks if the IDF had purchased and used them instead of the Merkava, and a Merkava in service in the Ukraine.
It’s a good thing I’m mostly retired and don’t have to think too hard at work.
After the Allies failed in their landing attempts at the beaches at Normandy they resorted to their earlier attempts at subduing the Riech through bombing. Production of the ME-262F, HE-162C, JU-126B and the JU-127C was greatly increased to counter this tactic. The jet aircraft had been refined to extreme effectiveness by late 1945 so had all but wiped allied fighters from the European skies.
The Ju-126
As effective as the EF-126 proved to be in early 1946 by the middle of the year the Allies had started to replace their battle weary squadrons of B-17s and Lancaster’s with B-29s and the newly developed Avro Lincoln. These new bombers flew higher and faster than the pulse jet powered EF-126’s effective ceiling so a quick solution was needed. The answer to this was the development of the EF-127 as it’s Walther 509C rocket engine was far more effective than the pulse jet. In order to keep costs low the 127 was designed to be interchangeable for the forward section of the 126. As the ground crews could swap to each variation in under an hour this arraignment allowed for each aircraft to configured for both bomber interception or ground attack roles depending upon the mission parameters.
The Ju-127
Just in case you ship isn’t sinking fast enough! ^
Only the naughty ones… 
I’m a more, What If I actually build a model today type of guy…
Clear and Present Danger Book,that would be good for interdicting drug runners boats.
Interesting that you mention a Tom Clancy book/film because it reminded me of another what if model project I wanted to do long ago, but never got around to it.
Dale Brown wrote a book called “Hammerheads”. The book was similar in story/plot to Clancy’s “Clear and Present Danger” in that both dealt with drug runners and smuggling, etc. Hammerheads was different in that a few Federal agencies combined with the Coast Guard and created (or modified) an offshore oil platform to act as a base for surveillance and interdiction of drug smugglers and other nefarious groups. A picture of the base from the book is below. Long ago, I wanted to get the Revell Cormorant kit and modify it into such a base. But the kit was too expensive at the time and I wasn’t sure where to get other 1/200 scale accessories I would need like aircraft, weapons, etc.
I remember that book from back in the day. That would be an amazing project to complete if you ever manage to get the kit. With the huge increase in 3D printing and ability to now source almost anything in almost any scale, now might be the perfect time to bring this idea back from the dead. Financial ability of course being probably the biggest consideration these days.
I do go for the what if route, and quite frequently! My latest model at the bench is the Special Hobby 1/32 He 100D, but painted as an operational aircraft, pilot is Fritz Losigkeit. My kit needs only the canopy to be painted, and then it’s off to the final reveal pics and onto Youtube.
Here’s the one What If or Paper Panzer that I did,now I can’t remember the designation,but thought it was mean looking.
I love this A10 in US coast guard livery 
I have a Catalina in the waiting & was thinking of doing that in US coast guard livery 
The last in my line up of F1 liveried WWII fighters - a Japanese Kawazaki Ki-61-Id in McLaren 88’ colours
Outstanding! Awesome paint scheme. Well done. 
I just started a Chieftain, going on “what if the IDF actually bought the 700 or so the UK was initially going to sell them”, but 15-20 years later. So far I have a hull about 50% done, converting to an M48/60 powerpack, ala Centurion Sho’t Kal.
Here is one I did a couple years ago…
Another one, full conversion and not of any actual car.
If you are a serious Whiffer you have a home here: https://www.whatifmodellers.com/
I build them for fun and to practice my skills and try new tools and techniques. Usually I’ll create an inventive backstory to exercise my imagination, sometimes based on a real world possibility and sometimes just plain out there.
Here’s one example that always gets a laugh:
She’s 1/1/200 scale, and the helo is in State Police markings.
Also, anyone who’s built sci-fi anything has built a what-if! 