Tales of Transparency: Ship to Shore

Please note that we have no hand in either the production nor the distribution of the products we sell. While we may offer advice to several of the model makers we work with so that they have a better understanding of what our clientele may be requesting, our affiliation goes no further and we have no financial stake in any of the companies we deal with. Moreover, anticipated dates of delivery are just that — anticipated. Release dates are subject to change and can oftentimes lag far behind the original intended date of release projected by either the manufacturer or distributor. Vagaries in the supply chain can and, on many occasions, slow the arrival of shipments by lengthy periods of time.

In summation, the companies we work with are relatively small as compared with far larger corporations in the toy industry yet are looking to serve a global if niche marketplace that continues to grow both here and abroad. So, while product may show up in eastern and southern Asia where many of these manufacturers are located, it may and oftentimes can take longer before said product makes it to our shores and is then available for general sale. As a result, it may take us several months (and in certain cases years) before we can fill a pre-order. Please bear this in mind if you have your heart set on a newly introduced item and choose to pay us up front for an order using debit payments such as PayPal or AmazonPay.

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Happy Trails

For personal reasons, we have decided to shutter our web site and its associated marketplace sites. We apologize for making this move but hope you understand that family comes first and need to address a medical issue that has recently come to light.

As an aside, 2025 also marks the 25th year of us doing business. We started out by selling a range of diecast automobiles and rapidly expanded into the military realm largely due to my interest and past experience. This past December, I turned 68 and, quite frankly, am starting to feel it. Its not easy moving around heavy boxes at this age and would rather be doing other things than aggravating my back. Moreover, we’re thousands of miles away from our extended families, which prevents us from seeing them on any kind of regular basis. Sure, we can see them on Halloween and Thanksgiving, and even the occasional vacation, but its far better when you live within driving distance of one another and can see them more frequently.

In terms of business, we’ve never done better, despite running into a cacophony of issues. Needless to say, we would’ve liked to have witnessed more product in the pipeline and seen several companies do a better job of getting product out on a more timely basis but that’s water under the bridge, so-to-speak. I recognize many of the hurdles these companies face but from a business standpoint its difficult to keep telling people “its on the horizon” rather than saying its currently in stock and can be shipped out immediately.

That said, we are announcing an inventory liquidation sale that will run until we’ve exhausted our current inventory. Please bear in mind that our intent is to sell off our remaining inventory not replenish it. Please don’t ask us to bring back something we have listed as being sold out. Naturally, we will update our web site and eBay as product is no longer available, so you have a good idea as to what’s in stock. As our liquidation sale continues, we will increase the discount accordingly until everything has been sold off. I don’t think I need to tell you that as the discount increases expect product to sell out quickly, so its entirely possible that our web site may not accurately reflect our inventory levels towards the end of the sale. We will do our best to keep it current, but our goal is to ship out product as expeditiously as possible. Lastly, product will be sold off on a first come first sold basis. We will not hold anything for anyone so please do not ask us to set something aside until funds are available. Bear in mind that all sales are final and we will not be accepting any returns.

Its been a pleasure serving you and fulfilling your diecast dreams these past 25 years and hope you have enjoyed what we sell and how we have brought these products to market. We have enjoyed making new friends through our hobby and will do our best to stay in touch as best we can. Who knows — maybe our paths will cross once again in the not-too-distant future.

Thank you for your patronage,

Marc Dultz

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Tales of Transparency: Tariffs Part Two

With the recent imposition of a 10% tariff on goods coming from China, it remains to be seen how both manufacturers and distributors decide to pass along these cost increases to the trade as well as the consumer in both the near- and long-term. In my opinion, most will take a wait and see attitude over the next few weeks to see if these tariffs will either be rolled back or remain in place based upon China’s reaction. Bear in mind, its entirely possible that not only will the tariffs remain in place but they could increase further should the Administration feel it necessary to raise the stakes even higher if China doesn’t get the subtle message or decides to retaliate in kind. During his presidential campaign, Trump had threatened a 60% tariff so now that he’s in office anything and everything is on the table. Presently, its not clear if certain manufacturers — among them Hobby Master, Panzerkampf and a few others — will be affected by the tariff and whether or not companies operating outside China will pick up sales by being located outside the PRC.

Its entirely possibly that the new Administration will up the stakes even further by placing an across-the-board tariff on every country that currently does business with the US, all in an effort to demonstrate to the world that we mean business when it comes to concessions. Over the weekend, both Canada and Mexico, our nearest neighbors and close allies, saw a 25% tariff imposed upon them, so it isn’t a stretch that even more allies will get the same treatment should Trump feel its within his rights to push the bounds even further.

So, as we start 2025, things aren’t looking especially great in the commercial space unless something substantial occurs by one or both parties. Geo-political events being what they are, it could be a situation where one side is waiting for the other to blink before they can formulate a response to the US initiatives. It isn’t a pretty scenario and one that will undoubtedly lead to a scarcity of product and higher prices for what does come into the country.

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JC Wings Needs to Learn the ABCs of Business

We’ve decided to put a halt on stocking any further JC Wings military products. Five months ago, after speaking with the Company’s owner to voice our concerns over several topics, we indicated to them that they needed to build a dedicated web site so that their customers and the trade could see and speak to them directly instead of trying to track them down on social media. Its 2025, folks, and its about time every manufacturer has its own web site where anyone can speak to a manufacturer through normal channels rather than through chaotic FB threads. We know firsthand how much it costs to hire a web designer to build out a fully functional e-commerce web site as well as the cost of maintaining it and its a fraction of what it costs to complete the production run of a new model.

Moreover, their quality control went downhill last year, and we were besieged by requests from customers for parts that they were unable to obtain from JC Wings directly. Again, as a retailer, we do not stock parts for any of the products we sell. Even if parts were available from any of the manufacturers we deal with, we would have to enlarge our storage facilities by two fold to house said replacement parts. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to not only handle these types of issues but to provide parts to their customers whenever the need arises, that is if they plan to work with the customer going forward. From our standpoint, we pay our invoices promptly but having said that, we also expect a level of service from the manufacturer or its authorized distributor that is commensurate with that level of professionalism all of which is aimed at handling these types of complaints in a competent and expeditious manner.

Anyway, it doesn’t appear as if the manufacturer was serious about creating a web site or ready to provide the services necessary to support their business. So, we’ve decided to stop carrying the line until they can demonstrate to us and others that they are both keen to sell and service their clientele as we would like to see. We’re sorry to have to take this step and hope that 2025 represents a turning point for JC Wings if they want to continue selling their models both here and abroad. If they wish to address this concern in a public manner we have no problem posting their response as an addendum to this post.

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The Forces of Valor Update: Zzzzzzzz

We’re a few days away from the start of the Nuremberg Toy Fair, which most insiders agree is the venue where new product announcements are made. Thus far, Waltersons, the owners of the Forces of Valor brand, hasn’t privately discussed what’s in store from them for the 2025 calendar year, even though they’ve posted loads of new items to their multiple web sites. Why they have multiple web sites as opposed to one all-encompassing site is perhaps a topic for another time but suffice it to say that they seem reluctant to provide details on a wide range of yet-to-be-released items that they’ve hinted at for over two years running.

I know they purchased Greenlight Collectibles more than a year ago and that it has taken up much of their time. Its no easy task getting a new company to perform like clockwork. Heck, that’s a given. Greenlight gives them entree into an assortment of big box retailers from Walmart to Target whereas Forces of Valor has had to stick its nose and well-worn shoe in the door of these very same retailers to maintain any sort of presence. Let’s face it, war toys just doesn’t ring up at the cash register like they used to. But frankly that isn’t enough of a reason to leave their dedicated base of customers in the lurch for an extended period of time. Its been well over two years since they posted anything to their Facebook account and I’m not even certain if they are responding to collector inquiries, much less willing to draw back the curtains on what’s new.

That said, we’re hoping they are about to turn a corner and face their critics who have repeatedly asked if anything new is in the wings. If they don’t do so in 2025 I’m afraid they’re going to lose quite a few ardent supporters and witness the selling of more FOV collectibles by people who have moved on to other segments of the hobby. We’ve been a vocal supporter of the line too but are starting to wonder if that backing needs to be toned down in favor of other branches and manufacturers within the hobby. Its up to Waltersons to indicate if they plan on shedding light on what’s to come or are content to leave things the way they are. That would be a sad affair but ultimately their way of saying goodbye to their bread-and-butter range that to date has paid handsome dividends for both themselves and their retail network.

Update: Yesterday, we stumbled across this photograph from the Nuremberg Toy Fair that clearly shows both the Greenlight Collectibles booth playing host to the Waltersons Forces of Valor range. Only a handful of new products were being shown including their upcoming re-release of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier, Ferdinand tank destroyer and a few other items we cannot accurately discern. Their soon-to-be-released line of 1:64 scale military vehicles are likely integrated within their Greenlight showcase, so there’s no point in discussing them any further. While its encouraging to see that Forces of Valor hasn’t dropped out-of-sight its a bit disappointing to see nothing new was being debuted in a public manner.

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Panzerkampf Says, “Its no Mirage”

When Panzerkampf shows off a new model, they tend to do it in a big way. Yesterday, we learned that they have not one but six different versions of their upcoming Dassault Mirage III interceptor in the hopper, all lovingly festooned in accurate markings and insignia. Currently we are awaiting pricing and release information to flesh them out so we’ll refrain from opening them up for pre-order on our web site. With Toy Fair right around the corner, it shouldn’t be too long before we obtain their background information and pricing so that we can begin accepting pre-orders.

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Oxford Continues to Fight World War II

Back when they were first announced in 2011, fourteen 1:72 scale aircraft were debuted with the promise that no new re-paints would ever be offered. Some fourteen years later, we’re now up to 128 releases, several of which have been pumped out over and over again to justify the cost of the initial tooling. Be that as it may, this British-based manufacturer recently added four new models to the line and will likely continue to produce more re-paints for the foreseeable future now that they are no longer under the Hornby umbrella.

Frankly, it will likely take Oxford some time before they can offer new tooling due to the fact that their owners paid a considerable price to take them private. On the plus side many of their introductions can still be had for around $30, while comparable models from other model makers are now two and oftentimes three times that price. So, if you don’t mind waiting or collect on a budget, then Oxford still offers excellent value for the price. Here now the four new models expected over the course of 2025.

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Calibre Wings Does the Hustle(r)

Its been a couple of years since we heard anything from Calibre Wings regarding their oft-promised Convair B-58 Hustler bomber. There’s all sorts of reasons for the delay but suffice it to say that the owner seems to finally be prepared to share news of their upcoming project now that its entering its final phase of prototype development..

The Convair B-58 Hustler, designed and produced by American aircraft manufacturer Convair, was the first operational bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. The B-58 was developed during the 1950s for the United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC). To achieve the high speeds desired, Convair chose a delta wing design used by contemporary interceptors such as the Convair F-102. The bomber was powered by four General Electric J79 engines in underwing pods. It had no bomb bay; it carried a single nuclear weapon plus fuel in a combination bomb/fuel pod underneath the fuselage. Later, four external hardpoints were added, enabling it to carry up to five weapons.

The B-58 entered service in March 1960, and flew for a decade with two SAC bomb wings: the 43rd Bombardment Wing and the 305th Bombardment. It was considered difficult to fly, imposing a high workload upon its three-man crews. Designed to replace the subsonic Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber, the B-58 became notorious for its sonic boom heard on the ground by the public as it passed overhead in supersonic flight.

We’ve contacted Calibre Wings to express our desire to stock their B-58 provided its well within our selling regime. Thus far, Calibre hasn’t discussed pricing, dates of availability, packaging, and shipping costs from China to the US, in part due to the Trump administration’s willingness to place hefty tariffs on incoming goods from much of Asia to the United States and, in particular, the PRC. So, while we would love to stock and sell this model, it may be impractical due to higher-than-normal costs and the increasingly hostile relationship currently occurring between the US and China. As I’ve mentioned in a previous Tales of Transparency blog post, some things are simply out-of-our-control and could actually impede your ability to acquire this model should you choose to purchase this model from a US-based retailer rather than direct from the manufacturer. In any event, we will stay in touch with Calibre once they have a better idea regarding the ultimate costs associated with bringing this model to the US.

A video compendium showing the development of the Calibre Wings B-58 Hustler through the years:

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Panzerkampf Takes it to a New and Better Protected Level

Its a fair bet that few people saw this one coming. While they’ve built a great reputation for modeling several of the world’s current crop of military vehicles, the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is one of those subjects that was likely shunted to the back burner until Panzerkampf could tackle some other more pressing projects.

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), known and marketed under Oshkosh development as the L-ATV (Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle), is a light utility/combat multi-role vehicle. The Oshkosh-developed JLTV was selected for acquisition under the US military’s Army-led Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program. In the very early stages of the program it was suggested that JLTV would replace the AM General High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) on a one-for-one basis. It is now suggested that the JLTV will partially replace the HMMWV.

The L-ATV was designed to deliver a level of protection comparable to that of heavier and less maneuverable Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) class designs, these having more protection from blast than up-armored HMMWVs which they were delivered to replace on deployed operations.

Recently, Panzerkampf decided to show off imagery of their prototype JLTV, bereft of any markings or camouflage schemes. Better images showing more complete insignia will almost certainly come in the weeks to come. Its not clear when these vehicles will be turned out for sale of their purchase price. So, hang in there a bit more as we await word on further product information.

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Corgi Shows Off its Early 2025 Launches

Looking to kick things off for 2025, Corgi showed off a wide range of upcoming products that are due out in the first half of 2025. Rather than attempting to steal the spotlight and keep everyone at bay for hours on end, we thought you might like to watch their user-created video which covers everything in the hopper from this prolific manufacturer. Enjoy!

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The YF-20 Takes Shape

Even though its still several months away from lifting off for the diecast skies, Hobby Master showed off images of its upcoming Northrop YF-20 Air Dominance Fighter. Meant to portray the so-called “Gray Ghost”, their inaugural replica is based upon Prototype Air Vehicle 2 (PAV-2), which underwent rigorous analysis and fly-offs against the YF-22 by the 412th Test Wing, based out of Edwards Air Force Base in California during 1990. While the first set of images do not reflect the aircraft’s markings and insignia, it does give everyone a sense of the fit and finish that is lovingly going into the product.

The second YF-20, perhaps due out by year’s end, will almost certainly be based on the PAV-1 test aircraft, and its a good bet that the third model, likely due out in early 2026, will be based on a notional aircraft flown by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. Amazingly, the YF-20 is still being considered by the Japanese as a viable fifth-generation aircraft bereft of certain cutting edge avionics and other super-secretive developments to keep them out of the hands of certain adversaries and even a few allies.

Thus far, the YF-20 looks superb, with no unseemly joins, heavy-handed panel lines, or noticeable differences between the replica and the aircraft it portrays. The model looks true-to-form in virtually every aspect and even some of the most ardent rivet-counters are beginning to take notice and recognize its uncanny appearance to the real aircraft. Once the markings and insignia get applied, the YF-20 will likely become the de facto winner in the annual modelmaking awards.

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