April 13, 2013

Hobby Master Goes Thru its Pre-Flight Check List

HA4201

It’s been a while since there was anything to crow about in the 1:72 scale, piston-engine regime, so it’s with great fanfare and a good deal of excitement that we make room for Hobby Master’s first-ever Douglas A-20G Havoc light attack bomber. The Havoc is one of those aircraft that everyone is familiar with but unable to lay their mitts on since they typically take a back seat to some of the more well-known bombers of WWII. That said, Hobby Master’s first A-20 (HA4201) portrays a “G” model that was attached to the 668th Bombardment Squadron, 416th Bombardment Group, and bears the D-Day striped invasion markings on its wings and rear fuselage over a green camouflage scheme. The black-and-white stripes were added to all Allied aircraft just prior to the D-Day invasion to help distinguish them from Axis aircraft and hopefully cut down on fratricide, which became an acute problem during Operation Husky – the invasion of Sicily in mid 1943.

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Dragon Makes a Stunning Return

DRR60529

When stalwarts such as Dragon mysteriously disappear from the scene, you have to wonder if something nefarious is going on without your knowledge. For several months running, this company was announcing an ever growing array of new 1:72 scale armor, all of which never seemed to materialize. Fortunately, this may be changing, with two new pieces due to make their debut later this month. The first up for your consideration is an M10 Ersatz tank destroyer (DRR60529), which was used with great success by German commandos during the Battle of the Bulge winter counteroffensive.

DRR60530

Also expected is their first ever German VK 45.02 (P)V Ausf. A heavy tank (DRR60530), which mounts a curved Porsche turret atop the forward deck of a King Tiger chassis. Other variants are expected in May, all designed to round out some of the so-called ‘Paper Panzers’ that were contemplated but never actually deployed en masse against the Western powers. Both vehicles are part of their newly introduced Ultimate Armor collection, with other oddities due out later this year.

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