March 30, 2017

The Return of Dragon Armor?

At long last, Dragon resurfaces with a new piece of armor: a 1:72 scale Pz. Kpfw. IV Ausf D. medium tank – – 3.Kompainie, Panzer-Regiment 3, 2.Panzer Division, Western Front, 1940 (DRR60693)

“The objective of offensive Yellow is to deny Holland and Belgium to the English by swiftly occupying them; to defeat, by an attack through Belgium and Luxembourg territory, the largest possible forces of the Anglo-French army, and thereby to pave the way for the destruction of the military strength of the enemy. The main weight of the attack across Belgium and Luxembourg will be south of the line Liege-Charleroi. Forces engaged north of this line will break through the Belgian frontier forces. Continuing the attack westwards they will parry any immediate threats to the Ruhr Basin from northeastern Belgium, and will divert to themselves the strongest possible Angle-french forces. Forces operation south of the line Liege-Charleroi will force a passage of the Meuse River between Dinant and Sedan (both inclusive) and will advance through the French frontier defenses towards the Somme estuary.”

– Fuhrer Directive No. 10, February 1940

We were beginning to wonder if Dragon was backing out of the preassembled military vehicle space, much as they have done in other categories over the past few years. Then, this morning, we noticed that they posted a brand new piece of Dragon Armor diecast to their website, one based upon a Pz. Kpfw. IV Ausf. D medium tank (DRR60693). According to their web site, this new piece of long awaited military memorabilia is slated for a May appearance, perhaps in conjunction with the 77th anniversary of the Wehrmacht’s invasion of France and the Low Countries in 1940. Guess we will have to wait and see. Interestingly, the wholesale price for a typical Dragon Armor piece has dropped appreciably, which had been creeping up in cost for a couple of years. This could, perhaps, point to good things for Dragon Armor aficionados, who were forced to shell out more and more as the sheet cost inched skywards. Taking a page from their playbook, we expect Dragon will be announcing a bunch of other Pz. Kpfw IV Ausf. D medium tanks, so stay tuned for further announcements in the days and weeks ahead.

German Sd. Kfz. 161 PzKpfw IV Ausf. D Medium Tank – 4.Kompanie, Panzer-Regiment 7, 10.Panzer Division, France, 1940 (DRR60694)
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Product Spotlight: USS Missouri (BB-63)

USS Missouri (BB-63) looks to be re-commissioned into the Forces of Valor navy this summer

 “It is my earnest hope, and indeed the hope of all mankind, that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past — a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance and justice.”
– Gen. Douglas MacArthur, aboard the USS Missouri at the conclusion to the signing of the Instrument of Surrender, September 2nd, 1945

Several years ago, we had the great pleasure of visiting the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii. Part of our trip involved seeing the USS Arizona Memorial, as well as a trek through the Iowa-class battleship, USS Missouri, which is fittingly moored aft of the Arizona. I remember pausing when we came to the end of the guided walk through, and looking, quite fondly, at the spot on the deck where delegates of the Imperial Japanese Empire formally signed the instrument of surrender in Tokyo Bay on September 2nd, 1945, thus formally ending hostilities in the Pacific Theatre of Operations.

Therefore, it is, with great pleasure that Waltersons’ will soon be re-releasing a 1:700 scale replica of the USS Missouri in its WWII-era configuration, reworked and remastered to conform with their all-new warships lineup.

The ceremony aboard the deck of the Missouri lasted 23 minutes and was broadcast throughout the world. The instrument was first signed by the Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu “By Command and on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government” (9:04 am). General Yoshijirō Umezu, Chief of the Army General Staff, then signed the document “By Command and on behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters” (9:06 am).

At 9:08 a.m., U.S. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, the Commander in the Southwest Pacific and Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers and signed in his capacity as Supreme Commander.[4]

After MacArthur’s signature as Supreme Commander, the following representatives signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of each of the Allied Powers:

On September 6, Colonel Bernard Theilen took the document and an imperial rescript to Washington, D.C., and presented them to President Harry S. Truman in a formal White House ceremony the following day. The documents were then exhibited at the National Archives.

Look for the USS Missouri (FOV861003A) to weigh anchor some time in May.

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