Eaglemoss’ Battlestar Galactica Space Battleship – 2004 Series
While we are still awaiting the release of their first Battlestar Galactica ship, Eaglemoss, through its Hero Collector subsidiary, announced the next pairing of ships drawn from the Galactica universe. The first is a replica of the Battlestar Galactica space battleship, as it was portrayed in the 2004 televised series (EMBGS03).
Eaglemoss’ Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper Mark I Fighter – 1978 Series
The second is a Colonial Mark I Viper fighter, as it was originally envisaged way back in 1978 (EMBGS04) in the original televised series. The manufacturer has gone on record to say that they will be shipping a new ship every couple of months, so don’t expect to take these beauties home for several more months.
I’m a big Jeep fan. There, I said it. In fact, I think I’m on my fifth Jeep Cherokee, having gotten one in every conceivable package and color except for olive drab. So, when I heard that Welly’s 1:18 scale World War II era Jeep was sold out late last year, I grew a little despondent. A Jeep support group was a phone call away when we learned yesterday that Welly brought back their venerable off-roader for an encore appearance, this time sporting a faux canvas top.
I think I need to top off the Freon, not!
Boasting an opening hood, detailed engine compartment and other goodies, their new Jeep is back in stock and carrying the same sticker price, thereby making it a perfect gift for any occasion.
Well, almost. But since spring is just a few weeks away, we figured you wouldn’t mind saving some hard earned coin a wee bit early thanks to The Motor Pool’s Spring has Sprung 15% Off sale! From now until Sunday, March 18th, you can take 15% off of any item we have in stock simply by entering our latest coupon code at the bottom of your shopping cart just prior to final checkout. Please enter discount code “TMP177” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Note: The following lines are excluded from this promotional offer: Air Force 1, Calibre Wings, Hobby Master, Luft-X and Wings of the Great War. Sale ends midnight, Sunday, March 18th, 2018. May not be combined with any other sales discount.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – VF-114 “Aardvarks,” USS Abraham Lincoln (CVW-11), 2003
Ordinarily, Hobby Master is pretty good about getting their products to market on a timely basis, religiously hitting their street dates month after month with nary a problem save customs issues. Turns out this month we’ll be lavishly resupplied, since the March shipment arrived early and their February shipment arrived a wee bit late. Typically this isn’t a problem for us, although it may takes us an extra day or so to go through everything and marry up the new arrivals with any orders already in our system.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US M60A1 Patton Medium Tank with Reliability Improved Selected Equipment (RISE) IR/White Light Spotlight – 3rd Armored Division, Gelnhausen, Germany, 1960s
On the downside, we’ve learned that their eagerly anticipated inaugural 1:72 scale M60A1 Patton tank (HG5601) is already sold out at both the factory and distribution level, which means we can no longer accept any orders for it. It appears as if a great many people were looking to add this particular vehicle to their collection and bodes well for their military vehicle lineup, which has struggled somewhat over the last couple of years and is now being produced in Pakistan rather than mainland China. We have no doubt that a Vietnam era version of the M60 tank will be offered again, likely clad in different markings, but in the mean time expect their first effort to command higher than normal prices in the after market, if you’re lucky enough to find it. On a separate note, the Austrian version of the Patton tank (HG5603) is also expected in the shipment, and the Israeli version, painted in a handsome desert motif, has been pushed back until May. We’re also willing to bet that other variants will be announced soon, including the venerable M60A3 and the M60A2 Starship. Now, if we can only get them to produce these vehicles in larger scales, then we’ve truly hit a home run.
While Modelcollect is hard at work developing all sorts of diecast military vehicles, they have also been diligently creating their own off-beat franchise known as Fist of War. Thus far, few details have emerged concerning the back story and its impact on the post WWII-themed world, although a a handful of vehicles have been shown to the public, which melds parts from their WWII range with spider-like leggings.
Earlier this week, the Company posted an interesting cache of blueprints which takes the series in a new direction, one which seems to tear a page out of the Mechwarrior universe as well as the “paper panzer” saga. Its not clear if all of the items published will be offered as pre-assembled replicas due to their size, complexity and likely higher cost vis a vis their traditional military range. Still, its nice to know that they are demonstrating their prowess as model builders and stoking the fires of ingenuity.
Translated simply as Wonderland, Wunderland harkens back to the cold, wintry days of Christmas 1944, when the Germans launched a last gasp winter offensive aimed at splitting the Allied armies in two and striking towards the English Channel. As the Germans make one final push in the West, US Army Lt. Robert Cappa and his platoon of 2nd Infantry Division soldiers have been ordered to hold a vital road junction against the German onslaught. Cappa and his men must find their faith and strength to stand against their enemy in the epic fight know as “The Battle of The Bulge.” Starring Tom Berrenger, we aren’t sure if this will make a full theatrical release later this year or is destined to go straight to video based upon our first impressions. Have a looksie and decide for yourself.
Note: We have since learned that this filmed has been renamed Battle of the Bulge: The Last Great Battle of WWII for the North American market (not to be confused with the original film starring Robert Shaw and Henry Fonda) and is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Bulge-DVD-Tom-Berenger/dp/B074ZPL2TB
Perhaps Abe Lincoln couldn’t tell a lie and George Washington crossed the Delaware in a make-shift boat, but we’re certain you can save mucho dinero with The Motor Pool’s Presidents Week sale! From now until Sunday, February 25th, you can take 10% off of any item we have in stock simply by entering our latest coupon code at the bottom of your shopping cart just prior to final checkout. Please enter discount code “TMP176” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Note: The following lines are excluded from this promotional offer: Air Force 1, Calibre Wings, Hobby Master, Luft-X and Wings of the Great War. Sale ends midnight, Sunday, February 25th, 2018. May not be combined with any other sales discount.
As a budget-minded line goes, Atlas Editions has always scored high marks in a number of critical areas including cost and detail, not too mention depth and breadth of range. However, from a marketability standpoint, the range has struggled, oftentimes employing simple balsa packaging and a see-through styrene cover, bereft of any information or hyperbole, to help sell the product. Recognizing these deficiencies, the Company has finally developed better packaging for some of their latest line extensions, thereby looking to better position it against the likes of Oxford Aviation, Altaya and others.
Their 1:144 scale bomber range will now come packaged as shown above while their 1:144-1:200 jet aircraft will come nestled in the packaging below. We assume other segments of the range will see a similar change in marketing format as the year progresses, all based upon impressions garnered from their collectors and authorized dealers.
Ebay will soon be launching its own payment system and here’s what you need to know.
While we do not ever foresee us accepting any form of crypto currency to complete a sale, largely due to its volatility and lack of governmental oversight, we do anticipate accepting eBay’s new, unnamed intermediate payment system announced this January and expected to go live later this year. Since its inception, PayPal had always been the favored means of payment on eBay for both domestic and international transactions, which slowly but surely did away with traditional means of payment and provided a measure of comfort for both the buyer and seller whenever a problem arose.
As some of you may already know, eBay and PayPal went their separate ways a couple of years ago and, according to eBay, the auction house is now developing its own proprietary payment system which will be favored over PayPal once it has been fully fleshed out. This means that both we and our eBay customers will now have to add a new payment system to our respective payment portfolios in order to take advantage of any perks this new payment system will likely offer. It will also mean that we will begin accepting eBay’s payment system on our own web site once it has been rolled out. So, whether it be called ePay or Payment with eBay, we’ll post more information on the new payment gateway once the auction house has christened it and prepped it for prime time.
Note: According to CNN, Dutch-based Adyen, who has helped a number of high profile companies handle payments, has been chosen by eBay to support its payment processing. The new system will gradually be rolled out later this year and should be fully implemented by 2021.
Tom Hanks and Dale Dye on the set of Saving Private Ryan
Sounds as if Dale Dye has finally gotten his wish. According to the web site, We Are the Mighty, US Marine, military historian and actor, Dale Dye, is teaming up with none other than screen legend, Tom Hanks, to create a feature film that retells the story of an American airborne unit in Normandy during the D-Day operation.The movie is centered around the defense of La Fiere Bridge by elements of the 82nd Airborne (“All-American”) and its pivotal role in the early stages of the Normandy campaign.
Dye had been shopping around the story/script for quite some time leading many to believe he would never get the proper backing to film the tale. Now, with Hanks in his corner, it appears as if the story will come to fruition, although no director has been named nor a producer. For more information on the news release, visit We Are the Mighty.
