August 2020

The Forces of Valor Update: See You in September

So now that I’ve finished my rant in our previous post, there is a bit of good news to report in regards to Forces of Valor. We’ve switched to a new distributor, who is offering us much lower price points for all of the new and existing Forces of Valor products. For example, the new Jagdtiger with the Porsche suspension previously carried a MAP of $89.99. We’re happy to say that we can now sell this very same vehicle for only $74.99, a $15 savings for all you tread heads. Other vehicles have witnessed a similar cut and we’re hoping that all of their upcoming products, particularly their deep range of Tiger I tanks, will see a cut as well.

According to our new distributor, they will be shipping out the new Jagdtiger along with several back ordered items the first week of September. Many of the warships will be returning to stock as well along with a pair of new CH-47 Chinooks, this time around wearing Canadian markings.

The manufacturer, perhaps in response to our scathing critique earlier this month, decided to post a short video of their upcoming Sturmtiger, demonstrating its smooth rolling capabilities (see above) even clad in metal tracks. The optional metal tracks will be offered at some point after the Sturmtiger is released, which will undoubtedly be offered for their Tiger I tanks. Its unclear if the previously released Jagdtigers, Jagdpanther and British Sherman Firefly will also gain new tracks. No word concerning pricing nor how they will be sold, either as add-ons or included with the vehicles as a more deluxe offering.

Tales of Transparency: August Odds and Ends

As the summer winds down, we’re beginning to look ahead at the all-important holiday selling season. Over the past week, a handful of formerly sold out items have once again returned to stock or are expected in time for holiday ordering. Oxford’s rail gun is back in stock and PMA’s Otto Carius Tiger I heavy tank is slated to become available again around the end of October or early November. Both items sold extremely well in 2019, so we look forward to brisk sales, now that they are returning to store shelves.

In other news, we’ve announced the roll out of the Armored Fighting Vehicles of World War II line of 1:43 scale military vehicles. To be clear, these are the same vehicles that were first made available through Altaya and released throughout Europe the past few years. Our line will be released sequentially as per the Altaya line, with six vehicles scheduled to be produced each and every month until the original line has run its course. At that point, we will evaluate the line, either introducing new liveries for several of the existing vehicles and/or producing a completely new set of complementary armored fighting vehicles, many of which have never been offered before in 1:43 scale. Lastly, we are hard at work repackaging the line and including numbered collector cards with each and every release. We fully expect this line to appreciate over time, so keeping all of the marketing materials that comes with each vehicle is vitally important if you are looking to one day sell off your collection.

There seems to be some movement on the Dragon Neo Armor front, both forwards and backwards. For some reason, their original US M1128 Mobile Gun System #DRR63007 appears to be sold out even though it never made it here to North America. We can only assume it was a phenomenal success in Asia. On the upside, a new M1128 Mobile Gun System is expected in October, DRR63013, so we will substitute any orders we received for DRR63007 with the replacement vehicle. If you prefer not to receive the replacement vehicle, please drop us a note and we will remove it from your order. We apologize for the inconvenience, but many of the anomalies you see occurring within the industry are simply out of our control.

Speaking of things that are out of our control, Forces of Valor continues to move at a glacially slow pace, promising lots of items for the holidays that we, quite frankly, don’t think will occur until well into 2021. We understand that they are doing their utmost to produce the finest specimens of AFVs known to man, but the problem remains that they continually make empty promises even when they understand the ramifications for doing so. For example, images for their three Sturmtigers have been hinted at for months now, and, as August draws to a close, the Company still hasn’t posted any paint masters for all the world to see. How they can then claim to have product available before the holidays is a mystery at best, which only ends up disappointing both their customers and retail partners. And then they claim to be making at least twenty different versions of the Tiger I tank for 2021, with more waiting in the wings under their Tank Ace series. Just one SKU requires, from a spatial standpoint, several feet of room so 26 over-sized cartons are a beast to manage, provided we, and others, agree to stockpile so many of the same vehicle type.

Now, we’ve been doing this for 20 years and I have NEVER run into an instance where a manufacturer decided to release so many of what is basically the same vehicle all at one time within one calendar year. I fully understand there are some cost savings that result at the manufacturer’s end by producing so many identical products within a single run, but even the auto manufacturers recognize this strategy has limitations. For a retailer such as ourselves, to tackle an endeavor of these proportions ties up an enormous amount of cash, to say nothing of the room required to keep everything in stock. We can only assume this same strategy will carry over to all of their other 1:32 scale projects, which is great for the collector since they will have loads to choose from, but absolutely overwhelming for both the retailers and distributors alike. Its not that I have anything against FOV since we helped to put them on the map when they first came into being 18 years ago. But come on, 20 or more different Tigers when the market in the wake of a global pandemic can sustain but a handful? That’s a bit much for even the most ardent supporters.

My biggest beef with the new owners of FOV is that there is no sense of urgency. Items are routinely announced only to languish on the manufacturer’s back burner for what seems like an eternity. Everyone’s hopes are raised then eventually dashed when deadlines pass and nothing more is mentioned either on their web site or through social media. Granted the pandemic has adversely affected a great many companies but even when you factor this sordid matter into the equation they just never seem able or willing to move the ball forward when other manufacturers, faced with the same issues, have dusted themselves off and begun fulfilling their promises. I’m not sure why FOV seems to follow this tact year in and year out but when pressed for an answer all they seem willing to say is that they are looking to produce the best possible replica. Great, but when? Its a strange way of meeting the needs of their collectors when they regularly claim that they have their best interests at heart. If I were to put it in football terms, its a bit like watching your favorite team take to the field, line up along the twenty yard line ready to hike the ball, then watch as quarter after quarter, game after game, nothing happens except for the clock winding down.

Lastly, we plan on moving our web site from Volusion, our current e-commerce platform, to Big Commerce, some time within the next 30 or so days, barring any unforeseen issues. All of the data we currently utilize should be moved over without any hitches and the migration should be rather seamless given the assurances we have been given by both BiGCommerce and our off-site technology team that has handled many of our previous projects.

That’s it for now. As always, Panzers vor!

The Forces of Valor Update: The Sturmtiger and Beyond

Forces of Valor broke its silence and finally posted a bunch of new work-in-progress photos for their three upcoming 1:32 scale Sturmtiger assault mortars. According to the posts, final imagery are still weeks away, which means product won’t likely be built and shipped to our shores until October, at the earliest. The photos show the vehicle in three different configurations — initial, early and late stage variants — and provide up-close looks at some of the detail found both inside and outside the finished product. Previously, FOV posted preliminary photos of some of the figures that will accompany each vehicle, including Adolf Hitler and Albert Speer observing the vehicle during its initial presentation phase. Other figures being sculpted include loaders, drivers, gunners and vehicle commanders.

Unfortunately, the lack of final photos for the Sturmtiger typically means that work on all of their upcoming Tiger I (13) and Sherman tanks (8) haven’t moved all that far along beyond the CAD stage, and that product may not make it out for the holiday season. We’re still hopeful that some of the vehicles may make it under the tree this year but want to remind everyone that we aren’t making guarantees based upon the rate of progress we have seen thus far. We wish we had more hopeful news to offer, but want to remain realistic since the holiday season is fast approaching.

In other news, the Company is moving forward with their line of 1:72 scale prop-driven WWII-era fighters which the manufacturer claims will be out by the close of the year. They have also indicated that they have begun work on their 1:72 scale jet fighter series and have signed a licensing agreement with Bell to re-release their 1:48 scale AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Huey helicopters that were formerly produced by Unimax. A UH-1N Twin Huey is apparently also in the offing as is a AH-1Z Cobra helicopter. We will likely see all of their 1:48 scale rotary wing aircraft produced in 1:72 scale, although these are probably a ways off considering all of the previous product announcements.

Finally, while we do not have confirmation just yet from our R/C distributor, it would appear as if their 1:24 scale line of radio controlled tanks will be re-released this fall, which will likely be augmented with their M26 Pershing and M1 Abrams tanks. Still no word concerning VS Tanks, a separate line of radio controlled tanks which was acquired four years ago. And, while images of a 1:16 scale T-72 they have been working on for several years were posted on Facebook several weeks ago, no pricing or date of release has yet been set.

Update: Earlier today, Waltersons acknowledged that nineteen (19) different Tiger I tanks are in the hopper and was kind enough to provide line art imagery for each of the proposed projects (no actual product photos were shown). Two models are listed as 2020 releases, although its not clear if that’s when they are scheduled to be produced or actually going to be released to the public. So, we’re going to assume that none of the Tiger I tanks will make it out by Christmas and that 2021 will be a bumper year as far as Tiger tanks are concerned. The same is likely true for all of the Sherman tanks expected as well as the Elefant tank destroyer. Incredibly, a separate line of “Tank Aces” was also hinted at in a recent Facebook post, thereby increasing the Tiger I count by several more vehicles. While collectors will certainly have a field day choosing from all of the different Tiger I tanks being proposed, it remains to be seen how distributors and retailers alike will be able to inventory and sell so many different versions of what is essentially one vehicle type and how this massed shotgun strategy will likely affect other models still waiting in the wings such as the Panzer IV, Panther and Sherman medium tanks, many of which have their own subset of vehicle types. I guess its time to build a new warehouse.