To improve mobility in soft terrain, the Army came up with a field expedient solution called a “duckbill” end connector. This was an end connector with a sheet steel foot welded to it, and when bolted in place on the track, it added several inches to the tracks width
Apparently, Waltersons received the all-new M4 Sherman Tank Model T48 Duckbill Tracks at the same time they took in the new M4 Sherman Jumbo tank but neglected to tell anyone. Be that as it may, we have placed an order for them along with another cache of initial production Tiger I tanks, all of which should be in stock by the middle of this month. I believe the previously released Sherman track set should still work on the Jumbo tank, although these are the type expressly developed for the vehicle during the war by our defense industry.
On a different note, we are holding those Sherman Jumbo tank orders that also called for the upcoming M4 Sherman tank with the wading gear. Bear in mind that our company policy expressly states that we do not split up orders in order to reduce our outbound shipping costs. Again, these are large, heavy models that can get quite expensive shipping across this great land of ours. So, if you ordered both vehicles on one invoice, hang in there and we will notify you when your order is ready to ship out complete.
Update: To mitigate the costs of shipping these large, oversized items from Waltersons’ locale on the west coast to our location in Florida, the Company will be shipping our re-stock order plus the upcoming Sherman with wading gear via freight instead of standard ground delivery. We will likely have to increase our orders down the road to avoid out-of-stock situations that are caused by excessive shipping costs. As with “Cobra King”, we strongly recommend submitting your order for the next Sherman tank as soon as possible so we have a clearer idea as to how many to order to fill our initial requirement. This will likely hold true for each new 1:32 scale tank the Company plans on rolling out at least for the balance of 2023.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4(105) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension and Deep Wading Gear – “White 6”, 713th Tank Battalion, Okinawa, April-June 1945 [Bonus Continental (Wright) R-975, Radial 9 Engine]. Currently set to storm the beach in early April…
Today marks the opening day of shipping out the all-new 1:32 scale Sherman Jumbo Tank, “Cobra King”. Whenever we receive a heavily requested item such as this, we elect to ship out product in waves. So, wave one, as we like to refer to it, will be going out today and possibly into tomorrow, depending upon how quickly we can get the orders processed, labeled and ready for our USPS driver. Wave two will begin going out on Tuesday afternoon and lastly wave three will likely be wrapped up on Wednesday, perhaps into Thursday. Wave three usually encompasses orders where we have to contact the customer to go over their billing information or confirm quantities requested. Again we ask that you patiently await shipping information before contacting us to ask for an update. If you do not receive a shipping update by Friday, then you may contact us about your order.
The first two F-16s to be produced by Waltersons in their long awaited 1:72 Modern Aircraft Series are these ROCAF Vipers. An odd choice given these are US-built warbirds that likely would sell better in North America than in Taiwan.
In other news, Waltersons debuted some of their new products for 2023 at the recently concluded Nuremberg Toy Fair. While we do not as yet have any photos to share, it appears as if the upcoming Sherman with wading gear as well as an all-white Tiger were being shown for the first time. Also unveiled was their first 1:72 scale jet – a F-16 Viper complete with lots of bells and whistles to help differentiate it from the competition. It also looks as though the Company is finally getting back into the 1:72 scale market by employing the same strategy they used so successfully with their interlocking 4-inch Flight Deck series. Based upon the image we saw, it appears as if they are developing an interlocking vignette set on a D-Day landing area. So, some of the display bases will feature a beach background while others will sport bunkers and other obstacles. There will be landing craft, tanks and other military vehicles included with each individual vignette, all likely tied to vehicles previously released under the Unimax moniker several years back. Should the strategy succeed, there’s a good bet other vignettes will be offered too.
Forces of Valor’s upcoming 1:72 scale D-Day vignette (as shown at the Nuremberg Toy Fair) looks to encompass 12 separate sections that, when fitted together, forms a sort of beachhead scenario, complete with vehicles, figures and obstacles. As a guess, the entire set will ship in the fourth quarter. Prices to be established
Lastly, the manufacturer has hinted at a number of projects still to come, such as more 1:72 and 1:48 scale helicopters, two iterations of the USS Enterprise, and several more 1:32 scale military vehicles that aren’t based upon either the Tiger I or Sherman vehicles. No word concerning their highly anticipated 1:16 scale tank that has been both privately and publicly discussed for some time. The Company could be waiting for the upcoming Shizuoka Hobby Show in Japan to formally announce and show these projects.
Update: Incidentally, we’re almost out of the initial batch of “Cobra King” Shermans. We ordered so many on the first go round that they had to be shipped via freight from California instead of a traditional carrier such as UPS or FedEx. We’ve already contacted the manufacturer to see if more are immediately available and will place our order shortly. But if you’re looking to nab a tank from the first batch and possibly avoid a delay in shipping, we have only two pieces left in stock as of the morning of March 1st.
Also, in case you missed it, Forces of Valor plans on coming out with a 1:32 scale model kit of the M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo. While no price or ship date has been set, modelmakers are free to depict any Sherman they like, perhaps doing away with the “First in Bastogne” sobriquet that adorns the side of “Cobra King” for something more commonplace. Sweet, huh?
Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale US M1A2 SEP Abrams Main Battle Tank with TUSK II Survival Kit – 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Baghdad, Iraq, July 2008
With talk of several dozen US-built M1 Abrams tanks being overhauled and/or constructed from scratch to aid in the Ukrainian war effort, Panzerkampf decided to seize the newsworthy opportunity by revamping its own line of M1 Abrams tanks. Several fan-favorites that sold out almost as quickly as they hit the battlefield will be brought back from the boneyard, most notably the TUSK II variant that was an instant hit amongst collectors. All told, Panzerkampf will have six different M1 Abrams tanks fitted out with either the TUSK I or II Urban Survival Kit, although it isn’t clear if these will be the types of Abrams tanks bound for Kiev in 2023. When combined with their best-selling M1070 tank transporters, these vehicles are, as they say, “evergreen” products that sell well year-in and year-out and should never be fully retired. Kudos to Panzerkampf for becoming the tip of the spear!
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Strike Fighter – 165796, NAWDC, Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, “Top Gun 50th Anniversary” [Anniversary Scheme]
If you’re a fan of the movie Top Gun: Maverick then you’ll be delighted to learn that images were finally debuted for Hobby Master’s tribute to the blockbuster film. The twin-seat F/A-18 shown here was the type used in the filming of the movie even though action sequences depicted in the movie showed the more common single seat version. The reason is fairly simple – the actors portrayed in the film sat in the rear seat while the actual pilots flew the aircraft from the front seat, much like the filming sequences for the original film Top Gun. Lets face it — Tom Cruise may be talented, a huge box office draw and a pilot in his own right but he was never trained as a Hornet driver and for good reason. He’s paid to put movie goers in theater seats not defend our nation’s interests and risk his life in the process.
The fully assembled model differs in certain respects from the aircraft depicted in the movie, with no mention of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell stenciled on the sides of the fuselage and an oversized “Top Gun” moniker adorning the refueling pod slung underneath the aircraft. Moreover, the seated pilot figure is standard fare with no attempt to portray Cruse’s likeness for fear of offending the actor and potentially getting Paramount, the film’s maker, from getting all riled up.
Hobby Master was careful to get the model approved while avoiding licensing fees and a lawsuit from landing on their doorstep. Nevertheless, the upcoming Top Gun Hornet model will likely sell well despite the aforementioned dissimilarities with the filmed version of the aircraft largely because of the manufacturer’s reputation for producing highly accurate models right out-of-the-box without the need or assistance of a master model maker to put the whole thing together. Flying right up to the edge of the envelope, if you were, without dangling over it.
After leaving the cold winter behind us in New York on January 2nd, we arrived here in Florida on the 5th and began setting up shop on the 9th. It wasn’t until the 15th that we felt we were ready to resume operations even though there were still some facets of our business that needed to be addressed such as purchasing and building a new desk and ordering some other office furniture, as well as other responsibilities such as visiting the DMV, changing doctors, and dealing with home ownership in a brand new community. Since then we’ve been on an upswing and, quite frankly, haven’t looked back. In fact, this morning we noticed that our eBay sales alone have risen by over 500% since re-opening for business, and we haven’t even listed some of the more crucial new products such as the new Forces of Valor 1:32 scale Sherman “Cobra King”. We’ve seen a similar rise in both traffic and sales on some of our other marketplace sites as well as our main web site.
In other eBay-related news we have successfully transitioned from their Global Shipping program to their new International Delivery Program. As a result, we can now ship anywhere on the globe without fear of fraud or incompatible/antiquated postal systems that may have prevented all parties from tracking the progress of the package. After a sale is made, products are first shipped to eBay’s point of aggregation in Illinois, inspected and then sent on to the customer wherever he or she may be located. Again, any customs or VAT due are paid by the customer freeing us from explaining these restrictions to the would-be customer.
As always, we thank you for your patronage and look forward to serving your diecast needs for the foreseeable future. Panzers vorwarts!
Of the four recently received M1083 cargo trucks, this one seems to be the most popular, outselling the second best-selling version by nearly 2 to 1. Frankly, I would’ve thought the ones with the gun and armored shield would sell the best but I guess I backed the wrong horse! We will re-order it shortly, now that all of the pre-orders have been dealt with…
We’ve gotten all of the pre-orders out-the-door for both the recently arrived Panzerkampf and JC Wings lines. We’re actually out of one of the M1083 cargo trucks, and will likely have to re-order it shortly to maintain availability. All of the other versions are currently in stock as is the Russian Pantsir S-1 air defense system.
Our Forces of Valor shipment is slated to arrive at the tail end of the month. We will start reviewing our pre-orders several days ahead of time to ensure that we get out the bulk of the orders as quickly as possible. If you placed a pre-order by credit card, it may make sense to touch base with us to see if we have your current details on hand so we can get a new authorization code tout de suite. It will likely take us a few days to process all of the pre-orders so we again beg you not to contact us asking about your order other than to provide us with your current credit card information. Stopping to respond to any other queries simply slows us down. Again, we will be processing the oldest orders first, so if you placed an order for the soon-to-be-received Sherman over the last couple of weeks please hang in there because we need to address all of the orders that came in ahead of yours.
Lastly, we’re not certain as yet if the February Hobby Master shipment is still expected this month or if it has been pushed back into March. We are currently awaiting updated shipping information from our distributor that handles the line and will make changes to our web site the moment we learn of its disposition. That’s about it for now and we hope you’re having a splendid winter. I know we are now that we are based in sunny Florida!
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo Assault Tank with VVSS Suspension – “Cobra King”, C Company, 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Bastogne, Belgium, December 26th, 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
So we finally have some news to share regarding Forces of Valor. With the 2023 Nuremberg Toy Fair fast becoming a distant memory, the principals at Forces of Valor have indicated that they are ready to begin shipment of their latest 1:32 scale Sherman tank, “Cobra King”, along with their 1:700 scale replica of the IJN Yamato battleship and their trio of 1:72 scale P-40 Warhawks. We don’t have a definite date as yet for their arrival but we are tentatively looking at around the fourth week of February for them to be rolling in. Some back ordered items will be hitching a ride on the shipment, including their latest Tiger I tank and the 1:700 scale take on the USS Arizona.
That said, we implore that you take a seat and relax as we start to process orders around the middle of next week. Please do not contact us saying “I placed my order back on such-and-such date” or “I Paid you by PayPal and you’ve been sitting on my money ever since”. These were YOUR decisions, not ours. We never asked for payment up front and we are the last link in the supply chain. So, just because a manufacturer announces a new item, they have to make it, ship it overseas, pass through customs and lastly stock it with a distributor before it heads our way. We’ve explained this countless times before so this shouldn’t be new to anyone.
Once our shipment arrives, we will start by processing the Sherman tank orders, looking at the oldest orders first then the latest in chronological order. So, if someone placed an order back on March 2021, their order will be reviewed first before an order that was submitted say in October of last year. Sorry, but that’s the fairest method we regularly use when it comes to shipping out orders for a highly requested item. If you cannot wait, then contact us to cancel your order and you are certainly free to place your order with another vendor. If this becomes a habit be forewarned because we will cancel any remaining orders you have with us and close out your account. I don’t want to wake up each day and read all sorts of missives that either talk down to us as if we were intentionally sitting on your order or hear how important it is that you be moved to the front of the line and get this item immediately. That’s not going to happen and we will continue to do things at our own pace to avoid mistakes, favoritism or anything else you can throw our way.
On a positive note, we hope you enjoy FOV’s latest 1:32 scale combat vehicle once it does arrive. We likely will only have a handful available to be listed across our marketplace sites until we are prepared to submit a re-order.
Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale Russian Pantsir S1 Self-Propelled Air Defense System – Russo-Ukrainian War 2022
Its been awhile since we took delivery of any new Panzerkampf items but it looks as if February is going to be a bumper crop as far as new armor is concerned. Several eagerly awaited products are headed our way including this Pantsir S-1 air defense system, which regularly shows up on CNN and other news sites covering the war in Ukraine. While six versions of the Pantsir are planned, thus far the manufacturer has only shown pictures of this model, which prominently features the letter “Z” on its sides.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the letter “Z” was seen painted on tanks as well as other military vehicles massing near the border. With both countries using similar tanks and trucks, it was originally thought this was meant to distinguish different units to prevent friendly fire and assist with mobilization.
Some speculate that the “Z” could stand for “zapad,” which means west in Russian. Some have snidely suggested that the symbol stands for other words such as “zhopa,” meaning ass in a reference to stiff Ukrainian resistance. The letter does not appear in the Cyrillic alphabet used by both Russia and Ukraine. Since mid-March 2022, the “Z” began to be used by the Russian government as a pro-war propaganda motif, and has been appropriated by pro-Putin civilians as a symbol of support for Russia’s invasion.
Also rolling in are four different M1083 multi-wheeled cargo trucks – two with machine guns mounted up top and clad in an armored protective shield surrounding the vehicle’s cab.
In other news, Legion, which is Panzerkampf’s budget-minded line of military replicas, is scheduled to make its first showing in March. The range includes a pair of aircraft carriers, four different F4U Corsairs and a wide array of 1:72 scale military vehicles spanning everything from GMC 2-1/2 ton trucks to Hetzer tank destroyers. While their packaging is a bit spartan as compared with their higher-priced brethren, the Legion vehicles make up in quality what they lack in sexy packaging. As a result, many of the vehicles cost about half as much as a Panzerkampf product, making them ideal entry level replicas for younger collectors or avid military buffs gathering their arsenal on a tight budget.
Now that we’ve reestablished ourselves in the warm weather state of Florida, we thought it made sense to bring everyone up to speed concerning some of the upcoming events and news that has come to light over the last few weeks. For starters, we’re days away from the opening of the Nuremberg Toy Fair, which is typically where most of the diecast manufacturers share news concerning their upcoming wares. Naturally we’ll post news of the show the minute we learn about some of the latest product expected this calendar year.
Corgi has already discussed some of their upcoming projects for 2023, diverging somewhat from their 2022 strategy of announcing upcoming product in trimesters or every four months or so. Frankly, we’re not sure which strategy makes more sense but we’re willing to bet that something came up during 2022 that made their initial strategy untenable, at least for the near term. In any event, several new aircraft were discussed briefly on their 2023 price list, although nothing firm was provided including imagery for several planes that include their second issue 1:48 scale Eurofighter. These will likely be talked about in greater detail as the year progresses, possibly in their Diecast Diaries. We did learn, however, that Corgi lost the license to the highly coveted Top Gun film collection, likely because someone else with deeper pockets came along and was willing to pay more money for the rights to produce replicas based upon the box office smash hits. We’re sold out of their best-selling jet-based twin pack but do have a handful of the F/A-18/P-51 twin pack in stock as well as Maverick’s F/A-18 all by its lonesome. No doubt these will sell out quickly once word spreads that Corgi no longer has the rights to the Top Gun franchise.
In an interesting turn of events, Corgi indicated that they had secured the rights to produce Star Trek-related products from Paramount, something the now defunct Eaglemoss had owned lock, stock and barrel for several years running.. In the wake of Eaglemoss’ demise, however, I’m beginning to wonder if they also hired Ben Robinson, the former product manager for Eaglemoss range of sci-fi ships and other paraphernalia to oversee the Corgi expansion. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Corgi discusses the Paramount licensing deal in greater detail at the upcoming Nuremberg Toy Fair. In other news, the manufacturer also created this video which shows some of the products expected in early 2023 as well as those products they are currently working on and slated for release later in the year.
In other news, we are still awaiting the release of the Forces of Valor “Cobra King” Sherman tank, an eagerly awaited replica that was supposedly due out in late December but seems to be delayed for one reason or another. We are awaiting clarification regarding its release but seeing as how its Chinese New Year, we may have to wait a few more days to determine when we can expect our shipment.
Our distributor who handles the Panzerkampf line reports that a new inbound shipment is expected in February. Currently we do not have a manifest outlining which items are expected, so we do not have any hard-and-fast information concerning those items coming in. We’ll stay in touch with the distributor to determine when the container is expected to make landfall as well as those items included in its bowels. This same distributor also stocks the Neo Dragon Armor line of 1:72 scale military vehicles so here again we will await further word as to when and which items are scheduled to arrive.
We’re all caught up on those orders we can successfully ship out so our turn-around time for new orders should be almost instantaneous moving forward. Items such as Hobby Master’s inaugural Dassault Rafale fighter and third issue Su-57 “Felon” stealth fighter are in stock and ready to wing their way to anyone that places an order with us while stocks remain strong. Keep in mind that all outbound shipments are now emanating from Florida instead of New York, now that our transition to Wesley Chapel has gone without a hitch. That’s about it for now as we await news from Europe on some of the latest and greatest diecast collectibles you can expect to lay your mitts on this calendar year. Panzers vorwarts!
Low angle tropical plants with a welcome sign to hot weather
After motoring down the I-95 corridor for the better part of three days, then being instructed to take some back alley roads by Waze, we finally made it down to our new digs in Florida last week. Its taken us roughly a week to get everything sorted out including all of our inventory unpacked, racked out and ready for immediate picking. That said, we’re up-and-running and ready to resume business. All of the orders we received while we were on hiatus have been dropped off and should be meandering their way to their final destinations throughout the course of this week.
We’ve also instructed all of our principal vendors that they can resume shipping any orders they may have been holding for us over the last few weeks. We’re also getting updates on some of the delayed shipments that should be hitting the roadways this week, most notably the latest Forces of Valor releases as well as the recent spate of Hobby Master shipments. Barring any further issues, these should be arriving by the third week of January at which point we will make a herculean effort to get them turned around the moment they come in. That’s about it for now — we still have some things to address such as obtaining a replacement desk since the one I ordinarily use broke during the move so we’re temporarily using snack trays as stand-ins for sturdier office ware.We are also in dire need of some packing supplies since most were used for the move. All things being equal, we’re sort of glad the transition was made in early January rather than at any other time of the year since it gives us more time to ensure everything is done properly and on time. Thanks for bearing with us during this transition period.
