April 2017 – Page 2 – The Motor Pool

PMA Decides to Do Some Heavy Lifting This Summer

German Sd.Kfz. 8 12-ton heavy prime mover in feldgrau (field grey)

As a natural extension to their previously released Sd.Kfz.8 series of prime movers affixed with FLaK guns, Precision Model Art announced their intent to produce two more similarly conceived vehicles. The first (P0315) represents a heavy prime mover (Schwerer Zugkraftwagen) with bench seating for the gun crew and painted in an early war field grey. The alternative vehicle is a Gepanzerte or armored prime mover (P0316), better protected against small arms fire on the battlefield and even equipped with a pair of MG-34 machine guns fore and aft.

The heavy prime mover requires some minor assembly and is designed to showcase some of its fantastic interior detail

Both vehicles are expected in June and, as we’ve come to expect from PMA based upon past experience, will likely be followed up shortly with other liveries.

German Sd.Kfz. 8 12-ton heavy prime mover

The effects of weathering and detailed workmanship can be seen in this close-up of the Gepanzerte

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Convention Calendar: Star Trek

The 2017 Star Trek Convention will be held at the Rio Hotel in August in beautiful Las Vegas, if you can stand the heat

With the 2017 Star Wars convention now a thing of the past, the next major sci-fi convention of note is the upcoming 2017 Star Trek Convention being held in Las Vegas at the Rio Hotel from August 2nd-6th. For more information on the event, celebrities in attendance, information concerning new serialized productions and major film efforts, as well as news concerning new or upcoming Star Trek memorabilia, head on over to this site

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Forces of Valor Takes Aim at Two Theatres of War

Waltersons upcoming 88mm FLaK gun will come in two flavors, including an all-new DAK scheme

On their Facebook page, Waltersons acknowledged plans to release two different versions of their German 88mm Flak gun: one will likely be patterned off of an existing livery, likely an early war field grey or whitewashed version, while the second replica will be based on a gun used in North Africa by the Deutsches Afrika Korps. Interestingly, the second version will come with a complement of eight figures instead of the usual five, one being the Desert Fox himself, Erwin Rommel. The other additional figures are ammunition proximity fuse operators. Its also not clear if the DAK version will be priced the same as the early war version, seeing as it boasts three additional painted figures. So, for now, we’ve listed the DAK version on our site at the same price as the grey one, until we hear otherwise. We’re guessing that Waltersons will also produce two versions of the Sd Kfz. 7 prime mover, which was used to tow the guns, both in the same schemes as the 88mm FLaK guns. Time will tell if we are correct.

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Forces of Valor Puts to Sea

As promised, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, has put the final touches on their revamped warships series and indicated the first shipment should be setting sail for their distributors this month.

This means we expect them to arrive around the middle of May, which coincides with our full-page advertisement in WWII History’s Band of Brothers special edition magazine. They are currently working on the first group of 1:32 scale vehicles, which, barring any unforeseen delays or problems, should make it to market in June.

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Convention Calendar: Star Wars Celebration 2017

Some see it as a tourist mecca, others as a viable retirement option. I like to consider Orlando as the perfect place to host Star Wars Celebration 2017, a one-stop destination for all things Star Wars. Later this morning, Star Wars geeks get a first-hand look at the multi-day venue and perhaps, just perhaps, get a glimpse at some of the new films scheduled to open within the forseeable future. May the force be with you.

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Dragon Gets Back on the Armored Band Wagon

Look for Dragon’s first-ever Sturmgeschutz Ausf. F assault gun some time in June

After laying low for nearly two years, it would appear as if Dragon is back in the 1:72 scale armor game, releasing a bevy of new vehicles over the course of the last two weeks. Another pair of vehicles were announced last night, one based upon a previously released mold and the other a brand new caisson. The first is a Panzer IV Ausf. G medium tank, whitewashed and bereft of any side armor signifying it was attached to the 3.SS Panzer Division, then deployed to the Eastern Front during early spring 1943 (DRR60699).

The latter vehicle is an inaugural Sturmgeschutz Ausf. F assault gun, used by Sturmgeschutz Abteilung 201 during the opening stages of the War in the East (DRR60511). According to Dragon’s web site, both vehicles are scheduled for a June release.

Dragon resurrects their Panzer IV Ausf. G mold this summer with this handsome whitewashed tank

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Eaglemoss Reboots Star Trek Beyond with the Swarm Ship

An over-sized Swarm ship from the movie Star Trek Beyond

While most Trekkies no doubt expected a rendition of the USS Franklin as part of the Eaglemoss Star Trek Universe, it was a bit of a surprised when the Company announced plans to offer an over-sized replica of one of the Swarm Ships. Measuring 8 inches in length and capable of carrying two crewmen, the Swarm ship were employed in large numbers on Altamid by the planet’s original inhabitants sometime prior to the 2160s. In the year 2263, Krall used his swarm to attack the Federation starship USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. Approaching the Enterprise in orbit of Altamid, these ships initially appeared to be one large vessel, emitting an unidentifiable signal, but quickly separated and attacked in a coordinated effort to disable the Constitution-class ship. Surrounding and ramming it repeatedly, these ships inflicted serious damage on the Enterprise, first severing its warp nacelles before finally separating its primary hull from its secondary hull.

Look for the Swarm ship to make an encore appearance some time in September.

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Historical Brick Sets: What Say You? Yay or Nay?

As a long time seller of preassembled diecast military memorabilia, we oftentimes watch with fascination some of the trends that grab the attention of collectors and would-be collectors. Over the last couple of years, one such curious change occurred with the proliferation of what we call “Historical Bricks”, which enables the end user to create vehicles, figures and dioramics rooted in history. I guess the trend took off with all of the Lego Star Wars sets, which command ever higher prices in the after market sales venues.

Lately, more and more manufacturers are getting into the creation of WWII-themed historical brick sets, which includes Lego’s Brickmania sets, Cobi and Oxford Blocks. In fact, some resourceful collectors have gone to great lengths cobbling together animated vignettes on YouTube and elsewhere using sets produced by said manufacturers. And, online reviews, such as the one shown above, go a long way towards explaining the features of each kit and why builders might want to consider them as potential add-ons.

So what’s your thoughts on the matter? Should we start selling these types of sets on our web site or should we remain focused on what we do best?

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Calibre Wings Looks to Take the Tomcat to the Next Level

The first trio of F-14s collectors can expect to add to their Tomcat pantheon

Perhaps looking to catch up with Century Wings in one fell swoop, newcomer Calibre Wings posted an intriguing graphic to their Facebook page indicating they plan to offer six more F-14 schemes within the “forseeable future.” They also also indicated that their first pairing of F-14s — announced in early 2016 — have been delayed until May of this year, no doubt running into some unexpected production snags along the way, and that their second element has been pushed back to August. Apparently, they are very confident that their F-14 mold and its attendant accessories will unseat Century Wings as the reigning king of Tomcat producers, so we will have to see if the proof is indeed in the pudding some time next month.

The second trio of F-14s collectors can expect to add to their Tomcat pantheon

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Why Use PayPal?

The grand daddy of online payment systems, PayPal has become the de facto method of purchasing items online, and can even be used to transmit funds from person to another. The accompanying video demonstrates how it works and why you may wish to use it as your principal means of online payment instead of a debit/credit card.

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