May 2017

Dissecting Diecast: The Amazon Effect

There’s no question that Amazon has had a profound impact on the retail landscape in the main and the way in which merchandise is sold across the globe in recent years. Take into account that Amazon now offers same day delivery in some cities, and you can see why many users of the service swear by the etailer, even if they have to pay handsomely for these benefits through their Prime membership.

The problem with instant gratification, if we can call it that, is that people expect to be able to purchase a newly announced item the day and date it hits the wires. In the case of the diecast modeling industry, many items don’t fit the Amazon mold, to borrow a pun, announced simply to gauge consumer interest as a barometer of sorts to see if it pays to morph an idea from concept to production line. Other manufacturers are notorious for taking their time to release an item, oftentimes taking upwards of a year or more before their wondrous creation actually makes it to market. By that time, the average collector may have lost interest in the item, as they are constantly bombarded by competing items or other diversions competing for their discretionary dollar.

For this very reason, some services cast a dim eye towards offering online pre-orders, since it creates a bit of a stir in the market that may not be quelled for months on end. As we move forward towards becoming an omni-channel retailer, able to offer our wares on multiple venues with differing rules and regulations, we just wanted to point out that not all of our products or services will be available on every platform, and that the best source for obtaining product updates and the latest information will continue to be found on our web site.

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Reconnaissance in Force

Its Fleet Week here in New York City although the Merchant Marine seems to be bowing out of the festivities and sadly hasn’t offloaded anything new for the holiday. In fact, a number of items that were slated for a late May release have been pushed back into the first week of June, largely due to logistical delays connected with the Memorial Day holiday weekend. These include the first shipment of Solido 1:72 scale military vehicles and aircraft, Air Commander’s “Showtime 100” Phantom II fighter-bomber (AC1007), and the next Luft-X aircraft — a German Messerschmitt Me 329 Fighter (LUFT005). The first pair of Dragon Armor 1:72 scale PzKpfw IV Ausf. D medium tanks have been pushed back into June, although this may likely slip even further since no firm ship date was offered by Dragon. Calibre Wings’ inaugural pair of F-14 Tomcats have also slipped slightly, now likely rescheduled for a mid-June fly-in.

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Dissecting Diecast: Do Rivet Counters Help or Hurt the Industry?

We’ve all stumbled across the term “rivet counters” when perusing the many threads winding their way through the average diecast forum. But the question remains, “what is a rivet counter?” A “rivet counter” is a glorified term for someone best characterized as an overzealous hobbyist who would like to see a finished model look every bit as good as the real thing. It isn’t meant as a demeaning term — just one that best describes someone that scrutinizes every conceivable aspect of a finished model. The problem is that the average diecast manufacturer simply doesn’t have the resources to make their models look every bit as good as the real thing without breaking the bank. Moreover, the average model buyer couldn’t point to a “glove vane” on an F-14 or explain why an engine intake on an F-15 should be canted downwards or horizontally, or for that matter care. Only a handful of devotees know that the wings on a Grumman F8F Bearcat fighter should have its wings swept in a dihedral versus anhedral position, or could accurately describe the condition and what causes it from an aerodynamic standpoint.

So I sometimes stare in amazement as I read the banter that goes back and forth between forum users as they do their best to tear apart a model in the hopes of making it the perfect replica. Coming from the video game industry, and having played my fair shared of computer wargames and combat simulations over the years, it reminds me of how “grognards” — best described as a wargaming rivet counter — are constantly looking for the “holy grail” of wargames or flight sims, routinely taking designers to task for overlooking or simplifying one aspect of the product in order to make it more enjoyable if slightly less accurate in the user’s eyes.

The problem, in a nutshell, is that most diecast manufacturers must draw the line somewhere when it comes to designing their replicas, otherwise they will never bring the project in on budget or to market in a timely manner. I dare say, most are deeply interested in the feedback their products receive and do their utmost to correct deficiencies when and where ever possible. But the fact remains their target audience is typically more of a casual collector that just wants to add a decent replica to their collection that won’t bust “their budget” in the process. Its a fine line both parties must tow from a market driven perspective, bringing in the best possible product on time and within reasonable cost constraints so that everyone is satisfied and the business model can move forward to the next project all over again. 

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Hobby Master Points the Way Towards Flanker Heaven

 

According to Hobby Master Collector, a fan site aimed at disseminating all of the latest information as it relates to Hobby Master, the manufacturer has been furtively working on developing their first model of a Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E. While no livery has been formally announced, prototype photos were posted on the site showing how far along the Company has come towards bringing the first model to market (HA5701). The site claims that the first replica will ship in August, although no price point has been issued and orders have not been placed to determine the production run.

Needless to say, we will keep our eye on this important development and post product information just as soon as it is passed along. It is also quite likely that Hobby Master is signalling plans to produce models based upon the entire family of Sukhoi modern aircraft, which includes the Su-27, Su-30, Su-33. Time will tell if this assumption proves correct.

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Forces of Valor Rebuilds its Air Force

Among the many new 1:72 scale aircraft scheduled for inclusion in their 2017 program is the F-16 Flying Falcon, a model created by Unimax but never actually released to the public

While much has been made of Waltersons redesigning their 1:700 scale warship and 1:32 scale military vehicle lines, little has thus far been discussed concerning their sometimes maligned 1:72 scale aircraft range. When compared with other manufacturers’ products, the FOV aircraft have always suffered their bumps and bruises from a critics point of view, constantly lambasted for their lack of authenticity and detail. “Not so, anymore,” says, Vincent Tang, Managing Director for Waltersons’ entire Forces of Valor product portfolio. According to Tang, they are taking all of the old molds in their 1:72 scale military aircraft range and reintroducing them to the public as a “Budget” line, meaning they will be sold as is but can now be purchased for around $50-$60, making them more affordable as compared with the competition. But, in an effort to bring them up to speed and make them more appealing to hard-core hobbyists, a second upscale line will be offered, whereby each aircraft will be stripped down and reworked from the ground up so that they can be proudly set alongside a competing product by the likes of Hobby Master, Century Wings and Calibre Wings. In fact, the Company has gone out and hired several experts in the field for this very purpose, with a mandate to bring the series up to a higher standard. According to Tang, each “Enthusiast” version will come with an accessory, such as a section of aircraft carrier deck, to further heighten the experience and make them a bit more desirable in the eyes of the hobbyist.

Work has already begun on both sets of aircraft, with the hope of bringing them to market this October, right after the first batch of 1:32 scale vehicles has rolled out the door. The series will include the usual suspects: the F-14 Tomcat fleet defense fighter, F-15E Strike Eagle strike aircraft, F/A-18 Hornet Multirole strike fighter, F-22 Air Dominance Fighter, F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, as well as the General Dynamics F-16 Flying Falcon, a model that was supposed to be released by Unimax, the former owners of the brand, but never finalized before they closed their doors. New aircraft types will likely be delayed until next year, since the Company is forced to split up its current resources among many different areas just to get segments of the entire FOV range up and running.

In summation, Waltersons’ release schedule for the balance of 2017 is as follows: eight (8) warships, nine (9) 1:32 scale military vehicles, seven (7) 1:72 scale modern era military aircraft (available in either a budget or enthusiast version), one (1) 1:16 scale Extreme Metal mid production Tiger I tank, and finally seven (7) additional 1:32 scale military vehicles. We will likely see their 2018 release schedule at the upcoming Nuremberg Toy Fair held each February. We are also going to assume that the following segments of the Forces of Valor brand will be addressed in 2018: 1:32 scale modern era military vehicles, 1:32 scale dioramas, 1:72 scale military vehicles, 1:32 scale World War II era military aircraft, 1:72 scale World War II era aircraft, 1:72 and 1:48 scale military helicopters, 1:18 scale Bravo Team series and their multiple figure series. These will likely be integrated into the mix alongside any new molds Waltersons plan on introducing.

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Dragon Looks to Get Back in the Saddle Again

Look for Dragon’s second 1:72 scale Sturmgeschutz Ausf. F assault gun, along with several new pieces, some time in July

Late today we learned that Dragon does indeed plan to get back in the 1:72 scale armor game, perhaps even in a big way, judging by the number of new introductions earmarked for the Dragon Armor arsenal. A marketing email was sent to us indicating that a further eight models are slated for a July release, although line art was provided for many of the models instead of actual pre-production imagery, meaning the release dates for several models could slip a bit. The eight new models includes a second StuG Ausf. F assault gun (DRR60512) and a new take on the Panzer IV Ausf. G medium tank (DRR60700).

While these were expected at some point, the remaining six new vehicles harken back to the old days of Dragon Armor, where some vehicle types are simply no longer available. The six include two Soviet T-34/85 medium tanks (DRR60255 and DRR60256), two German early production Tiger I heavy tanks (DRR60343 and DRR60344), and a pair of Elefant tank destroyers (DRR60355 and DRR60356).

A new whitewashed Panzer IV Ausf. G medium tank has been added to the Dragon Armor collection

We have listed each of these new vehicles in our Dragon Armor section and hope to have photographs of the actual items some time soon.

Update: We’re pretty good at reading the tea leaves so when we saw Dragon announce a bunch of new 1:72 scale model kits yesterday, we figured that some of them would eventually be used as the basis for a number of new pre-assembled Dragon Armor candidates. We have therefore added two new categories to our Dragon Armor section, one for the A and B variant of the Sturmgeschutz III assault gun and a second for the C and D versions. Obviously, we will populate these new subcategories with actual product information once it has been passed along to us.

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

 

Our new Live Chat feature connects you with a live representative during normal business hours

As David Bowie once lamented in his hit song, “Changes”, we’re making a few improvements to our business model that are all aimed at making our shopping experience better and faster, plus more in tune with present e-commerce trends. For starters, we re-implemented our Live Chat feature, which can be found in the lower right hand portion of the screen. So, you can now talk to a live representative during normal business hours as well as during our expanded business hours throughout the busy holiday season.

Pitney Bowes SendPro system enables us to compare rates for all three major US carriers

Second, we have switched from Stamps.com to Pitney Bowes’ SendPro system, which enables us to compare rates across the three major carriers (USPS, FedEx and UPS) in real-time. Based upon the weight of the parcel and the shipping destination, it is now entirely possible we may be using either FedEx or UPS as opposed to relying completely on the USPS for our outbound shipping needs.

The Live Chat features can be brought up on a desktop, tablet or mobile device as seen here

Third, Volusion, our e-commerce platform that hosts The Motor Pool site, is and plans to make some important changes in its next major roll out that will seamlessly permit us to host listings on all of the major marketplace sites (Ebay, Amazon and Walmart, to name a few) and maintain a simple-to-use stock balancing software system that is aimed at keeping our in-stock positions correct and up-to-date across all retail channels. We will discuss this at greater length as we become more familiar and comfortable with this new functionality.

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Films in Focus: Star Trek Discovery

Over night, the first trailer dropped for the upcoming series Star Trek Discovery, which will air this fall on CBS All-Access. Frankly, the teaser looks quite good, and explains the timeline as it relates to the Star Trek universe. According to the trailer, Discovery takes place ten years before the Original Series, Star Trek, which aired on CBS some fifty years ago, and before any mention of Captain Kirk or Commander Spock. Enjoy!

According to CBS, “As an added bonus, Star Trek: Discovery has expanded its original series order from 13 to 15 episodes—which means even more sci-fi goodness in Season 1.

CBS All Access has also announced that Star Trek: Discovery is getting its very own after-show, called Talking Trek.”

Eaglemoss, the makers of the highly successful Star Trek starships series, is purportedly hard at work replicating several of the ships seen in the upcoming series and will integrate them in their range once they are approved by Paramount.

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Product Spotlight: They Flew from Shangri-La

Corgi’s 1:72 scale replica of USAAC North American B-25B Mitchell Medium Bomber – 40-2249, “Hari Kari-er,” Doolittle Raid, USS Hornet (CV-8), April 18th, 1942

When asked about the Doolittle Raid over Tokyo in April 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt played coy with the press, claiming the bombers had taken off from “Shangri-La,” a fictional location in the 1933 novel “Lost Horizon.”

Corgi, on the other hand, is happy to report that the 16 B-25 Mitchell medium-bombers actually flew off the deck of the USS Hornet, and that 2017 marks the 75th Anniversary of the Raid. While they have replicated other aircraft involved in the Raid, their latest warbird pays homage to one of the lesser known B-25 Mitchells, one known as “Hari Kari-er” (AA35313), which was piloted by Captain Charles Greening.

The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, on Saturday, April 18th, 1942, was an air raid by the United States of America on the Japanese capital, Tokyo, and other places on the island of Honshu during World War II, the first air strike to attack the Japanese Home Islands. It demonstrated that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, served as retaliation for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, and provided an important boost to American morale. The raid was planned and led by Lieutenant Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle of the United States Army Air Forces.

Sixteen B-25B Mitchell medium bombers were launched without fighter escort from the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Hornet deep in the Western Pacific Ocean, each with a crew of five men. The plan called for them to bomb military targets in Japan, and to continue westward to land in China-landing a medium bomber on Hornet was impossible. Fifteen aircraft reached China, but all crashed, while the 16th landed at Vladivostok in the Soviet Union. All but three of the 80 crew members initially survived the mission. Eight airmen were captured by the Japanese Army in China; three of those were later executed. The B-25 that landed in the Soviet Union was confiscated and its crew interned for more than a year. Fourteen complete crews, except for one crewman who was killed in action, returned either to the United States or to American forces.

After the raid, the Japanese Imperial Army conducted a massive sweep through the eastern coastal provinces of China, in an operation now known as the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, searching for the surviving American airmen and inflicting retribution on the Chinese who aided them, in an effort to prevent this part of China from being used again for an attack on Japan.

The raid caused negligible material damage to Japan, but it achieved its goal of raising American morale and casting doubt in Japan on the ability of its military leaders to defend their home islands. It also contributed to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s decision to attack Midway Island in the Central Pacific – an attack that turned into a decisive strategic defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) by the U.S. Navy in the Battle of Midway. Doolittle, who initially believed that the loss of all his aircraft would lead to his court-martial, received the Medal of Honor and was promoted two steps to brigadier general.

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Product Spotlight: Heinkels Over the Arctic

 

Corgi’s German Heinkel He-111H-6 Torpedo Bomber – 1H+BB, I./Kampgeschwader 26, Bardufoss Airfield, Norway, July 5th, 1942

Year after year, one of the most popular aircraft in the Corgi aerial armada is their 1:72 scale depiction of the German Heinkel He 111 medium bomber. Their latest incarnation is no different — it comes in the form of a torpedo bomber that served with Kampgschwader 26 in the upper regions of Norway during 1942 (AA33715)

Perhaps the most interesting missions carried out by the ‘H’ model Heinkel He IIIs were those of the torpedo carrying maritime attack bombers, which flew at wave-top height, before delivering their payload of two air launched LT F5b torpedoes. Operating from the airfield at Bardufoss in northern Norway, the anti-shipping Heinkels of KG26 were involved in the infamous attack against Arctic convoy PQ17, which proved to be one of the most disastrous episodes in the history of the Royal Navy. Leaving Iceland, bound for Arkhangelsk in Russia, the convoy consisted of 35 merchant vessels and a large protecting force of naval ships. Quickly detected by the Germans, the first attack came from 25 Heinkel torpedo bombers of KG26 – warned of their approach, the escort vessels put up a murderous wall of defensive fire, which claimed four of the Luftwaffe bombers destroyed. Determined in their attack, the torpedoes did their damage and a number of ships were sunk and the defensive shield of the convoy disrupted.

Worried by the ferocity of the attack and intelligence reports suggesting that the mighty German battleship Tirpitz was steaming towards the battle, naval commanders ordered the escorts to withdraw and the convoy to scatter. Over the course of the next few days, Convoy PQ17 came under repeated attack from U-boats and Ju88 bombers, which claimed 23 of the defenseless ships. July 2017 will mark the 75th Anniversary of this naval disaster.

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