Ditch the dreary ties and steer clear of the sweater rack. Dad deserves better, and we have the best gifts in mind — something from the heart squarely aimed at his heart. We have loads of terrific gift-giving ideas that cover every budget and conceivable interest, plus we can ship you these special memorabilia well before Father’s Day this June 18th. So why not take a look at our online selection or better yet feel free to give us a call and we’ll suggest something that will guarantee to put a smile on his face and make this Father’s Day a truly memorable event!
Due to open just days prior to the 73rd anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Europe, Churchill traces the exploits of Britain’s Prime Minster Winston Churchill’s during the 96 hours leading up to the climactic battle. The film stars Brian Cox as Churchill, who ably demonstrates his penchant for drama, irrepressible need for knowing every minute detail of the invasion, and iron will to see it through despite the potential risk for failure. Looks like a must-see this summer.
Happy Mother’s Day to all those fabulous moms out there that continue to do their utmost to make our lives wonderful! Wish we could celebrate them year round!
The Imperial Japanese Navy took great pains to camouflage some of their capital ships to protect them against aerial attack.
While doing research on a few Eaglemoss warships, I thought it particularly interesting to share some insights we came across as to how the Imperial Japanese Navy attempted to camouflage its aircraft carriers against aerial attack.
Dazzle camouflage was developed late in the nineteenth century to protect surface ships against submarine attack. Later on, it was not only used to a greater degree to deceive surface ship gunners and submarine captains but also from scout and strike aircraft. WWII US carriers wore Measure 1, Measure 11, and Measure 21 schemes, and were designed as periscope disruptive schemes. They painted their decks, first with Dark Gray 5-D, then stained their decks with Deck Blue 20-B and Deck Blue Stain 21.
Japanese carriers, such as the Zuiho, Unryu and Chitose, typically the primary targets for Allied bombers and strike aircraft, adopted alternative top deck paint schemes in an effort to mistake them for another type of vessel (merchant ship superstructure, stacks and hatches) when observed from the air. They also tried swirl and strong geometric patterns to break up the flatness of their decks. The carrier Zuiho did not have a superstructure so it had a clean ‘canvas’ deck to represent a skewed ship with strong turret and gun shadow shapes. Nevertheless, it was still sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944.
You can see this type of deck camouflage first-hand with the Eaglemoss IJN Zuiho (EMGC29) and the IJN Chitose (EMGC74) aircraft carriers.
Earlier today we learned that we won’t have on-hand any of the new Forces of Valor warships for Father’s Day. Bummer, right? On the positive side, all eight warships reworked by the Walterson’s crew, which were expected this summer, are being “shipped” together, no doubt to save on “shipping” costs, and should be available for general sale in early July, barring any other unforeseen issues. Puns aside, we apologize for the delay but still believe that all those lucky recipients slated to receive these fine new replicas will be just as thrilled even if they have to wait a few more weeks to add them to their desktop fleet.
In related news, we are also going to tack on another 30 days to the anticipated release of their first grouping of 1:32 scale military vehicles, meaning they will likely start to appear some time in August. We recognize that the manufacturer has a lot of irons in the fire, so-to-speak, and think that our original forecast for a July release may have been a bit too optimistic. If anything further changes, we will update our site accordingly.
Russia’s Arctic ambitions were clearly evident for all the world to see at this year’s Victory Day Parade
To further demonstrate their intent to seize, by military force if necessary, the vast resource-rich areas around the Arctic Pole, Russia put on display some of the ground units tasked with defending its interests up north. At the annual Victory Day Parade held on May 9th in Red Square, the Russian Army debuted some of the winter-clad mobile forces charged with holding the high ground in the event of a conventional conflict with other nations. Each of the Arctic vehicles proudly displayed a polar bear on their sides alongside a modified Russian star and field designed for use in the Victory Day Parade.
Calibre Wings US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – E212, VF-142 “Ghostriders”, USS America (CV-66), 1976
If you had any doubts or reservations that newcomer Calibre Wings had the chops to do the F-14 Tomcat justice, then you may want to think again. The Company posted images for their second pairing of Tomcats, which are tentatively due out this coming August. The next duo include a US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat Fleet Defense fighter that was attached to VF-142 “Ghostriders”, then embarked upon the USS America (CV-66) during 1976 (CA721404).
Calibre Wings US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – AJ200, VF-14 “Tophatters”, USS Enterprise (CVN-65), Last Cruise 2001
The second Grumman US Fleet Defense Fighter is also an “A” variant, this time around attached to VF-14 “Tophatters”, then embarked upon the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), during its last cruise in 2001 (CA721403). Both products show some of the craftsmanship that have gone into the F-14, which includes variable geometry swing wings, opening canopies, adjustable engine exhaust nozzles detailed crewmen, a full suite of ordnance and more, plus a novel display stand. More images for both aircraft can be seen on our web site. Pre-orders for both aircraft are moving briskly.
B-29 Superfortresses would have faced an onslaught of Japanese Kikka jet aircraft had the war continued into late 1945 and beyond
We’ve all seen it countless times before in the private sector: a company, enslaved to its past or looking to give its moniker a hip new update, changes its name to better suit its audience or address events marring its progress. Years ago, tobacco giant Philip Morris changed its name to the Altria Group, when more and more independent studies proved the correlation between smoking/using tobacco and the onset of cancer. Biotech maker Activated Cell Therapy, altered its name to Dendreon, not only because it sounded sexier but more importantly gave people the impression that they were all about stimulating dendritic cells of the immune system to fight, you guessed it, cancer.
Two modelmakers may be faced with the same identity question in the not-too-distant future. Wings of the Great War, which instantly conjures up imagery of World War I biplanes and such, kicked off a line of WWI-based ground vehicles in late 2015, instantly faced a name recognition problem when it called the new range Wings of the Great War: Armor Collection – Tanks of World War I. Certainly a mouthful, the Company may have been better served if it changed its overarching name to say, The Machines of World War I, or The Great War Collection, which better denotes how the Company is attempting to reach both the aerial and armor enthusiasts of the period.
A highly unusual design for its time, Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender pursuit fighter had a canard configuration, a rear-mounted engine, swept wings and two vertical tails.
Likewise, Luft-X, which reemerged recently after facing some quality control issues, has thus far laid out a fine line of secret weapons projects that could have easily been added to the Luftwaffe’s roster had the war continued a bit longer. But what happens when the Company decides to replicate some of the experimental aircraft being developed by other nations embroiled in the conflict, such as the Japanese Kikka jet-powered aircraft or even the exotic Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender pursuit fighter put forward by the US in 1943. Does the Company decide to go with the Nippon-X or US-X naming convention to address each faction, or do they decide to go with a more all-encompassing label such as Secret Projects of WWII?
For a company to succeed in this highly competitive industry, it is important that a customer instantly recognize what each particular model maker offers otherwise they face an uphill struggle trying to separate themselves from the pack. Food for thought for newcomers and entrenched favorites alike.
Luft-X’ German Messerschmitt Me 329 Fighter will be landing shortly
Some time has passed since Luft-X returned to do battle, determined to address some quality concern issues that sidetracked its business for almost two years. We’re now happy to report that they are back in the saddle, re-releasing its Horten Ho 229 fighter-bomber (LUFT004) this past week and now prepping for release some new items that were announced eons ago. Due out sometime this month is their German Messerschmitt Me 329 fighter (LUFT005), a twin pusher prop design that was intended to be a successor to the Messerschmitt Me 410. Also on the docket is their German Haunebu 1 Flying Saucer (LUFT010), which truly needs no explanation as its oddly-shaped design says it all, although we have learned that it is now likely to lift off in June..
Look for a German Blohm und Voss P.209.02 Fighter to take wing this June
Two more aircraft are set to fly in this June, including a German Blohm und Voss P.209.02 fighter (LUFT006) along with a German Focke-Wulf Ta 283 interceptor (LUFT007). Since the Haunebu has been assigned a LUFT010 SKU product identifier, we are also assuming that two new SKUS, which fall between LUFT007 and LUFT010, will also be announced very shortly.
Unimax’ Action Grade packaging was designed to appeal to younger collectors and get them interested in military-themed collectibles
We’ve heard through the grapevine that Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, may bring back the marketing duality of offering two versions of each upcoming aircraft. Unimax, the original makers of the brand, came up with this concept as a means of addressing how they planned to introduce the same merchandise into deep discount big box retailers as well as traditional hobby stores. They envisioned an “action grade” version for the Target, Walmart and Toys R Us chains of the world, which meant there was no weathering applied to the vehicle and the outer box had a somewhat mass market look to it, thereby appealing to kids as opposed to hard core collectors. The “enthusiast version”, on the other hand, gave each vehicle a more robust appearance, complete with weathering and some battle scarring, along with a more traditional collector designed outer box.
An enthusiast edition of the ubiquitous US GMC 2-1/2 ton truck, complete with some accessories and a collector focused outer box
According to a recent posting, Waltersons will likely offer a 1:72 scale aircraft in much the same look and manner as Unimax once crafted, pretty much a plain vanilla product priced well below the competition. They also indicated plans to sell an enthusiast version, which could, conceivably be painted slightly different than the standard version, and will be accompanied by carrier planking or some other appropriate accessory designed to make the product stand out a bit more. The enthusiast version could sell for as much as $99.99, which would make it a more premium offering and quite possibly come with a numbered certificate of authenticity, making it a more desirable product to obtain from a collector’s standpoint.
So, what say you? Does this marketing move make sense and are you willing to pay more for a more deluxe product that could conceivably appreciate at a quicker rate than a larger run item?
Ditch the dreary ties and steer clear of the sweater rack. Dad deserves better, and we have the best gifts in mind — something from the heart squarely aimed at his heart. We have loads of terrific gift-giving ideas that cover every budget and conceivable interest, plus we can ship you these special memorabilia well before Father’s Day this June 18th. So why not take a look at our online selection or better yet feel free to give us a call and we’ll suggest something that will guarantee to put a smile on his face and make this Father’s Day a truly memorable event!
