Air Force 1 Unleashes Another Salvo of F-35s
January 2018
Anatomy of War: “The Bloody Nose” Strike
Reuters reports that Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has amped up the rhetoric while convening a summit in Vancouver, Canada, that basically tells the North Korean regime, “give up your nuclear weapons and ambitions or face the wrath of the western democracies.” According to analysts, the US is weighing an option to initiate a “Bloody Nose” first strike, which would, in effect, attempt to decapitate the North Korean leadership and lay to waste the country’s nuclear arsenal before the North Koreans could take action. The US seems to be taking a bolder stance since Trump took office, suggesting that its own nuclear deterrence capabilities were tested and now deemed up to the task of eliminating, paralyzing or defeating inbound nuclear missile threats aimed at the US mainland and/or its far flung territories in the Pacific Ocean. While high-level discussions are still underway in a last minute effort to defuse the situation, the President, in league with advice offered by the National Security Council, are examining ways that will best bring about an end to the sabre-rattling, while simultaneously working with other nations to tighten the sanctions imposed on North Korea.
Modelcollect Enters the Nuclear Age
Perhaps taking a page from today’s headlines, Modelcollect has decided to add several of its multi-vehicle missile launcher kits to its pre-assembled range. Two sets will make the initial cut – a NATO-operated MAN M1014 tractor hauling a BGM-109G missile launcher and a US M983 HEMTT tractor carrying a Pershing II intercontinental missile and its accompanying stand and launcher. No word on pricing or dates of availability just yet but if they succeed at retail, collectors will likely be able to nab other over-sized modern vehicles in the coming months. While other companies are still making the standard fare 1:72 scale vehicles, you can’t help but congratulate Modelcollect for at least thinking outside of the box and offering something a wee bit different.
Corgi Fires Up the Furnaces for the First Half of 2018
Corgi has announced their Aviation Archive plans for the first half of 2018. No new toolings were shown, and many of the latest offerings left us a little underwhelmed considering some of the subject matter broached by other manufacturers in recent years. Still, the Company plans a new range called “100 Years of the RAF”, which, rather coincidentally, examines some of the more iconic aircraft that have waged war in the service of the Royal Air Force over the past century. Expect all of the new listings to be added to our own Aviation Archive over the next day or so.
Santa Must Have Made A Second Trip to Our Roof Top
Looks as if we are ringing in the new year in grand fashioned with loads of hot new products for January. We’ve already taken delivery of the Solido 1:72 scale military vehicles and aircraft that are produced by War Master and now we’ve cleared the landing pad for the Luft-X Haunebu flying saucers. Our distributors report that they will soon be flush with a number of other important deliveries, including the January shipment of Hobby Master products, a bevy of new Modelcollect and Precision Model Art military vehicles and vengeance weapons, a pair of Corgi WWII era aircraft, and a follow-on cache of Eaglemoss sci-fi replicas that include a wide assortment of new Star Trek products. We could also see the first ship in the Alien and Predator line, and get a glimpse of what’s in store from Forces of Valor and Dragon.
Note: Ordinarily I refrain from commenting on the look and feel of products in hand, but in the case of the recently received Luft-X Haunebu, pictured above and below, I thought I’d share my initial impressions. At first glance, the manufacturer did a first-rate job with the packaging and presentation of this rather unique item, which, let’s face it, is an oddity for most military collectors that might prevent them from adding it to their collection. Then there’s the overall weight and appearance of the saucer, which clocks in at almost 4 pounds and looks every bit as good as some of the pictures circulating on the web I know its a bit more expensive than some of the other issues in the Luft-X series, but trust me, its worth every penny, a faithful recreation that could’ve helped to change the air war in the west had it been perfected and built in quantity.
Modelcollect Re-purposes the Landkreuzer
Looking to get as much mileage out of their molds as possible, Modecollect plans to port its soon-to-be-released Landkreuzer P.1000 Ratte mega tank to its Fist of War series. Dubbed “Grendel”, the Panzkampfwagen Ausf A P.300 mega tank is designed to work in conjunction with some of the other recently announced Fist of War sci-fi vehicles, many of which are already available in kit form and likely to be developed as pre-built models. Still no price has been assigned to either the P.1000 or P.300 mega tanks, so the jury is still out concerning where they will end up on the retail price point spectrum.
Hobby Master Adds the Frogfoot to its Stable of Modern Aircraft
One by one, Hobby Master has been adding all of the important aircraft in the Russian aerial arsenal to their modern aircraft foot locker. Earlier today, the manufacturer officially announced plans to produce a 1:72 scale replica of the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot (HA6101), the Russian equivalent of the famed A-10 Warthog ground attack aircraft. Loaded with all sorts of ordnance, their first look at the Frogfoot will portray a warplane that recently saw action in Libya, which, along with other aircraft, have been assisting the Assad government against ISIS and other rebel factions. Look for the first Frogfoot to swoop in some time in June.
Hobby Master Belts Out, “In the Navy”
Long a dominant player in both the military aircraft and combat vehicle segments of the market place, Hobby Master made a surprise announcement earlier today by indicating that they would finally dip their toes in the naval arena. Their first foray into naval warfare is a 1:700 scale replica of the US Navy’s USS Ticonderoga (HSP1001), the lead ship in her class of guided missile cruisers. A powerful component of the US Navy’ fleet operations in the latter half of the twentieth century, the Ticonderoga is an excellent choice as their inaugural warship and one that should sell very well at retail throughout its tenure.
Modelcollect Hits the Rails Running in 2018
Collecting diecast military vehicles and building model railroads seem to have a synergy all their own – two pursuits that go hand-in-hand, year-after-year, much to the delight of hobbyists world over. So, it makes sense that in 2018 Modelcollect will attempt to combine the two hobbies by offering a line-up of military rail cars dubbed the Railway Series. Thus far, only a couple of flat bed rail cars are being shown on the Modecollect web site, but we’re inclined to believe that a lot more are planned for the balance of the new year. In fact, we’ve asked them to produce, what we believe, would be a number of sought after sets that would include Adolf Hitler’s personal train, Amerika, along with several WWII-era armored trains, offered in multiple configurations, liveries and nationalities. Its a grand request, but given the popularity of their vehicles thus far, we think these sets would do exceptionally well at retail, particularly if they were produced in conjunction with a number of different figure sets.
Eaglemoss Subpeonas a Discovery Order
If you’ve been wondering just how many starships could be included in the Eaglemoss Discovery range, then the accompanying illustration may give you some solace and very well put your wallet in the hurt locker. Thus far, twelve computer generated renderings were found on the Eaglemoss site, covering everything from the first two ships already announced several months ago to races and vessels we’ve never even heard of. Star Trek Discovery is currently airing on the CBS All Access cable channel and, according to reports, has been renewed for a second season, meaning more ships could be in the offing. The first replica in the line, the USS Shenzhou, is currently pegged for a February release, with the Discovery following shortly thereafter.