Eaglemoss’ 1:1100 scale US Navy New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser – USS Minneapolis (CA-36) [With Collector Magazine]In what could be the last time the Eaglemoss navy weighs anchor, the latest, and perhaps greatest quartet of warships are leaving the manufacturer’s shipyard and heading towards our port of call. Expected this weekend are the following warships:
EMGC64 – US Navy New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser – USS Minneapolis (CA-36) [With Collector Magazine]
EMGC77 – Imperial Japanese Navy Mogami Class Heavy Cruiser – Kumano [With Collector Magazine]
EMGC79 – Imperial Russian Navy Gangut Class Battleship – Gangut [With Collector Magazine]
EMGC76 – French Marine Nationale Richelieu Class Battleship – Richelieu [With Collector Magazine]
Priced at just $24.99, and bundled with a full-color magazine, these warships have become the de facto standard other replica navies have had to sail past to gain their own place in the sun.
The Panzer Museum, a highly regarded armored fighting vehicle museum based in Munster, Germany, indicated that they have lent their logo, photos, and other information to the makers of the board game, Monopoly, to create a game centered around WWII era tanks. Based upon photos posted to Facebook, it appears as if the game has been localized for the German market and likely their own gift shop, and therefore not meant for the global market. Still, its a fair bet they could offer the game in other languages, making it an ideal stocking stuffer for armored enthusiasts world over.
“The Chinese jet… passed the nose of the P-8 at 90 degrees with its belly toward the P-8 Poseidon, we believe to make a point of showing its weapons load-out.”
– Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby, August 22nd, 2014
If looks could kill, then this Chinese Shenyang J-11BH multirole fighter can be considered “dressed to the nines.” Noteworthy for its encounter with a US Navy P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine warfare aircraft, the J-11 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet fighter, whose airframe is based on the Soviet-designed Sukhoi Su-27 air superiority fighter, a fourth generation aircraft that rivals some of the best western aircraft in NATO’s inventory. As such, it is ideal for being vectored to and intercepting enemy aircraft that could be construed as violating its nation’s airspace, which is indeed just what happened almost four years ago.
On August 19th, 2014, a Chinese J-11B intercepted a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine warfare aircraft that was operating over the South China Sea. At a press conference three days later on August 22nd, 2014, Admiral John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense told reporters that “On the 19th of August, an armed Chinese fighter jet conducted a dangerous intercept of a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft, patrol aircraft, that was on a routine mission. The intercept took place about 135 miles east of Hainan Island, in international airspace.” He elaborated on the incident, saying that the Chinese jet, “crossed under the aircraft with one pass having only 50-100 feet separation. The Chinese jet also passed the nose of the P-8 at 90 degrees with its belly toward the P-8 Poseidon, believed to be displaying its weapons load-out. Afterwards, the J-11 flew directly under and alongside the P-8, bringing their wingtips, as I said, to within 20 feet. And then conducted a roll over the P-8, passing within 45 feet.”
The Pentagon spokesman said that the U.S. had registered an official complaint with China through regular diplomatic channels. He also said that the Chinese pilot’s actions had been “unprofessional, it’s unsafe, and it is certainly not keeping with the kind of military-to-military relationship” that U.S. seeks to establish with China. Moreover, in reference to the plane’s proximity to China, the Pentagon said that, “Military activities may be conducted within the Exclusive Economic Zone of another nation as an exercise of the freedoms of navigation and overflight.”
During one of the high speed passes, the J-11BH reportedly exposed its belly to the pilots flying the Poseidon, a seemingly sly maneuver meant to signal that the fighter is fully armed and ready to take action if its warning goes unheeded. We will naturally assume that Hobby Master’s take on the J-11BH will come armed with much the same array of air-to-air ordnance that the actual plane was packing. Look for Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale take on the Shenyang J-11BH multirole fighter (HA6002) to expose its own belly some time in August.
