March 2019 – The Motor Pool

Tales of Transparency: Walk the Floor

When I broke into retail management back in the late 1970s, one of the responsibilities that came with the job was walking the store’s floor each day before it was opened to the public. “Patrolling the physical plant”, as its called by some, means just that – picking up any rubbish on the floor, inspecting and aligning dump displays, repairing torn or hanging signage, and returning stray shopping carts to the queue. Its a relatively simple task that pays dividends each and every day, particularly if your store was due to be inspected by upper management. It also meant your store looked good for the public-at-large, ready to cater to their every need.

Today, with many retail establishments eschewing brick-and-mortar store fronts in favor of online virtual ones, I’m constantly amazed at how this simple concept seems to have fallen on deaf ears, fallen out of favor, and even fallen by the wayside. Time and again, I see manufacturer web site that feature old, out-of-date information, incorrect information and even no information at all, as if it was a job left for some one else to one day repair and update. There are web sites that time out day-in and day out, are slow to load and even have information that is completely useless to anyone in or out of the industry, making it all but pointless to visit.

People seem to think that Hobby Master has risen to prominence simply by producing an ample supply of collectibles month-in and month-out, outstripping and outselling the competition with an avalanche of product. While that is partly true, one of the reasons they have succeeded where others have failed miserably is the fact that they also update their web site, constantly and continually freshening up the site so that it contains pertinent and up-to-date product announcements. They also provide Hobbymaster.com, an enthusiast-operated and owned site that has been around for a number of years, with regular imagery and updates, making it a go-too page for anyone interested in Hobby Master products. Why this fact has alluded the attention of many competing firms is beyond me. I don’t understand how they can expect to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Hobby Master and a handful of other manufacturers when they approach the business with what can best be described as a lackadaisical attitude, failing to understand the importance of putting their best foot forward by offering timely and accurate information ahead of the release of every item they make.

Ladies and gentlemen, its time to walk your virtual floor. Clean up before the clock strikes twelve.

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Starship Troopers Drops In on the Boob Tube

According to film stars Jake Busey and Casper van Diem it looks as if the duo will be reprising their respective roles from the movie, Starship Troopers, this time around in a televised series. The pair will be returning as Ace Levy and Juan “Johnny” Rico, although much further along in their military careers — perhaps as drill instructors or commanders of mobile infantry platoons — since the original film appeared way back in 1997.

Ed Neumeier, the film’s screenwriter, is being asked to develop the series and other notable actors from the original film could be back as well, although its not clear who are being asked to return and whether or not they have agreed to reboot their former roles. A remake of the classic film is also expected later this year, albeit with a different cast and screenwriter. If the film and television series take off, you can bet certain model makers will be giving the franchise the once over to see if it can be brought to sci-fi enthusiasts the world over.

For the handful of people not familiar with the franchise, Starship Troopers stands as sci-fi writer’s Robert Heinlein’s seminal work in which humanity is pitted against an alien race of over-sized insects called the Arachnids. Seen through the eyes of the so-called Mobile Infantry, Heinlein mixes a good bit of political drama and off-beat wit within a taut yarn that describes what its like to first train as a mobile infantryman of the future and then take on the Arachnids in all its gore and glory. Do you want to learn more?

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GOT Throne?

If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the HBO series Game of Thrones — and let’s face it, who isn’t? — and happen to live in northeast Queens, New York, where we call home, then you’ll be tickled pink to learn that the last of the six thrones used to help hype the series as part of a worldwide scavenger hunt was set up here within the confines of Fort Totten. Fort Totten is a Civil War era fortress designed to protect northern Queens from a potential attack from the sea. While it was never used nor did it ever fire a shot in anger — the guns have long since been removed — it now plays host to the final Iron Throne made famous in the Game of Thrones fantasy series. Presently, there is a six hour or so wait to take a selfie on the throne and the producers have said the prop will be removed from our home-sweet-home set at 7PM on Monday then promptly returned to the world of Westeros.

Self-promotion aside, don’t forget the final season of Game of Thrones premieres on April 14th. You know where I’ll be when the curtain rises and the dragons take wing!

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Corgi Reshuffles its Aviation Lineup

Corgi’s 1:72 scale German Heinkel He-111H-16 Medium Bomber with Fi 103 (Doodlebug) – A1+HK, 2./Kampfgeschwader 53, Air Launch V-1 Flying Bomb Unit, Late 1944

As we have alluded to previously, 2019 marks the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings. It therefore comes as no surprise that Corgi — in an effort to take advantage of the hype — has decided to tinker with its lineup so they can release as many commemorative aircraft as possible around the pivotal time frame. While many models have been moved up well ahead of original forecasts, others have been moved back. In the case of their USMC Sikorsky SH-3A Helicopter (AA33422), the chopper has now been delayed until early 2020, no doubt to get out as many heavies in time for the holidays as possible, even at the expense of other models.

It doesn’t appear as if their 1:50 scale WWII military vehicles has been affected by the production shift, with several expected around the June time frame and others still slated for later in the year to commemorate the Battle of the Bulge.

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Product Spotlight: We Remember

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN McDonnell Douglas A-4E Skyhawk Attack Aircraft – John McCain, VA-163 “Saints”, USS Oriskany (CV-34), Vietnam War, 1967

Merriam-Webster defines a commemorative as an item “issued in limited quantities for a limited time to honor or feature someone or something.” Poignant, to say the least.

As many of you may remember, Senator John McCain was a former US Navy attack aircraft pilot during the Vietnam War who was shot down over Hanoi and spent several fitful years in the ignominious “Hanoi Hilton” prison. The son of an admiral, he could have gone home early to nurse his wounds yet chose not to do so, deciding to remain in captivity with his fellow airmen for 5-1/2 years.

President George H. W. Bush, also a former US Navy pilot, flew an Avenger torpedo plane in WWII, one in which he too was shot down but fortunately made it back to friendly lines after being rescued by a US submarine. Both were dutifully remembered by our nation, McCain earning the Purple Heart, Silver Star, and Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions and Bush receiving the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross and Presidential Citation for his exploits. Both men have since passed away, having served our nation on and off the battlefield as only they could.

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN Grumman Avenger TBM-1C Torpedo-Bomber – “Barbara III”, Lt. George H. W. Bush, VT-51, USS San Jacinto (CVL-30), September 1944

Having said that, Hobby Master recently decided to pay both men an additional honor by re-releasing commemorative versions of the aircraft they flew into battle in their respective wars. In the case of Senator John McCain, we will soon take delivery of his A-4E Skyhawk attack aircraft when he was a member of VA-163 “Saints”, then embarked upon the USS Oriskany (CV-34) in 1967 (HA1429). And, in May, we will be accepting Bush’s Avenger TBM-1C torpedo-bomber, which he affectionately dubbed “Barbara III” in honor of his late wife and former first lady, Barbara, an aircraft that he flew into battle with VT-51 then embarked upon the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) (HA1221). Both models are expected to sell very well at retail despite seeing the light of day for a second time around and produced in far greater numbers this go round than in the past. As we see it, sometimes quantity and recurrence on the collector’s shelf are superseded by fitting memorials to two of our nation’s monumental heroes. The true meaning of a commemorative.

It has been brought to our attention by the distributor that the name plate for the McCain A-4E Skyhawk has been misspelled and that the second “c” was not capitalized as shown in the accompanying photo. The manufacturer has included a corrected name plate with each model that can be easily affixed to the display base after first removing the original name plate.

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Product Spotlight” “Red Flag – Alaska”

The origin of Red Flag was the unacceptable performance of U.S. Air Force fighter pilots and weapon systems officers (WSO) in air combat maneuvering (ACM) (air-to-air combat) during the Vietnam War in comparison to previous wars. Air combat over North Vietnam between 1965 and 1973 led to an overall exchange ratio (ratio of enemy aircraft shot down to the number of own aircraft lost to enemy fighters) of 2.2:1 (for a period of time in June and July 1972 during Operation Linebacker the ratio was less than 1:1).

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon Fighter – 18th Aggressor Squadron, 354th Wing, “Red Flag – Alaska”, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, 2017 [Aggressor Scheme]

Among the several factors resulting in this disparity was a lack of realistic ACM training. USAF pilots and WSOs of the late 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s were not versed in the core values and basics of ACM due to the belief that BVR (Beyond Visual Range) missile engagements and equipment made “close-in” maneuvering in air combat obsolete.^[c As a result of this BVR-only mindset that reached its zenith in the early 1960s, nearly all USAF fighter pilots and WSO of the period were unpracticed in maneuvering against dissimilar aircraft because of a concurrent Air Force emphasis on flying safety.

An Air Force analysis known as Project Red Baron II showed that a pilot’s chances of survival in combat dramatically increased after he had completed 10 combat missions. As a result, Red Flag was created in 1975 to offer USAF pilots and weapon systems officers the opportunity to fly 10 realistically simulated combat missions in a safe training environment with measurable results. Many U.S. air crews had also fallen victim to SAMs during the Vietnam War and Red Flag exercises provided pilots and WSOs experience in this regime as well.

RED FLAG-Alaska is a realistic, 10-day air combat United States Air Force training exercise held up to four times a year. It is held at Eielson Air Force Base and Elmendorf Air Force Base in the State of Alaska. Each RED FLAG-Alaska exercise is a multi-service, multi-platform coordinated, combat operations exercise and corresponds to the designed operational capability of participating units. In other words, exercises often involve several units whose military mission may differ significantly from that of other participating units. RED FLAG-Alaska planners take those factors into consideration when designing exercises so participants get the maximum training possible without being placed at an unfair advantage during simulated combat scenarios.

RED FLAG-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces sponsored exercise. Since its inception, thousands of people from all four branches of the US military, as well as the armed services of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, have taken part in multinational RED FLAG-Alaska/COPE THUNDER exercises. Participating aircraft include A/OA-10, B-1B, B-2, B-52, C-130, C-160, E-2, E-3C, F-15C, F-15E, F-16, F/A-18, F-22, EA-6B, EA-18, KC-130, KC-135, KC-10, HC-130, various helicopters and Tornadoes, Nimrod, VC-10 and Jaguars as well as Stinger Teams from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

Look for both HA3871 and HA3872 to take to the skies this August.

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Eaglemoss Sticks Out Its Neck With its Latest Starship

Eaglemoss’ Star Trek Excelsior Class Starship – USS Excelsior Prototype MK1 [With Collector Magazine]

We were under the impression that only ships-of-the-line and other noteworthy vessels that appeared in Star Trek films or televised series were to be included in the standard starships line and that experimental craft would make up their separate exclusives range. Apparently the lines are being blurred somewhat as Eaglemoss continues to dig ever deeper into the Star Trek universe to come up with even more out-of-this-world additions.

That said, their 152nd entrant in the series represents the USS Excelsior Prototype MK1, an Excelsior class starship in service from the late 23rd to (at least the last quarter of) the 24th century. Originally dubbed the “Great Experiment”, Excelsior was the first Starfleet ship fitted with transwarp drive (EMST0152). Though the “experiment” apparently failed, the vessel played a role in the historic Khitomer Accords and became the prototype for Excelsior-class heavy cruisers, serving the front lines of Federation exploration and defense efforts until the end of the 24th century.

Look for the Excelsior to put its neck on the line later this year.

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Product Spotlight: Hobby Master Recalls that Tomorrow is Yesterday

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed F-104G Starfighter Interceptor – Captain John Christopher, FG-914, “Bluejay 4”, RAF Waddington, England, 1960s

Every so often we sit back and are forced to do a double-take at some of the items coming to market. While there are many products rooted in the past – after all, we are selling historical collectibles – one looks to tear a page out of Star Trek lore to help generate interest and take a shot at melding fact with fantasy.

Such is the case with Hobby Master’s latest Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (HA1044), which was profiled in the nineteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. In the episode
dubbed “Tomorrow is Yesterday”, the crew of the USS Enterprise accidentally travels back to 1960s Earth and must correct damage they cause to the timeline.

On stardate 3113.2, the Federation starship USS Enterprise is thrown back in time to Earth during the 1960s by the effects of a high-gravity “black star“. The Enterprise ends up in Earth’s upper atmosphere, and is picked up as a UFO on military radar.

A U.S. Air Force F-104 interceptor piloted by Captain John Christopher (Roger Perry), is scrambled to identify the craft. Fearing an attack, Captain Kirk orders a tractor beam to be used on the jet, which tears the plane apart. The pilot is transported aboard the Enterprise.

Fearing Christopher could disrupt the timeline if returned to Earth, Kirk at first decides that the pilot must stay with the Enterprise. When Science Officer Spock later discovers that the pilot’s as-yet-unborn son will play an important role in a future mission to Saturn, Kirk realizes he must return Christopher to Earth after all.

After learning of the existence of film taken of the Enterprise by Christopher’s wing cameras, Kirk and Lt. Sulu beam down to the airbase to recover the film and any other evidence of their visit. They are caught by an Air Policeman, who accidentally activates an emergency signal on Kirk’s communicator and is immediately beamed aboard. Kirk and Sulu continue their search, after which Kirk is captured again and Sulu escapes.

Spock, Sulu, and Christopher, who knows the base’s layout, beam down to recover Kirk. After Kirk’s guards are subdued, Christopher grabs one of their guns and demands to be left behind. Spock, having anticipated Christopher would make such an attempt, appears behind Christopher and disables him with a Vulcan nerve pinch.

After they return to the ship, Spock and Chief Engineer Scott inform Kirk of a possible escape method by slingshotting around the Sun to break away and return to their time. The maneuver is risky, since even a small miscalculation could destroy the ship, or make them miss their own era.

Kirk okays the maneuver, and time on board the Enterprise moves backwards. Christopher is beamed back to his fighter jet at the instant he first encountered the Enterprise, preventing any evidence of the ship being produced, and erasing his memory of his time on the Enterprise. The same is done with the Air Policeman. Enterprise then successfully returns to the 23rd century.

While we don’t suggest performing the same slingshotting maneuver, or advocate turning back time to score higher on your college entrance exams, its comforting to know that at least one model maker is willing to take a chance by setting aside history and dabbling in the “What if.”

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Hobby Master Lives Up to the March Saying

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Douglas A-1H Skyraider Attack Aircraft – 22nd Special Operations Squadron “Green Hornets”, 56th Special Operations Wing, South Vietnam (1:72 Scale)

Its been said that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Apparently, the same could very well hold true for Hobby Master, who ushered in the month with a bevy of eagerly anticipated models and looks to go out in much the same fashion although with a bang instead of a whimper.

According to our distributor, the March shipment of Hobby Master releases are expected to hit their loading dock late next week, meaning they’ve received two shipments of new products in a single month instead of the usual one. If that wasn’t enough, we’ve also learned about their August shipment, which includes several models having been pushed back by a month along with ten or so new items not previously announced. We’re currently in the middle of listing all the new vehicles and aircraft and hope to have everything, including some eye-catching line art, uploaded by the close of business.

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DeAgostini Helps to Put Words in Our Mouth

Occasionally, we have precious little to report, as difficult as that might sound to the untrained ear. Its not that we’re at a loss for words – Lord knows that will likely never happen in our lifetime. Its just that news concerning our hobby is some times few and far between, usually occurring just after Chinese New Year when the factories are getting back up to speed and still counting heads to see which of their workers have returned from vacation.

So, we thought we’d look at a line that we’d like to stock but haven’t been able to nab largely because its another partworks line that has eluded us. We have nothing against partworks ranges, which typically wed a vehicle with a full-color magazine designed to explain the vehicle in question and its use on the battlefield. Rather, these lines are usually available in Europe first and must run their course before becoming available to other international suppliers.

In the case of DeAgostini, they are now up to their 20th 1:43 scale tank, and show no signs of abating, which, of course, is a good thing. Their first 13 tank replicas were based upon Russian-made designs that saw service with the Red Army during and after WWII. Interestingly they have diverged a bit since formulating that initial strategy, and are now starting to offer vehicles built by other nations, such as this US made M4 Sherman and British constructed Churchill. Other notable vehicles, such as a French made Char 2C super heavy tank and Valentine have also been released, making this one of the more sought after lines of mid-sized diecast military vehicles released in recent memory. The problem, as I alluded to earlier, is that we still can’t lay our grubby little hands on them until the series has concluded. Drats!

We’ll keep our fingers crossed that this series will eventually make it to our shores and keep you apprised of any changes as the line bulks up. In the meantime, keep one eye on the line and the other on our site for the latest news concerning the series.

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