May 2020

Product Spotlight: Crouching Tiger

PMA’s 1:72 scale German Mid Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E Heavy Tank – ‘111’, schwere Panzerabteilung 501, Orsha, Russia, 1944 [Bonus Maybach HL 230 TRM P45 Engine]

For the men of schwere Panzerabteilung 501, 1944 rapidly devolved into an exhausting year. Originally commanded by Major Erich Lowe, the unit had been reformed in late 1942 from remnants of the old battalion, including several wounded tank crewmen who had been evacuated to Europe for recuperation before the unit’s demise in Tunisia. Rebuilt and re-staffed, by November 12th it comprised some 45 Tiger I tanks (three companies of 14 tanks, plus three tanks for battalion command).

Between December 5th-12th, the battalion was transferred to the Vitebsk region in what is modern-day Belarus. On December 20th, the 501st attacked an enemy tank formation near Losovka, inflicting 21 enemy tanks destroyed and some 28 guns put out of action, all for the loss of two of its own tanks and all three company commanders wounded. Because infantry support was unable to follow up its success, the 501st was forced to withdraw. Three days later, Major Lowe, the battalion commander, went missing after he was forced to change tanks when his own was knocked out. Over the next five days, the battalion destroyed 81 enemy tanks. By the end of December, however, 16 Tigers were operational out of 39 available, two having fallen into Soviet hands.


Major von Legat took command in January 1944 and the battalion carried out missions in the Orsha region. On January 13th, a Tiger was destroyed by an artillery shell plunging through its turret roof. On February 13th, failed attacks led to the loss of a further nine Tigers. By March 1st, only 17 Tigers were available for action out of 29 that fell in for duty due to a lack of spare parts.


On March 12th, the battalion joined the 256.Infanterie division in a counterattack north of Nipinzy; by the next day, the enemy forces were surrounded and destroyed. By April 1st, spare parts had been delivered and 27 tanks were again operational.


In June, nine tanks were transferred to schwere Panzerabteilung 509, leaving 20 operational. On June 23rd, Operation Bagration was launched by the Red Army. Fighting at Orsha resulted in the battalion having to be dispersed, leading to several days of independent tank battles, some against IS-2s. Under the weight of a withdrawing Tiger, the Orsha bridge collapsed, and several others ran out of fuel. The rest retreated towards the Berezina River, where only six could be ferried across, the rest being blown up by their crews on July 1st.


By July 2nd-4th, ad-hoc defenses of dispersed Tigers fell back towards the Minsk area: despite the arrival of five replacement vehicles, which boosted operational forces to seven, two were lost, and another broke down. The next day, several Tigers ran out of fuel while withdrawing near Maladzyechna; another bogged down, and all three immobilized Tigers were blown up. Operational tank strength dropped to zero and the year was only half over.


PMA’s tribute to the men and machines of schwere Panzerabteilung 501 rolls in this April, provided the bridges can hold them and the Red Army falls back to lick their wounds.

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Dragon Catches Fire in May

Dragon’s 1:72 scale US M1124 Stryker ATGM Guided Missile Vehicle

With Chinese factories now open, and most workers having returned to their jobs, we were wondering what the status was with Dragon’s newly launched Neo Dragon Armor series. Several items were announced months ago and were already appearing in Asian stores, making it hard to understand why they weren’t available yet here in the North American market. According to our distributor, several items are scheduled to arrive in mid-May, including DRR63005, a US M1124 Stryker ATGM Guided Missile Vehicle. Interestingly, DRR63005 is already sold out at the factory and distributor level, so if you are looking to nab one of these replicas we strongly recommend you pre-order them now before they run out. We have a handful still left for pre-order and we doubt any will be listed for general sale once they do arrive.

Dragon’s 1:72 scale PLA ZBL-09 Snow Leopard Infantry Fighting Vehicle – Digital Camouflage, Parade Version

Also in the hopper is DRR63001, a Peoples Liberation Army ZBL-09 Snow Leopard Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The standard vehicle will come in a digitzed camouflage scheme with white wall tires, making it ideal for Chinese military parades. A special edition vehicle, available in limited quantities, will come with a PLA flag and the more traditional blackened tires. Finally, a limited edition vehicle will come in UN markings and is painted all-white, standard attire for a United Nations vehicle performing a peacekeeping mission. Only one piece in every 24-piece master carton contains the limited edition vehicle, hence the higher price.

Dragon’s 1:72 scale Limited Edition PLA ZBL-09 Snow Leopard Infantry Fighting Vehicle – United Nations Peacekeeping Force
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The Forces of Valor Update: You’re Such a CAD

Back in the day, a cad was a man who behaved dishonorably towards a woman, forsaking her good name in an effort to, well, take advantage of her when chivalry was still the norm. Today, CAD has taken on quite a different meaning, spelled out in capital letters and now signifying computer aided design, a creative process by which most models are now developed with the help of sophisticated software packages.

Recently, Waltersons, the new caretakers of the Forces of Valor brand, posted a bevy of CAD images to their website for many of their upcoming projects. Five different Tiger Is are shown, along with eight Sherman tanks and the first vehicles in their “Inside Out” series: the Sturmtiger. We’ve posted all of the images here and have already begun to accept pre-orders for the group. At this time, we don have firm release dates for any of the vehicles, since the production pipeline was disrupted by the COVID-19 crisis and Waltersons hasn’t shown any of the paint masters so collectors can get a better idea of what the finished products will look like. Stay tuned and remember its going to be a very busy third and fourth quarter from the folks at Forces of Valor, as they get set to release these and other projects long hinted at and finally coming to fruition.

Note: Keep in mind that many of the Tiger I images look the same based upon these CAD images. Actual photos of each Tiger I tank are expected in the coming weeks.

Forces of Valor’s Inside Out Series: German Sturmtiger Assault Mortar

Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production RW61 Sturmtiger Rocket Assault Mortar with Loading Crane – Prototype Presentation to Fuhrer, Ehrenfriedhof Arys Proving Grounds, East Prussia, October 20th, 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 V-12 Water-Cooled Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Late Production RW61 Sturmtiger Rocket Assault Mortar with Loading Crane – Sturmmorser Kompanie 1002, Berlin, Germany, May 1945 [Bonus Maybach HL230P45 V-12 Water-Cooled Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Mid Production RW61 Sturmtiger Rocket Assault Mortar with Loading Crane – Sturmmorser Kompanie 1002, Ebendorf, Germany, April 1945 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 V-12 Water-Cooled Engine]

Forces of Valor’s Engine Plus Series: German Tiger I Heavy Tank

Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “832”, 2.SS Panzer Regiment, 2.SS Panzer Division “Das Reich”, Eastern Front, February 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “123”, schwere Panzerabteilung 503, Kursk, Russia, August 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “100”, schwere Panzerabteilung 505, Kursk, Russia, July 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “321”, schwere Panzerabteilung 505, Kursk, Russia, July 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – Michael Wittmann, “S04”, schwere SS Panzerabteilung 101, Eastern Front, Winter 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]

Forces of Valor’s Engine Plus Series: US M4 Sherman Medium Tank

Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(75) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – 35th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Bastogne, Belgium, December 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(105) Sherman Howitzer with HVSS Suspension – 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Avranches, Brittany, France, July-August 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3E8 Sherman Medium Tank with HVSS Suspension – “A Paper Doll”, A Company, 68th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Division, Germany 1945 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4(75) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – 47th Tank Battalion, 14th Armored Division, France, 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3E8 Sherman Medium Tank with HVSS Suspension – Creighton Abrams’ “Thunderbolt VII”, 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, NW Europe, 1945 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4(105) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension and Wading Equipment – 713th Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division, Okinawa, April-June 1945 [Bonus Continental (Wright) R-975, Radial 9 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(76)W Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – C Company, 771st Tank Battalion, 12th Armored Division, Linnich, Germany, February 1945 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo Assault Tank with VVSS Suspension – “Cobra King”, C Company, 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Bastogne, Belgium, December 26th, 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]

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Hobby Master Hits the Ground Running in May

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Strike Fighter – VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers”, 75th Anniversary Commemorative Scheme, USS Lincoln (CVN-72), 2017 [Anniversary Scheme]

Like clockwork, we’ve received the April shipment of Hobby Master products with just a few days to spare before May rolled in. It’s composed of a rather diverse set of collectibles, covering everything from ROC tanks to a sleek F/A-18F Super Hornet clad in a stunning anniversary scheme. Here’s the run down of what’s now in stock and ready for immediate departure:

On the ground…

#HG5313 – Republic of China (Taiwanese) M41A3 Walker Bulldog Light Tank (1:72 Scale)

#HG5314 – Republic of China (Taiwanese) Marine Corps M41A3 Walker Bulldog Light Tank (1:72 Scale)

…and in the Air

#HA0152 – Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PFM “Fishbed-F” Interceptor – “Red 50” (1:72 Scale)

#HA0198 – Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu J-7III Fighter – 29th Air Division, Quzhou AB, 1998 (1:72 Scale)

#HA0199 – Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu J-7IIIA Fighter – Huairen AB, China, 1997 (1:72 Scale)

#HA3336 – US Navy Northrop F-5E Tiger II Fighter – 527th Aggressor Squadron, Alconbury AB, England, 1976-1988 [Aggressor Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

#HA2122 – USAF North American F-100D Super Sabre Fighter – “Pretty Penny” 481st Tactical Fighter Squadron “Green Knights”, Ta Son Nhut AB, Thailand, 1960s (1:72 Scale)

#HA19014 – USMC McDonnell F-4N Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – 15323, VMFA-531 “Grey Ghosts”, USS Coral Sea (CV-43), 1965 (1:72 Scale)

#HA8458 – USAAF Republic P-47D Thunderbolt Fighter – “Bonnie”, 460th Fighter Squadron, 348th Fighter Group, Philippines, Early 1945 (1:48 Scale)

#HA5605 – Syrian Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25PD “Foxbat-A” Interceptor – 5th Aerial Squadron, Tiyaz, Syria, 1985 (1:72 Scale)

#HA5113 – US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Strike Fighter – VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers”, 75th Anniversary Commemorative Scheme, USS Lincoln (CVN-72), 2017 [Anniversary Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

#HA6403 – Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark “Flanker-X2” Air Superiority Fighter – “114” Aircraft Carrier Liaoning (CV-16), 2017 (1:72 Scale)

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April Showers Brings Corgi Flowers!

Corgi’s 1:72 scale RAF Avro Vulcan B.2 Strategic Bomber – XM575, No.101 Squadron, Waddington Wing, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, 1975

It appears as if Corgi is back on track after a herky-jerky start to the new year and finally releasing several warbirds that are part of their 2020 collection. There’s lots to choose from, including this massive 1:72 scale rendition of an Avro Vulcan strategic bomber. So, without further ado, here’s the list of new aircraft we’ve received this week that are now ready for immediate shipment:

#AA38110 – Royal Flying Corps Sopwith Camel F.1 Fighter – Wilfred May, No.209 Squadron, Bertangles, France, April 21st, 1918 (1:48 Scale)

#AA38307 – German Fokker Dr.1 Triplane Fighter – 155/17, Lt. Eberhard Mohnicke, Jasta 11, von Richthofen’s Flying Circus, Lechelle, France, 1918 (1:48 Scale)

#AA27109 – German Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 Tropical Fighter – “Yellow 14”, Hans Joachim Marseille, 3./Jagdgeschwader 27, Quotaifiya, Egypt, September 30th, 1942 (1:72 Scale)

#AA36712 – German Junkers Ju 88A-5 Medium-Bomber – 9K+ED, Stab III./Kampfgeschwader 51 “Edelweiss”, Etampes-Mondesir, France, Winter 1940 (1:72 Scale)

#AA33717 – German Heinkel He-111H-2 Medium Bomber – 1H+JA, Stab./Kampfgeschwader 26, Westerland Airfield, Sylt, Germany, October 28th, 1939 (1:72 Scale)

#AA33619 – RAF Panavia Tornado GR4 Fighter Bomber – ZG752, RAF Marham, England, March 2019 [Retirement Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

#AA33620 – RAF Panavia Tornado GR4 Fighter Bomber – GR.4 ZG775, No.IX(B) Squadron, RAF Marham, England, March 2019 [Retirement Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

#AA27204 – RAF Avro Vulcan B.2 Strategic Bomber – XM575, No.101 Squadron, Waddington Wing, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, England, 1975 (1:72 Scale)

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