The pandemic, as many experts have predicted, has had a major impact on our business over the last few months. Sales have grown exponentially on all of our sales venues, which has accelerated in recent weeks. As a result, we are genuinely concerned that we may run out of certain key items ahead of the start to the traditional holiday shopping season. While we are working closely with all of our suppliers to ensure a steady flow of merchandise to back fill our shelves, the fact remains that many hot-selling items will likely be in short supply going forward. We therefore strongly recommend you peruse our site and place your orders as early as possible. Keep in mind that the major carriers are expecting a record shipping season during the fourth quarter and have already gone on record to indicate that orders need to be shipped out as early as possible to guarantee their arrival before the holidays. With that said, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday and look forward to servicing your needs for the remainder of the year.
October 2020
Corgi Passes out the “Swiss Miss”
In a surprise announcement, Corgi unveiled and released two new 1:72 scale Junkers Ju 52 transports, both bearing Swiss markings and insignia. One comes in the standard Corgi packaging while the other is nested in a European style box likely created for a special client.
In other news, several eagerly awaited aircraft models were also released, all of which are now winging their way to us. All of the October releases are expected to safely land at our aerodrome by the end of this month.
The Forces of Valor Update: We Own the Night
According to our distributor, the Forces of Valor MH-47G Chinook helicopter, which is famously operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment “Night Stalkers”, is en route and expected by the end of October. This is a significant announcement because we have quite a few pre-orders to fill as soon as they arrive and won’t have all that many left available for general sale once the pre-orders have been filled. However, we also wanted to point out that the manufacturer has decided to revise the tooling by moving the front set of landing wheels a bit further forward under the fuselage as one savvy collector pointed out on an aviation forum. While we applaud the manufacturer’s decision to revise the mold and bear the cost of making these changes it does create a bit of a lag in the supply chain. According to the manufacturer, they are sold out of the original helicopter model and have begun retooling the mold to address this modification. As a result, a second batch of models sporting this tooling change is not expected before the holidays and could likely make its way back into the distribution network as late as February. So, if you prefer to wait for the second version of the model, we will need to hear from you as soon as possible otherwise we will assume that the initial version is okay with you.
DeAgostini Fires Up Five More Warbirds for an October Fly-In
The DeAgostini fleet of WWII-era aircraft keeps growing by leaps and bounds with the addition of five more aircraft to the warbirds roster. Like the other aircraft in the series, each comes bundled with a full-color magazine written in Japanese and a handsome bookcase style package. Here’s what you can expect to nab by the end of October:
#DAWF23 – Imperial Japanese Navy Kyushu J7W1 Shinden Fighter [With Collector Magazine] (1:72 Scale)
#DAWF32 – Soviet Yakovlev Yak-3 Fighter – Georgiy Zakharov, 1944 [With Collector Magazine] (1:72 Scale)
The Forces of Valor Update: The Sturmtiger Rocket Mortar
We’ve received some preliminary photos for the prototype Sturmtiger rocket mortar, as it was presented to der Fuhrer and other dignitaries at the Ehrenfriedhof Arys Proving Grounds, East Prussia, on October 20th, 1943, which, as you can see, is bereft of any camouflage or unit markings. Besides several shells, this particular version comes with fully-painted 1:35 scale renditions of Adolf Hitler and his Minister of Armaments, Albert Speer. Bear in mind that although production has commenced for this particular version of the Sturmtiger, the vehicle may or may not appear by year’s end due to logistics issues. Based upon previous experience, it will likely show up sometime in early 2021. No word concerning the other two vehicles in the series or when they will become available.
Product Announcement: Warbirds of World War II
We’ve been given the go ahead to move forward with the launch of the Warbirds of World War II line of 1:72 scale military aircraft. Like the Armored Fighting Vehicles of World War II range expected to hit the streets later this year, the Warbirds line will encompass aircraft previously released under the Altaya banner several years ago but unavailable in great quantity here in North America and elsewhere. This time around, they will be packaged within an upscale 5-panel box that will help to explain the aircraft in question much like a Corgi or Hobby Master release. Like the AFV line, each aircraft will come with a numbered limited edition collector card. As a bit of a departure from the norm, we will be releasing them in a different sequential order than when they were first released, meaning the entire assortment and order of release has not been set just yet and could be shuffled around based upon certain criteria. The first six warbirds will likely come out in early 2021, and plans call for six new warbirds to be produced each month thereafter. Unless things change, each release will carry a $34.99 price point.