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]
Per the course, Waltersons seems to be falling behind schedule with their inaugural Tiger I tank, a model originally forecast for an April release that has now been pushed back until mid May. Nevertheless. the manufacturer did post a bevy of imagery for the vehicle, which “we” believe will hit the streets some time in July, given requisite load times, the ability to fill a shipping container and current congestion clogging virtually all of the west coast ports. Still, we’re looking at things from a “glass half full” viewpoint, pointing out many of the improvements the manufacturer has made to the existing mold and assurances that slowdowns in production times are finally being addressed with some measure of satisfaction.
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale USN Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat Fighter – Lt. Edward H. “Butch” O’Hare, “White F-15”, VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), 1942
Some time ago, Hobby Master released a 1:48 scale tribute to Lt. Commander John S. Thatch, inventor of the so-called “Thatch Weave,” an early war combat tactic that was aimed at preventing enemy aircraft from assuming a position behind friendly aircraft for fear of being shot down themselves. Of course, Thatch wasn’t alone in developing the combat tactic — he was assisted by then Lieutenant Edward “Butch” O’Hare.
Lieutenant Commander Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare was an American naval aviator of the United States Navy, who on February 20th, 1942, became the Navy’s first flying ace when he single-handedly attacked a formation of nine heavy bombers approaching his aircraft carrier. Even though he had a limited amount of ammunition, he managed to shoot down five enemy bombers. On April 21st, 1942, he became the first naval recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War II.
O’Hare’s final action took place on the night of November 26th, 1943, while he was leading the U.S. Navy’s first-ever nighttime fighter attack launched from an aircraft carrier. During this encounter with a group of Japanese torpedo bombers, O’Hare’s Grumman F6F Hellcat was shot down; his aircraft was never found. In 1945, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS O’Hare (DD-889) was named in his honor.
A few years later, Colonel Robert R. McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, suggested that the name of Chicago’s Orchard Depot Airport be changed as a tribute to Butch O’Hare. On September 19th, 1949, the Chicago, Illinois airport was renamed O’Hare International Airport to honor O’Hare’s bravery. The airport displays a Grumman F4F-3 museum aircraft replicating the one flown by Butch O’Hare during his Medal of Honor flight. The Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat on display was recovered virtually intact from the bottom of Lake Michigan, where it sank after a training accident in 1943 when it went off the training aircraft carrier USS Wolverine (IX-64). In 2001, the Air Classics Museum remodeled the aircraft to replicate the F4F-3 Wildcat that O’Hare flew on his Medal of Honor flight. The restored Wildcat is exhibited in the west end of Terminal 2 behind the security checkpoint to honor O’Hare International Airport’s namesake.
“Butch” O’Hare’s 1:48 scale Wildcat is now in stock and ready for immediate shipment.
i’s 1:72 scale CorgUSAAF Lockheed P-38G Lightning Interceptor – 43-2264, Major John Mitchell, “Miss Virginia”, 339th Fighter Squadron “Gremlin on a Double Eagle”, 347th Fighter Group, Operation Vengeance, April 18th, 1943
Having been forced to endure the horrors of the surprise Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, the American people found themselves dragged into a war they had tried so hard to avoid, now determined to avenge this day of infamy. Their long fightback began with victory at the Battle of Midway in June 1942, but for the men of the USAAF 347th Fighter Group, their chance to inflict a huge psychological blow against the Japanese nation and specifically against man who had planned the Pear Harbor attack would come in April the following year. US Navy intelligence code-breakers had been monitoring Japanese communications for months and discovered that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned to fly from Rabul to troops stationed in the Solomon Islands, to boost their morale in the wake of the Midway defeat. Flying in one of two Mitsubishi G4M ‘Betty’ bombers and protected by six Zero fighters, the formation was intercepted by sixteen US Lockheed P-38G Lightnings, whose pilots had made the long flight from Guadalcanal with one specific aim – vengeance. In the ensuing dogfight, P-38G ‘Miss Virginia’ piloted by Rex T. Barber, slipped in behind the bomber carrying Admiral Yamamoto and unleashed a torrent of bullets from his .50 calibre machine guns, sending it crashing into the jungle below. ‘Operation Vengeance’ had been successful and one of America’s most deadly enemies had been eliminated. In what proved to be one of the most significant aerial engagements of the Second World War, ‘Operation Vengeance’ was the ambitious plan to intercept an aircraft carrying Japan’s most accomplished military tactician and architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, Isoroku Yamamoto.
The mission was entrusted to brilliant US aviator Major John Mitchell, who would have to plot a course far enough away from islands inhabited by Japanese spotters and low enough to avoid detection by enemy radar, whilst ensuring his fighters intercepted the enemy formation at exactly the right moment. With only a map, his watch and a highly accurate compass borrowed from the US Navy installed in his fighter, the mission had only a slim chance of success, but was a risk they had to take. The only aircraft capable of undertaking this perilous 1000 mile round trip was the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and even then only by using drop tanks containing additional fuel – indeed, due to short supply, each aircraft was fitted with a single large 330 gallon drop tank, as well as a smaller 150 gallon tank. As the sixteen Lightnings took off from Kukum Field, Guadalcanal at 7am on April 18th, 1943, they had no idea of the size of the enemy force they would be facing, or if indeed they would manage to intercept them. In a feat of exceptional airmanship, the Lightnings arrived at the anticipated interception point just one minute behind schedule and to a shout of ‘Bandits’ from one of the American pilots. In the ensuing dogfight, ‘Operation Vengeance’ would strike a huge blow in the fortunes of the Pacific War and highlight that America would accept nothing less than total victory.
You too can get Yamamoto with John Mitchell’s 1:72 scale “Miss Virginia”, which is expected to arrive at the interception site the first week of May.
Forces of Valor’s 1:24 scale radio controlled US M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank – Tri-Color Camouflage
At long last, we’ve finally received an update concerning Forces of Valor’s line of 1:24 scale radio-controlled military vehicles. Two tanks, the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank and the M26 Pershing heavy tank are slated to make land fall in June. That’s the good news. As for the original four vehicles released a few years back — the Tiger I, the Panzer IV, the Sherman and the T-34/85 tanks — don’t expect them to return to stock anytime soon. They could be in the cards for a late 2021 return date, or they could be pushed back into 2022.
Forces of Valor’s 1:24 scale radio controlled US M26 Pershing Heavy Tank
At this point, we simply don’t know their fate. On the plus side, the prices for the two upcoming tanks haven’t changed so if you’re interested in adding these vehicles to your stable of radio controlled tanks, we strongly suggest you jump on this opportunity before they disappear like the dinosaurs.
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed “Dragon Lady”, is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day and night, high-altitude (70,000 feet, 21,300 meters), all-weather intelligence gathering.
Lockheed Corporation originally proposed it in 1953, it was approved in 1954, and its first test flight was in 1955. It was flown during the Cold War over the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, and Cuba. In 1960, Gary Powers was shot down in a CIA U-2A over the Soviet Union by a surface-to-air missile (SAM). Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. was shot down in a U-2 during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
U-2s have taken part in post-Cold War conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and supported several multinational NATO operations. The U-2 has also been used for electronic sensor research, satellite calibration, scientific research, and communications purposes. The U-2 is one of a handful of aircraft types to have served the USAF for over 50 years, along with the Boeing B-52 and Boeing KC-135. The newest models (TR-1, U-2R, U-2S) entered service in the 1980s, and the latest model, the U-2S, had a technical upgrade in 2012.
Look for Hobby Master’s first ever U-2 spy plane to lift off later in April.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production RW61 Sturmtiger Rocket Assault Mortar with Loading Crane – Prototype Presentation, Ehrenfriedhof Arys Proving Grounds, East Prussia, October 20th, 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 V-12 Water-Cooled Engine]
The Sturmtiger (German: “Assault Tiger”) was a World War II German assault gun built on the Tiger I chassis and armed with a 380mm rocket-propelled mortar. The official German designation was Sturmmörserwagen 606/4 mit 38 cm RW 61. Its primary task was to provide heavy fire support for infantry units fighting in urban areas. The few vehicles produced fought in the Warsaw Uprising, the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of the Reichswald. The fighting vehicle is also known by various informal names, among which the Sturmtiger became the most popular.
The idea for a heavy infantry support vehicle capable of demolishing heavily defended buildings or fortified areas with a single shot came out of the experiences of the heavy urban fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942. At the time, the Wehrmacht had only the Sturm-Infanteriegeschutz 33B available for destroying buildings, a Sturmgeschutz III variant armed with a 15 cc sIG 33 heavy infantry gun. Twelve of them were lost in the fighting at Stalingrad. Its successor, the Sturmpanzer IV, also known by Allies as Brummbär, was in production from early 1943. This was essentially an improved version of the earlier design, mounting the same gun on the Panzer IV chassis with greatly improved armor protection.
While greatly improved compared to the earlier models, by this time infantry anti-tank weapons were improving dramatically, and the Wehrmacht still saw a need for a similar, but more heavily armored and armed vehicle. Therefore, a decision was made to create a new vehicle based on the Tiger tank and arm it with a 210 mm howitzer. However, this weapon turned out not to be available at the time and was therefore replaced by a 380 mm rocket launcher, which was adapted from a Kriegsmarine depth charge launcher.
In September 1943 plans were made for Krupp to fabricate new Tiger I armored hulls for the Sturmtiger. The Tiger I hulls were to be sent to Henschel for chassis assembly and then to Alkett where the superstructures would be mounted. The first prototype was ready and presented to Adolf Hitler in October 1943. Delivery of the first hulls would occur in December 1943, with the first three Sturmtiger completed by Alkett by 20 February 1944.
Due to delays, Hitler did not request production of the weapon until 19 April 1944; twelve superstructures and weapons would be prepared and mounted on rebuilt Tiger I chassis. The first three production series Sturmtiger were completed by Alkett in August 1944. Plans to complete an additional seven from 15 to 21 September 1944 were presented to Hitler in a conference on 18–20 August 1944. Ten Sturmtiger were produced in September, along with an additional five in December 1944.
Hitler had laid great importance on the special employment of the Sturmtiger and believed it would be necessary to produce at least 300 rounds of ammunition per month.
Forces of Valor’s all-new 1:32 scale early production Sturmtiger is now in stock and available for immediate shipping.
As we await the arrival of their 1:32 scale Sturmtiger assault mortar, Waltersons posted a short, low-light teaser for their inaugural Tiger I heavy tank. Created for their Japanese audience, the trailer makes use of the “Metal Proud” moniker Forces of Valor has developed over the course of the last couple of years as a means of demonstrating how much diecast material is actually being employed in the reworked series. As many collectors pointed out towards the end of the Unimax era — the original manufacturer of the Forces of Valor brand — the Company was using less and less metal in the composition of its 1:32 scale military vehicles, largely as a means of reducing costs. This, of course, didn’t sit well with the collecting community despite the manufacturer passing along repeated price hikes and seemingly offering more lackluster products that lacked the imagination the series aimed at recreating.
While the Waltersons’ version will carry a MAP of $124.99, which is substantially more than the last Tiger I produced in the late 2000s, it is, in effect, a completely different vehicle than its predecessors, boasting a removable engine, heavier content and a more realistic painting process that involves repeated over-spraying and various weathering effects. The manufacturer has acknowledged that at least 20 separate vehicles are slated to be re-produced over the course of the next few years, to say nothing of the Panzer Ace series hinted at some time ago, which will replicate some of the more famous tanks and their storied commanders that have become the stuff of legend since the end of the war.
In other news, Waltersons has posted three different videos for their soon-to-be-released trio of ROC AH-1W “Whiskey” attack helicopters. Each video showcases the differences between the three helicopters being portrayed, as well as the obligatory commonalities that have enabled the manufacturer to release three helicopters at once in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. Thus far, a pair of USMC attack helicopters are set to ship later in the year, so we expect videos and imagery to be unveiled in due course.
Earlier today, CNBC broke a story where shipping giant UPS agreed to purchase and subsequently test ten eVTOLs for potential use as a means of delivering shipping containers to small and medium sized markets. An eVTOL, which stands for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, can takeoff and land atop a building thereby avoiding the need to fly into and out of airports. Moreover, eVTOLs make use of rechargeable batteries to provide power, much like an electric car. So, instead of delivering packages one at-a-time to the destination point, and requiring vast amounts of time to complete, an eVTOL can unload a container en masse, then return to its point of origin to repeat the process.
Currently, Beta Technologies, the maker of the eVTOLs, has applied for certification with the FAA. Pilots will likely have to go through a rigorous flying course much like a regular pilot and its not clear if eVTOLs can be used in adverse weather or in high wind conditions. Its possible that eVTOLs will eventually be unmanned, flying back and forth on an autonomous basis and/or steered from a remote site much like a military drone. For more information on the development, visit CNBC.
Solido’s 1:48 scale US M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank – Desert Camouflage
Back when we started out in 2000, Solido was one of the dominant makers of military vehicles, producing an ever-expanding range of 1:43-1:50 scale tanks, artillery and soft-skinned vehicles. Over the years, they seem to have ebbed and flowed, producing a handful of vehicles one year then lying dormant for several years running. Hopefully, that may have changed as we ourselves learned recently, with nine new 1:48 scale diecast military vehicles slated for a summer release. Nine is a bit of a stretch, since four of the vehicles will be offered in both a woodland camouflage scheme as well as a desert motif. Still, this can only be seen as welcome news as we basically gave up on seeing anything new from them for the foreseeable future.
We’ve listed all nine vehicles in our revamped Solido military vehicle section and are accepting pre-orders as we speak.
