May 2021

Product Spotlight: “Witchcraft”

Corgi’s 1:72 scale USAAF Consolidated B-24H Liberator Heavy Bomber – 42-52534, “Witchcraft”, 790th Bombardment Squadron, 467th Bombardment Group, USAAF Station 145 Rackheath, Norfolk, England, January 1945

The afternoon of January 14th, 1945, was no ordinary day at USAAF Station 145 Rackheath, in Norfolk, England. Thirty B-24 Liberators from the 467th Bomb Group had been allocated to take part in a raid against steelworks at Hallendorf, near Hanover and had left the base at approximately 09.00. One of the aircraft taking part in the raid was named “Witchcraft” and on her return, she would set a mission record for the entire Second Air Division, one which had attracted the attention of USAAF ‘Top Brass’. As the aircraft returned to their home airfield 6 hours and 35 minutes after they took off, 42-52534 “Witchcraft” landed and parked up in her usual hard standing position, to be met by General Ketner, Commander of the 2nd Air Division and other high ranking officials, not to mention a film crew and members of the press – even the famous “Rackheath Band” were in attendance.

“Witchcraft” had just completed her 100th credited mission without suffering a single mechanical abort, a real testament to the efforts of her assigned ground crew. Known colloquially as the ‘League of Nations’, the ground crew was led by M/Sgt Joe Ramirez, who was of Mexican heritage, with other members of his team being of Chinese, German, Dutch and American extraction.

General Ketner presented each member of the ground crew with an award to mark this significant wartime achievement and a quite extraordinary bomber. As the air and ground crews who had participated in the ‘Witchcraft’s significant 100th mission without mechanical or crew illness abort posed for pictures beside an aircraft which had now taken its place in Eighth Air Force history, it was almost time for the traditional addition of another mission marking to be painted on the aircraft’s scoreboard. This honor always fell to the aircraft’s crew chief, M/Sgt Joe Ramirez, but as this day marked such a significant achievement for both the aircraft and her hard-working ground crew, he thought that a little additional decoration was in order.

As well as painting the small yellow bomb symbol on ‘Witchcraft’s already impressive mission tally, he also added an oversized bomb above the aircraft’s distinctive port side nose artwork, with the number 100 at the side of it. Although ‘Witchcraft’ had been flown operationally by several different crews during her time in England, she was very much the property of her dedicated ground crew, who were both extremely proud and rather protective of their bomber. As their aircraft received official Eighth Air Force recognition on her significant mission achievement, there can be no doubting that this day belonged to her ground crew. Consolidated B-24H Liberator 42-52534/Q2-M ‘Witchcraft’ would end the war with 130 credited missions without suffering a mechanical abort, an achievement which was unequaled by any other B-24 in the European Theatre of operations.

Look for Witchcraft to brew up sometime in June.

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Dragon Returns by Making a Forcible Entry

Dragon’s Neo Armor 1:72 scale USMC AAVP7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicle with Enhanced Applique Armor Kit – Desert

Its been seventy years since the US Marine Corps has had to take and hold a beachhead, thereby making it one of the riskiest if rarest forms of taking the battle to the enemy. So, it makes sense that Dragon is taking the same route in 2021, re-introducing its line of Neo Armor vehicles to the diecast community with the imminent release of two armored amphibious assault vehicles.

Dragon’s Neo Armor 1:72 scale USMC AAVP7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicle with Enhanced Applique Armor Kit

Expected in mid June, both DRR63019 and DRR63073 are long over due, initially slated for a mid 2020 showing, but they’re soon-to-ship status hopefully signals Dragon’s renewed interest in the pre-assembled military vehicle category. While no new “chase” vehicles are included in either assortment, its been a very long time since Dragon offered up an AARV as part of their military vehicle series. Not quite 70 years, but awful close. Happy Memorial Day!

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New Line: JC Wings

JC Wings 1:72 scale USAF Boeing F-15C Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 194th Fighter Squadron, 75th Anniversary, 2018 [Anniversary Scheme]

We’ve made the decision to stock a new line of 1:72 scale diecast military aircraft: JC Wings. Frankly, we’ve had our eye on this particular range for a very long time but haven’t had the chance to add them to our burgeoning product portfolio nor the room to stock their models until very recently. We’ve placed our opening order with our distributor, who hasn’t, as yet, provided a firm release date for any of these new introductions, although we’re presuming they will likely come to market some time later this summer. I did want to make mention that none of the JC Wings military aircraft comes with display stands, although separate display stands can be obtained from other sources.

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Product Spotlight: “Never to be So Foolish Again”

Corgi’s 1:48 scale Royal Flying Corps Bristol F2B Fighter – D-8063, RAF No.139 Squadron, Villaverla, Italy, September 1918

The outbreak of the Great War placed a moral burden on the shoulders of a young Edward, Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne. Desperate to do his duty and be seen alongside the thousands of troops heading for France, he was forbidden from joining his Grenadier Guards regiment at the front by Lord Kitchener, who was concerned about the potential damage his loss or capture would have on a nation at war. Nevertheless, over the course of the next four years, the Prince would regularly visit the trenches and was extremely popular among the fighting men of Britain. An early supporter of the airplane, the Prince is thought to have made several flights as a passenger whilst in France, however, an incident which reputedly occurred in September 1918 is quite astonishing. Whilst visiting No.139 Squadron in Italy, the Prince was taken on several flights in Bristol F2B Fighter D-8063 by celebrated Canadian ace and friend William Barker and on one such flight, it was reported that the Prince was taken close to the front lines, where he fired the aircraft’s Lewis guns on enemy trenches.

On hearing of this unofficial action, the King was said to be furious and chastised his son, telling him ‘never to be so foolish again’. Although the Bristol F2B Fighter would go on to be regarded as one of the finest fighting airplanes of the Great War, its combat introduction on the Western Front was inauspicious to say the least. Intended as a replacement for the much maligned Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c, the Bristol fighter was rushed into service so it could take part in the Second Battle of Arras in April 1917 and demonstrate the advancement in Allied aircraft design. During its first operational sortie on April 5th, six aircraft from No. 48 Squadron RFC, led by famous VC winner William Leefe Robinson, were bounced by Albatros fighters of Jasta 11, led by Manfred von Richthofen. During the ensuing melee, four of the new fighters, including the one flown by Robinson, were shot down, with another suffering serious damage – VC hero Robinson was initially posted as killed in action, but later discovered to have been taken prisoner. Despite this, once the many qualities of the Bristol Fighter had been appreciated, pilots quickly learned that this large airplane could be flown extremely aggressively and was more than capable of taking on the German fighters. With a fixed forward firing Vickers gun for the pilot and Scarff ring mounted Lewis guns for the observer, the Bristol fighter would enable crews to score victory numbers equivalent to those claimed by single seat fighters.

Corgi’s first ever Bristol F2B fighter is currently en route to us and expected to ship out to our customers by the last week of May.

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Precision Model Art Bolsters its Summer Line Up

PMA’s 1:72 scale USMC M60A1 Patton Medium Tank with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) and Amphibious Gear

We learned that a new pair of armored vehicles have been added to the PMA arsenal; an updated 88mm FLaK gun in a Norman paint scheme, as well as a USMC M60 Patton tank outfitted with both Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) and an amphibious snorkeling device. While neither subject is new to the PMA stable, they do, nonetheless, represent important additions since stocks of their previous incarnations are beginning to run down.

PMA’s 1:72 scale German 88mm Flak 36/37 Anti-Aircraft Gun – Normandy, 1944

No dates of release were listed so we are assuming they’ll hit the streets later this summer.

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On to Valhalla! Two Lines Take Their Bows and Sign Up for a Return Engagement

Luft-X 1:72 scale German Horten Ho 229 Fighter Bomber

Two years ago, a pair of highly successful lines we stocked suddenly went dormant, no longer available from our principal distributor or the manufacturer in Asia. The reason the lights went out may never fully be known in its entirety, seeing as how they were privately run companies that seemed to ebb and flow with the fickle fate of the marketplace.

Fast forward to 2021 and I’m proud to announce that both Luft-X and Wings of the Great War are returning to the fold, bigger and badder than ever. In fact, some models are expected to return as early as June, while a handful of previously announced but never released items are slated to finally make a soft landing this September. We’ve updated both sections and are now accepting pre-orders. Get ’em while you can.

Wings of the Great War’s 1:72 scale German Pfalz D.IIIa Biplane Fighter – Carl Degelow, Jasta 7, March 1918
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Panzerkampf Proves its More than Panzers

No stranger to producing a wide array of diecast tanks, Panzerkampf recently posted a montage image to their Facebook account indicating that several projects are in the works, none of them having to do with tanks. Perhaps worried that they’ll be seen simply as a maker of armored fighting vehicle, the portrait shows a number of CAD images, one of them a combat helicopter while the remaining four depict differing types and makes of multi-wheeled vehicles. We’ll leave it up to you to decide which projects are in the offing but we will certainly keep an eye on both their Facebook page and web site for further information and hopefully some finished images of the upcoming prototypes.

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Panzerkampf Continues to Up Armor its Abrams Tanks

Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale US M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank with TUSK I Survivability Kit – Commander’s Vehicle, E Troop, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored, Cavalry Regiment, Iraq, 2011

Late last year, Panzerkampf posted images of several different M1 Abrams tanks replicas, all of which boasted the US Army’s latest TUSK survivability equipment. TUSK improves protection, firepower, and Situation Awareness of the tanks. The TUSK includes such components as add-on explosive reactive armor and a slat armor, which provides protection against RPG rounds, 32 dischargers for 66-mm defensive grenades, which loaded with a combination of smoke and anti-personnel grenades, a transparent shielding around vehicle commander’s 12.7-mm machine gun that allow vehicle commander to be protected from enemy fire.

Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale US M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank with TUSK I Survivability Kit – 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, FOB Hammer, Iraq, 2011

Even though we are still awaiting the release of the first set of vehicles, the manufacturer, earlier today, posted three more additions to its growing fleet of M1 Abrams models, this time centering around the exploits of several US armored units deployed to Iraq in 2011. Its not clear if this latest set of vehicles will be released in conjunction with the first set of products or if these are slated to come to market later this year.

Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale US M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank with TUSK I Survivability Kit – 68th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Iraq, 2011

Keep in mind that it is entirely possible that the manufacturer has more Abrams tanks in the pipeline, as is common in the diecast military market.

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Hobby Master Fires Up another Flanker

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM “Flanker-C” Fighter – “Red 3”, 31st Guards Fighter Regiment, Zernograd, Russia, 2015

Never one to disappoint, Hobby Master announced today their intent to model the Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter as its next modern era subject. The Su-30 comes as no surprise to the collecting community seeing as how the manufacturer has already modeled virtually all of the other modern era combat aircraft found within the Sukhoi family. Still, it represents an important addition to the Hobby Master stable of modern era platforms, and cements their place as the preeminent maker of pre-assembed diecast military aircraft.

Several other noteworthy aircraft were also shown for the first time, all of whom are tentatively slated for a November release. What follows are the balance of the May product announcements:

Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb Fighter – RF-D/EP594, Lieutenant Jan Zumbach, No.303 (Polish) Squadron, RAF Northolt, England, August 1942
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb Fighter – BM592, Wing Commander Alois Vasatko, No.312 (Czech) Squadron, Exeter Wing, RAF Duxford, England, June 1942
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Israeli Boeing F-15A Baz Multi-Role Fighter – “672”, No.133 Squadron, Tel Nof Airbase, Israel, February 13th, 1981
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Boeing F-15C Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 86-0169, Lt. Colonel Cesar “Rico” Rodriguez, 493rd Fighter Squadron, 48th Fighter Wing, March 24th, 1981 [Low-Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale NASA Lockheed ER-2 High Altitude Research Aircraft – “809”, Dryden Flight Research Center, California, 1999
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Spanish Boeing Harrier II Plus EAV-8B Jump Jet – VA.1B-24, Naval Air Station Rota, Andalusia, Spain, 2019
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Spanish Navy Boeing Harrier II Plus AV-8B Jump Jet – 1-19, Marina Militare, North Arabian Sea, Operation Enduring Freedom, 2002 [Low-Vis Scheme]
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The Forces of Valor Update: Dogfights Over the Pacific

Forces of Valor’s 1:72 scale USMC Chance-Vought F4U-1D Corsair Fighter – Lt. Ira Kepford, VF-17 “Jolly Rogers”, 1944

When they took over the Forces of Valor brand some five years ago, Waltersons had hinted that many of the sub brands FOV had become famous for would be brought up to today’s standards, even if it meant taking some time to consider how to fulfill this dream. While anyone could have simply re-released several of their older and obviously more tired molds, thereby recouping some of their investment within the first year of the acquisition, Waltersons correctly realized that something had to be done to help differentiate them from their peers, even if it meant taking their time to get it right.

Forces of Valor’s 1:72 scale Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero” Fighter – Lieutenant Commander Sigeru Itaya, 2nd Squadron, 1st Section, IJN Carrier Akagi, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 1941

At long last, it appears as if the fruits of their labors are now quite evident, thanks, in part, to the posting of a group of photos aimed at showing off some of the features now found in their first batch of WWII-era, piston-engine fighters. Three fighters are expected to swoop in this summer, among them two Japanese Mitsubishi fighters and a lone USMC F4U Corsair, with several more warbirds looking to bolster their aerial armada later this year. While none of the subjects are new to the FOV squadron, Waltersons decided this would be their starting point with new toolings pushed off for a future date.

Forces of Valor’s 1:72 scale Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero” Fighter – Lt. Sumio Nouno, 11th Section, 4th Hikotai, IJN Carrier Hiryu, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 1941

The images clearly show the direction and philosophy Waltersons intends to take this category. For starters, each aircraft will come with a configurable display stand, which will enable collectors to pose the model in varying angles of attack. Should they decide to display their model in a landed position, each model will also come with a decorative display base designed to resemble a section of an aircraft carrier’s deck. And, while each model will come with a free-spinning propeller typical of a piston-powered fighter, the Company is also including a partially painted plastic spinner, which is designed to convey the illusion of motion, no easy feat given these are static display replicas. Other improvements include a removable engine cowling, which reveals a detailed power plant, seated pilot figure, and bombs/drop tanks, where applicable. Look for the first group of aircraft to arrive some time in July.

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