There appears to be some progress from the Panzerkampf camp, with several diecast military vehicles either headed our way or finally appearing on the radar screen. Frankly, with two different North American distributors its oftentimes difficult to ascertain which company will carry which item, since there is oftentimes overlap in some areas and none in others. Late yesterday, we learned that several of the earliest M1A2 Abrams tanks are finally headed our way, after first being announced well over a year ago. Not all of the Abrams tanks are expected – just a few equipped with the TUSK 1 survivability kit. We presume the balance of the series will be released later this spring, although its not clear who will be stocking them, when they are expected or at what wholesale price.

Also in this shipment is a British A39 Tortoise heavy tank as well as a lone example of the US M42 Duster self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. Again, its not clear when or if the other versions of the Duster will be released so we suggest anyone that pre-ordered any of these vehicles choose this version since we cannot guarantee that the others will show up. We’ve ordered extra pieces of this version, so anyone that wants to make the switch to “How Heavy is Dead?” from “Iron Coffin” or II Field Force should be covered. Due to low consumer demand, we would also strongly suggest anyone that pre-ordered the ROC version make the switch to the US vehicle expected.

We’ve also learned that Panzerkampf’s pair of M1070 heavy equipment transporters, originally slated for a 2021 release and available in both Europe and Asia, will finally arrive in the US some time in March. Here again we have no way of knowing presently if these items are being offered on an allocation basis due to strong demand, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we will be able to fill all of the orders we have received to date without having to make any harsh decisions. There’s a good chance the manufacturer may revisit this item at a later date should they feel demand warrants a second batch of vehicles.

In other news, Panzerkampf’s trio of MH-53 helicopters are expected to make an encore performance this spring, perhaps arriving with the M1070 heavy equipment transporters in March. No further information has been disseminated on the release date of their many different aircraft, WWII-era aircraft carrier or some of their other projects hinted at online. The manufacturer has unveiled rough sketches, CAD drawings and, in some instances, first shots of several upcoming helicopters such as the UH-60 Black Hawk while offering scant information concerning their Hind heavy attack helicopter.

Finally, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in the cost of their most recently released vehicles, including the M1 Abrams as well as the M42 Duster. Their new retail price is set at $49.99. If you placed a pre-order at the $39.99 price point, then we will still honor this price when we begin to process these orders in late February.