April 29, 2022

Hobby Master Still Doesn’t Feel the Need for Speed

May is a rather intriguing month for both film goers and diecast collectors since it represents the debut of Top Gun: Maverick, the long awaited feature film that marks the return of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell to the silver screen. According to some overnight articles, the initial reaction to the film was quite favorable, and will no doubt serve as an ideal recruitment driver for both the US Navy and Air Force, particularly in the wake of the current Russo-Ukrainian Conflict.

Hobby Maser’s 1:72 scale USMC Boeing F/A-18D Hornet Strike Fighter – 165685, VMFA(AW)-242 “Bats”, Yokota AB, Tokyo, Japan, 2020

Thus far, we haven’t heard of any of the major diecast makers offering a replica of Maverick’s Hornet, nor any of the other aircraft portrayed in the film. While Corgi has produced a fit-to-box pairing of his F/A-18 and a P-51 Mustang, we thought that by now someone would’ve stepped forward with a model aimed at capturing the spirit of the sequel and potentially gain market share both in the short- as well as long term. No doubt the fee for Paramount’s highly coveted Top Gun license isn’t cheap, however, even if it hovers around 6%, I think it still make sense for a company such as Hobby Master to explore whether or not they may be passing up a golden opportunity to produce what will certainly become one of the most sought after pre-assembed models in recent years.

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale RAAF Boeing F-18A Hornet Strike Fighter – A21-18, “Magpie”, No.75 Squadron, RAAF Base Tindal, NSW, Australia, 2021 [Heritage Scheme]

In the meantime, Hobby Master released a bunch of final images for the balance of their May releases. According to our distributor, the next Hobby Master shipment is expected mid May, unless of course something occurs along the way to hamper its arrival. While you can now see the entire collection in our Upcoming May release section, we thought you might like to ogle some of the most recent images Hobby Master was gracious enough to provide.

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – VMFA-314 “Black Knights”, June 2019 [Low-Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy McDonnell F-4H-1 Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – 148390f, VF-74 “Bedevilers”, USS Forrestal (CVA-59), 1962

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy McDonnell F-4H Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – 148423h, Test Pilot CDR John Watts Young, Project High Jump, April 1962
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