While many diecast modelmakers are still fleshing out their plans for 2023, Hobby Master is already turning its attention to early 2024. Several new warbirds were among their January roll out, including a number of aircraft that could potentially see action in the not-too-distant future if geo-political tensions fail to abate and an East-West Cold War turns hot.
Stop by our January 2024 Additions section to get a gander of what’s on the drawing board at the turn of the new year.
On Friday, Corgi debuted its latest round of diecast warbirds, which spans everything from a 1:48 scale BAe Harrier jump jet to a diminutive 1:72 scale Messerschmitt operated by the Regia Aeronautica. Its an interesting roll call of combat fliers, which adds a number of eagerly requested warbirds from a litany of twenty- and twenty first century military engagements.
Also up for consideration is a 1:12 scale Triumph 1962 TR6R 650cc motorcycle that was used by Steve McQueen in the feature film The Great Escape.Its their second two-wheeler, and certainly looks like a winner for both McQueen diehards and bike enthusiasts world over.
We’ve listed all of the newest models in our May Additions section, and invite you to take a look and pre-order those models that could be of particular interest to you. As an aside, Corgi has put together this video which helps to add a bit of background information for each new introduction. Enjoy!
Per Hobby Master’s MAP guidelines, we will be removing any price restrictions on all of the October 2022 Hobby Master arrivals. The price for each item has been reduced to their regular selling price and you may now apply any discounts we offer towards the purchase of these items. This process will recur on the first of every month in compliance with their updated MAP pricing program. You can tell if an item is no longer MAP protected if the blue MAP seal that appears alongside its image and just below its price has been removed. In effect, a retailer is no longer bound by the 6-month introductory MAP restriction policy and can sell the item for whatever price they deem appropriate.
In the world of technological advances, what works one minute may not work the next. Take the Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor as a prime example. Billed as a cutting-edge fifth generation fighter, the aircraft may already be showing its age, faced with some unexpected challenges that could put the platform in jeopardy in the not-too-distant future.
In June 2020, the “War Zone” reported that a 401 “Son of Ares” technology demonstration aircraft had conducted multiple test flights over the China Lake Naval Aviation Weapons Center. The surface of the aircraft was covered with a layer of highly reflective metal coating. Its stitching quality is similar to what we saw on this F-22. At the time, the US media assumed that this could be used to test advanced infrared sensors, and even low-power laser systems, as well as the aiming capabilities of these systems for specular reflection targets.
According to the report, the US military is currently conducting a large number of infrared search and tracking systems (IRSTs) tests, which are in the process of early deployment by the US Air Force and Navy. The US military is also developing an air-to-air laser weapon system.
In 2021, scientists developed a new type of stealth coating. This type of stealth coating is a lightweight anti reflective coating based on the structure of a moth’s eye that could make aircraft invisible to radar. The secret to the new coating is the creation of millions of tiny hollow spheres of carbonized sugar, arranged in a tightly-packed hexagonal monolayer. These spheres absorb nearly all radiation used by military targeting radar and law enforcement speed traps.
A coating which is 100 per cent anti-reflective in visible light would appear as a shapeless black mass, while one which had this property in the microwave range would be completely invisible to radar. The secret is the size of the biopolymer beads which form the hollows inside the coating, which at around 6mm are slightly smaller than the wavelengths of microwave and radar beams, and the thickness of the carbon walls that surround them.
Expect this latest technological marvel to land in June.
There are eclectic paint schemes employed on some aircraft and then there are the ones that border on the bizarre. Such is our characterization for “Toxic Death” – the latest F-117A to roll off the Hobby Master assembly line and into the arms of wide-eyed collectors world wide.
If a band of pirates were to have stolen an F-117 Nighthawk in an alternate dystopian reality, it probably would have looked exactly like YF-117A #781 does. It’s not every day you see one of America’s most sensitive and exotic combat aircraft stripped of its paint and stealth coatings and rattle-canned with graffiti, but that’s exactly what happen on June 27th, 1991.
Just a couple of years after the F-117 was declassified, and just months after its incredible performance during Operation Desert Storm, YF-117 #781 “Scorpion 2” was selected to be retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, located at Wright Patterson AFB. At the time, #781 was just ten years old, and had racked up just 437 test flights, but it was a pre-production test aircraft – the second of its kind – and could not be reintroduced into the operational F-117 fleet.
Transferring #781 to a museum was a pretty big deal, as no F-117 had ever been put on public display – not to mention the fact that the aircraft was packed with classified systems and coated with some of America’s most sensitive material. Simply flying it to the museum and pulling out some avionics was not in the cards; the “Black Jet” had to be totally stripped and modified inside and out before being rolled out to the public.
To remove any trace of the highly classified radar-absorbent material that coated the F-117’s faceted surfaces, the aircraft was “media-blasted.” This is a process similar to sand-blasting, but utilizes sodium bicarbonate crystals instead of sand so that the jet’s bare skin, which is an amalgam of composite and metallic materials, would not be harmed in the process.
While media blasting was safe for the jet, it was abhorrent for the crews that had to do it. Everyone involved had to be covered head to toe in protective gear and masks, any open seam sealed with tape. Apparently, the fine particulates got everywhere and into everything – no crevice was too small. It was a nasty, arduous process – and precisely where the “Toxic Death” moniker and skull and crossbones emblazoned on both sides of #781 came from. Since the aircraft was going to be repainted before being put on display anyway, the crews had some fun with their blank canvas.
The “Ray Who?” inscription seen painted in red behind the cockpit apparently refers to the name of a gregarious flight test engineer that worked with the Baja Scorpions, the Lockheed-USAF integrated test unit that conducted F-117 developmental flight testing during the jet’s infancy at Area 51.
The freshly stripped #781 made its way to Wright Patterson AFB, and once it arrived was gutted of a ton of other sensitive materials, systems, and reusable parts. Many of the jet’s classified avionics, like its air-data computer, the radar-diffusing grids over its intakes, and low-observable (stealthy) screens over its FLIR and DLIR, had to be dealt with.
Once picked clean, #781 had to be built back up to look like any operational F-117. Certain frequency selective panels, the jet’s exhaust tiles, tail fins, and other sensitive body parts had to be pulled and replaced with lookalikes. Finally, the project was capped off with the application of the Nighthawk’s signature flat-black paint. (courtesy: The Drive)
Look for this latest wunderwaffe, er masterpiece, to land on diecast shelves some time in May.
Perhaps paying homage to the seminal Schwarzenneger film, Predator, Forces of Valor says that their first pairing of 1:72 scale Apache attack helicopters are on track for an early June fly-in. According to their sales literature, one represents a helicopter flown by the Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces while the other is tied to the US Army’s famed 1st Air Cavalry Division, no doubt the more eagerly sought after item here in the States. Each comes with two seated crewmen figures, a full weapons load out, handsome display base and, of course, a display stand so that collecotrs have a choice of presentation options.
In an effort to get more 1:32 scale vehicles into the hands of collectors, the Company will be releasing a pair of M24 Chaffee light tanks – one connected to WWII and the other the so-called Forgotten War in Korea. Priced below $100, their newest vehicles will no longer come with a removable engine or detailed engine compartment, something the new owners of the brand felt were an important hallmark of their re-launched series. Its not clear if this strategy will become a trend for Waltersons, who have to date sought to improve older Unimax-created toolings wherever and whenever possible by increasing its metal content and including more robust features, be they opening hatches, engines or painting schemes.
Also expected are two German Opel ambulances, a GMC truck armed with an overhead .50 caliber machine gun and two versions of the illustrious US battleship, USS Missouri (previously profiled).
Now that Waltersons is handling its own distribution within North America it seems as though that production and distribution can now be better coordinated, meaning product should flow more steadily out of Asia and into their most important marketplace. By eschewing the more traditional distribution network, they can bring in larger quantities of product for more extended periods of time and hopefully maintain better in-stock positions across all of their selling venues.
Lastly, the manufacturer was kind enough to send us final imagery for their upcoming British aircraft carrier, HMS Invincible. While nestled in Japanese packaging and by no means indicative of all of its final features, the two shots demonstrates their commitment towards building out their diecast fleet instead of simply re-hashing older toolings that have been around for some time. We are still awaiting pricing for the soon-to-be-released warship, so we will hold off accpeting pre-orders until the manufacturer gives us the go-ahead to begin the advance order process.
As we await the next wave of Neo Dragon Armor vehicles, the Company debuted yet another pairing of 1:72 scale armored subjects. Like their previously announced Hummel tank destroyers, the Hornisse was developed to provide a mobile anti-tank antidote to the growing array of Allied armor they were facing towards the latter half of the Second World War. As a stop gap measure, the Waffenamt saw the need to develop a special weapons-carrier vehicle based on the PzKpfw IV chassis, which was adapted to take the 8.8cm PaK 43 gun. The first of these so-called Nashorns (“Rhinocerous”) entered service in 1943. Later knows as Hornisse (Hornet), the vehicle had an unusually high profile that was difficult to conceal, a problem increased by poor armor with only the driver being fully protected. It was therefore used as a long-range weapon, in contrast to most other tank destroyers. The powerful gun made the Nashorn a potent battlefield weapon, but it was too bulky for its prescribed role and only the lack of anything better kept it on the production line as long as it did. Some 433 were built before production ceased in 1944.
Featuring a fully detailed fighting compartment, elevating gun and superbly painted exterior, look for Dragon’s Hornisse to rumble onto the diecast battlefield later this year.
Air Force 1 seems to be back with a vengeance in 2023, claiming five more warbirds are in store for the latter half of the year. While no new toolings were announced, several fan favorites are making an encore appearance, all attractively packaged and just as attractively priced as they were when they originally flew in. Here now the newest warbirds waiting in the wings for a Harvest Moon release:
A couple of months back, Hornby let slip that they were looking to get into the sci-fi universe by offering a range of Star Trek-related products. Today, they confirmed the rumors on Facebook with the following post:
“Happy First Contact Day! We’re delighted to confirm that Corgi will be returning to The Final Frontier later this year as we begin to release a new range of officially licensed models from the Star Trek Universe!”
Its a sort of cryptic message with little substance behind it, since it still isn’t clear if they plan to resurrect the Eaglemoss line of Star Trek starships or launch their own fleet from the Trek yards. Either way, its welcome news for both Trekkies and diecast collectors, all of whom are eager to live out their next five year mission with the help of Corgi warping into space in the captain’s chair alongside them.
Earlier this year, Waltersons debuted their first pairing of new 1:700 warships when they released their Imperial Japanese Navy battleship, Yamato. While the Yamato had been a part of the original Unimax fleet as well as the reinvigorated Watersons navy unleashed several years ago, the updated Japanese battleship is now available in two distinct versions – one with a full hull and a second as a waterline variant that can satisfy wargamers. Both have done well at retail since leaving port, which has encouraged Waltersons to delve deeper into their line, this time around taking their US battleship, USS Missouri, out of proverbial mothballs and back out to sea.
Expected in early June, the updated warship features new gun turret tooling that enables them to sport individualized gun movement. Additionally, the full hull version comes with an all-new display base, updated packaging, and a slicker tri-color camouflaged paint scheme that better reflects the warship’s appearance during the middle part of the Pacific campaign.
Down the road, or, as the case may be out to sea, its a good bet that Waltersons will offer the same treatment to other previously released warships such as the German battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz, not to mention the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, along with newer builds that have been hinted at for some time – the USS Kitty Hawk, HMS Invincible and others, to name but a few. Its a good and viable strategy provided they can lay the keels and christen these nautical behemoths in a more timely manner.
