Forces of Valor’s 1:72 scale USMC Bell AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter – Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 “Vengeance”, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California
Apparently vertical integration has different meanings to different entities. In the case of Waltersons, their acquisition of Greenlight Collectibles earlier this year has allowed them to become both a manufacturer and distributor, not to mention a peddler of their line of products through their own proprietary web site. It also appears as if they’re trotting out more of their older molds from cold storage to maintain momentum, improving them when ever and where ever possible to bring them up to today’s standards. Case in point their 1:72 scale vertical take off AH-1Z “Zulu” attack helicopter, a chopper originally produced by Unimax that has quietly been added to the burgeoning Walterson’s catalogue.
Waltersons’ Chinese web site now has the updated AH-1Z added to their helicopter section, which is bundled together with their hallmark helipad as well as a standard display stand. This new attack helicopter bears the markings of Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 “Vengeance” (HMLA-469), which was retired in 2022 at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California. We’re not going to stick out our necks and offer a release date since there’s a great many other products that were supposed to come out well before this helicopter was being tapped for re-introduction. As a guess, it will likely support small scale Marine operations sometime in early 2024, perhaps as part of a larger 1st quarter product roll out. So, in the meantime, keep planning your forcible entry options by savoring each of these close-up photos.
Historic Aviation, owner of both the Wings of the Great War and Luft-X lines of resin military aircraft and our principal distributor, announced today that three new models are joining their rapidly expanding resin aerodrome. In the Luft-X range, look for a Heinkel P.1078 interceptor painted in a curious-looking blue, green and white camouflage scheme. Although never greenlighted by the Waffenamt, the P.1078 was created as part of a program to develop a high altitude interceptor capable of dealing with some of the new pressurized bombers believed to take to the skies over the Third Reich, most notably the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.
Wings of the Great War’s 1:72 scale German Fokker D.VII Fighter – Franz Buchner, Jagdstaffel 13, 1917
In the Wings of the Great War series, two WWI-era aircraft were given the nod, among them a Fokker D.VII fighter that was piloted by Franz Buchner along with a Junkers D.1 Fighter that was deployed to the Western Front during Autumn 1918. According to the marketing hand out, all three aircraft are being vectored for a February landing.
Wings of the Great War’s 1:72 scale German Junkers D.1 Fighter – Western Front, Autumn 1918
Over the last year or so, we suspended shipments to both Australia and New Zealand. There were several reasons for this decision — most notably the cost of shipping, particularly for larger items where the shipping fees could and were eclipsing the cost of the item itself. Together with VAT or customs fees, we were beginning to wonder why anyone would choose to use us to place their orders instead of sourcing product from an Australian or East Asian dealer.
At the other end of the spectrum, some customers were routinely asking us to find cheaper methods of delivery. Simply put, the USPS offered and continues to offer the cheapest rates available, with FedEx and UPS coming in a distant second and third. Gone are the days of surface mail or inexpensive air mail where we could ship an item around the world at an acceptable rate. Today, the cost to ship to Australasia is vastly prohibitive, so trying to attract and retain customers from “down under” no longer made sense.
Additionally, there were some customers who would place larger pre-orders for all sorts of items due out at varying intervals in time. They would then expect us to bear the cost of shipping each and every item individually citing the initial shipping fee that appeared on their invoice as a means of covering the cost of shipping out each item separately. Simply put, that is untenable and we would, in fact, be losing money if we elected to accept those orders. The only way that would or could work for us was if the customer kept their credit card information on file with us and permit us to charge them as each item arrived. Again, an iffy proposition for everyone concerned.
As a temporary solution, we’ve decided to resume shipping to both Australia and New Zealand for in-stock items only. We will not accept pre-orders, back orders or anything else not available at the time the order is placed. Remember too that Australia and New Zealand are twelve hours ahead of us, so we are unable to review an overnight order until the next day.
We recognize that this isn’t a perfect solution, but one we can deal with so long as the customer is okay with it too. Going forward, any pre-orders or back orders we receive will be cancelled outright unless we know for certain that the merchandise is expected shortly, and by shortly we mean over the next 30-days so that the authorization code we receive from the bank at the time the order is placed is still active. Otherwise we will simply point the customer back to this blog post as our reason for cancelling their order. Sorry, but that’s the fairest system we can come up with…
“In the fight of his life, Royce Williams had accomplished what no other American fighter pilot would ever accomplish: shoot down four MiG-15s in one fight.”
– Thomas McKelvey Cleaver, author of Holding the Line
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale US Navy Grumman F9F-5 Panther Fighter – Captain Royce Williams, “Actions Speak Louder than Medals”, VF-781 “Pacemaker”, USS Oriskany (CV-34), November 1952
In 1952, then-Lieutenant Williams was serving with VF-781 aboard the USS Oriskany (CV-34) as part of Task Force 77. On November 18th, 1952, on his second mission of the day, while on combat air patrol near Hoeryong, North Korea, his group of four pilots spotted seven MiG-15s overhead. The other three pilots had to return to the carrier and the MiGs began to fire on Williams, putting him into a one-man dogfight with seven MiG-15s that lasted 35 minutes. It is believed to be the longest dogfight in U.S. Naval history. Commanders on his carrier ordered him away, but Williams had to tell them that he was already fighting for his life. He shot down four of the MiGs and likely hit two others. By the end of the 35-minute engagement, only one of the MiGs was still in the air with him, and he managed to escape back to his carrier, out of ammunition and having lost his hydraulics. He was uninjured, but 263 holes were counted in his Panther jet. He never saw the plane again; reportedly, it was pushed into the sea.
The US Navy’s record of the November 1952 incident said only that Williams had shot down one enemy (not listed as “Soviet”) plane and damaged another, for which he was awarded the Silver Star in 1953. However, the dogfight was recorded in Soviet archives which were released after the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. The Soviet records confirmed that of the seven MiGs, only one returned to its base. A 2014 Russian book, Red Devils over the Yalu: A Chronicle of Soviet Aerial Operations in the Korean War 1950-53, reported the battle and named Williams. The four MiGs were flown by Soviet Naval Aviation pilots, with Captains Belyakov and Vandalov, and Lieutenants Pakhomkin and Tarshinov being shot down. In his book Holding the Line about Task Force 77, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver described the fight, saying “On November 18th, 1952, Royce Williams became the top-scoring carrier-based naval aviator and the top-scoring naval aviator in a Navy jet of the ‘forgotten war’.” He added, “In the fight of his life, Royce Williams had accomplished what no other American fighter pilot would ever accomplish: shoot down four MiG-15s in one fight.”
Williams’ battle with the Soviet-piloted MiGs led to him being debriefed at the time by admirals, the Secretary of Defense, and a few weeks later by newly inaugurated President Dwight D. Eisenhower. These authorities made a decision to cover up the specifics of the battle, because at that time the Soviet Union was not officially a combatant in the Korean War and it was feared that publicity about the air battle would draw the Soviets further into the conflict. The dogfight was scrubbed from U.S. Navy and National Security Agency records, and Williams was sworn to secrecy about the incident – so much so that he never told anyone about it, not even his wife nor his pilot brother, until the Korean War records were declassified in 2002.
Two versions of Williams’ F9F-5 Panther fighter are scheduled to take to the skies in November.
Looking to juice sales ahead of the start to the holiday season, eBay announced today that they were offering a 20% off coupon, eligible for select categories. The Toys and Collectibles category was included in the deal meaning you can save a further 20% off of our already discounted prices for in-stock merchandise. Naturally, there are terms and conditions of sale. The first is that the sale ends on Sunday, October 22nd; the second is that there is a $500 rewards ceiling and the third appears to be a two times usage limit. So, if you want to maximize your savings, make sure to place as many items in your shopping cart at once before checking out to get the biggest bang for the buck.
Make sure to enter the coupon code HEADSTART at checkout. Lastly, this discount can only be used on the eBay selling platform.
Wild Weasel is a code name given by the United States Air Force (USAF) to an aircraft of any type equipped with anti-radiation missiles and tasked with the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD): destroying the radar and surface-air-to-missile (SAM) installations of enemy air defense systems. The task of a Wild Weasel aircraft is to bait enemy anti-aircraft defenses into targeting it with their radars, whereupon the radar waves are traced back to their source, allowing the Weasel or its teammates to precisely target it for destruction.
The Wild Weasel concept was developed by the USAF in 1965 during the Vietnam War after the introduction of Soviet SAMs and their downing of American strike aircraft participating in Operation Rolling Thunder in the skies over North Vietnam. The program was headed by General Kenneth Dempster. “The first Wild Weasel success came soon after the first Wild Weasel mission 20 December 1965 when Captains Al Lamb and Jack Donovan took out a site during a Rolling Thunder strike on the railyard at Yen Bai, some 75 mi (120 km) northwest of Hanoi.” Wild Weasel tactics and techniques were later adapted by other nations in subsequent conflicts, as well as being integrated into the suppression of enemy air defenses, a plan used by U.S. air forces to establish immediate air supremacy prior to possible full-scale conflict.
Initially known by the operational code “Iron Hand” when first authorized on August 12th, 1965, the term “Wild Weasel” derives from Project Wild Weasel, the USAF development program for a dedicated SAM-detection and suppression aircraft. The technique was also called an “Iron Hand” mission, though technically this term referred only to the suppression attack before the main strike. Originally named “Project Ferret”, denoting a predatory animal that goes into its prey’s den to kill it (hence: “to ferret out”), the name was changed to differentiate it from the code-name “Ferret” that had been used during World War II for radar countermeasures bombers.
Hobby Master’s latest F-4G Wild Weasel is currently on track for an October fly-in, provided it can evade enemy radar.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter – 165536, “Top Gun”, NAS Fallon, Nevada, 2020
The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (SFTI program), more popularly known as TOPGUN, teaches fighter and strike tactics and techniques to selected naval aviators and naval flight officers, who return to their operating units as surrogate instructors. It began as the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, established on March 3rd, 1969, at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. In 1996, the school was merged into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.
In 1968, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Thomas Hinman Moorer ordered Captain Frank Ault to research the failings of the U.S. air-to-air missiles used in combat in the skies over North Vietnam. Operation Rolling Thunder, which lasted from March 2nd, 1965, to November 1st, 1968, ultimately saw almost 1,000 U.S. aircraft losses in about one million sorties. Rolling Thunder became the Rorschach test for the Navy and Air Force, which drew nearly opposite conclusions
The United States Navy Fighter Weapons School was established on March 3rd, 1969, at Naval Air Station Miramar, California. Placed under the control of the VF-121 “Pacemakers,” an F-4 Phantom-equipped Replacement Air Group (RAG) unit, the new school received relatively scant funding and resources. Its staff consisted of eight F-4 Phantom II instructors from VF-121 and one intelligence officer hand-picked by the school’s first officer-in-charge, Lieutenant Commander Dan Pedersen, USN. Together, F-4 aviators Darrell Gary, Mel Holmes, Jim Laing, John Nash, Jim Ruliffson, Jerry Sawatzky, J. C. Smith, Steve Smith, as well as Wayne Hildebrand, a naval intelligence officer, built the Naval Fighter Weapons School syllabus from scratch. To support their operations, they borrowed aircraft from its parent unit and other Miramar-based units, such as composite squadron VC-7 and Fighter Squadron VF-126. The school’s first headquarters at Miramar was in a stolen modular trailer.
According to the 1973 command history of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, the unit’s purpose was to “train fighter air crews at the graduate level in all aspects of fighter weapons systems including tactics, techniques, procedures and doctrine. It serves to build a nucleus of eminently knowledgeable fighter crews to construct, guide, and enhance weapons training cycles and subsequent aircrew performance. This select group acts as the F-4 community’s most operationally orientated weapons specialists. TOPGUN’s efforts are dedicated to the Navy’s professional fighter crews, past, present and future.”
Highly qualified instructors were an essential element of TOPGUN’s success. Mediocre instructors are unable to hold the attention of talented students. TOPGUN instructors were knowledgeable fighter tacticians assigned to one or more specific fields of expertise, such as a particular weapon, threat, or tactic. Every instructor was required to become an expert in effective training techniques. All lectures were given without notes after being screened by a notorious “murder board” of evaluators who would point out ambiguities or flawed concepts in the draft presentation. The curriculum was in a constant state of flux based upon class critiques and integration of developing tactics to use new systems to combat emerging threats. Instructors often spent their first year on the staff learning to be an effective part of the training environment.
The scheme shown here was afforded a prominent role in the recently released feature film Top Gun Maverick. You can nab the latest Top Gun Hornet later this month as part of Hobby Master’s October cache of military aircraft replicas.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed-Martin F-22A Raptor Air Dominance Fighter – 04-4070, 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53d Test and Evaluation Group, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, March 2022 [Symbiote Reflective Coating]
With other modelmakers continuing to struggle to pump out new product, Hobby Master proved why they have become the dominant manufacturer of diecast military aircraft. Their latest leaflet shows a dozen new warbirds are being added to the mix, all supposedly slated for a June 2024 release. Interestingly, most of these new introductions are based upon US-built aircraft, most notably their second look at the experimental F-22 Raptor currently undergoing testing at Nellis AFB in Nevada.
Unlike the first “Chrome” scheme that appeared on a previous F-22, this so-called “symbiote” scheme is far less reflective yet intended to attain the same effects – i.e. reduce the radar cross section of the F-22, which, as many experts claim, is already the size of a small bird on most radar apparatus. According to the Aviationist, “it features smaller, mirror-like tiles applied on the nose section, weapons bay doors, fuselage and also inner and outer face of the twin tails.” Apparently, these new schemes are also being tested on the US Navy’s F-35C Joint Strike Fighter as well as the USAF F-117A stealth fighter, meaning these aircraft will likely be around for far longer than was originally intended, even as the upcoming Next Generation Air Dominance fighter (NGAD) approaches its initial production run date. Moreover, its a good bet Hobby Master will eventually get around to releasing “chrome” versions of these aircraft types.
A “Chrome”-plated F-35C Joint Strike FighterEven the F-117A Nighthawk who many believed was headed for the retirement home, seems to have escaped the boneyard and is conducting “cladding” RCS tests at Nellis AFB
Feel free to visit our October 2023 introductions to review all of the other new replicas due out alongside their newest F-22. Incidentally, the accompanying video does an excellent job of explaining the current thinking behind the F-22’s new super-secretive stealthy cladding and its potential implications for both air combat as well as the forthcoming NGAD program, which is rapidly reaching the selection process in 2024.
In other news, we’ve received word that Hobby Master will be including a pair of interchangeable air intakes with each F-15 Eagle multi-role fighter – one version is canted at a downward angle while the other is angled horizontally. The air intakes on an F-15 jet are pointed slightly downward to prevent the ingestion of foreign object debris (FOD) while the aircraft is on the ground. This is known as a “ground bump” and is designed to keep debris out of the engine while the aircraft is taxiing or parked. Additionally, the angle of the air intake also helps to reduce drag and improve the aircraft’s overall aerodynamic performance.
Also scheduled for inclusion will be interchangeable speed brakes. This updated packaging will begin with the upcoming HA4536 and continue with each version of the F-15 (A through EX). No word if this modification will affect the price of each unit.
“As a fighter pilot he was absolutely supreme. Above all, he possessed lightning reflexes and could make a quicker judgement in a bigger orbit than anyone else… Marseille was unique.”
Eduard Neumann, commander of Jagdgeschwader 27 ‘Afrika’ during the North African Campaign from 1941 to 1943
Regarded by many of his contemporaries as the most naturally gifted fighter pilot ever to take to the air, Hans-Joachim Marseille would make the clear blue skies of North Africa his hunting ground and the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter ‘Yellow 14’ his feared mount. Claiming 158 victories from 382 sorties flown, 151 of these were scored over the deserts of North Africa, making him the top scoring Luftwaffe ace in the Mediterranean theatre, gaining more victories against Western Allied airmen than any other pilot. Tragically, as was the case with so many of the young men who fought during WWII, the ‘Star of Africa’ would not survive the conflict and indeed would not live to see his 23rd birthday.
On September 30th, 1942, Marseille was leading his Squadron on a mission to support a flight of Stukas when his new Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 fighter developed engine problems. With the cockpit filling with noxious fumes and unable to see out of the canopy, he relied on his wingman to guide him over friendly lines, before he could attempt to bale out. Once over German held territory, with the effects of smoke inhalation now causing disorientation, he turned the fighter on its back and rolled out of the cockpit. With the aircraft now adopting a nose down attitude, Marseille struck the tail of the Messerschmitt, probably killing him instantly and sending his lifeless body tumbling to the desert floor – the ‘Star of Africa’ had fallen.
A significant turning point in the career of Hans Joachim Marseille occurred in early 1941 when he was posted to North Africa, well away from distractions which had previously brought him so much trouble, now coming under the guidance of Commander Eduard Neumann. Neumann saw something special in Marseille and encouraged him to train himself to be a better fighter pilot and realize his combat potential – his style of man management seemed to suit Marseille, who began a regime of physical exercise and careful diet, strengthening his legs and abdominal muscles to better withstand the forces impost on a pilot during dogfighting. Unlike many of the other pilots of Jagdgeschwader 27, Marseille would never wear sunglasses during sorties, as he wanted his eyes to become accustomed to the harsh lighting in the desert. Significantly, he began to take a keen interest in his aircraft, preferring to spend much of his free time with his crew chief, or studying the art of deflection shooting, ensuring that he was better prepared for his next meeting with the enemy. With ever increasing regularity, these meetings would result in Marseille recording more victories and displaying exceptional flying ability and split second tactical awareness in the process – the ‘Star of Africa’ was beginning to shine.
The death of Hans Joachim Marseille was a terrible blow for the pilots of Jagdgeschwader 27 and indeed the entire German nation, who had started to think that the charismatic Marseille was invincible in the air. Facing increasingly superior numbers of Allied fighters in North Africa and with Rommel and his Afrika Korps now very much on the retreat, the Luftwaffe would never regain superiority of these desert skies again and it would not be long before the fighters of Jagdgeschwader 27 were redeployed to Northern France.
Eduard Neumann said of Marseille “As a fighter pilot he was absolutely supreme. Above all, he possessed lightning reflexes and could make a quicker judgement in a bigger orbit than anyone else… Marseille was unique.”
The distinctive yellow, black and brown crest of Jagdgeschwader 27 “Afrika”, signifying, in rather colorful fashion, its role in the aerial campaign over North Africa
Adolf Galland, himself one of the most celebrated Luftwaffe fighter aces of WWII, described Marseille as “An unrivaled virtuoso among the fighter pilots of World War II. His achievements had previously been regarded as impossible and they were never excelled by anyone after his death.”
Marseilles’ formidable 1:48 scale Bf-109F, Hobby Master’s first “Friedrich” version of the stalwart Messerschmitt Bf-109, is currently on track for an October release.
After years of speculation and a change of watching venues, it appears as if the third Spielberg/Hanks collaborative effort — Masters of the Air — will finally take wing this January. Its an epic retelling of the US Army Air Force’s bombing campaign over Nazi-occupied Europe, fraught will all the peril and risk that was associated with mid twentieth century aerial warfare.
At long last,the much anticipated sequel to both Band of Brothers and The Pacific finally has a debut date: January 26th. Masters of the Air, which follows the course of the US Air Forces’ bombing campaign over Nazi-occupied Europe, was green-lighted for production some time ago, after much hoopla and consternation from adoring fans. Scheduled to appear on Apple TV+, the series will open with two episodes on January 26th and run until March 15th, meaning a total of nine episodes are in the can. Runtime information for each episode is still sketchy although they’re likely to fill at least an hour’s worth of time without advertisements. It is reported that Apple spent over $250 million on the production of the series, which includes a $7 million dollar set depicting a US air base, so Apple will no doubt do its best to recoup its investment in short order.
Both Band of Brothers and The Pacific are considered by many to be the holy grail of WWII film making, so Masters of the Air has some big shoes to fill from any number of standpoints. Thus far, no trailer has appeared, although its a sure bet several will surface well before the series opens to entice would-be viewers to subscribe to their pay-per-view channel.
From a collectibles standpoint, Masters of the Air differs markedly from both Band of Brothers and The Pacific since a great deal of the emphasis in the series is placed upon the machines of war rather than the men who carried out the aerial campaign. Yes, the morale, training and skill for each airman will be taken into account and examined closely, but just as importantly are the warbirds that carried out each mission, from the early war B-17E and F Flying Fortress bombers to the late war chin-mounted guns that personified the G models. Likewise, the fighters and interceptors will come into play, from the tough but short-range P-47 Thunderbolts to the late war P-51D Mustangs who were able to fly all the way to Berlin and back thanks to their drop tanks and streamlined designs.
Playtone, the production company for Masters of the Air, spared no expense at recreating a realistic set. Shown here is an airfield set built and located at Abingdon in the UK. Two stationary B-17 replicas, a Control Tower and other articles of war were faithfully recreated to help breathe life into their war torn set.
Thus far nothing has been formally announced regarding product tie-ins, although its reasonable to conclude that a bevy of diecast collectibles will eventually be produced from any number of model makers, encompassing everything from heavy bombers to jet interceptors, all faithfully reproduced and bearing the markings, unit insignia and nose art depicted in the series. If you’re an avid follower of WWII, then Masters of the Air will certainly satisfy your aviation ambitions while modelmakers do their best to keep up with and replicate many of the key aircraft depicted in the series.
