Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale notional examination of a Ukrainian General Dynamics F-16C Viper Fighter
With Chinese New Year just a scant two weeks away, it appears as if Hobby Master is cranking up its production line and passing along imagery for many of its upcoming products. Keep in mind that Chinese New Year runs from February 10th-24th, so its important they get a head start on its spring line up if they are to meet their monthly production goals. We expect additional product photos will be provided as the holiday draws nigh as well as gain a clearer sense as to when their February models are due to reach the market place.
Of particular note is this upcoming F-16 Viper currently being flown by a cadre of Ukrainian pilots in Arizona and elsewhere ahead of their deployment and use in eastern Europe. The Ukrainian air force has repeatedly used this type of digitized camouflage scheme on other aircraft so its a good bet that this notional scheme will don their aircraft once they have completed training and returned home.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Strike Fighter – VF-102 “Diamondbacks”, Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, 2005
Per Hobby Master’s MAP guidelines, we will be removing any price restrictions on all of the July 2023 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.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 Scale US M24 Chaffee Light Tank – Company D, 36th Tank Battalion, 8th Armored Division, Rheinberg, Germany, March 1945
In the past, we’ve reserved our Forces of Valor updates for discussions on new merchandise either just hitting the air waves or expected imminently. However, given the issues we’ve faced with this manufacturer over the past few months, we thought you might like to know where we stand with them and how it ultimately affects everyone’s orders going forward. On January 25th, we received our re-stock shipment and, apart from one minor problem where they over-shipped us a model kit, all seemed well with little need for immediate follow up. Whew!
We also learned that they are currently moving their Forces of Valor inventory from one public warehouse to another, the latter better situated to receive and ship out orders to the vendor’s clientele. This new warehouse has a proven track record of getting out orders on time and with little incident. As strange as it may sound, however, the new public warehouse is located over 1,000 miles away from their current warehouse in Indiana, a stone’s throw away from Greenlight Collectibles, and originally designed to handle the overflow of inventory resulting from the Greenlight Collectibles purchase before the resulting turmoil. Its not clear if this is a permanent arrangement or one designed to last for just a few months until a more workable strategy has been put into place. At any rate, we’ve placed our order with them for all of the new merchandise they’ve supposedly received and are keeping our fingers crossed that it can be shipped out by the tail end of January so that it arrives at our facility the first week of February.
In regards to new merchandise being announced, the manufacturer has updated their Chinese web site, which now has several new scenic sets, accessories and other product listed and we presume ready for a Spring release. With the Nuremberg Toy Fair right around the corner, we’re hoping that more new items will be added to the site along with reliable release dates we feel confident they can adhere to further down the road.
In the mean time, if you’ve placed a pre-order for the merchandise slated for February, hang in there a little while longer until we can receive and turn around all of the orders we’ve received to date.
On November 27th, 1957, four USAF pilots of the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing successfully completed Operation Sun Run by establishing three new transcontinental speed records in a McDonnell RF-101C aircraft. The record-breaking mission showcased the speed and range of the RF-101C, an improved version of the first supersonic photo reconnaissance aircraft, the RF-101A.
Operation Sun Run called for six RF-101C aircraft — two to fly round-trip from Los Angeles to New York and back again, two for the one-way flight from Los Angeles to New York, and two for backups if problems arose with the four primary aircraft. The undertaking required massive coordination of aircraft crews and radar and weather stations from coast to coast.
Six pilots of the 17th and 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons of the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing were chosen for Operation Sun Run. Each prepared for the round-trip flight, since they would not know which flight they were assigned until a few days before the operation. All six pilots had extensive experience in photo reconnaissance aircraft, although the RF-101 was relatively new to Tactical Air Command.
The success of Operation Sun Run also depended on the performance of the newly available KC-135 Stratotanker, the USAF’s first jet tanker. The KC-135’s speed allowed the RF-101s to refuel at an altitude of 35,000 feet and a speed of Mach 0.8. Crews from Strategic Air Command and Air Force Research and Development Command prepared for the 26 re-fuelings the Operation Sun Run RF-101Cs would require.
The so-called “Sun Run” RF-101C Voodoo reconnaissance aircraft is now in stock and ready for immediate shipment.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(76)W Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – Sgt. Daniel “Buttons” Cardell, “Julia”, 761st Tank Battalion “Black Panthers”, Task Force Rhine, Germany, 1945 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Waking up every day in the wee hours of the morning becomes a tad disheartening when we go through our emails to determine if our Forces of Valor shipment has, well, shipped. We placed an order with them over two weeks ago and have been sitting on our hands ever since, waiting patiently for a response that never seems to come. Today, we received a short message from Waltersons indicating that our restock order was going out either today, Thursday, or Friday, and that its tracking information would be passed along to us just as soon as the shipment was processed and sent on its way. Frankly, we’ve heard all this before and still no explanation has been provided as to why our shipment has been in hibernation for so long other than to say its sitting at a public warehouse. The manufacturer also went on to say that they are moving their product to a different public warehouse that has promised it can handle their shipments in a more expeditious manner. Bear in mind that the last shipment we received from them was way back in October and it was completely screwed up, with no explanation as to why it was sent out in such a sloppy manner. I’ve gone on record to say that in my 45 years of doing business after graduating college, and wearing multiple hats in the business world from salesman to store manager, buyer to merchandise manager, I have never seen a situation as poorly handled as this, with no communication from the owner as to why we have been placed in this unenviable position for such a long period of time.
As I’ve previously indicated, we will wait and see what this shipment looks like before placing an order with them for all the new merchandise they claim to have ready for dispatch. Paying thousands of dollars up front for an order only to have to chase it down for weeks on end isn’t my idea of ushering in the New Year. I know its not what a lot of you want to hear but we have to protect our investments — even with our suppliers — and be assured that what we order is what we will get despite what the manufacturer says in their communiques. If what they say is true, we should have this shipment by the tail end of January and, at that time, will place an order for their newest merchandise that is supposedly in stock. If they can address that to our satisfaction, then the new merchandise will likely arrive in early February.
Not much has been announced by the manufacturer as to what we can expect for the balance of the year. They’ve made previous product announcements over the years that simply haven’t come true, so having our hopes dashed time and time again isn’t new to us even when we pray things will change. In the seven or so years we’ve been doing business with them, lots of products have been hinted at that never came to fruition, shunted to the back burner for all sorts of reasons. Its become a tedious affair listening to pie-in-the-sky optimism with little to show for it. One the plus side, I’m over my sciatica. Yay! Happy new year!
Update: On Friday, our order has reportedly shipped and tracking information confirms that it is on the road. The delivery date is currently scheduled for Thursday the 25th. Once we inspect the shipment and note any errors we will then submit our order for their new merchandise. Again, we have no way of knowing if the new merchandise will be processed and shipped out on time but we will create a separate blog post to track its progress.
Hobby Master’s 1:56 scale German Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Heavy Tank – “Red 131”, schwere Panzerabteilung 504, Medjed el Bab, Tunisia, North Africa, April 1943
When Hobby Master first came to the fore in 2006, one of their earliest offerings was a set of 1:56 scale Tiger I heavy tanks. Although a somewhat strange scale as far as collecting military vehicles go, the Tiger was soon followed up by a 1:56 scale Abrams tank, a slightly larger array of 1:48 scale King Tigers and Shermans, and lastly a long and ever evolving littany of 1:72 scale military vehicles. While a bit surprising that they would return to the 1:56 scale regime some 18 years later, this tank, in and of itself is rather special since it was captured by the British forces and is currently the only operational Tiger I heavy tank, trotted out regularly by Britain’s Tank Museum for all the world to see. But first its pedigree…
Although the Allies had become aware of a powerful new German heavy tank from its introduction on the Eastern Front in September 1942, British and Commonwealth forces would not encounter the mighty Tiger I until the final stages of the battles to capture Tunis in April 1943.
Schwere Panzerabteilung 504 was the second Tiger unit to be sent to Tunisia. It was issued 25 PzKpfw III plus two Panzerbefehlswagen Tiger in January, and 18 Tigers, comprising the battalion staff, workshop company, while the 1st tank company arrived in Tunisia on March 12th, 1943. Interestingly, the 2nd company remained in Sicily to help defend the island should Tunisia fall to the advancing Allid armies. The tank company had four platoons, each with two Tiger I tanks and two Pzkpw III support tanks. All of schwere Panzerabteilung 504’s Tigers were destroyed or captured. The surviving elements surrendered on May 12th, 1943.
During heavy fighting around Guriat el Atach, in Tunisia, one Tiger tank was abandoned by its crew and captured by British troops, who defended their impressive prize until it could be recovered and repaired. Highlighting the significance of this acquisition, Tiger “131” was later inspected by both King George VI and Winston Churchill and would become the most famous fighting vehicle in the world.
As it currently stands, look for Hobby Master’s newest 1:56 scale Tiger I to hit the hot desert sands of North Africa this summer. Its big, heavy in the hand and a fitting tribute to both the Panzerwaffe that operated the vehicle as well as the British forces tasked with its capture.
As is customary with Corgi, the Company discussed plans for the next few months with a slick video that was uploaded to YouTube. According to the Corgi brand manager, several new aircraft are in the wings, including a Junkers Ju-88C bomber. Towards the end of the presentation, the spokesperson indicated that a Messerschmitt Me 410 heavy fighter is currently in production. While no word was mentioned regarding its price and release date, the Me 410 is certainly one of those subjects that have been routinely requested by their clientele and, to the best of our knowledge, no other modelmaker has plans to produce for the foreseeable future.
In a related development, Paramount acknowledged that they are discussing the third installment in their highly-acclaimed Top Gun movie franchise. Considering the success of Corgi’s Showcase series of Top-Gun-themed merchandise, its a good bet that the modelmaker will once again look to court Paramount with licensing so that they can continue to produce an assortment of Top Gun-related merchandise.
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale German Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4 “Friedrich” Fighter – Oberleutnant Otto Kath, Stab/Jagdgeschwader 54 “Grunherz”, Staraya, Russia, December 1941
Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54) “Grunherz” (Green Hearts) was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. It was known as the Green Hearts Wing, and was the second highest scoring wing of all time, JG 52 being the highest. JG 54 flew on the Eastern Front, racking up over 9,600 kills, with aces such as Walter Nowotny, Otto Kittel, Freiherr Peter Grunhertz, Hans “Phips” Philipp, Gunther Lutzow, Emil “Bully” Lang (Lang holds the record for most kills in a day,18), Max-Hellmuth Ostermann, Dietrich Hrabak, Werner Schroer and Hannes Trautloft being the most famous Experten.
Having enjoyed initial success over the Channel and South-east England during the summer of 1940, the unit was transferred to the Eastern Front in the spring of 1941 for Operation Barbarossa – the German invasion of the Soviet Union. JG 54 would remain a Jagdwaffe stalwart in the east, flying firstly Bf 109Fs and then the Fw 190.
JG 54 was known for its non-standard camouflage schemes. For example, Bf-109F-4’s on the Leningrad front 1941-42 were painted in black-green/dark-green splinter finish with yellow under cowling and under the wing tips.
JG 54 was assigned to Army Group North during Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Soviet Union on June 22nd, 1941 as part of the Luftwaffe’s Luftflotte 1. From the first days of the conflict, the unit proved to be one of the most effective units of the entire eastern front. June 30th was one of its most successful days of the entire war: JG 54 claimed no less than 65 kills (mostly bombers without fighters escort) over the town of Daugavpils. The “Grunherz” pushed on, still supporting Army Group North, towards the Gulf of Finland, fighting through Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. JG 54’s operations for 1941-43 had a twofold objective: to keep the pressure on the Leningrad sector, and to reduce Soviet pressure on the Lake Ilmen area at the German flank. The Geschwader remained on that part of the Eastern Front for most of its existence. In the period June 22nd – December 5th, 1941, the unit destroyed 1,078 Soviet aircraft in return for 46 losses in aerial combat and a single fighter on the ground. Such was the pace and scale of fighting that JG 54 celebrated its 1,000 kill on August 1st, 1941, thanks to Lieutenant Max-Hellmuth Ostermann.
Hobby Master’s latest 1:48 scale release, a Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4 “Friedrich” Fighter that was piloted by Oberleutnant Otto Kath, is now in stock and ready for immediate shipment.
According to ComicBook.com, plans are underway at Paramount to create a third installment in the highly-acclaimed Top Gun franchise. The site goes on to say that the three central actors from Top Gun 2 – Tom Cruise, Miles Teller and Glen Powell – will be reprising their respective roles although no word as yet concerning the third flick’s plot, aircraft depicted or adversaries the trio will face off against. For more information, feel free to peruse the following article: https://comicbook.com/movies/news/top-gun-3-development-tom-cruise-returning/?fbclid=IwAR2d6GVtzt43GjuAgYlv5xHxvxeh84vppRr0zQ-Yf_jr71z6bittqSQEI5M
Sukhoi’s S-70 Okhotnik-B stealth heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV)
While much is being made of the forthcoming “Loyal Wingman” program here in the US, a project in which a manned jet is controlling one or more unmanned jets to increase the effectiveness of the airborne package, Russia may soon be unveiling its own “Tavaryš” or Comrade system later this year.
The Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B (Russian: Сухой С-70 “Охотник”, ‘Hunter’), also referred to as Hunter-B, is a Russian stealth heavy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) being developed by Sukhoi and Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG as a sixth-generation aircraft project. The drone is based on the earlier Mikoyan Skat, designed by MiG, and encompassing some technologies of the fifth-generation Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet. In the future, it is planned to act under the control of pilots of Su-57 jets, similarly to the USAF Skyborg program.
The Okhotnik has been under development since at least 2011, when Sukhoi was selected by the Russian Defense Ministry to lead a program for a new heavy unmanned reconnaissance and attack drone. The new UCAV is being jointly developed by MiG and Sukhoi, based on data of the earlier Mikoyan Skat UCAV program. The work is carried out by the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO), part of the Sukhoi company. In the documents, the drone is characterized as a “sixth-generation unmanned aerial vehicle”.
The first mock-up intended for ground tests was created in 2014. Prototype of the drone was first revealed in July 2017, showing the drone’s flying wing configuration.
In November 2018, the drone performed first series of taxiing, speeding and stopping tests in fully autonomous mode at a runway of the NAPO plant. During the runs, it has reached a maximum speed of 200 km/h.
An Okhotnik-B UCAV flying alongside a Sukhoi Su-57 “Felon” fifth-generation fighterstill undergoing flight testing
On January 18th, 2019, the third flyable Su-57 prototype (bort no. 053) was spotted wearing a new digital camouflage paint scheme, with digital silhouette of the Okhotnik on its top and underside and a unique markings on the vertical tail showing the shape of a UCAV flying alongside the shape of Su-57 with a lightning bolt (universally used to show electronic connectivity and data sharing) between the two. On January 24th, 2019, first flyable prototype of the drone was seen towed at the NAPO plant. According to Russian officials, the Su-57 is being used as a flying laboratory for the testing of the Okhotnik’s avionics systems.
In late May 2019, Okhotnik performed a series of flight tests during which the drone flew several meters above a runway of the NAPO plant. On August 3rd, 2019, Okhotnik performed its maiden flight. The drone flew for about 20 minutes at an altitude of 600 meters above Chkalov State Flight Test Center in Akhtubinsk, and made several circles around the airfield. On August 7th, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video of the first flight.
On September 27th, 2019, Russian MoD released a video showcasing the first flight of Okhotnik alongside a Su-57. Reportedly the UAV operated autonomously and flew for more than 30 minutes interacting with the Su-57 to test extending the fighter’s radar and target designation range for use of long-range air-launched weapons from the outside of enemy air defenses.
On February 12th, 2021, it was reported that three additional prototypes were under construction at the Novosibirsk Chkalov Aviation Plant, according to a source in the military-industrial complex. The second model is a modified copy of the 1st prototype while the 3rd and 4th prototypes will be identical to the serial production unit. The improvements will relate to the systems of onboard radio-electronic equipment and structural elements of the air frame. The three additional prototypes should be ready for flight tests in 2022 and 2023. The source in the military-industrial complex also said that the serial Hunter will receive a standard flat nozzle to further reduce their thermal and radar signature.
On February 28th, 2021, it was reported that the Okhotnik will be used aboard the future Project 23900 Ivan Rogov amphibious assault ships, capable of carrying four Okhotnik drones, for reconnaissance and strike missions. The second prototype was rolled out in December 2021, with a new flat jet nozzle.
Okhotnik reportedly tested unguided weapons like free-fall bombs in 2021 and carried out tests with precision-guided munitions in 2022. In August 2023, it was reported that state tests for the Okhotnik will be completed by the end of 2023, with the drone expected to enter mass production in 2024.
With both Hobby Master and Air Force 1 having already produced several versions of the Sukhoi Su-57 “Felon” fifth-generation fighter, it remains to be seen if one or perhaps both modelmakers will sit up and take notice of this important technological development and decide to offer either a stand alone version of the “Hunter” or possibly create a gift set that combines both a manned and unmanned aircraft suited for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
