December 22, 2025

Tales of Transparency: Late to the Party

Air Force 1’s USAAF Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Heavy Bomber – “Man ‘O War II”, 323rd Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group, Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, England, November 1944 (1:72 Scale)

We’ve got some especially good news for all of you collectors out there that didn’t mind waiting and likely have a fist full of cash from Christmas presents. There’s a bunch of new items that have either arrived this past week or in transit, most notably two months worth of Hobby Master products. These should be landing later this week, unless the holidays play havoc with the schedule or something else comes up that delays their arrival. Also headed our way are a number of Legion Models items, including a bunch of 1:72 scale Sherman tanks, a gaggle of Supermarine Spitfires and a squadron Curtiss P-40 Warhawks.

Air Force 1’s Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu J-36 Deep Strike Aircraft – Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, December 2024 (1:100 Scale)

Over the weekend, we took delivery of several Air Force 1 aircraft, including their highly popular 1:72 scale B-17G Flying Fortress bomber (shown above) that was out-of-stock for over a month. We also received models of two PLAAF sixth generation aircraft. Bear in mind the actual jets are still undergoing rigorous testing back in China and will likely get deployed in the next couple of years. Both aircraft have been the subject of intense scrutiny and conjecture and will likely continue to evolve based upon test results.

Corgi’s USAAF Boeing B-17F-45-VE Flying Fortress Heavy Bomber – “Royal Flush”, Lieutenant Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal, 418th Bomb Squadron “Bloody Hundredth”, 100th Bomb Group, Bassingbourn, England, October 10th, 1943 (1:72 Scale)

In other news, there’s still quite a few models expected in January that have faced delay after delay and are supposedly now on their way to our distributor. These include a shipment of Panzerkampf models (which includes a number of back ordered items as well as new products) and Corgi aircraft, as well as another batch of Hobby Master military aircraft models (both new and back ordered items). Beyond that, its not clear what else is in store for January or even February, seeing as how several distributors are awaiting news on the Supreme Court ruling on the Trump tariffs before bringing in new shipments. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the tariffs, then we can guarantee that this Spring will be especially dry with very few products making it to market. For instance, the recently announced Panzerkampf 1:64 Abrams tank is currently pegged at $85, making it far too expensive to entice most collectors into purchasing it. If the Supreme Court rules against the tariffs, then it will likely get rolled back to around $69, still pricey but within range of most collector’s budgets.

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