May 14, 2026

The Forces of Valor Update: Your Guess is as Good as Ours

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]

As some companies shutter or slow down production due to an uncertain future, one seems content to keep us guessing as to what’s going on. Recently, at the Beijing Hobby Show, several 1:32 scale subjects were shown for the “first” time — well, lets just say they haven’t been heard from in a very long time. Among them were a King Tiger, Panzer IV Ausf. F1 and Pershing, to say nothing of the illustrious Kubelwagen. When we asked when they were expected and their cost, we got a cold, starry eyed response — if that’s even possible from several thousand miles away and over the Internet.

On the positive side, we did finally receive a price list for their complete collection sans these new entrants. Apparently, some old favorites will be marking their return including “Julia” a heavily requested Sherman tank, along with a handful of previously sold out earlier Shermans. Also expected is a 1:700 scale reproduction of the USS Arizona along with a pair of USS Missouri battleships. The wholesale price for many of their products seems to have also decreased, so we are finally able to reduce the price on much of the Forces of Valor range to reflect these adjustments. Anyway, we’ve placed a re-order with them and hop to have the whole shebang back in stock by the end of May, just in time for Father’s Day.

In the meantime, we will keep pestering Waltersons to determine when the “new old” products, or should that read “old new” products are ready to make their triumphant return. Wish us luck.

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Corgi Lights the Candles on the Top Gun Cake

In a somewhat curious Facebook post, Corgi intends to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the showing of the feature film, Top Gun, with the announcement that they plan to bring back the classic to the diecast fold. Several years ago, the company produced a series of “fit-to-box” Top Gun models that paid tribute to the Top Gun Maverick film. By announcing their renewed partnership, its not clear if this diminutive range will be brought back or if the manufacturers plans to launch an entirely new lineup that could include much larger 1:72 scale replicas. If so, they could be in for a strong showing, seeing as how a third film in the franchise was just discussed and will likely materialize in either 2027 or the following year.

The manufacturer is supposed to pull back the curtains on their second trimester launches tomorrow, May 15th, so I guess we will have to wait another 24 hours to see what they have in store.Stay tuned.

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Another One Bites the Dust

On the surface, it would appear as if Dragon Models has decided to call it quits in the face of the on-again, off-again Trump tariffs, escalating labor costs and higher oil prices. According to a blog post on Facebook made earlier today, it seems as though they will be shuttering their production facilities and instead offer its intellectual properties as digital downloads that can then be 3-D printed by the end-user. We’re not certain what they plan to charge for this service and whether or not this shift in philosophy and business strategy will be successful.

It was, perhaps, a matter of time before home-based 3-D technology was good enough and cost effective from the consumer’s standpoint before companies such as Dragon pulled up stakes and called it a day. Could other model makers follow suit? Almost certainly, if they feel as if there are enough inexpensive 3-D printers being adopted and whether or not end users feel comfortable printing out a model kit instead of buying one off the shelf. Needless to say, customers who prefer pre-assembled models are in for a rude awakening in the coming years unless there are firms willing to print out, decorate and sell IP-based properties for a decent profit to make it worth their while to shoulder the burden of this type of service. In any event, we’ll keep an eye on this developing story and its impact upon other model makers that we deal with.

Update: On May 18th, the following announcement was posted by Dragon Models:

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