Films in Focus – Page 5 – The Motor Pool

Films in Focus: The Battle of Britain Gets A Reboot

German Heinkel He-111s medium bombers appear above the British coast in search of their targets

Word from Hollywood is that acclaimed director, Ridley Scott, has signed on to directing a new take on the pivotal Battle of Britain. Written by Matthew Orton, a British screenwriter, the film portrays the RAF’s desperate defense of the British Isles against the might of the Luftwaffe, thrown at the island bastion as a potential prelude to a sea and airborne invasion by the German Wehrmacht. The original feature length film of the same name aired way back in 1969 and used real aircraft from both sides of the battle to depict the air-to-air conflict, largely fought between June and September of 1940. Its not clear if the new film will make use of any aircraft still in flyable condition or more likely rely upon computer generated imagery (CGI) and mock ups for the aerial battles.

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Films in Focus: SS-GB

With Amazon’s alternative reality series, The Man in the High Castle, now in its third season, BBC One is getting set to air its own look at a “what-if” scenario arising from WWII. According to Wikipedia, SS-GB is a 2017 British drama series produced for the BBC and based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Len Deighton. It is set in a 1941 alternative timeline in which the United Kingdom is occupied by Nazi Germany, having won the Battle of Britain.

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Films in Focus: Five Came Back

While aviators, sailors and soldiers marched off to World War II trained in the art of fighting and operating modern weapons of war, others had a far more important role to undertake, armed only with a camera and their know-how to tell a story for others to see. Steven Spielberg’s latest war film, Five Came Back, pays tribute to a quintet of filmmakers that were charged with spreading the news about the war, and why it was important to serve despite the potential costs.

Five filmmakers are profiled in the five-part documentary – John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens – with each story recounted by five of today’s most successful filmmakers – Stephen Spielberg, Guilermo Del Toro, Francis Ford Coppola, Lawrence Kasdan, and Paul Greengrass – and narrated by Oscar-award winning actress, Meryl Streep, Five Came Back is due to run on Netflix on March 31st.

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Films in Focus: Want the Real Thing? Well, You May Have to Settle for Diecast

Its common knowledge among military historians, that many allied tanks produced during WWII were no match for their German counterparts, even though many tank crews were told they were issued the finest vehicles available from the “Arsenal of Democracy.” The truth proved to be anything but that, as they soon learned firsthand when facing off against the cream of the panzerwaffe. As a result, many of the earliest Allied tanks never survived the war, most having been destroyed in battle, stripped for parts or simply abandoned to the ravages of time.

Fox News Auto recently posted an interesting article discussing this sad epitaph, then going on to discuss how Hollywood’s film makers skirted this issue when producing some of the most recent films, among them the epic “Fury”. For more information, click on this link: http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2017/02/20/in-military-collectibles-supply-often-falls-short-demand.html

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The Motor Pool’s Happy Father’s Day 15% Off Sale!

Remember the guy that put you on his knee and told you about his military experience? That same man that taught you how to ride a bike, drive a car and gave you a few extra bucks for date night? Well, now its time to celebrate his legacy and pay him back for his generosity, courtesy of The Motor Pool. From now until Father’s Day, you can take 15% off of any item we have in stock simply by entering our latest coupon code at the bottom of your shopping cart just prior to final checkout. This discount may be applied to any item listed on our web site except for the following lines: Hobby Master, Wings of the Great War, Air Force 1, Luft-X and Aviation 72. Please enter discount code ” TMP165” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends midnight, Sunday, June 18th, 2017. May not be combined with any other sales discount.

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Films in Focus: Land of Mine

Every so often we get snake bitten by a new film that seemingly comes out of nowhere, one that deserves mention since it sheds light on some of the lesser known aspects of World War II that few care to recall. A play on words, Land of Mine is an award-winning foreign film that tells the tale of a post-war Europe, where two thousand German soldiers turned prisoners were forced to remove, by hand, several million land mines that were sewn into the Danish beaches to prevent a seaborne invasion. Many of the German soldiers were actually young boys in the flower of their youth, called upon to clean up the mess that their older brethren had caused during the occupation of Denmark. For more information on the film, Wikipedia discusses their tale in greater detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Mine

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Forces of Valor Hits the Ground Running at Toy Fair

For several weeks, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, has been hinting at what they plan to release in 2017. From radio controlled military vehicles to warships, battle tanks to dioramas, the proud new caretakers of the multi-faceted Forces of Valor range is approaching things from a bride’s perspective, offering something old, borrowed and blue to whet the appetite of collectors world over.

In terms of old, several legacy molds were shown to the public at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, including a reworked 1:32 scale Tiger I heavy tank that “borrows” from its Extreme Metal range in that a separate tank engine will be included as an added bonus. As for blue, their highly coveted warships range now comes in handsome new packaging that makes the ship look as if its cutting through the surf to join up with its brethren.

While some of the old favorites were on display, it appears as if the PLAN Liaoning aircraft carrier was also in the booth, meaning it is likely just a month or so away from an actual launch. We hope to have final pricing concerning all of the new warships coming to market and will likely receive an update in May concerning the Company’s new 1:16 scale Extreme Metal Tiger tank, 1:72 scale military vehicles and multi-scaled fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

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TSM Model Wings: They Finally Feel the Need for Speed

“I feel the need — the need for speed.”

– Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Top Gun

Announced over a year and a half ago, TSM Model Wings has confirmed that they are finally in receipt of a pair of 1:72 scale F-14 Tomcats that pay tribute to the feature film, Top Gun. One aircraft pays homage to the aircraft flown by “Maverick” and “Goose” (TSMWTP001) while the other models the one flown by “Iceman” and “Slider” (TSMWTP002). Both are now on allocation basis by the manufacturer/distributor, who has indicated the next batch aren’t expected until mid-2017. As a result, we won’t list them on eBay, Walmart or Amazon, and will simply sell off the remaining allocated quantities on our web site. All of the accessories and figure packs are still expected in early 2017.

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The Motor Pool’s Black Friday to Cyber Monday 20% Off Sale!

Why fight for parking, stand on long lines or deal with rude store clerks this crazy week when you can just as easily save time, energy, money and your sanity with The Motor Pool’s “Black Friday to Cyber Monday” 20% Off Sale! This discount may only be applied to any in-stock item listed on our web site and may not be applied to the following lines: Hobby Master, Wings of the Great War, Air Force 1, Luft-X and Aviation 72. Please enter discount code “TMP161” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends midnight, Monday, November 28th, 2016. May not be combined with any other sales discount.

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The First Wave of Forces of Valor Gets Set to Hit the Beach

Earlier this year, when Waltersons announced they had purchased the entire product portfolio comprising the Forces of Valor brand, it was unclear which items would be offered first and when. Well, we now have an answer. The first four vehicles in their 1:24 scale radio controlled military vehicle range have been shipped out to their distributor network and, barring any unforeseen issues, could conceivably make it under the Christmas tree this holiday season.

The quarter includes a Tiger I heavy tank, PzKpfw IV Ausf. H medium tank, US M4A3 Sherman medium tank and even a Soviet T-34/85 medium tank. The remaining vehicles in the original range have been given the green light for a 2017 release, although that could occur further down the road.

Since no information was disseminated concerning their static model range, and pictures have yet to be shown, we are assuming that the first wave won’t arrive until early 2017, at the earliest. New items will likely be discussed at the upcoming Nuremberg Toy Fair, held in German in early February, although the manufacturer has already hinted at quite a few new vehicles for release next year.

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