Films in Focus

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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Films in Focus: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

There seems to be no shortage of war films coming to market, the vast majority of which seemed to be based upon real-life events in WWII. This week, a new military-themed movie hits theaters, this time around examining the fictional exploits of a US Army squad caught up in the War to liberate Iraq in 2003. Directed by Ang Lee, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a novel written by Ben Fountain, which was published in early May 2012 by Ecco Press, a publishing imprint of HaperCollins. The novel chronicles the experience of a group of Iraq War Veterans who are hailed as heroes and sent on a victory tour following their engagement in an intense firefight that happened to be caught on camera. Set during a single day, the story primarily focuses on Specialist Billy Lynn’s perspective as he struggles to reconnect with his family and come to grips with the huge disconnect between the realities of the war at home and the war overseas as Bravo Squad is sent to participate in the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving halftime show. The novel’s primary themes include brotherhood, the commercialization of war, and what it really means to support the war when the real costs are barely felt by the majority of U.S. citizens at home.

A sharp satire, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is Fountain’s first novel and received highly positive reviews from critics and won several year-end awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Fountain also won the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize and was a finalist for the 2012 National Book Awards. The novel was especially praised for its dialogue and “pitch-perfect ear for American talk.” A film adaptation of the novel directed by Ang Lee is scheduled for release in November 2016.

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Messerschmitt Down?

dunkirk-evacuation

Film director, Christopher Nolan, is no stranger to demanding authenticity in his films. Responsible for Inception, Batman The Dark Knight and Interstellar, Nolan demands that his films look as genuine as possible, making use of actual artifacts where ever and when ever possible instead of relying upon CGI graphics. For his upcoming film, Dunkirk, which covers the Allies’ evacuation from the french port in May 1940, reports are circulating that he may even destroy a precious WWII artifact valued at up to $5 million to make his point as believable as possible.

According to War History Online, “Online commentators have expressed the disapproval they feel for the reported actions of Christopher Nolan. It was released that he was the Interstellar director planning to use a priceless World War II plane valued at $5 million in his latest movie, Dunkirk. The report claims that the plane is scheduled to crash and ultimately be destroyed. However, there has been no official confirmation that this story is true. It was originally reported by IndieRevolver’s Jay Carlson, and has been attributed to an anonymous source.

This war plane is said to be a former Luftwaffe aircraft that was bought for $5 million by the Warner Brothers production company. The IndieRevolver story reported that Nolan would be linking the IMAX cameras to the actual plane. This technique is intended to facilitate and create some impressive in- flight action for the movie.”

Frankly, we are of the opinion that he wouldn’t dare damage or outright destroy such a valuable piece of military history and would look at using alternate techniques to fill in the blanks yet communicate his intent. If he does decide to wreck a WWII fighter, he would likely face a tremendous backlash from the military history community, who would likely boycott his film in protest.

For more information on the story, you can visit this website: http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/rumor-says-nazi-plane-will-destroyed-dunkirk-movie-christopher-nolan.html

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The Motor Pool’s “Gobble Up the Savings” 15% Off Sale!

The turkeys may be running for the hills in anticipation of Thanksgiving but that doesn’t mean you should! In fact, you can load up on all of the “fixins” and main course at our annual “Gobble up the Savings” 15% Off Sale! This discount can be applied to any item listed on our web site. Please enter discount code ” TMP159” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends Wednesday, November 23rd, 2016. May not be combined with any other sales discount.

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Films in Focus: My Honor was Loyalty, 28 Men

Co-opting the slogan of the Waffen SS, My Honor was Loyalty (German: Meine Ehre heisst Treue) is a new independent film directed by Alessandro Pepe that follows the paths of three soldiers who enlisted in the 1.SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. Spoken in German with English subtitles, the film attempts to portray what it was like to serve in one of the most feared yet despised units in the German Army during the latter stages of the War, as seen through the eyes of the Deutsches soldaten.

Meanwhile, if you like your war films with subtitles, then you won’t want to miss the Russian-made film, 28 Men. If you believe the tale, The Panfilov Division’s Twenty-Eight Guardsmen (Russian: Двадцать восемь гвардейцев дивизии Панфилова), commonly referred to simply as Panfilov’s Men (Russian: Панфиловцы, Panfilovtsy), were a group of soldiers from the Red Army’s 316th Rifle Division who took part in the defense of Moscow during World War II. According to official Soviet history, they were all killed in action on November 16th, 1941, after destroying 18 German tanks. The Twenty-Eight were collectively endowed with the title Hero of the Soviet Union. An investigation by Soviet authorities in 1948, since declassified, revealed that the description of the events was exaggerated. Six of the soldiers were still alive, including one who was arrested in 1947 on charges of high treason and confessed to having “voluntarily” surrendered to German troops and later joined a German police force. The findings were kept secret, and the Twenty-Eight Guardsmen were considered national heroes until the collapse of the USSR.

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Product Spotlight: Going Down with his Flagship

“Searches by my carrier planes revealed the presence of the Northern carrier force on the afternoon of 24 October, which completed the picture of all enemy naval forces. As it seemed childish to me to guard statically San Bernardino Strait, I concentrated TF 38 during the night and steamed north to attack the Northern Force at dawn. I believed that the Center Force had been so heavily damaged in the Sibuyan Sea that it could no longer be considered a serious menace to Seventh Fleet.”

– Admiral William “Bull” Halsey in his dispatch after the battle of Leyte Gulf to CINCPAC, October 24th, 1944

One of the Eaglemoss warships that we just received and has been selling unexpectedly well is the IJN battleship, Yamashiro (EMGC54), the flagship of Admiral Shoji Nishimura at the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944.

Near the end of the war in the Pacific, Nishimura was named the commander of the “Southern Force” in “Operation Sho-Go”, which was aimed at a final and decisive naval battle against the United States Navy in the Philippines. Nishimura′s Force “C” consisted of battleships Fuso and Yamashiro, heavy crusier Mogami, and destroyers Shigure, Michishio, Asagumo, and Yamagumo.

Launched in 1915, Yamashiro was an aging warship, although she was modernized between 1930 and 1935, with improvements to her armor and machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style. Nevertheless, with only 14-inch guns, she was outclassed by other Japanese battleships at the beginning of World War II, and played auxiliary roles for most of the war.

By 1944, with the prospects of defeat for the Imperial Japanese Empire looming, Yamashiro was forced into front line duty despite its shortcomings. In the Surigao Strait between Leyte and Dinagat Islands on the evening of October 24th, 1944, Nishimura’s force came into contact with the US 7th Fleet under Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf, which consisted of six battleships, eight cruisers, 29 destroyers, and 39 motor torpedo boats. Nishimura′s force was crushed when the Americans crossed the Japanese “T”, thereby enabling the US forces to deliver crushing salvos against the Japanese fleet while minimizing their own exposure to enemy action. Nishimura was killed during the battle when his flagship, the Yamashiro, was sunk after being hit multiple times from the U.S. battleships by torpedoes and naval gunfire.

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PMA Sets the Scene This Winter

Recently, we wrote how Precision Model Art (PMA) is releasing several new 1:72 scale 88mm FLaK guns, the first expected in early November, with two more liveries following in December. At the time, we were reluctant to reveal that the manufacturer is also coming out with several pre-built vignettes, largely because of their price and issues that can arise from not being able to modify these dioramas. As we see it, our job is to curate each range, and determine its feasibility within our overall product portfolio.

Anyway, for a limited time, our distributor has offered these same dioramas at somewhat reduced prices if ordered before November 15th. So, we’ve decided to list each of the five dioramas on our site to gauge consumer reaction, particularly during the holiday season. Keep in mind that these sets do not come with any of the vehicles or figures shown in the images, so customers have some latitude with how they want to populate these sets with any item they see fit.

Moreover, the Malinava Counter Attack Set E comes with street lamps that actually work, so you can display it as a night action. Its not clear if the set is battery operated or requires a plug-in outlet.

So, we will offer these sets at reduced prices until November 15th, then raise them up a bit should orders come in after that date. Enjoy! Note: As a special bonus, we are including a free Fabbri 1:72 scale diecast tank with each diorama ordered at no extra cost.

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