Films in Focus

High Seas, High Tech: The Gallant Above the Hunted Below

uss-detroit

Perhaps its a case of the yin meeting the yang, but two new warships are entering service this month, one for the US Navy and the other serving with the Russian Navy. For the US, the Navy formally commissioned the nation’s seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) – USS Detroit (LCS 7) – on the Detroit River, officially placing the ship designed and constructed by a Lockheed Martin-led industry team into active service. More information on the ship and its capabilities can be found here: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2016/october/161022-rms-us-navy-commissions-newest-littoral-combat-ship.html?__prclt=1Ex7kode

On the other side of the ledger, and loitering beneath the waves is the Podmoskovie, which was commissioned way back in 1986 as a Project 667BDRM Delfin-class (NATO: Delta IV) SSBN designated K-64, colloquially known as a “boomer”. Over the course of nearly two decades, the massive submarine was modified to conduct special missions. But exactly what those missions might be remains somewhat of a mystery. According to The National Interest, “Podmoskovie and her sister BS-136 Orenburg—a former Delta III SSBN—are roughly analogous to the U.S. Navy’s secretive USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)—which is a highly modified Seawolf-class boat. Carter is roughly 100ft longer that her two Seawolf-class sisters with the addition of a Multi-Mission Platform (MMP), which allows the submarine to launch and recovery of various unmanned vehicles and support special operations forces. Podmoskovie is thought to be similar in concept—but the Russians are not exactly keen on sharing those details for obvious reasons.”

More information on the Podmoskovie can be found here: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-super-secret-spy-submarine-returns-sea-18171?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Early%20Bird%20Brief%2010.26.2016&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief

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Holiday Shipping Deadlines

united_states_postal_service_logo-svg As we approach the hectic holiday period, we thought it made sense to lay out all of our shipping deadlines ahead of time so our customers, both here and abroad, can determine when they need to get their deliveries in the mail to receive them before the holidays. So here goes:

December 10th – Last Day For Priority Mail International Shipments Outside the US for Christmas Delivery

December 12th – Last Day for Express Mail International Shipments Outside The US for Christmas Delivery

December 15th – Last Day for First Class Mail Shipments Within the US for Christmas Delivery

December 17th – Last Day for Priority Mail Shipments Within the US for Christmas Delivery

December 21st – Last Day for Express Mail Shipments Within the US for Christmas Delivery

Hanukkah comes later this year on December 24th, which can be challenging for the postal system since it means more packages are being shipped concurrently with Christmas deliveries. Needless to say, the sooner you get your orders into the system the better, particularly if weather- or work-related issues and/or delays pop up across the nation. Keep in mind that once we hand off the parcels to the USPS, we have no control over their delivery, routing or location, so we strongly recommend not waiting until the bitter end to place or inquire about your orders. The aforementioned deadlines can also be viewed on our Calendar page.

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Product Spotlight: The Hornet Gets Super

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“Victory”

– VF-103 radio callsign

Announced several months ago, Hobby Master’s first ever F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter has slowly edged its way from the drawing board to the production line in an effort to get the first bird out the door by year’s end. Their inaugural offering is based upon a US Navy Boeing F/A-18F that served with VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers,” then embarked upon the USS Eisenhower (CVN-69) in 2012 (HA5102).

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By all accounts, collectors are quite happy with the way the first model looks, particularly since it bears the insignia of the illustrious “Jolly Rogers”, one of the most sought after squadrons among aviation enthusiasts. Hobby Master has pegged this model with a tentative release date of December, so we are hoping, perhaps against all hope, that it may still make it in time to be nestled under the Christmas tree, if Santa busts a move. We will post further information as soon as it reaches us.

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Strike Fighter Squadron 103 (VFA-103), nicknamed the Jolly Rogers is an aviation unit of the United States Navy established in 1952. VFA-103 flies the F/A-18F Super Hornet and is based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia (USA). The squadron’s radio callsign is Victory and it is assigned to Carrier Air Wing Seven.

The original VF-103 squadron insignia was a cloverleaf, and the aircraft tailfins had a horizontal yellow arrow outlined in black. Later a stylized aircraft darting through the leaf was added, along with a baseball bat. The baseball stemmed from an early skipper who often carried one with him. In 1991, VF-103’s aircraft used the squadron insignia for tail-art, in place of the bold arrow. When the Sluggers became the Jolly Rogers they adopted the famous white skull-and-crossbones.

The Jolly Rogers have always displayed some of the most recognizable squadron markings in the world: sinister white skull-and-crossbones on all-black tails, with gold bands wrapped around the tip of the tail fins, and black bands with gold chevrons (known as vagabonds strips from the Crusader days of VF-84 (1955-95)) run down the sides of the forward fuselage.

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Film in Focus: USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage

Occasionally, a movie slips by us that we never expected, and USS Indianapolis is just that flick. Based upon the real-life exploits of the US Navy cruiser USS Indianapolis, the film traces the final voyage of the ship towards the end of WWII, from its successful mission to take components for the atomic bomb to a forward operating base, to its sinking at the hands of a Japanese sub, and the ignominious fate thereafter. Starring Nicholas Cage as Captain McVay, the commander of the USS Indianapolis, look for the film to reach theaters around the middle of November.

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Product Spotlight: Spock’s Jellyfish

“Live long and prosper.”

– Science Officer Spock, USS Enterprise NCC1701

The Jellyfish was a late-24th century starship commissioned by the Vulcan Science Academy for the transport of red matter. It was described as being “our fastest ship” and featured a rotating tail section.

After the ship’s commissioning in 2387, Ambassador Spock piloted the Jellyfish during his attempt to save the Milky Way Galaxy from destruction by a massive supernova before it destroyed the planet Romulus. Spock used the Jellyfish to inject red matter into the supernova, resulting in the creation of a black hole that absorbed the nova. While the plan succeeded, Spock was unfortunately too late to stop the nova from destroying Romulus.

As Spock was attempting to depart, he was intercepted by the Romulan mining vessel Narada, and both ships were pulled into the black hole. The Narada emerged from the tunnel through space-time in 2233 and was the catalyst for the alternate reality, whereas the Jellyfish exited the black hole twenty-five years later. Upon capture by Nero, the ship was stored inside the Narada. Nero later ordered the use of the red matter aboard the seized ship to destroy the planet Vulcan.

The ship was destroyed when the younger Commander Spock of the alternate reality was able to retrieve the ship and piloted it on a collision course with the Narada, igniting the red matter inside. Spock survived the collision and was beamed aboard the USS Enterprise at the last moment.

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Precision Model Art Takes the High Road this Winter

Precision Model Art (PMA) has undergone some changes of late, but that doesn’t mean their quality has suffered or their lineup has been affected. As several new items arrive this month, we’ve also learned that a bunch of other products are in the wings, proving they are in it for the long haul against some of the more entrenched players with wider assortments.

Expected in January are two new renditions of the 88mm FLaK gun – one painted in a desert camouflage pattern (P0311) and the other in a winter livery (P0313). Also on the docket are two 5-man WWII era figure sets containing German soldiers in varying poses (P0401 and P0402). While the PMA products are a bit pricier than their competition, its important to keep in mind that they offer far more detail and craftsmanship, thereby warranting the higher coinage. For instance, the 88mm guns come with ammo crates and the gun itself can be configured to either a towed or firing position. Look for these and other new items to roll in this January.

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The Russians are Coming…and Keep on Coming

While available in Russia for the last couple of years, it wasn’t until today that our distributor announced that the Eaglemoss range of Red Army Soldiers of World War II would be made available to comrades elsewhere. Twenty seven 1:32 scale soldiers comprise the series, all hand painted and pre posed and cutting across all ranks, titles and job duties. Look for the human wave assault some time in January.

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The Cold War Anew?: Russia Revives the KGB in the Form of the MGB

News out of Russia seems to be getting more and more dire by the day, as hard line members have seemingly gained control over the Duma, the lower house of parliament, taking three-quarters of its 450 seats, its largest ever majority. And, according to the UK Telegraph, Russia plans to shake-up its security forces, reviving an old organization that conjures up the darkest days of the Cold War.

“[The] MGB (Ministry of State Security), would be created from the current Federal Security Service (FSB), and would incorporate the foreign intelligence service (SVR) and the state guard service (FSO), under the plans.

It would be handed all-encompassing powers once possessed by the KGB, the Kommersant newspaper said, citing security service sources.

Like the much-feared KGB, it would also oversee the prosecutions of Kremlin critics, a task currently undertaken by the Investigative Committee, headed by Alexander Bastrykin, a former university classmate of President Putin. The Kremlin has not commented.

The MGB is not a new designation. It was the name of the state security apparatus for eight years during Joseph Stalin’s bloody rule. It was renamed the KGB after Stalin’s death, and disbanded in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, when its powers were distributed among a number of newly-created security services.” This all comes less than 24 hours after taking a majority stake of the Duma.

The history of the MGB is as feared as its role in the former Soviet Union. The MGB was just one of many incarnations of the Soviet State Security apparatus. Since the revolution, the Bolsheviks relied on a strong political police or security force to support and control their regime. During the Russian Civil War, the Cheka were in power, relinquishing it to the less violent State Political Directorate (GPU) in 1922 after the fighting was over. The GPU was then renamed The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) in 1934. From the mid-1930s and until the creation of the KGB, this “Organ of State Security” was re-organized and renamed multiple times depending on the needs and fears of the leadership. In 1941, the state-security function was separated from the NKVD and became the People’s Commissariat for State Security (NKGB), only to be reintegrated a few months later during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. In 1943, the NKGB was once again made into an independent organization in response to the Soviet occupation of parts of Eastern Europe. SMERSH—anecdotally derived from a phrase translated as “Death to Spies”—which was designed to be a counter-intelligence unit within the Red Army to ensure the loyalty of the army personnel. Following the end of the war, both the NKVD and the NKGB were converted to ministries and redubbed the Ministry for Internal Affairs (MVD) and the Ministry for State Security (MGB). The MGB and MVD merged again in 1953, orchestrated by Lavrenty Beria, who was then arrested and executed. The KGB took on the mantle of the NKGB/ MGB and, in 1954, broke off from the reformed MVD.

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Tom Hanks Puts to Sea

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No stranger to World War II, it would appear as if renowned actor, Tom Hanks, will once again turn back the hands of time and set his sights on yet another aspect of the Second World War. A number of sources are reporting that Hanks is writing and intends to headline in a naval-themed drama entitled Greyhound, which is based on a destroyer prowling the Atlantic Ocean in search of deadly U-boats. Deadline first reported on this project, which will center on a longtime Naval officer who finally gets to command his own Navy destroyer in World War II. He must fight off his own demons and self-doubts to prove to himself that he belongs in command, while an enemy commander is going through a similar experience. The title of the movie is taken from the name of the ship itself. The budget for the drama is reportedly set at around $35 million, although its not clear at present if this will be developed as a feature film similar in concept to Saving Private Ryan, or created as a multi-part cable series more akin to Band of Brothers or The Pacific.

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Product Spotlight: “Dolfo”

HA8702

“As England, in spite of her hopeless situation, still shows no sign of willingness to come to terms, I have decided to prepare, and if necessary to carry out, a landing operation against her. The aim of this operation os to eliminate the English Motherland as a base from which the war against Germany can be continued, and, if necessary, to occupy the country completely.”

– Fuhrer Directive No. 16, announcing Unternehmen Seelowe (Operation Sea Lion), the invasion of England, July 16th, 1940

Hobby Master’s second 1:48 scale look at the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter is nearing its operational readiness date, and this one is ever-so-important to historians and collectors alike. HA8702 portrays Oberstleutnant Adolf Galland’s Bf-109E fighter, when he was attached to Jagdgeschwader 26 “Schlageter”, then deployed to Audembert, France, June 1940.

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Undoubtedly one of the best known Bf 109Es of them all, Galland’s famous E-4/N was marked with Kommodore markings, 57 victory bars on the rudder and the familiar black and white mouse personal emblem. But the writing was on the wall for this aircraft by December 1940. Having scored an additional three kills with it, Galland then received a new Bf 109E-0, and proceeded to fly both types from Brest in early 1941. The Bf 109Es scope protuding from the windscreen was not a telescopic sight, but just a straightforward telescope, which enabled Galland to identify between friend and foe at a greater range.

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