Never one to say no to a good panzer, Dragon marked its return to the WWII battlefields of the eastern front with two renditions of a mid production PzKpfw IV Ausf. H medium tank. Expected in June, neither tank seems to have specific unit markings, but that doesn’t mean they still aren’t going to be widely accepted into the diecast armor ranks.
Featuring turret girdles and schurzen side armor skirts, both DRR60453 and DRR60654 have been posted to our web site.
Several months ago, Hobby Master indicated they were prepared to produce a 1:48 scale Messserschmitt Bf 109 – they just didn’t know when, the model or which pilot to offer. Earlier today we learned that their inaugural release will be a Bf-109E Emil, an early war favorite that became one of the iconic symbols in the Battle of Britain. Just as importantly, the first mount belongs to none other than Hauptmann Hans von Hahn, who was attached to 1./Jagdgeschwader 3 “Udet”, then deployed to Grandvillers, France, in late 1940 (HA8701). Look for the first of many Bf 109s to take to the skies in June.
Best known for their range of unassembled plastic models, Bronco Models is sticking their toe in the diecast pool by releasing their first ever fully assembled warbird. Their first offering is a 1:48 scale P-40C Kittyhawk, decked out in the livery of the American Volunteer Group, which was operating in eastern China prior to the US entry in WWII. According to sources, the replica will be composed of both diecast metal and plastic parts, although the display stand will be made of rigid plastic.
No word as yet if the aircraft will feature movable parts and retractable landing gear, despite being scheduled for a March release. We hope to get clearer information about this proposed model and the extent to which they are committed to the pre-assembled market.
Century Wings seems to have fallen into a pattern in recent years, releasing a pair of F-14 Tomcats for every SR-71 they make. We were kind of hoping that this time around they consider expanding their horizons, so-to-speak, and go the strategy a bit further, perhaps releasing any of the variants that were contemplated by Lockheed some fifty years ago. For starters, there’s the D-21, which was an American reconnaissance drone with maximum speed in excess of Mach 3. The D-21 was initially designed to be launched from the back of a M-21 carrier aircraft, a variant of the Lockheed A-12 aircraft. Development began in October 1962. Originally known by the Lockheed designation Q-12, the drone was intended for reconnaissance deep in enemy airspace.
The D-21 was designed to carry a single high-resolution photographic camera over a preprogrammed path, then release the camera module into the air for retrieval, after which the drone would self-destruct. Following a fatal accident when launched from an M-21, the D-21 was modified to be launched from a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Several test flights were made, followed by four unsuccessful operational D-21 flights over the People’s Republic of China, and the program was canceled in 1971.
Then there’s the Lockheed A-12, a reconnaissance aircraft built for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by Lockheed‘s Skunk Works, based on the designs of Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. The aircraft was designated A-12, the 12th in a series of internal design efforts with the A referring to “Archangel”, the internal code name of the aircraft. It competed in the CIA’s Oxcart program against the Convair Kingfish proposal in 1959, and won for a variety of reasons.
The A-12’s specifications were slightly better than those of the Kingfish, and its projected cost was significantly less. Convair’s design had a smaller radar cross-section, however, and CIA’s representatives initially favored it for that reason. The companies’ respective track records proved decisive. Convair’s work on the B-58 had been plagued with delays and cost overruns, whereas Lockheed had produced the U-2 on time and under budget. In addition, it had experience running a “black” project.
And, finally there’s the YF-12, a prototype interceptor aircraft evaluated by the United States Air Force. The YF-12 was a twin-seat version of the secret single-seat Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft, which led to the U.S. Air Force’s Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird twin-seat reconnaissance variant. The YF-12 set and held speed and altitude world records of over 2,000 mph and over 80,000 ft (later surpassed by the SR-71), and is the world’s largest manned interceptor to date.
Good news for anyone collecting the Atlas Editions 1:43 scale military vehicles. Our distributor has reported that they are now in stock and being shipped out to their dealer network. Moreover, they have taken delivery of several 1:72 scale Atlas Editions military vehicles, which we have listed on our site.
While several of the vehicles have been made available by other manufacturers, the Atlas products come in nicer packaging, complete with acrylic display cases and bases, much like a similar product from with Dragon, Hobby Master or War Master. A picture of a sample vehicle and its packaging can be seen here.
Well, we’re back from vacation and thought we’d kick off the new year with a few odds and ends that typically come up at this time of year. First off, the USPS is expected to increase rates by 9% beginning Wednesday, January 20th. For now, we’re going to hold the line on the $4.99 flat rate shipping model, but may have to raise this price should shipping costs start to get out of hand, particularly for packages that need to be mailed to the western portion of the country.
Secondly, Chinese New Year begins on February 8th, which creates a bit of a lull from a manufacturing perspective for about two weeks. So, expect shipments to slow down for the latter half of February into March until the manufacturers start to ramp things up after their return.
Lastly, a number of important Toy Shows are held at this time of year around the globe, with the most important being the Nuremberg Spielwarenmesse held in Germany beginning January 27th. We’ve posted an update to our Calendar of Events page which delineates when each show is held. Obviously, we’ll share any important product announcements with our clientele the minute we hear about them. Hopefully, there’s lots of new products on the horizons and perhaps a few new players in the diecast military space.
Just wanted to take a brief moment to wish everyone a merry Christmas and joyous New Year. We also wanted to thank everyone for their continued support as we enter our sixteenth year of doing business. We’ve got some fabulous plans in the works to make your shopping experience even better while staying up with all of the latest advances in technology. Also, we will be in-and-out over the next few days and wanted to remind everyone that we will be closed for vacation from January 9th-17th.
Drop that drumstick and step away from the cranberry because we’re launching our annual “Black Friday” 15% Off Sale! You can now apply a 15% off discount to any item listed on our web site (save radio controlled vehicles and the Century Wings line) including back orders, pre-orders and special order merchandise, as well as anything listed as being in stock. Please enter discount code “TMP146” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends Monday, November 30th, 2015. May not be combined with any other sales discount.
Perhaps it was a matter of jealousy after seeing all of the attention the upcoming feature film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is garnering which prompted CBS to announce today that it will be bringing a brand new Star Trek series to television in January 2017. More information concerning the announcement can be found here:
Israel Defence Industries is hard at work developing two new infantry fighting vehicles to be supplied to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and designed to replace several aging systems that have outlived their usefulness. The first is a fully-tracked vehicle, dubbed the Namer (“Leopard”), and also a syllabic abbreviation of “Nagmash” (APC) and “Merkava” is an Israeli armored personnel carrier based on a Merkava tank chassis. Namer was developed by and is being assembled by the Israeli Ordnance Corps. It has already entered service in limited numbers with the Israel Defense Forces since the end of 2008. According to the IDF, it is the most heavily armored vehicle in the world.
Also in development is the Eitan (“Jew”), which is an 8×8 wheeled vehicle that will accompany and weigh just half as much as Namer APCs. “Sources here said it will weigh no more than 35 tons and will incorporate a new generation of active protection, an advanced turret and a full complement of munitions and sensors,” Defense News reported. The choice of name seems a bit peculiar, given its potential for export in the foreign market, even if its design is cutting edge.
