During a recent visit to their website, Modelcollect has not only revamped the look and feel of their store, but also added some intriguing morsels of information. Under their “Model” link, they have two new pre-assembled categories being shown: one for warships and a second for aircraft. A 1:72 scale B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber is shown under their “Kits” link, so its entirely possible that a pre-assembled version could be in the offing. Obviously, an aircraft of this size will come with a matching price tag, and require a great deal of bookshelf real estate to properly display. Thus far, the “Kits” link does not show any warships available for pre-order, so its anyone’s guess where they will focus their energies, efforts and overall design goals going forward.
Seventy years after the conflict ended, there still seems to be no shortage of WWII-inspired films based on true events. Scheduled to open in theaters on November 4th is Hacksaw Ridge, which follows the exploits of Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to ever earn the Congressional Medal of Honor. According to Variety, “The film, directed by Mel Gibson, is set during the bloody Battle of Okinawa when Doss saved 75 men without carrying a weapon on the battlefield. Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist who didn’t believe in killing, even in times of war, was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the frontlines without a weapon.
Set to open in July 2017 is Dunkirk, a Christopher Nolan film, which examines the hasty evacuation of Allied forces from the continent of Europe in May 1940, following their rout by the Wehrmacht as they marched towards the sea. Set on location in Dunkirk, France, principal photography commenced on May 23rd, 2016; in the months following, production will proceed in Urk, Netherlands, Swanage and Weymouth in Dorset, United Kingdom and Los Angeles, United States. In the course of shooting, Dunkirk operates under the codename “Bodega Bay”. The film is being shot on a combination of IMAX65mm and 65mm large formatfilm stock. Nolan reconditioned actual warships for the shoot, including the French NavydestroyerMaillé-Brézé, and reportedly spent US$5 million of the budget on a vintage aircraft so as to attach it with IMAX cameras before crashing it on-screen.
And then there’s Anthropoid, which is based on the true story of two Czechoslovak soldiers who sent to assassinate the head of the SS in 1942. SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich was the Reich’s number three and main architect of the Final Solution.
Allied is a Robert Zememckis film set in 1942, starring Max (Brad Pitt), a French-Canadian spy, who falls in love and marries a French agent Marianne (Marion Cotillard), after a mission in Casablanca. Max is notified that Marianne is likely a Nazi spy and begins to investigate her. Allied is set to debut on November 23rd.
Further down-the-road is Warmer Brothers’ Ghost Army, which is based on Rick Beyer and Elizabeth Sayles’ non-fiction book The Ghost Army Of World War II: How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived The Enemy with Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, And Other Audacious Fakery. Produced by award-winning actor, Bradley Cooper, and likely featuring him in it as well, the film isn’t slated to open until late 2017. According to Entertainment, “The story follows the true events of a top-secret group of artists and designers—”Cecil B. DeMille warriors,” as they were called—recruited to fool the Nazis during World War II. Using diversions such as inflatable tanks, phony radio traffic, and dummy soldiers, the troops managed to save thousands of Allied lives by tricking the enemy into thinking their flimsy ghost army was the real thing.”
A similarly conceived film tackling the subject of the Ghost Army was released a few years ago and is available on both Netflix and Amazon Prime, so it will be interesting to see how a new version, coming hot-on-the-heels of the first movie, can offer new insight on the master deception.
At long last, images have finally surfaced for Hobby Master’s upcoming 1:72 scale MiG 23 Flogger fighter. The variable-geometry swing wings are clearly in evidence, as is the opening canopy, weapons loadout and seated pilot figure.
Expected in July, with more schemes and variants no doubt waiting in the wings, ahem, it looks like another war winner has sauntered into the Hobby Master stable.
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 reconnaissancedrone 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 prototypeinterceptor 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.
