Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale Soviet T-34/85 Model 1944 Medium Tank – “White 36”, 55th Guards Tank Brigade, 7th Guards Tank Corps, Berlin, 1945 [Bonus Model V-2 Diesel-Fueled 12-Cylinder Engine]

As we close out the week and the month of May, we learned early this morning that four 1:32 scale armored fighting vehicles are earmarked to make their return. The four vehicles — a Soviet T-34/85, a pair of German Jagdtigers and a British Firefly — had been released several years ago when Waltersons first burst onto the scene. Since then, stocks have slowly run out, making them exceedingly difficult to find in the marketplace. While the three tanks aren’t exactly new, its refreshing to see that the manufacturer hasn’t given up on the line as some have speculated, perhaps largely due to the Trump tariffs getting nixed by the US Supreme Court.

Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale British M4A4 Sherman Firefly Mk. Vc Medium Tank – 24th Lancer, 13th/18th Hussars, 8th Armoured Brigade, Normandy, France, 1944 [Bonus Chrysler A57 Multi-Bank Engine]

According to sources, all three vehicles are scheduled to come in this July, and will likely be followed up by some of the other vehicles recently shown at the Beijing Hobby Show that was held back in April. The remaining vehicles — which includes a Kubelwagen, Panzer IV, King Tiger and M26 Pershing — are likely being assembled as we speak and are probably scheduled to hit the streets in late 2026. If you were planning on shelling out big bucks for one of these behemoths you may want to wait a bit so you can snag them at more realistic prices.

Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Sd. Kfz. 186 Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger Heavy Tank Destroyer with Porsche Suspension – Feldwebel Erich Bonike, “Black 314”, 3.Kompanie, schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 653, Germany, March 1945 [Bonus Maybach V-12 HL 230 P30 Engine]

Thus far, its not clear when the Company will begin producing new vehicles they have repeatedly alluded to over the last couple for years. The list is too lengthy to post here, so we’ll leave it up to the manufacturer to expound further, hopefully with some good news they can take to the bank.

Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale 1German Sd. Kfz. 186 Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger Heavy Tank Destroyer with Henschel Suspension – Kampfgruppe Goggler, 3/schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 653, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, 1945 [Bonus Maybach V-12 HL 230 P30 Engine]

We’ve been pestering Waltersons, the owners of the Forces of Valor brand, for months on end regarding what they planned to do with their range of military vehicles, warships and aircraft. Typically, we take things at face value, but when it comes to this manufacturer, they seem content to leave people guessing, particularly after their acquisition of Greenlight Collectibles a couple of years ago.

This week, at the Chinese Hobby Show held in Beijing, images surfaced that show the manufacturer hasn’t closed up as has been rumored for several months. While nothing in the way of new tooling was put on display, the photos are indeed encouraging, and demonstrate — at least on paper — that they are still in the diecast game even though they are leveraging old tooling to see them through for the foreseeable future.

The photos show several older 1:32 scale military vehicles getting a new coat of paint, insignia and updated markings, along with supposedly a new Sherman tank that is based upon Creighton Abrams’ “Thunderbolt”. It remains to be seen if any of these vehicles will be made available to retailers such as ourselves or if the manufacturer has decided to go it alone by selling these vehicles.through their own web site. We hope to have more information shortly, provided the manufacturer is ready to open up about their future plans. For now, we wont’ list them on our web site unless we know for sure that we can sell them, and do so by having hard-and-fast information at-hand.

Forgive me if I sound jaded and a bit put off, but trying to provide our clientele with accurate information is exceedingly difficult, not just because of the tariff situation but because this manufacturer seems as if they are doing thngs on a lark instead of attempting to appease both their dealers and clientele who have stood by them for years. In our case, we basically put them on the map after running all sorts of print advertisements talking up the line. Its a bittersweet way to say thank you when others rode our coattails for year’s on end.

Update: Now that the Beijing Hobby Show has concluded, we asked Waltersons about the “new’ish” vehicles shown above, wondering if they had pricing and dates of availability information at hand. Oddly, nothing was provided, other than to say they are expected later this year. So, it’s your guess as good as ours when these 1:32 scale tanks are coming out, their price and whether or not they will be made available to retailers such as ourselves. I’m not certain why a manufacturer would display product at a show then remain mum concerning further details. It could have to do with the Trump tariffs, which are still in limbo, or it could have nothing to do with any valued added taxes applied to product coming out of China. Its a strange situation nonetheless, and one they need to address if they plan to remain a viable “force” in the military diecast business.