Product Announcements

Forces of Valor Cozies Up to the Venerable Sherman

True to their word, Waltersons, the current owner of the Forces of Valor brand, will be offering a slew of M4 Sherman variants in the coming year. Three new 1:32 scale Shermans were announced today, one featuring an HVSS suspension and the other two sporting the older VVSS suspension. It appears as if Creighton Abrams’ “Thunderbolt” will be modeled although its not clear which one of his mounts will actually see the light of day. A bunch more variants were revealed on Wednesday morning, covering just about every conceivable Sherman tank to see battle during the Second World War.

Thus far, only black-and-white photos have been posted to their web site, so it could be some time before we get to see the finished products in the flesh with firm release dates set in stone. For further information, hop on over to the Forces of Valor web site.

As an aside, its refreshing to see a manufacturer take on a subject with such zeal and fortitude to warrant producing so many variants of the Sherman within a relatively short time span. Its not clear, however, if the manufacturer plans to create two different versions of each model, thereby portraying each vehicle type under differing lighting conditions and weathering effects. If they do, it represents a huge inventory build for distributors and retailers alike, who will certainly be hard-pressed to keep all of the SKUs in stock at all times. While we certainly applaud their effort to depict every known Sherman tank that saw action during the War, it might make more sense to spread out their release over the course of several years instead of potentially flooding the market with so many variations in a narrow period of time.

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Hobby Master Adds the Typhoon to Its Expanding Line Up

Lately there seems to be a land grab in the diecast aviation space, as several manufacturers look to carve out ever larger pieces of the marketing pie before the others can step in. Earlier today, we were informed that Hobby Master was adding yet another aircraft to its growing aviation stable: the venerable Eurofighter Typhoon. While Corgi has steadily cranked out a handful of Typhoons over the years, Hobby Master is looking to one up them by offering an even more exacting look at the aircraft that has helped to protect Europe from foreign invasion for the past few decades.

Prototype images of the Typhoon were posted to the Hobby Master Collector web site, and we expect a formal announcement concerning pricing, squadron markings and dates of availability from our distributor shortly.

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Hobby Master Publishes its Christmas Shopping List, and They’re Checking it Twice

With just 169 days to go before Christmas, Hobby Master today announced their holiday tidings, which cuts across virtually every segment and sector of the diecast hobby. Here’s what you can look forward to seeing in your holiday stocking:

HG4914 – Republic of China (Taiwanese) 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 Tank – 1940s (1:72 Scale)

HG4915 – Free French 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 Tank – 1940s (1:72 Scale)

HA0197 – East German Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF “Fishbed” Fighter – Jagdgeschwader 1, East Germany (1:72 Scale)

HA2121 – USAF North American F-100D Super Sabre Fighter – 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron “Ghost Riders”, Da Nang AB, 1965 (1:72 Scale)

HA9202 – USAAC Curtiss P-40B Warhawk Fighter – 47th Pursuit Squadron, 15th Pursuit Group, Wheeler Field, Hawaii, December 7th, 1941 (1:48 Scale)

HA8457 – USAAF Republic P-47D Thunderbolt Fighter – 84th Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, Duxford, England, May 1944 (1:48 Scale)

HA3873 – Israeli Defense Force General Dynamics F-16D Fighter – 109 Squadron, 2006 (1:72 Scale)

HA4517 – USAF Boeing F-15A Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron “Green Dragons”, “William Tell 1984” (1:72 Scale)

HA5227 – US Navy Grumman F-14D Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – VF-2 “Bounty Hunters”, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003 [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

HA2717 – JASDF Mitsubishi F-2 Multirole Fighter – ADTW, Gifu Airbase, Japan, 2019 (1:72 Scale)

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Product Spotlight: Growlers Lead the Way

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing E/A-18G Growler Electronic Warfare Aircraft – 168893 VAQ-141 “Shadowhawks”, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), Atsugi Air Base, Japan, 2017

The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. The EA-18G replaced the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers in service with the United States Navy. The Growler’s electronic warfare capability is primarily provided by Northrop Grumman. The EA-18G began production in 2007 and entered operational service with the US Navy in late 2009. Australia has also purchased twelve EA-18Gs, which entered service with the Royal Australian Air Force in 2017.

On November 15th, 2001, Boeing successfully completed an initial flight demonstration of F/A-18F “F-1” fitted with the ALQ-99 electronic warfare system to serve as the EA-18 Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) concept aircraft. In December 2003, the US Navy awarded a development contract for the EA-18G to Boeing. As primary contractor, Boeing was to construct the forward fuselage, wings and perform the final assembly. Northrop Grumman was the principal air frame subcontractor and they would supply the center and aft fuselage as well as the principal electronic combat system. In 2003, the Navy expected to receive 90 EA-18Gs.

The first EA-18G test aircraft entered production on October 22nd, 2004. The first test aircraft, known as EA-1, was rolled out on August 3rd, 2006, before making its maiden flight at St. Louis on August 15th, 2006; it was later ferried to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland on 22 September 2006. EA-1 primarily supports ground testing in the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facility (ACETEF) anechoic chamber.

The second aircraft (EA-2) first flew on November 10th, 2006, and was delivered to NAS Patuxent River on November 29th, 2006. EA-2 is an AEA flight test aircraft, initially flying on Pax River’s Atlantic Test Range (ATR) for developmental test of the AEA system before transitioning to the Electronic Combat Range (ECR, or ‘Echo Range’) in Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California. Both aircraft are assigned to VX-23 “Salty Dogs”. EA-1 and EA-2 are F/A-18Fs F-134 and F-135, pulled from the St. Louis production line and modified by Boeing to the EA-18G configuration. However, since they were not built initially as Growlers, the Navy has designated these two test aircraft as NEA-18Gs. There were five Growlers flying in the flight test program as of June 2008.

Hobby Master’s first look at the EA-18G Growler (HA5150) has now landed.

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Hobby Master Shows Off What Is on Tap for Turkey Day

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-111A Aardvaark Strike Aircraft – 67-0067, 429th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 474th Tactical Fighter Wing, Thailand, Early 1970s

Certainly one of the more prompt if prolific makers of diecast military products, Hobby Master today displayed some of the fixings you can expect them to lay out on your dining room table this coming Thanksgiving:

HG4607 – German Sd. Kfz. 121 PzKpfw II Ausf. F Light Tank – 7.Panzer Regiment, 10.Panzer Division, Tunisia, 1943 (1:72 Scale)

HG4608 – German Sd. Kfz. 121 PzKpfw II Ausf. F Light Tank – 6.Panzer Division, Kursk, Russia, 1943 (1:72 Scale)

HA2012 – Imperial Japanese Navy Nakajima B5N2 “Kate” Torpedo Bomber – 931st Naval Flying Group (KEB303), Kushira Air Base, April 1945 (1:72 Scale)

HA8318 – RAAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VIII Fighter – “HAVA GO JO!!” Lt. Norm Smithell, No. 79 Squadron, Summer 1945 (1:48 Scale)

HA8319 – RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX Fighter – ZD-B/MH434, No. 222 Squadron, Duxford, England, 2004 (1:48 Scale)

HA4609 – USMC Lockheed-Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – BF-01, 2010s [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

HA3025 – USAF General Dynamics F-111A Aardvaark Strike Aircraft – 67-0067, 429th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 474th Tactical Fighter Wing, Thailand, Early 1970s (1:72 Scale)

HA3024 – RAAF General Dynamics F-111C Aardaark Strike Aircraft – A8-132, ARDU, 1988 (1:72 Scale)

HA4812 – US Navy Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye AEW Aircraft – 165817 “Elvis”, VAW-116 “Sun Kings”, May 2007 (1:72 Scale)

HA5151 – US Navy Boeing E/A-18G Growler Electronic Warfare Aircraft – 166894, VAQ-132 “Scorpions”, Aviano AB, Italy, 2011 “Operation Odyssey Dawn” (1:72 Scale)

HA6303B – Russian Sukhoi Su-34 “Fullback” Strike Fighter – “Bort #10”, Oleg Peshkov Commemorative Scheme, August 2017 (1:72 Scale)

HA8807 – Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero” Fighter – 3-116, Saburo Sakai, 12th Kokutai, 1940-1941 (1:48 Scale)

No new toolings were unveiled, although its comforting to see several older models that have been sold out for some time making a return engagement.

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Forces of Valor Hits the Beaches at Normandy

On this auspicious day, upon which Allied forces stormed the beaches at Normandy, France, way back in 1944, Forces of Valor announced their intent to create a 1:32 scale version of the LCM-3 landing craft. Although images of the actual vehicle were not provided, the Company did show off several CAD drawings of the proposed project, and discussed their reasoning for building a scale model of the landing craft used to ferry troops and vehicles ashore to support an invasion. For further details regarding the announcement, stop by FOV’s Facebook page or click on the following link.

Since this project is still a long way’s off and no firther information was provided regarding its weight, dimensions or cost, please do not contact us asking if you can pre-order this item. We will open it up for pre-order further down road after certain specifics are addressed. Considering its size, this item will not be covered under our $9.95 flat rate shipping plan, so prospective customers on the West Coast may be in for a bit of a shock once we have all of the costs worked out.

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Modelcollect Fields a Platoon of New Tanks for a June Ship

Modelcollect’s 1:72 scale German E-50 Jagdpanzer with 105mm Gun – Winter Camouflage, 1946

Modelcollect is shipping a quintet of new armored fighting vehicles for early June along with a mobile coastal defense missile launcher to keep the tread heads happy. Here’s what you can expect to add to your armored arsenal at the start of the new month:

AS72131 – German E-100 Waffentrager (Weapon Carrier) with 128mm Gun – Desert Camouflage, 1946 (1:72 Scale)

AS72133 – German E-50 Jagdpanzer with 105mm Gun – Winter Camouflage, 1946 (1:72 Scale)

AS72132 – German E-50 Jagdpanzer with 105mm Gun – Summer Camouflage, 1946 (1:72 Scale)

AS72138 – Russian T-90 Main Battle Tank – Camouflage (1:72 Scale)

AS72137 – Russian T-90 Main Battle Tank (1:72 Scale)

AS72130 – Russian Early Type MAZ Chassis with “Bal-E” Mobile Coastal Defense Missile Launcher and Kh-35 Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles (1:72 Scale)

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Hobby Master Puts the “Boo” in October’s Sonic Boom


Hobby Master’s Russian Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29C ‘Fulcrum’ Fighter – “White 51”, Borisoglebsk Training Center, Summer 2001

The folks at Hobby Master have been busy as bees of late, posting imagery for several of their upcoming projects as well as debuting a gaggle of new warbirds due out this October. Perhaps the most noteworthy new addition to the Hobby Master hangar is a MiG-29 Fulcrum multirole fighter, clad in a post Soviet Union break up scheme from 2001. “White 51” as its known, was attached to the Borisoglebsk Training Center, which plays host to the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, designed to train up would be fliers on the latest Russian aircraft.

Also slated to arrive this October are the following items:

HG5005 – German Sd. Kfz. 7 8-Ton Personnel Carrier / Prime Mover – SS-924015, “Marta”, 1.SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler ‘LSSAH’ (1:72 Scale)

HG5208 – British Cruiser A34 Comet Mk. IV Tank – T335293, “Arrogant”, Queens Own Hussars, Berlin Brigade, 1960 (1:72 Scale)

HA3112 – USAF Convair F-102 Delta Dagger Interceptor – 0-61409, Florida Air National Guard, 1960s (1:72 Scale)

HA7743A/B – USAAF North American P-51D Mustang Fighter – Captain Abner M. Aust, Jr., 457th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group, Iwo Jima, 1945 (1:48 Scale)

HA7744A/B – USAAF North American P-51D Mustang Fighter – “Hon Mistake”, 1st Lt. William G. Ebersole, 462th Fighter Squadron, 506th Fighter Group, Iwo Jima, 1945 [Signature Edition] (1:48 Scale)

HA4558 – USAF Boeing F-15D Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 78-0567, 65th Aggressor Squadron, 57th Wing, 2012 (1:72 Scale)

HA5007 – US Navy Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare Aircraft – 163890/AJ502, VAQ-134 “Garudas”, June 2015 “US Navy Farewell Scheme” (1:72 Scale)

HA4516 – USAF Boeing F-15C Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 82-0023 “Maloney’s Pony”, 27th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, 1991 (1:72 Scale)

HA4419 – USAF Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 15-5194, 466th Fighter Squadron “Diamondbacks”, 419th Fighter Wing, October 2018 [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

HA6501 – Russian Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29C ‘Fulcrum’ Fighter – “White 51”, Borisoglebsk Training Center, Summer 2001 (1:72 Scale)

HA5706 – Russian Sukhoi Su-35 “Flanker-E” Multirole Fighter – 901, MAKS-2007 Airshow, Zhukovskij, August 2007 (1:72 Scale)

HA5226 – US Navy Grumman F-14B Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – 162911, VF-24 “Fighting Renegades”, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), 1989 [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

HA6303 – Russian Sukhoi Su-34 “Fullback” Strike Fighter – “Bort #10”, Oleg Peshkov Commemorative Scheme, August 2016 (1:72 Scale)

HA0211 – USN Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless Dive-Bomber – CDR Howard Young, Commander of the Enterprise Air Group, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1:32 Scale)

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Four More Warbirds Join the Atlas Fighter Sweep

The Atlas Fighters of World War II series got a boost with four new aircraft joining the aerial assault. The following warbirds are expected in late May, so check ’em out now if you want to be the first to add them to your collection:

ATL7896001 – German Messerschmitt Bf 109F-4/Tropical Fighter – Hans Joachim Marseille, 3./Jagdgeschwader 27, North Africa, 1942 (1:72 Scale)

ATL7896024 – US Navy Chance-Vought F4U-1A Corsair Fighter – Ira Kepford, VF-17 “Jolly Rogers”, 1944 (1:72 Scale)

ATL7896028 – USAAF Lockheed P-38L Lightning Interceptor – “Pudgy (V),” Thomas McGuire, 431st Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, 1945 (1:72 Scale)

ATL7896029 – German Heinkel He 219A-0 “Uhu” Night Fighter – Werner Streib, Nachtjagdgeschwader 1, June 1943 (1:72 Scale)

As usual, each model is priced at only $24.99, making them ideal introductions to the aviation market and great gifts for that special someone looking to get into the hobby.

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Forces of Valor Rolls Out the Heavy Armor at Shizuoka

Forces of Valor’s 1:24 scale radio controlled US Pershing heavy tank and US M1A2 Abrams main battle tank

According to recent reports, it would appear as if Waltersons is resuming its radio controlled business in a big way for 2019. First off, it looks as though they will be bringing back several of their sold out 1:24 scale models (Tiger I, Sherman and Panzer IV) and hopefully have them ready for the all-important fourth quarter. To bolster their lineup, they also plan to re-introduce their long sold out M26 Pershing heavy tank and ressurect their Abrams mold, this time around making it an updated M1A2 variant and painting it in a tri-color camouflage scheme. At some point, it would be nice if they offered a T-72 or T-80 main battle tank, thereby giving it something to fight against in a head-to-head competition.

Their long-awaited 1:16 scale T-72A tank is finally in the works, with no fewer than three versions headed our way. The first introduction in their newly-acquired line of VS Tanks

And speaking of T-72s, Waltersons is finally showing off its long-discussed 1:16 scale main battle tank, which will reportedly come in three versions, each aimed at three different market segments. Pricing and actual dates of release should be revealed shortly, so keep an eye out for further announcements as they, well, roll in. Sorry…

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