Looking to build out a number of categories, add significant line extensions and provide imagery for many of its upcoming projects, Hobby Master showed off a wide array of new items due out later this year. Of note is their first ever F-35C variant of the Joint Strike Fighter (HA6201), which is a bit larger than either the A or B models and features reinforced landing gear aimed at withstanding the rigors of catapult launches and short-landing recoveries. On the ground, several new 1:72 scale military vehicles are being added to the roster, including a pair of late model Centurion tanks and a British Achilles tank destroyer wearing a flocked winter camouflage scheme (HG3422).
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale British Achilles IIC Tank Destroyer – 75th Anti-tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 11th Armoured Division, Belgium, Winter 1944-45 (1:72 Scale)
Many of the new products are earmarked for an October release, as well as several additions slated for a January fly-in.
Air Force 1’s 1:72 scale US Navy Sikorsky MH-60 Knighthawk Helicopter – HSC-2 “Fleet Angels”, NAS Norfolk, VA, 2008
With Hobby Master testing the helicopter market and established players such as Forces of Valor and Corgi continuing to provide vertical envelopment, Air Force 1 has quietly staked its own claim the to the rotary wing arena. This summer, two renditions of the ubiquitous Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter are slated to drop in, each looking to provide a different take on the workhorse of US combat forces.
Firs up is this US Navy Sikorsky MH-60 Knighthawk Helicopter, which was attached to HSC-2 “Fleet Angels”, then deployed to NAS Norfolk, VA during 2008 (AF10090A). The multimission Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter entered service in February 2002. The US Navy is expected to acquire a total of 237 of the MH-60S helicopters, to carry out missions such as vertical replenishment, combat search and rescue, special warfare support and airborne mine countermeasures.
The helicopter began full-rate production in August 2002. As of January 2011 52 MH-60R and 154 MH-60S helicopters were in the service with the US Navy. First deployment of the new helicopter took place on board USS Essex, Wasp Class amphibious assault ship, in January 2003 and a number of MH-60S helicopters were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The helicopter was originally designated CH-60S, as a replacement for the US Navy’s Boeing CH-46D Sea Knight heavy-lift helicopters in the vertical replenishment role. The helicopter was redesignated MH-60S as a result of an expansion in mission requirements to include a range of additional combat support capabilities. Retirement of the US Navy Sea Knights concluded in September 2004.
Air Force 1’s 1:72 scale US Army Sikorsky HH-60M MEDEVAC Black Hawk Helicopter – 377th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), South Korea, April 2007
Later this summer, expect to lay claim to this US Sikorsky HH-60M (MEDEVAC) Black Hawk Helicopter, which was attached to the 377th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), then deployed to South Korea during April 2007. The HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter is a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) version of the UH-60M Black Hawk multi-mission helicopter. Built by Sikorsky Aircraf for the US Army, the helicopter is designed to evacuate wounded troops from the battlefield.
The HH-60M helicopter is integrated with medical evacuation mission equipment package (MEP) kit. It provides aerial medical support and ambulatory patient transport services. The helicopter can be reconfigured to carry out missions including personnel transport, search and rescue, resupply, aerial reconnaissance, cargo transport, and wild fire suppression.
Both helicopters are ruggedly constructed out of diecast metal and feature free-spinning rotors, sliding side access doors, accurate markings and insignia and a sturdy display stand.
Corgi’s 1:48 scale German Fokker Dr.1 Triplane Fighter – 425/17, Rittmeister Manfred von Richthofen, Jasta 11, Jagdgeschwader 1, Cappy Aerodrome, France, April 21st, 1918
Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. “The Red Baron”, is perhaps the most famous flier in military history, and certainly the most celebrated pilot of WWI. He is considered, as Wikipedia points out, the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories.
Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of fighter squadron Jagdstaffel 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became leader of Jasta 11 and then the larger fighter wing unit Jagdgeschwader 1, better known as “The Flying Circus” or “Richthofen’s Circus” because of the bright colours of its aircraft, and perhaps also because of the way the unit was transferred from one area of allied air activity to another – moving like a travelling circus, and frequently setting up in tents on improvised airfields. By 1918, Richthofen was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and respected by his enemies.
Richthofen was shot down and killed near Vaux-sur-Somme on April 21st, 1918. There has been considerable discussion and debate regarding aspects of his career, especially the circumstances of his death.
To commemorate the death of the “ace-of-aces”, Corgi has commissioned this special edition 1:48 scale tribute to the man and his machine (AA38308). Due in early July, Corgi’s rendition of the Dridecker bears all the hallmark detail you’ve come to expect from this legendary model maker, including wire rigging, free-spinning propeller, sturdy display stand and even the “Red Baron” himself, seated behind the controls of his fighter, ready to take on his next opponent.
Modelcollect has certainly proven it has the wherewithal to produce models of subject matter no one else has dared to touch
When the US-led Coalition forces sought to free Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in 1991, they were initially unprepared for Saddam Hussein’s Scud missile barrage, and the mobile missile launchers that were carrying them. Based upon the Nazi’s V-2 rocket technology from WWII, the Scuds were certainly old technology, but nevertheless a potent thorn in the Allies’ side, launched at fixed sites deep within the Allies’ rear areas where they could do the most damage. What made them so effective wasn’t necessarily the missiles themselves, but the mobile missile launchers that schlepped them around Iraq, which would pop out of a hidden enclave, fire off a salvo, then hide again, making them particularly difficult to target and annihilate by strike aircraft.
Last week, Modelcollect, as part of their deluxe vehicle series, announced plans to replicate the Scud and its mobile missile launcher, thereby, in an ignominious fashion, paying tribute to the death and destruction they once wrought. Thus far, only a model kit has been shown, but its just a matter of time before the Company makes available a pre-assembled set, further demonstrating its prowess as a model maker par excellence.
Corgi’s 1:72 scale replica of a USAAF Consolidated B-24H Liberator Heavy Bomber – Colonel Jimmy Stewart’s “Male Call”, 453rd Bombardment Group, RAF Old Buckenham, England, 1944
Looking to leverage the legendary star power of Hollywood, Corgi announced plans to build a 1:72 scale replica of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber that was piloted by none other than screen actor, Jimmy Stewart. While several legends of the silver screen enlisted in the military when their nation called upon them, Jimmy Stewart could be one of the most famous, leading an entire bomb group to reek vengeance over Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe during the latter stages of World War II. While he reportedly flew several bombers, “Male Call”, the lead ship of the 453rd Bombardment Group (AA34018) may be his most noteworthy, surviving the war having completed an impressive 95 bombing missions. In fact, she is thought to have been the only survivor of the original 61 aircraft assigned to the 453rd Bombardment Group, which arrived at RAF Old Buckenham airfield on January 21st, 1944. Look for “Male Call” to be called to action in October.
If you’re interested in learning more about Jimmy Stewart and his wartime experience, we strongly recommend Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe, which is available on Amazon.
We’ve known for some time that Modelcollect was getting into the model train market, combining its expertise in military modeling with aspirations of becoming a major player in yet another hobby sector. Earlier today, the first two fully assembled items were unveiled – a pair of German flatcars circa 1943. While flatcars aren’t exactly going to set the world on fire, it does demonstrate that they have big plans ahead, likely offering armored trains in the not-too-distant future and perhaps other ancillary products aimed at building out the category. Both products have been listed on our web site in Modelcollect’s Railway Series sub category, along with a pair of two new tanks and some updated photos for several soon-to-be-released vehicles.
Oxford’s first ever 1:72 scale helicopter is going through a lengthy pre-flight checklist, and not expected to power up until the third quarter of 2019
Seems as if there are a number of diecast model makers trying their luck at the helicopter market. Earlier today, we learned that Oxford plans on testing the “choppy” waters with its first ever helicopter – a Royal Navy Westland Dragonfly HR.5 Utility Helicopter (WD001). Based upon the US Army’s Sikorsky S-51, the Dragonfly entered service with the Royal Navy in 1950, immediately employed in an air-sea rescue role. A number were also used by the Royal Air Force for casualty evacuation. It was replaced in British service by the Westland Whirlwind, another derivative of a Sikorsky design, in the late 1950s. Fifty-one civilian WS-51s were produced. Examples were used by Pest Control Ltd for crop spraying and others were flown as executive transports by Silver City Airways, Evening Standard Newspapers and Fairey Aviation. Exported aircraft operated in Japan, Belgian Congo, Mexico and Norway.
Interestingly, the Oxford model is not expected until the 3rd quarter of 2019, so if you intend on pre-ordering this item, understand that you may have to sit on your hands for at least a year before it materializes.
Some manufacturers we don’t hear from for months on end while others seem loathe to dropping the mic anytime soon. Such is the case with Calibre Wings, who today posted pictures of yet another Suhkoi aircraft – the Su-17 “Fitter” fighter-bomber. The Su-17 is an ideal aircraft for model makers, one that can be modified, upgraded and retrofitted into both the Su-20 and Su-22. Since it was exported to seven countries around the world — from the Eastern bloc nations to a handful of Middle Eastern states — a wide array of liveries are also possible, some a bit more eclectic than others..A Yemeni Su-22, for example, may not be at the top of everyone’s wish list.
As a Cold War aircraft, the variable-wing Su-17 entered service way back in 1970 and, because of its endurance and numerous revisions, saw yeoman service in the near decade long war between Iran and Iraq, as well as the Russian incursion into Afghanistan. No fewer than 14 different Su-17 variants were fielded, from trainers to dedicated attack aircraft. While CAD drawings are making their way around the publicity circuit, its likely the first Su-17 won’t see service with the Calibre Wings’ air force until early 2019.
Doodlebug Anyone? Modelcollect’s latest rocket has been updated to give it a late war motif.
We are getting closer to the release of Modelcollect’s second look at the V-1 rocket and now we have some close-up images to prove it. This go round, the ramp has been painted in a camouflage pattern, and the V-1 rocket itself now boasts an updated nose cone (AS72105), which resembles an early war Messerschmitt Bf-109. Their first issue V-1 is expected to return to stock as well (AS72068), although our distributor has indicated that this will be its final production run in order to give the newest version its proper due in the limelight.
Not to be out done, PMA’s fourth and perhaps final take on the German V-2 rocket is clad in a Gezackt or “ragged” camouflage pattern
In other news, Precision Model Art is expected to release the fourth take on their V-2 rocket. Their latest iteration has been broad brushed in a Gezackt (ragged) camouflage pattern, indicative of a late war operational scheme (P0323). Its entirely possible that they could be getting set to make even larger and more powerful rockets in the near future, given the success of the series to date.
A battle for the hearts and minds of collectors is expected this autumn, as two modelmakers unleash their take on the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft
Looking to give Hobby Master a run for the money in the world of modern-era combat aircraft, Calibre Wings showed off a rough prototype of its next 1:72 scale project — a Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft. Debuted on their Facebook page, the Frogfoot, as NATO calls it, is one of those aircraft that can be displayed in a number of different configurations and liveries, none of which steps on the other in terms of sales potential. And, if you’re like me, enjoy aircraft with loads of ordnance and hardpoints to affix them to, then the Frogfoot scratches an itch and then some, thanks to a near infinite supply of different forms of weaponry.
Its not clear when the Frogfoot is expected or which aircraft will likely be replicated first, although we’re confident they’ll show up after Calibre Wings’ Su-24 Fencers have churned up the battlefield some time this summer.
