Product Announcements

Corgi Exclaims, “Who Says Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice?”

Corgi’s 1:48 scale RAF English Electric F.6 Lightning Fighter – XS927/N, RAF No. 74 Squadron “The Tigers”, RAF Tengah, Singapore, 1969

If you missed out on Corgi’s inaugural 1:48 scale English Electric Lightning then you can take comfort in knowing the manufacturer has another one fueling up in the hangar. The second version (AA28402) is based on an aircraft that flew with RAF No. 74 Squadron “The Tigers”, then deployed to RAF Tengah, Singapore, during 1969.

As one of the most famous squadrons of the Royal Air Force, No.74 ‘Tiger’ Squadron can trace its history back to July 1st, 1917, and has been associated with such classic fighting aircraft as the SE5a, Hawker Hurricane and Gloster Meteor since that date. For many enthusiasts though, its most poignant association has been with the mighty English Electric Lightning, an aviation icon of the Cold War Period and one of the most significant achievements of the British aviation industry. As the Squadron selected to welcome the Lightning into frontline service in the summer of 1960, the ‘Tigers’ went on to operate the F.3 variant, T.4 and T.5 trainers, along with the ultimate F.6 fighter version of the Lightning. Indeed, No.74 Squadron was again to be the first unit equipped with the definitive F.6 version of the aircraft, which was capable of being fitted with over-wing tanks to extend the operating range of this potent fighter and resulted in the Squadron being assigned to the RAF Far East Air Force, based at Tengah in Singapore. In June 1967, the Lightnings of No.74 Squadron began leaving Leuchars for their ferry flight to the Far East, with their arrival at RAF Tengah several days later relying on the support of no fewer than seventeen Victor tankers, which provided the aircraft with an essential air to air refuelling platform during their flight. After enforcing the effective air defence of the region for just over four years, the Lightnings of No.74 Squadron were flown to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, where they were handed over to the care of No.56 Squadron, prior to 74 Squadron being disbanded and bringing their proud association with Britain’s only indigenous supersonic fighter to an end.

Get your pre-orders in early cause their second take on this illustrious aircraft will likely sell out as quickly as the first.

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Hobby Master Hunts for Subs this October

 

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Lockheed S-3A Viking Anti-Submarine Aircraft – VS-29 “Dragonfires”, USS Enterprise (CVN-65), 1970s

When a Company heaps on added SKUs for a fourth quarter release, that’s generally viewed as a positive development in the industry since the manufacturer is willing to bet on the consumer for the upcoming holiday season and hopefully get as much mileage out of their product portfolio as possible. Hobby Master has been doing just that in recent months, pumping out added product that seems to supersede their monthly release schedules by leaps and bounds. 

Earlier today, they called attention to a new S-3A Viking anti-submarine aircraft (HA4907) that will ride on the coattails of their October releases. What makes this a significant offering is that the aircraft comes from Viking squadron (VS-29) “Dragonfires”, which served aboard the USS Enterprise during the 1970s. Obviously this means that collectors with a keen interest in “Big E” aircraft will get yet another warbird to round out their embarked squadron replicas. Better still, the price seems to have dropped for their newest Viking, down from a scale-tipping $118.99 to a much more manageable $100. 

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Air Force 1 Braves the AA Fire to Take a Swipe at Ploesti

Air Force 1’s 1:72 scale USAAF Consolidated B-24D Liberator Heavy Bomber – “Wongo Wongo,” 512th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force, North Africa, 1943

Air Force 1 isn’t one of those diecast model makers that sticks to any hard-and-fast schedule when it comes to announcing new product. So when they do finally poke their heads out of their research and design room, it usually comes with a bit of fanfare.

With June just a day away, the Company drew back the curtains on “Wongo Wongo”, an odd-sounding Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber that served in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operation during WWII with the US 9th Air Force. Selecting “Wongo Wongo” as their inaugural 1:72 scale Liberator is a bit of a risk for several reasons. First, collectors typically associate the Allied bombing campaign as being waged from England and not North Africa. Second, “Wongo Wongo” never made it to its target, having succumbed to enemy anti-aircraft fire. And third, because it took wing from a North African air base, it is painted in desert sand rather than a European scheme, meaning it tends to stick out a bit in any diecast collection. 

While the choice of aircraft may be a wee bit risky, the aircraft type is as they say, “a no-brainer”, coming hot on the heels of a pair of best selling Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. Its certainly priced right — carrying a MAP of $115.99 – making it an ideal companion piece to either of their Fortresses. Best of all, because its expected in August, collectors won’t have to wait long to wrap their mitts around this war winner.

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Four More Ships Join the Eaglemoss Star Trek Armada

Eaglemoss” Star Trek Federation Intrepid Class Starship – Kyrian Warship USS Voyager NCC-74656

Back during the holiday season, Eaglemoss announced that they were expanding their Star Trek standard-sized ship series to 160 ships, an increase of 30 ships from their present level. That said, four new ships were unveiled today, bringing the known fleet up to 134 models. The quartet of ships include:

#131 – Star Trek Earth Arctic One Transport

#132 – Star Trek Federation Intrepid Class Starship – Kyrian Warship USS Voyager NCC-74656

#133 – Star Trek Terrellian Racer – Irina’s Racing Ship

#134 – Star Trek Vulcan Survey Ship

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Eaglemoss: The Neutral Zone or Bust

Every Wednesday, Eaglemoss draws back the curtains on a handful of upcoming Star Trek starships. While nothing was in the hopper this week, the Company did announce plans to produce yet another subscription-based series — this time around offering busts of several major Star Trek characters. The first is, of course, Captain Kirk, as he was portrayed in the Original TV Series (TOS) by William Shatner. Each bust stands between 4.5″ to 6″ tall, comes with a full-color magazine, and carries a MSRP of $29.99. Kirk is holding both a communicator and a hand-held phaser and is wearing a gold-tone uniform befitting a command officer. The first bust is tentatively scheduled for a fourth quarter release, so get your gold-pressed Latinum laid out in neat piles ready for processing.

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Modelcollect Puts its Fist Where its Mouth is

Four new 1:72 scale US 8-wheeled vehicles will join the Fist of War franchise

Never one to shy away from an intimidating project while simultaneously looking to build out its pseudo sci-fi military series, Modelcollect unveiled the first Allied vehicles in its Fist of War franchise. Based upon an eight-wheeled armored car, the Company debuted a family of four different 1:72 scale combat vehicles, each utilizing a different turret type and weapons system. Its not clear when these vehicles will hit the streets and whether they will be made available in both kit form and as pre-assembled models.

In other news, Modelcollect acknowledged on Facebook that they will soon be producing a range of 1:35 scale military vehicles, although no further details were made public. If true, this could not only mark a major departure from this prolific modelmaker but also become an important development for the pre-assembled market, who have been without a viable supplier of larger scale military vehicles for several years running. Both Minichamps and Dragon Models were heavily invested in the sector years ago, but have since withdrawn their support in favor of other pursuits. And with the resurrection of the Forces of Valor brand, larger scale military vehicle collectors could have lots to crow about this holiday season.

An M26 “Lobster”, whatever that is, has been added to the Allies’ Order of Battle
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Calibre Wings Takes its Cue from Hobbyists

An F-14 “Monacat”, the inaugural offering in Calibre Wings’ all-new Imaginarium series

At this year’s Shizuoka Hobby Show in Japan, Calibre Wings touted a new line of model aircraft called their Imaginarium Series. According to their Facebook post, it appears as if this sub category is inspired by several accomplished model builders, all of whom have gone to great lengths to make their creations look as realistic as possible. The first warplane in the series has been dubbed a Monacat, which is a JASDF warplane clad in a dark/light blue paint scheme layered atop much of the upper surfaces of the aircraft. No word as to how many models will be offered in the series, and whether special packaging will be used to make them stand out from their standard aircraft series. Calibre Wings did indicate that pricing will not be affected by the usage of master modelers to create some of their more imaginative projects. Meanwhile, they have also created another new umbrella line called Soviet Stars, which, as the name infers, focuses on aircraft produced for the Soviet and Russian Air Forces

Calibre Wings 1:72 rendition of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, complete with removable engine, engine dolly and open/closed exhaust nozzle

In other news, Calibre Wings drew back the curtain on prototypes of their F-16C/D Block 50/52 Fighting Falcon in 1:72 scale, one carrying twin conformal fuel tanks attached to the upper surface of the aircraft running along its center line, and the other boasting an updated sensor suite fixed atop its dorsal spine. The F-16 will feature a removable engine and engine dolly, so it can be displayed in a landed position with its engine removed and seemingly undergoing overhaul by its ground crew. An interchangeable nose cone and crew access ladder are also included. Again, no word as to pricing, dates of availability or which livery they plan to replicate first.

Calibre WIngs’ 2nd F-16 prototype boasts twin conformal fuel tanks running alongside the center line of the aircraft
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Battlestar Galactica: Under a Pagan Sun

Battlestar Galactica Cylon Basestar – 1978 Series [With Collector Magazine]
Two more products have emerged from the Eaglemoss’ Battlestar Galactica group, both having to do with Cylon Basestars drawn from both the 1978 as well as the reimagined 2004 series. Obviously, neither is created to scale since they would each dwarf some of the smaller ships portrayed in the series. Still, both are designed to give collectors an idea as to their respective detail and painstaking research going into every ship in the series.

Battlestar Galactica Cylon Basestar – 2004 Series [With Collector Magazine]
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Air Force 1 Returns to the Fold this Summer

Air Force 1’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird Reconnaissance Aircraft – 61-7962, “R.I.P. Detachment 1”

Most collectors need no introduction to the SR-71 Blackbird. During the Cold War, the US Air Force’s fleet of super-sleek, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft gave the Soviets fits, as the planes routinely rocketed high above the USSR’s air defense network to keep a careful eye on their adversary. As better and more efficient satellites came online, however, the SR-71s were eventually retired, turned out to pasture to become the stuff of legend no one seems willing to forget.

From a collectible stand point, the SR-71 is also one of the most popular warbirds we’ve ever stocked, regularly snapped up by aviation buffs no matter who seems to make them and at what price. Air Force 1 has been out of this iconic plane for several months now, although they are finally bringing it back and at a MAP slightly lower than past releases (AF10088C). Scheduled for a June over flight, we highly recommend including this stalwart member of aviation history to your collection before it too becomes the stuff of legend.

Air Force 1’s 1:72 scale US Army Sikorsky MH-60 Night Hawk Helicopter – HSC-2 “Fleet Angels”, NAS Norfolk, VA, 2008

Two other models were also announced as part of Air Force 1’s summer roll out. Another USMC F-35B Joint Strike Fighter will be added to the AF1 foot locker (AF100009B), along with a Sikorsky MH-60 Night Hawk, clad in the markings of HSC-2 “Fleet Angels”, who are based out of NAS Norfolk in Virginia (AF10099A).

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Calibre Does the F-16 Justice But will others Follow Suit?

Calibre Wings adds the F-16 to its ever-expanding line up of 1:72 scale aircraft. Look for several of the more advanced F-16s to be modeled first ahead of the legacy aircraft

Never one to sit on their laurels, Calibre Wings has officially gone on record to indicate plans for modelling the venerable F-16 Falcon. As you can see from the accompanying CAD diagram, plans initially call for modelling several of the more advanced F-16s, beginning with the Block 50/52 Plus which features bulbous Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFT) attached to the center line of the aircraft. CFTs are external, pod-like fuel reservoirs that are attached to the upper surface of the F-16’s fuselage, with the tank’s lower surface conforming to the aircraft’s shape. Further, the Block 50/52 sports a dorsal spine compartment for electronics, the APG-68(V9) radar, an On-Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS), and a JHMCS helmet.

According to research, “Poland took delivery of its first F-16C Block 52+ aircraft on September 15th, 2006. The “Poland Peace Sky program” includes 36 F-16Cs and 12 F-16Ds. All 48 aircraft were delivered in 2008. The Hellenic Air Force took delivery of its first F-16C Block 52+ aircraft on May 2nd, 2003. The Hellenic Air Force is the first Air Force in the world to operate this F-16 type. The total Greek order was 60 F-16C/D. The Israeli F-16I and its Singapore equivalent variant are based on the block 52+ aircraft. In March 2010, it was announced that the Egyptian Air Force would purchase 20 Block 52 aircraft (16 F-16Cs and 4 F-16Ds), the first of which arrived for testing in April 2012.” Therefore, its not clear which livery will be covered first and how many other variants will be included in their ambitious modelling program.

The Lockheed Martin F-16V configuration provides relevant combat capabilities in a scalable and affordable package. The core of the F-16V configuration is an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a modern commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based avionics subsystem, a large-format, high-resolution display; and a high-volume, high-speed data bus.

What makes this development so coincidental is that, according to The National Interest, earlier this month “the Slovak Republic has requested the sale of 14 advanced Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon fighters to replace its increasingly obsolete fleet of Soviet-built Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrums. The new jets would give the Slovak air force a huge boost in capability with the addition of advanced new sensors such as an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and other capabilities that are not found onboard the Cold War-era Fulcrums.”

“The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Slovakia of F-16 Block 70/72 V configuration aircraft for an estimated cost of $2.91 billion,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement. “The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on April 3, 2018.”

Of all of the operators of the F-16 — and there are indeed many — it would be interesting if this tiny, former East Block nation would be the first to add this advanced aircraft to their inventory and do so at a time when many nations are looking towards obtaining low observable stealth aircraft as a means of guaranteeing their safety should an air war erupt.

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