Modelcollect knows a good thing when they see it, following up on their recent pair of FLaK guns with yet another pair of anti-aircraft artillery. Expected some time in early 2018 is this German Flak40 128mm Zwillingsflak Anti-Aircraft Gun with Bettung 40 Platform (AS72087), a solid looking model that seems begging for a crew to man her.
Admittedly, we’re a bit rusty when it comes to speaking or reading Russian, although it looks as if we better bone up on the language real fast. According to DeAgostini’s web site, the Company will soon be offering a wide range of 1:43 scale Russian battle tanks, one that cuts across all epochs and eras. As you can see by the accompanying photo, at least four vehicles are in the hopper, with more in trail following close behind.
Five replicas are already shown on the site and, according to the literature, the range will purportedly include the following vehicles: Т-34, Оbject 279, КV-1, Т-64, Su-122, Т-72B, Т-54-1, Т-34-85, IS-2, ISU-152, КV-2, Т-80M, Т-90, and the Т-26.
We have our industrious suppliers already looking into the matter and hope to have more information on the range some time soon. In the meantime, try out your Russian linguistic skills on this web site:
Even though we haven’t quite made it to the end of the year, that doesn’t mean several manufacturers aren’t already looking ahead to the following year to ply their craft. In the case of Hobby Master, the Company has announced several new items for a May/June release, upping their game in the process and further cementing their role in the aviation market.
As you can see by the accompanying illustration, Hobby Master feels it can finally address some of the more intricate patterns that adorn a number of aircraft, tackling some of the more difficult camouflage patterns as well as some of the more detailed artwork. This particular scheme was employed by the Oregon Air National Guard on their F-15Cs in 2016. Further down-the-road, we will likely see some of the beautiful patterns the Japanese Air Self Defense Forces apply to their F-15s, as well as a number of mottling camouflage patterns that were used on the Luftwaffe’s night fighters.
In any event, we have listed all of the latest Hobby Master aircraft announced yesterday and expect others to be added as we near the New Year!
In year’s past, we would have given our eye teeth for a cache of B-17 Flying Fortresses to sell during the Christmas rush. Easily one of the most popular warbirds of the Second World War, B-17s seem to hold a special place in the hearts of aviation enthusiasts, so long as the replica is accurate, affordable and available when the holidays roll around. This year, it appears as if Santa has answered our prayers with no less than three 1:72 scale Boeing B-17 bombers, all ready to be nestled under the Christmas tree with some room to spare.
Earlier today, we were informed by Corgi that “Little Miss Mischief” (AA33316), their latest and greatest rendition of the Flying Fortress, was being shipped out to us and is scheduled to arrive at our base of operations the last week of November.
Of course, we’ve also been selling the heck out of Air Force 1’s second rendition of the B-17, “Nine O Nine” (AF10110A), a more affordable version of the B-17 that does it justice from any number of vantage points. Happily, the Company also managed to scrounge up some of the first B-17s they released earlier in the year, “A Bit ‘O Lace” (AF10110). So while we would ordinarily be content to hawk at least one B-17 during the holidays, this year we have a trio ready for shipping, making 2017 a bumper year for the illustrious Flying Fortress.
We’re finally caught up pumping out two weeks worth of orders and finally got around to posting the April 2018 releases from Hobby Master. As usual, the newbies cut across all scale, eras and nation states, but one thing that did catch our eye was this USAAF A-26B Invader light attack aircraft that was attached to the 89th Bomb Squadron, 3rd Bomb Group during the tail end of WWII (HA3211). Interestingly, the marketing hype is billing this as the last A-26 to be made by Hobby Master and comes in the wake of its recently introduced A-26K Counter Invader, one of the hottest selling aircraft in recent memory from the folks at Hobby Master. While its not another Counter Invader, we did think this came as a bit of a surprise and so we are bringing it to everyone’s attention before this too sells out this Spring.
We’ve listed the entire spate of April 2018 barn busters on our web site and are now taking pre-orders.
Another quartet of warships will soon join the Eaglemoss navy this November, just in time for the holidays! The latest squadron includes:
EMGC73 – USN battleship USS West Virginia (BB-48) – 1941
EMGC75 – IJN heavy cruiser Haguro – 1944
EMGC80 – IJN light aircraft carrier Shoho – 1942
EMGC78A – IJN light cruiser Oyodo – 1944
Please note that the last warship will come in a clam shell packaging, and will therefore not come bundled with either the outer packaging or magazine. As such, it sells for $2 less than the traditional format and we will make the necessary changes on the invoices to reflect this change in packaging.
While we were away on vacation last week, Wings of the Great War announced two new weapons of war for a January roll out. On the ground, the Company unveiled a French Saint Chamond heavy tank, a curious if failed attempt by the French Army to break the stalemate that had settle over the Western Front and prevented either side from winning the war (WW10207).
In the air, a French-built Breguet 14 A.2 bomber is expected to lift off around the same time (WW12101). Attached to the US Air Service’s 96th Aero Squadron, the aircraft was piloted by Capt. James A. Summersett Jr., and deployed to Nancy, France, in 1918.
Hot off of Comic-com here in New York City, Eaglemoss was kind enough to provide us with several updates concerning several of their continually expanding intergalactic lines. First off, their convention exclusive USS Aventine, which was the subject of a fan-based petition, has a ship date — we expect the ship to arrive in November. If you haven’t already pre-ordered the ship we strongly suggest you do so since its become one of the critical ships in the Star Trek line.
Next up, the Nostromo, the center piece of the all-new Aliens and Predator ship line, also has a street date — look for it in December. Only 3,000 pieces are being made, each with a numbered certificate of authenticity.
Lastly, Eaglemoss is kicking off the Battlestar Galactica range with an oldie but goodie — a Colonial Viper Mark II fighter from the first televised series. The Viper is slated for a February escort mission with additional ships expected each month thereafter. Frankly, with rumors circulating that the manufacturer is considering a similarly-conceived Star Gate line, we’re beginning to wonder where people are finding the money to pay for all of these cool toys. Maybe that’s the subject of a separate debate…
At long last, we have some concrete information concerning Mattel’s range of 1:18 scale Elite diecast ships drawn from the Star Wars universe. Six products are slated for a mid-2018 release, among them a TIE fighter, X-Wing fighter and the Millennium Falcon, along with a First Order TIE fighter, Resistance X-Wing fighter, and Pom Dameron’s personal X-Wing fighter, all inspired by the feature film, Star Wars The Force Awakens.
We are currently taking pre-orders for all six vehicles but may have to curtail orders should they reach our order threshold already submitted to our distributor.
