Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-25SM “Frogfoot” Ground Attack Aircraft – “Red 24”, Latakia Air Base, Syria, November 2015
One by one, Hobby Master has been adding all of the important aircraft in the Russian aerial arsenal to their modern aircraft foot locker. Earlier today, the manufacturer officially announced plans to produce a 1:72 scale replica of the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot (HA6101), the Russian equivalent of the famed A-10 Warthog ground attack aircraft. Loaded with all sorts of ordnance, their first look at the Frogfoot will portray a warplane that recently saw action in Libya, which, along with other aircraft, have been assisting the Assad government against ISIS and other rebel factions. Look for the first Frogfoot to swoop in some time in June.
Hobby Master’s 1:700 scale US Navy Ticonderoga Class Guided Missile Cruiser – USS Ticonderoga (CG-47) (1:700 Scale)
Long a dominant player in both the military aircraft and combat vehicle segments of the market place, Hobby Master made a surprise announcement earlier today by indicating that they would finally dip their toes in the naval arena. Their first foray into naval warfare is a 1:700 scale replica of the US Navy’s USS Ticonderoga (HSP1001), the lead ship in her class of guided missile cruisers. A powerful component of the US Navy’ fleet operations in the latter half of the twentieth century, the Ticonderoga is an excellent choice as their inaugural warship and one that should sell very well at retail throughout its tenure.
Modelcollect’s Railway Series rides the rails in 2018.
Collecting diecast military vehicles and building model railroads seem to have a synergy all their own – two pursuits that go hand-in-hand, year-after-year, much to the delight of hobbyists world over. So, it makes sense that in 2018 Modelcollect will attempt to combine the two hobbies by offering a line-up of military rail cars dubbed the Railway Series. Thus far, only a couple of flat bed rail cars are being shown on the Modecollect web site, but we’re inclined to believe that a lot more are planned for the balance of the new year. In fact, we’ve asked them to produce, what we believe, would be a number of sought after sets that would include Adolf Hitler’s personal train, Amerika, along with several WWII-era armored trains, offered in multiple configurations, liveries and nationalities. Its a grand request, but given the popularity of their vehicles thus far, we think these sets would do exceptionally well at retail, particularly if they were produced in conjunction with a number of different figure sets.
Eaglemoss’ Star Trek Discovery Starship Compilation
If you’ve been wondering just how many starships could be included in the Eaglemoss Discovery range, then the accompanying illustration may give you some solace and very well put your wallet in the hurt locker. Thus far, twelve computer generated renderings were found on the Eaglemoss site, covering everything from the first two ships already announced several months ago to races and vessels we’ve never even heard of. Star Trek Discovery is currently airing on the CBS All Access cable channel and, according to reports, has been renewed for a second season, meaning more ships could be in the offing. The first replica in the line, the USS Shenzhou, is currently pegged for a February release, with the Discovery following shortly thereafter.
Late today, we learned of a new range of 1:72 scale WWII era diecast military aircraft offered by Atlas Editions. The line contains a good number of different combat aircraft as well as a separate group of twin-pack planes that make ideal gifts for the holidays. We are still in the process of listing all of the many new products in our Atlas Editions section, which should be up-and-running some time tomorrow just as soon as all of the information is posted. In the mean time, we’ve posted a sample of one of the twin-packs, which depicts a German Me 262 jet bomber alongside a RAF Hawker Tempest Mk. V fighter.
Master Fighter’s 1:48 scale British Ward LaFrance M1A1 Series 5 Heavy Tow Truck – British 11th Armoured Division, Normandy, France, 1944 (1:48 Scale)
We’re ushering in 2018 in a big way with a litany of new products, kicking things off with several new 1:48 scale military vehicles in the Master Fighter range. Among the new items expected are a US Chaffee light tank (MF48602US), Ward LaFrance M1A1 Series 5 Heavy Tow Truck (MF48604UK), and a French Renault FT-17 Self-Propelled Gun with 75mm Gun BS (MF48610). After that, we are planning to take delivery of our Solido/War Master shipment, currently slated for the second week of January.
Modelcollect’s 1:72 scale German E-100 Panzer Weapons Carrier with 128mm Gun – Camouflage, 1946
Bringing up the rear look for several new items from Modelcollect and a number of eagerly anticipated weapons of war from PMA, Luft-X and Wings of the Great War. As always, we will update our Product Roundup page as soon as we get solid information from our distributors and process any pre-orders the moment the merchandise arrives.
PMA’s 1:72 scale German V-2 Long-Range Guided Ballistic Missile with Meillerwagen Launch Trailer and Brennstand – Batik Camouflage [Operational Scheme]We are also hoping to post updated information concerning the Forces of Valor range, which has been delayed several months for any number of reasons. With the 2018 Hong Kong Toy Fair looming, imagery and release dates should be forthcoming, both for previously announced items as well as new stuff for down-the-road.
What happens when you combine a modelmaker with a strong history of producing cutting edge military replicas with a science fiction back drop that no one has ever heard of? Apparently, you get Fist of War, a strange concoction of WWII-themed vehicles mated to over-sized, spider-like chassis with a pinch of Japanese Anime tossed in for added flavor. According to their Facebook page, sketches have been posted of skirt-attired, female Japanese soldiers that seem more at home in the weird Girls und Panzers universe than a WWII-inspired alternate reality. What they have to do with German weaponry is also anyone’s guess, another slice of sci-fi bolted on to makes things even more peculiar. It would have been nice if the Company had provided some sort of literature about the Fist of War universe to help us better understand what is going on before tackling the replicas, but I guess that would have been putting the cart before the horse, or is it the other way around?
Anyway, the first vehicle in the series – a modified E-75 heavy panzer – was uploaded to the Modelcollect web site earlier today, so we’ll let you be the judge of where these replicas should fit within the panoply of replicas we currently offer.
Modelcollect’s upcoming P.1000 Ratte super heavy tank
In other news, we still do not know if Modelcollect plans to port its soon-to-be-released model kit of a P.1000 super heavy tank to the pre-assembled market. The Company has indicated that the model will come with seven different gun positions on the vehicle in addition to the mammoth main gun. They have also shown the kit in several configurations: one with a pair of Krupp 150mm main guns and the other with three smaller calibre main guns. A recent posting indicates that the vehicle will come with the following secondary armament:
Two (2) Kugelblitz 30mm flak guns Two (2) Gerat 58 55mm guns
Two (2) FLaK 40 zwilling 128mm guns
Two (2) E100 flak 88 guns
Two (2) FLaK 40 128mm guns
Two Rheintochter 1 missiles
Given the amount of armament this thing will sport, its difficult to guess the ultimate size nor the final price of a fully built P.1000 super tank. We know a lot of people will shell out a lot of shekels for this beast, so we’ll wait and see how Modelcollect approaches this item in the weeks ahead.
Modelcollect’s 1:72 scale German Flak40 128mm Zwillingsflak Anti-Aircraft Gun with Bettung 40 Platform – 1942
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.
Modelcollect’s 1:72 scale German Rheintochter 1 Surface-to-Air Missile [Set of Two]Also in the works is this battery of two German Rheintochter 1 Surface-to-Air Missiles (AS72088), which are designed for point defense around an important stationary structure. Any way you look at it, you cannot fault this Company for lack of imagination, continually thinking outside the box to garner greater attention.
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!
