Hobby Master makes a land grab in the diecast military space with its first ever M60 Patton tank
As some of the budget-minded partworks lines slowly fade into the sunset, comes word that Hobby Master is looking to get back into the 1:72 scale military vehicles arena in a big way. Earlier today, as part of their October product announcements, comes word that they will soon offer both a US-built M60A1 Patton main battle tank as well as a Russian-built ISU-152 self propelled gun. On a personal note, I find it interesting that this news comes just a day after we posted our opine that Modelcollect is making a bid to claim the armored crown, unseating Dragon from its longtime position as the dominant player in the vehicle game. Coincidence, perhaps, but the news concerning these two new entrants is certainly welcome, nonetheless, and could signal that other manufacturers are looking to dabble in the motor pool (sic) so long as inexpensive partworks lines have run their course and no longer pose a credible risk to their business model.
Earlier this year, Hobby Master announced plans to offer a ISU 122 self-propelled gun. Bigger and more robust, plans also call for a larger ISU-152 self-propelled gun
Calibre Wings announced plans to model the General Dynamics F-16, which could be moved ahead of the Eurofighter Typhoon, Sukhoi Su-24 and MiG-29 already hinted at
There seems to be a mad dash, of late, to see which manufacturer can lay claim to replicating some of the most iconic aircraft of the modern era. While Hobby Master is taking on the Su-35S Flanker-E and Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat, Calibre Wings has set its stakes on other high profile aircraft, the most notable now being the General Dynamics F-16 Flying Falcon. According to several postings on their Facebook page, the Company is already hard at work putting the finishing touches on the CAD program for the F-16, rather than porting over model kits, which could contain their own anomalies. This permits the Company greater flexibility when attempting to model the intricacies of each Falcon variant, and shows the lengths with which this newcomer to the replica game is prepared to carve out its own niche in the marketplace.
Sophisticated Computer Aided Design (CAD) programming is now utilized by most serious manufacturers rather than reliance on porting over model kits
Modelcollect breathes life into Germany’s vaunted “paper panzers”. The first is a German Flakpanzer E-100 Anti-Aircraft Gun
“[Hitler overestimated] the importance of [technology]. As a result, he would count on a mere handful of assault-gun detachments or the new Tiger tanks to restore situations where only large bodies of troops could have any prospect of success.”
– German Field Marshal Erich von Manstein
No stranger to offering scale WWII replicas, ModelCollect has quietly picked up the mantle that now defunct Panzerstahl threw down a few years back when they began modelling some of the proposed German vehicles still languishing on the drawing boards. Two intriguing models are expected this summer: the first is a humongous Flakpanzer E-100 Anti-Aircraft Gun (AS72057) while the second is a German E-100 heavy tank with a 128mm main gun (AS72063).
Also slated for a July release is this massive E-100 heavy tank with 128mm main gun
Priced at just $29.99 apiece, these are absolute steals, combining Modelcollect quality and incredible detail with affordable pricing.
Also pegged for a summer release is a 1:72 scale look at a German Kampgwagenvernichter Ausf. F (E-100) StuG Heavy Tank Destroyer as well as a Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte Super Heavy Tank. While we have set a price for the former vehicle, we are awaiting word on the latter, due largely to its colossal size and higher-than-average shipping costs.
Eaglemoss 1:43 scale US Studebaker US6 (M16A) 6×6 2-1/2 Ton Truck – CIAB (Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade), Northampton, England, April 1944 returns to stock this July
We were pleasantly surprised to learn today that a cache of Eaglemoss 1:43 scale military vehicles was uncovered by one of our distributors. While several vehicles were already in stock and available for general sale, quite a few long out-of-stock vehicles were purportedly unearthed, and should be back in stock some time this summer. Vehicles of note that are returning to stock include:
EM010 – German Sd. Kfz. 141 PzKpfw III Ausf. L Medium Tank – 16.Infanterie Division (Motorized), Voronezh, Russia, 1942
EM014 – US Army Dodge WC 63 6×6 1-1/2 Ton Truck – 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Arracourt, France, 1944
EM031 – US Studebaker US6 (M16A) 6×6 2-1/2 Ton Truck – CIAB (Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade), Northampton, England, April 1944
EM044 – German Sd. Kfz. 15 Horch Command Car – 4.Panzer Division, Radzymin, Poland, 1944
EM045 – US Army GMC CCKW 353 6×6 2-1/2 Ton Workshop Truck – Vehicle 3, 3886 Transport Company, Advance Section Communications Zone, Cherbourg, France, 1944
EM055 – German Sd. Kfz. 251/8 Krankenpanzerwagen Armored Ambulance – schwere Panzer Abteilung 501, Sidi Bou Zid, Tunisia, 1943
Big and beefy, look for this hard-to-find US Army GMC CCKW 353 6×6 2-1/2 Ton Workshop Truck to roll in this summer
Also, soon-to-be-available are EM080 and EM081, a Sd.Ah.116 Tank Transporter and a Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf. G Medium Tank from the 14.Panzer Division respectively, which we believe were intended as gifts for subscribing to the partworks series. Neither vehicle comes with an acrylic case, but they do serve as nice supplements to the series, and an attractive set when paired together.
Although no case is included for either model, EM080 and EM081 make a handsome set, particularly when displayed together
According to Hobby Master Collector, a fan site aimed at disseminating all of the latest information as it relates to Hobby Master, the manufacturer has been furtively working on developing their first model of a Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker-E. While no livery has been formally announced, prototype photos were posted on the site showing how far along the Company has come towards bringing the first model to market (HA5701). The site claims that the first replica will ship in August, although no price point has been issued and orders have not been placed to determine the production run.
Needless to say, we will keep our eye on this important development and post product information just as soon as it is passed along. It is also quite likely that Hobby Master is signalling plans to produce models based upon the entire family of Sukhoi modern aircraft, which includes the Su-27, Su-30, Su-33. Time will tell if this assumption proves correct.
Among the many new 1:72 scale aircraft scheduled for inclusion in their 2017 program is the F-16 Flying Falcon, a model created by Unimax but never actually released to the public
While much has been made of Waltersons redesigning their 1:700 scale warship and 1:32 scale military vehicle lines, little has thus far been discussed concerning their sometimes maligned 1:72 scale aircraft range. When compared with other manufacturers’ products, the FOV aircraft have always suffered their bumps and bruises from a critics point of view, constantly lambasted for their lack of authenticity and detail. “Not so, anymore,” says, Vincent Tang, Managing Director for Waltersons’ entire Forces of Valor product portfolio. According to Tang, they are taking all of the old molds in their 1:72 scale military aircraft range and reintroducing them to the public as a “Budget” line, meaning they will be sold as is but can now be purchased for around $50-$60, making them more affordable as compared with the competition. But, in an effort to bring them up to speed and make them more appealing to hard-core hobbyists, a second upscale line will be offered, whereby each aircraft will be stripped down and reworked from the ground up so that they can be proudly set alongside a competing product by the likes of Hobby Master, Century Wings and Calibre Wings. In fact, the Company has gone out and hired several experts in the field for this very purpose, with a mandate to bring the series up to a higher standard. According to Tang, each “Enthusiast” version will come with an accessory, such as a section of aircraft carrier deck, to further heighten the experience and make them a bit more desirable in the eyes of the hobbyist.
Work has already begun on both sets of aircraft, with the hope of bringing them to market this October, right after the first batch of 1:32 scale vehicles has rolled out the door. The series will include the usual suspects: the F-14 Tomcat fleet defense fighter, F-15E Strike Eagle strike aircraft, F/A-18 Hornet Multirole strike fighter, F-22 Air Dominance Fighter, F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, as well as the General Dynamics F-16 Flying Falcon, a model that was supposed to be released by Unimax, the former owners of the brand, but never finalized before they closed their doors. New aircraft types will likely be delayed until next year, since the Company is forced to split up its current resources among many different areas just to get segments of the entire FOV range up and running.
In summation, Waltersons’ release schedule for the balance of 2017 is as follows: eight (8) warships, nine (9) 1:32 scale military vehicles, seven (7) 1:72 scale modern era military aircraft (available in either a budget or enthusiast version), one (1) 1:16 scale Extreme Metal mid production Tiger I tank, and finally seven (7) additional 1:32 scale military vehicles. We will likely see their 2018 release schedule at the upcoming Nuremberg Toy Fair held each February. We are also going to assume that the following segments of the Forces of Valor brand will be addressed in 2018: 1:32 scale modern era military vehicles, 1:32 scale dioramas, 1:72 scale military vehicles, 1:32 scale World War II era military aircraft, 1:72 scale World War II era aircraft, 1:72 and 1:48 scale military helicopters, 1:18 scale Bravo Team series and their multiple figure series. These will likely be integrated into the mix alongside any new molds Waltersons plan on introducing.
Look for Dragon’s second 1:72 scale Sturmgeschutz Ausf. F assault gun, along with several new pieces, some time in July
Late today we learned that Dragon does indeed plan to get back in the 1:72 scale armor game, perhaps even in a big way, judging by the number of new introductions earmarked for the Dragon Armor arsenal. A marketing email was sent to us indicating that a further eight models are slated for a July release, although line art was provided for many of the models instead of actual pre-production imagery, meaning the release dates for several models could slip a bit. The eight new models includes a second StuG Ausf. F assault gun (DRR60512) and a new take on the Panzer IV Ausf. G medium tank (DRR60700).
While these were expected at some point, the remaining six new vehicles harken back to the old days of Dragon Armor, where some vehicle types are simply no longer available. The six include two Soviet T-34/85 medium tanks (DRR60255 and DRR60256), two German early production Tiger I heavy tanks (DRR60343 and DRR60344), and a pair of Elefant tank destroyers (DRR60355 and DRR60356).
A new whitewashed Panzer IV Ausf. G medium tank has been added to the Dragon Armor collection
We have listed each of these new vehicles in our Dragon Armor section and hope to have photographs of the actual items some time soon.
Update: We’re pretty good at reading the tea leaves so when we saw Dragon announce a bunch of new 1:72 scale model kits yesterday, we figured that some of them would eventually be used as the basis for a number of new pre-assembled Dragon Armor candidates. We have therefore added two new categories to our Dragon Armor section, one for the A and B variant of the Sturmgeschutz III assault gun and a second for the C and D versions. Obviously, we will populate these new subcategories with actual product information once it has been passed along to us.
Amercom’s Ships of War 1:1000 scale rendition of the battleship, USS Massachusetts
There was a time, not too long ago, when model makers seemed to steer clear of pre-assembled warships in favor of pumping out military vehicles, aircraft and helicopters. Now, it appears as if everyone is jumping on the maritime bandwagon, recognizing the success of some series, importance of replicating warships from a historical stand point, and perhaps taking a page from today’s headlines, as more and more nations are rearming, particularly on the high seas.
A partworks series, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the collection will eventually be picked up by a North American distributor and thus make these fabulous models available to North American collectors
Amercom is the latest player in the diecast military warship space, offering a partworks series of World War II-themed ships from amongst all the world’s navies. Unlike the Eaglemoss series, which essentially offers 1:1250 scale Japanese-centric ships that are paired with full-color magazines written in Japanese, the all-new Polish-based Amercom series features a more proportional range of warships from around the world rendered in a slightly larger 1:1000 scale, and are accompanied with beautifully illustrated magazines written for the English-speaking market. Thus far, the series is available from news agents in both Australia/New Zealand and the United Kingdom, but it shouldn’t be too long before the collection makes its way over to the much larger North American market.
Note: As of this writing (May 1st, 2017), seventeen warships have been announced and we anticipate the series could grow to as many as 60 ships or more, depending upon the success of the series.
Hobby Master’s first ISU-122 self propelled gun is based on the “S” variant
It was beginning to look as if Hobby Master had gotten out of the military vehicle game for good. Happily, that may have changed this week, with the announcement of a new 1:72 scale armored vehicle: a Soviet ISU-122S self propelled gun (HG7020). Drawn from the ISU-122 family of assault guns, the ISU-122S variant features the faster-firing D-25 gun. Interestingly, D-25S gun production was prioritized to be fitted to IS-2s, but as more became available in late 1944, they were fitted to the ISU hull. This variant passed trials in late 1944 and was referred to as the Object 249 or ISU-122-2. Its rate of fire was now 2-3 shots per minute, and even 4 shots per minute with experienced loaders.
The easiest way to spot this variant is by the double baffle muzzle brake or by the ball-shaped gun mantlet. The D-25S’ muzzle brake reduced the recoil force from firing the gun and made working conditions better for the crew, as well as allowing a smaller, lighter gun mantlet being mounted, but with the same effective armor protection due to its round shape. 675 ISU tanks were fitted with the D-25 gun, but because of the huge stocks of the A-19, both the ISU-122 and ISU-122S were produced until the end of 1945.
Look for the inaugural ISU-122 assault gun to reach the battlefield some time in October.
