Product Announcements

Just How Funny Were Hobart’s Funnies?

British Churchill Mk. III Infantry Tank with Deep Wading Devices – 14th Canadian Army Tank Regiment, Calgary Regiment, Dieppe, 1942 (1:48 Scale)

As part of the run-up to the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, General Percy Hobart was tasked with creating an unusual array of engineering oddities that could breach the German obstacles that lay in the way of a successful landing. Through trial and error, he came up with a startling array of heavily modified tanks that were designed, among other things, to clear mines, breach obstacles, and wade ashore to provide fire support.

This spring, french manufacturer, Quarter Kit, will pay homage to many of the concoctions he came up with by offering several engineering vehicles derived from the Churchill tank. First off is a British Churchill Mk. III Infantry Tank with a Deep Wading Device (MF48605) that was employed by the 14th Canadian Army Tank Regiment, Calgary Regiment, at Dieppe, in 1942, a dress rehearsal of sorts prior to the larger D-Day landings in 1944.

British Churchill Mk. III Infantry Tank with AVRE Mat Layer (Carpet-layer) with Bobbin – 79th Armoured Division, Gold Beach, Normandy, 1944 (1:48 Scale)

Also expected is a British Churchill Mk. III AVRE Tank with 290mm Howitzer used by the highly decorated 79th Armoured Division, at Juno Beach, Normandy, during 1944 (MF48608), which was used to ferry specially trained engineers to the beaches so they could help clear obstacles.

British Churchill Mk. III Infantry Tank with AVRE Fascine Carrier – 79th Armoured Division, Gold Beach, Normandy, 1944 (1:48 Scale)

The 79th also used the British Churchill Mk. III Infantry Tank with AVRE Mat Layer (Carpet-layer) with Bobbin (MF48606) as a means of traversing areas of the beach deemed to unstable for ordinary transport.

British Churchill Mk. III Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) Tank with 290mm Howitzer – 79th Armoured Division, Juno Beach, Normandy, 1944 (1:48 Scale)

Lastly, the 79th also brought along a British Churchill Mk. III Infantry Tank with AVRE Fascine Carrier (MF48607) which could drive up to a ravine then deposit a bundle of fascine in its yaw that would effectively fill in the open space. Look for all four 1:48 scale curiosities to become available in time for the 73rd anniversary of D-Day.  We will post actual vehicles for each replica once they become available.

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Eaglemoss Fires Up the Star Trek Conveyor Belt

 

Eaglemoss Star Trek Federation Nova Class Starship – USS Rhode Island NCC-72701. Comes with a collector magazine

Now that Chinese New Year has slipped into the intergalactic rear view mirror, Eaglemoss Collections has shed light on some of their Star Trek standard issue releases slated for a mid year release. Six starships are pegged to get underway this summer, among them the following:

#EMST0093 – ECS Horizon J-Class Freighter (Shipping May)

#EMST0094 – Suliban Cell Ship (Shipping May)

#EMST0095 – Federation New Orleans Class Starship – USS Kyushu (NCC-65491) (Shipping June)

#EMST0096 – Orion Scout Ship (Shipping June)

#EMST0097 – Federation Academy Flight Trainer (Shipping July)

#EMST0098 – Federation  Nova Class Starship – USS Rhode Island (NCC-72701) (Shipping July)

In related news, we’ve reduced the selling price for each standard sized starship from $24.99 to $21.99, making them even more affordable, particularly when purchasing them en masse.

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Everything Turns Out Ship Shape for DeAgostini

DeAgostini’s 1:1250 scale Warships of the World Collection grows by leaps and bounds this May

These days, there aren’t all that many companies making pre-assembled warships, so when we get news that more scale models are ready to put to sea, we get goose bumps and maybe some scurvy. Eight new 1:1250 WWII-era warships are setting sail this May, including the IJN battleship Kirishima, USS battleship Pennsylvania and USS Saratoga aircraft carrier, along with the Royal Navy’s HMS Anson, HMS King George V, HMS Vanguard, HMS Nelson and HMS Renown. We are currently awaiting photos for each of the replicas but have gone ahead and added them to our product portfolio so you can get your pre-orders submitted ahead of their arrival.

USS Saratoga, one of the earliest aircraft carriers to join the US Navy, makes an encore performance as a member of the DeAgostini navy
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Air Force 1 Chooses the Lightning as Its Next Foray

Air Force 1 starts out the New Year with a 1:48 scale replica of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning interceptor.

Air Force 1 has been relatively mum of late, releasing only a handful of new aircraft types to keep them in the diecast aviation game. Part of the problem are the number of gaffs they seem to make with each new release, either including pilots with blue helmets for every aircraft, era and nation, sloppy typos on their packaging, wrong scales, etc. So, with that in mind, they took the bold step of announcing plans to make a 1:48 scale version of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Currently slated for a May release, their inaugural replica looks to bring to life the mount of famed ace Tommy McGuire, when he was with the 475th Fighter Group then doing battle with the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre of Operations during 1943 (AF10150).

AF1’s replica features optional position landing gear, so it can be displayed in flight or on the ground.

Some pundits have already speculated that the AF1 version looks eerily similar to one once offered by The Franklin Mint, but according to the promotional literature, the AF1 version will feature optional position landing gear, something the Franklin Mint version lacked. Lets keep our finger crossed that the pilots are correctly characterized.

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Hobby Master Hits the Ground Running as the New Year Ends

 

Hobby Master’s latest incarnation of the A-10 Warthog due to arrive in a few days.

With Chinese New Year having now concluded, Hobby Master has bolted out of the gates, unleashing a torrent of new product as well as announcing a bevy of new items for a mid year release. According to one source, those items expected to arrive in both the February and March timeframes have arrived at our distributor and should be shipping out to the dealer network over the next few days.

Add another “Jolly Rogers” F-14 Tomcat to the long list of fleet defense fighters showing up from a number of manufacturers.

Additionally, a number of new items were announced today, covering everything from 1:72 scale jets and prop-driven fighters to several 1:48 scale WWII-era aircraft. We are in the midst of listing all of these new items and hope to have the task completed in the next couple of days.

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For the Love of Tigers

Waltersons Extreme Metal 1:16 scale mid production Tiger I heavy tank, likely to be one of the most sought after military collectibles this holiday season.

“We will attack in staggered formation. First, Lion on the assault, second Panther.”

– Actor Robert Shaw portraying the fictional Colonel Martin Hessler, “Battle of the Bulge”

We waited until today, Valentine’s Day, to throw open the pre-order doors for Walterson’s newest 1:16 scale entrant to its wildly successful Extreme Metal series. Due out later this year, their first introduction picks up where the series left off with Unimax, by offering a mid production Tiger I heavy tank. The mid production version features a revamped cupola with side-swinging hatch as shown in this picture. The mid-production version also boasts the early model road wheels, which proved to be insufficient in dealing with mud during the rainy season. The vehicle does not come with the rear-mounted Feifel air filters that became standard with the release of the late-production Tiger series.

Waltersons has indicated that the retooled tank will come with sprockets and road wheels that are made of diecast metal instead of plastic, thereby enabling smoother operation on flat surfaces. Thus far, it’s not clear which commander and unit will be portrayed, although they have indicated the vehicle will include a fully detailed interior compartment as well as all of the attendant accessories and paraphernalia that have made previous releases such a success in the marketplace. With several of their previous releases commanding in excess of $1,000 or more in the secondary marketplace, this is one introduction you may not want to pass by.

Here are some recent eBay listings showing similar, previously released 1:16 scale Tiger I tanks and their asking prices:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Forces-of-Valor-85504-1-16-German-Tiger-I-Michael-Wittmanns-Final-Battle-/291963215261?hash=item43fa5d1d9d:g:sVYAAOSwHsRYDL71

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-16-FORCES-OF-VALOR-WWII-GERMAN-TIGER-I-MICHAEL-WITTMANN-85204-JUNE-13-1944-222-/142276684103?hash=item212059e947:g:o9oAAOSwj85YM4y3

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Forces-of-Valor-1-16-German-King-Tiger-Sd-Kfz-182-501st-SS-Diecast-Tank-/222404015325?hash=item33c84ff4dd:g:9tEAAOSwTuJYnFwK

And, there’s even one listing for the Maybach engine by itself that came with previously released Tiger I tanks:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-16-Forces-of-Valor-German-Tiger-1-Tank-die-cast-metal-Maybach-HL230-engine-/152431158059?hash=item237d9ae32b:g:6GAAAOSwx6pYnOnq

 

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Eaglemoss Boldly Goes into 2017

Federation Springfield Class Starship USS Chekov (NCC-57302), which is scheduled to boldly go later in 2017

At long last, Eaglemoss Collections has shed light on some of their upcoming standard starships destined for release in 2017. The following ships have now been added to the range and scheduled to arrive in staggered shipments over the course of the year:

101. Bajoran Antares Class Freighter

102. Klingon D5 Battle Cruiser

103. Vidian Warship

104. Federation Galaxy Class Starship – USS Jenolan (NCC-2010)

105. Smuggler’s Ship

106. Kazon Warship

107. Klingon Attack Bird-of-Prey (Wings Down)

108. Federation Cheyenne Class Starships – USS Ahwahnee (NCC-71620)

109. Borg Queen’s Vessel

110. Federation Springfield Class Starship – USS Chekhov (NCC-57302)

111. Captain Proton’s Rocket Ship

112. Federation Nebula Class Starship – USS Phoenix NCC65420

113. Lokirrim Fighter

114. Federation Challenger Class Starship – USS Buran (NCC-57580)

115. Tellarite Cruiser

As usual, the lineup is skewed towards Federation starships, which have thus far proven to be the most popular choices among collectors. A smattering of new races have been added, including the Tellarites and Vidians, along with some rather obscure ships, such as an unnamed smuggler’s skiff and Captain Proton’s rocket ship, which resembles something from a Buck Rogers saga. Of note is the USS Chekov, no doubt paying homage to Anton Yelchin, the actor portraying Pavel Chekov in the NuTrek series of feature films, who lost his life in a freak accident in 2016. We anticipate news concerning the rest of the Star Trek Starships series shortly.

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Luft-X Turns Dreams Into Reality

Luft-X all-new 1:72 scale Haunebu 1 “flying saucer” takes to the skies this May.

We’ve all seen the documentaries and read the books concerning some of the incredible Wunderwaffe projects the German military planners were working on towards the end of the war. Some projects were nothing more than conjecture in nature, while others pointed to the usage of advanced technology that was still in its infancy yet seemed to hold promise as war-winning weapons.

One such project was the attempt to create a “flying saucer”, employing non-traditional propulsion and radical shapes to overcome some of the hurdles designers faced when building new platforms. The Haunebu 1, as it was known, was the first example of this, which attempted to demonstrate the supposed advantages of utilizing a circular, bell-shaped model over the more commonly excepted cigar-shaped designs using wings for lift and control surfaces for maneuver.

Haunebu 1 with its landing gear retracted

Luft-X is paying deference to this radical approach to flying with its upcoming 1:72 scale Haunebu 1 flying saucer, tentatively scheduled for a May liftoff (LUFT010). Composed of resin, this highly-secretive replica boasts three ball-shaped turrets embedded in the base of the aircraft, accurate markings and insignia and all the hallmark features and detail we’ve come to expect from this exciting series. Astute collectors will note that neither LUFT008 nor LUFT009 have thus far been announced by the manufacturer, meaning two more additions to the Luft-X series aren’t far behind.

Top down view of the upcoming Haunebu 1 flying saucer. The underside features three ball turret gun emplacements
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Classic Bikes Return to the Minichamps Fold

Minichamps’ 1939 Triumph Speed Twin, possibly their best selling classic bike of all time, makes an encore appearance in 2017

Several years ago, Minichamps was forced to shutter a couple of factories in the Far East which were largely responsible for their scale motorcycle production. Fast forward to 2017, and the Company seems to be back on track, announcing several classic bikes that are expected to hit the road within the near future. As part of their Nuremberg showing, Minichamps indicated that they are bringing back their highly coveted 1:12 scale 1939 Triumph Speed Twin, possibly their best selling bike of all time. They also plan to offer several new rides, among them a 1966 Munch 4 TTS in blue, 1986 Yamaha XT500 street bike finished in dark blue and white, and a 1988 Yamaha XT500 Street two-wheeler clad in black. A trio of Honda Goldwing GL 100 K3 touring bikes were also included in the mix, but its not clear if these will be brought to the American shores or available solely in Europe. We’ve opened the pre-order window for the Triumph and Yamaha bikes and are awaiting word on the Hondas before accepting any advance orders. As always, it can take several months before Minichamps actually releases these cycles, so patience is the name of the game if you want any of these high-end replicas.

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New Line: Atlas Editions Silver Classics

As a retailer, one of our principal roles is to regularly curate our product portfolio, weighing the pros and cons of carrying every range offered to us. At the end of the day, its easy to list everything produced in the diecast space, however, its quite another thing to turn a profit, move product at an acceptable rate (“turn”) and justify why it is taking up room and precious dollars in our inventory. That said, I was hesitant, at first, about carrying a new line of silver plated aircraft produced by Atlas Editions, wondering how they might be viewed by traditional collectors and military enthusiaists. After taking a closer look at the line and scrutinizing some of the online photos, we decided to take the plunge and stock this sleek commemorative series, which are expected in early February. Each of these beautifully cast aircraft are heavy in the hand and come silver plated, attached to handsome wooden display bases and even silver plated risers, making them highly attractive desktop souvenirs and wonderful conversation pieces for anyone even mildly interested in the history of aviation. Priced at just $29.99 apiece, you can even collect the entire series without busting the budget and potentially hand them out to other curiosity seekers looking to gain a foothold in our hobby.

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