Product Announcements – Page 46 – The Motor Pool

Waltersons Calls Out Their 2017 Cadence

We’re just a few days into 2017 and several weeks away from the opening of the all-important Nuremberg Toy Fair, yet already several companies are looking to get the ball rolling early and announce their 2017 line ups ahead of their competition. Earlier today, Waltersons posted a Forces of Valor brochure to their Facebook page which showcases their first and second quarter 1:32 scale diecast military vehicles as well as their 1:700 warships series. Currently, we are in the midst of adding all of the new introductions to our product portfolio, and will address pricing for several of the new warships once they are made official. For now though, you can ogle some of their soon-to-be-released products, and place pre-orders, where appropriate for items that show a retail price. We hope to add any new imagery, where applicable, once they are unveiled by the manufacturer.

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Modelcollect Takes Up the Defense of Germany with Their E-100 Series

While the German E-100 series has been modelled before in 1:72 scale (think the now defunct Panzerstahl), Modecollect is putting its own spin on the range by offering three takes on the “paper panzers”. To usher in the New Year, the Company posted three different images of the forthcoming vehicles, one showing an E-100 with 128mm main gun, a second depicting a “Krokodil” heavy tank destroyer and the third showcasing a FLaK gun.

No information has been disseminated concerning their price, although due to their size, they are likely going to be much more expensive than their previous efforts. Likewise, no delivery dates were posted, meaning they could still be several months off.

In other news, the manufacturer posted a picture of a second E-50 tank slated for 2017 and, more importantly, indicated they plan on tackling a Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte Super Heavy Tank, certainly one of the most ambitious projects facing both the German war planners as well as the modelmaker. Its possible a prototype could be ready in time for the upcoming Toy Fairs.

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Another Quartet of Vessels Joins the Eaglemoss Fleet

Four more 1:1100 scale warships have set sail from our distributor and are expected to make port the second week of January. The four new ships include:

EMGC55 – Imperial Japanese Navy Yubari Class Light Cruiser – Yubari [With Collector Magazine] (1:1100 Scale)

EMGC56 – French Marine Nationale Bearn Class Aircraft Carrier – Bearn [With Collector Magazine] (1:1100 Scale)

EMGC57 – Imperial Japanese Navy Tone Class Heavy Cruiser – Chikuma [With Collector Magazine] (1:1100 Scale)

EMGC65 – Imperial Japanese Navy Kagero Class Destroyer – Isokaze [With Collector Magazine] (1:1100 Scale)

A battleship would have made this grouping a royal flush, but that’s the way it works in the scale warship business.

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Atlas Hoists Up the Wehrmacht on its Brawny Shoulders

In the, “their loss is your gain” department, Atlas Editions is closing out a very handsome range of 1:32 scale German soldiers from WWII that covers everything from the Deutches Afrika Korps to the Luftwaffe. Molded in metal, each pairing of German soldiers comes pre-painted and pre-posed with a decorative base, and even comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity and cushioned packaging. Best of all, each of the fifteen sets retails for only $12.99, making them an absolute bargain. no matter how you look at it. All of the sets are expected in March, and the distributor importing the line is claiming that they will be available in limited quantities, so its entirely possible we may not have them available for general sale once they do arrive. Enjoy!

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Corgi Takes a Bold Step for 2017

These days, it isn’t often when Corgi decides to take a gamble and invest in new tooling, particularly when they seem more comfortable taking a safer route with their older molds. However, with the debut of the 2017 catalog, it would appear as if they are doing just that by upscaling their English Electric Lightning jet fighter that’s been a hit with collectors for several years running. According to their web site, a 1:48 scale F.6 Lightning fighter is currently under development, although details concerning its feature list are still rather sketchy (AA28401). Since no image was posted on their web site or in their catalog, we are led to believe its still a ways off, likely expected towards the end of 2017. In any event, this could be a watershed moment in Corgi’s history, as they look to explore the feasibility of offering larger versions of previously released warbirds.

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Wings of the Great War Grows a Tail

When they rolled out their Mark IV Male and Female tanks, everyone knew it was just a matter of time before some of the variants were introduced to the collecting community. Earlier today, Wings of the Great War confirmed those suspicions when they unveiled their newest land warship: a Mark IV Male Tadpole heavy tank (WW10203).

During the War, a large number of Mark IV tanks were also used for development work. In an attempt to improve trench-crossing capability, the tadpole tail, an extension to the rear track horns, was introduced. However, it proved insufficiently rigid and does not appear to have been used in combat. Other experimental versions tested radios, mortars placed between the rear horns, and recovery cranes. Some of these devices were later used on operational tanks. Mark IVs were also the first tanks fitted with unditching beams by field workshops. A large wooden beam, reinforced with sheet metal, was stored across the top of the tank on a set of parallel rails. If the tank became stuck, the beam was attached to the tracks (often under fire) and then dragged beneath the vehicle, providing grip.

Look for the first Tadpoles to slither across the battlefield sometime in February.

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Forces of Valor Raises the Arizona

Perhaps as a fitting tribute to the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Waltersons posted images of their resurrected USS Arizona battleship, an integral part of their reinvigorated Forces of Valor warships range (FOV86013). As you can see, Waltersons has been making adjustments to each of the former models where deemed necessary, all designed to bring them up today’s standards. In the Arizona’s case, Waltersons states that “the colour scheme had been revised to the 1941 Pearl Harbour version, with bright red turret roof and medium blue colour on the hull body.” The model sits atop a wood-like display plinth with metallic rods and, when completed, will boast a metallic nameplate featuring the name of the warship. Look for the first warships to set sail some time in early 2017.

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Waltersons Adds More Punch to its R/C Lineup

Over the weekend, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, uploaded an intriguing post which disclosed how the Company is supporting the curious if successful Girls und Panzer brand within Japan by offering a wide array of licensed 1:24 scale military vehicles. Four of the new Forces of Valor vehicles have obviously been repainted to fit the Girls und Panzer theme, however, what really caught our attention are some of the vehicles included in the brochure that are designed to widen the license’s appeal in 2017. Some of the vehicles featured in the Girls und Panzer handbook include a US M3 Lee medium tank, German Hetzer tank destroyer, German Sturmgeschutz assault gun, Russian IS-2 heavy tank, Russian T-34/76 medium tank, Russian KV-2 heavy tank, French B1bis heavy tank, German VK4501(P) heavy tank, Japanese Chi-Nu heavy tank, Japanese Chi-Ha medium tank, US T-28 super heavy tank, German Morser Karl self-propelled gun, British A41 main battle tank, variants of the M4 Sherman tank, British Churchill infantry tank, Italian CV33 light tank, Russian BT-42 light tank, and Japanese Ha-Go medium tank. Whew! Quite a proposed lineup. These same vehicles will more than likely be included in the Forces of Valor R/C lineup going forward with more to follow, if intuition serves as any guide.

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Is There Hope for the Minichamps Military Range?

Several years ago, Minichamps decided to pull the plug on their highly popular range of 1:35 scale military vehicles, citing rising costs as the principal reason for its end. Since that time, we’ve heard from many collectors world over who were dismayed by the sudden stoppage, both thrilled with their replicas and obviously ecstatic over their rise in value since they were no longer available.

While doing a routine search on the Internet this weekend, we noticed one UK retailer had four of the Minichamps vehicles listed as “relaunches” (Tiger I heavy tank, Panther medium tank, Jagdpanther tank destroyer and 251/1 halftrack), although no further information regarding their dates of availability and other pertinent data were listed. We’re not sure if Minichamps does indeed plan to bring out these vehicles going forward, however, we wouldn’t be surprised. The February Toy Fair at Nuremberg, Germany, where most new products are announced, is just a couple of months away and, just a few months ago, Waltersons picked up the entire Forces of Valor range with plans to rebrand and relaunch the entire series.

If this is true, this is obviously terrific news for the collecting community, and we’ll post further details as we learn them. Keep your fingers crossed.

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New Line: Panzerkampf

Evey so often, a new line of diecast military vehicles seems to pop up on the radar screen that catches us completely by surprise. One such brand is Panzerkampf, a new Chinese company that seems to be offering several subjects that no one else has done before such as a three-piece Israeli Iron Dome missile defense shield set. It would appear as if they plan to offer a T-14 Armata main battle tank too as well as a T-15 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the core of the new armored forces currently being fielded by Russia.

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Now here’s the rub. We’ll be posting all of this information on Friday since its my youngest daughter’s wedding day today, which obviously takes precedence over any new product information. We hope you join us in the celebration and I know you can wait just one more day before we shed further light on this new manufacturer and their interesting mix of products.

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