Product Announcements

Minichamps Bikes Slowly Begin to Reappear

 

 

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We were beginning to give up hope that we would ever see another Minichamps motorcycle make it to market. The pair of 1:12 scale Vincent motorcycles announced by the Company some eight years are still, for all intents and purposes, “motorcycle ware”, with nary an image shown nor a release date specified. Happily, however, we learned that their 1975 Benelli in silver is still expected without delay, with a firm street date of around the end of November.

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We look forward to resuming shipments of Minichamps classic bikes and hope lots more items are in store in the near future.

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Corgi Hits the Big 6-0

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Few companies can claim to being around 25 years, much less reaching the big 6-0. Yet British model maker, Corgi, has done just that, lighting and blowing out sixty candles on their birthday cake, one for every year of their existence. To celebrate the event, they are rolling out several commemorative aircraft, including two Battle of Britain era warbirds that helped protect the realm from Nazi aggression some 76 years ago.

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The first up for your consideration is a RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I fighter that was piloted by Squadron Leader Rupert ‘Lucky’ Leigh, who was attached to No.66 Squadron, then deployed to Gravesend, England, during September 1940 (AA39211).

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Meanwhile the second portrays a RAF Hawker Hurricane Mk. 1 Fighter that was piloted by Sgt. J.H “Ginger” Lacey, who was attached to No.501 Squadron, also based at Gravesend, England during September 1940 (AA27603). Look for both aircraft, in specially designed commemorative packaging, some time in November.

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Calibre Wings Confirms the Su-24 is Up Next

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Newcomer Calibre Wings has disclosed that their next new tooling will be a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft. The announcement was made on Facebook, lately the de rigeur venue for new project announcements from a number of model makers. No word was given concerning the exact release date, price, model or livery to be chosen for their inaugural Fencer, although it would appear as if the first version will be a Fencer-D complete with a refueling probe.

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Waltersons Lifts the Curtain on Their First 1:16 Scale R/C Tank

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Early this morning, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, revealed details and first shot product images of their initial radio controlled 1:16 scale tank. Their first foray is a Russian T-72 main battle tank, which will come in two editions: the Original (shown here) and an upgraded version called their Enthusiast Edition.

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According to Facebook, the Original version is slated for a 1st Quarter 2017 release while the Enthusiast version is expected one quarter later. Details concerning its feature list and pricing can be found on our web site.

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The Russians are Coming…and Keep on Coming

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While available in Russia for the last couple of years, it wasn’t until today that our distributor announced that the Eaglemoss range of Red Army Soldiers of World War II would be made available to comrades elsewhere. Twenty seven 1:32 scale soldiers comprise the series, all hand painted and pre posed and cutting across all ranks, titles and job duties. Look for the human wave assault some time in January.

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Did Someone Ask for Mustangs?

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In a surprise move today, Corgi announced two new 1:72 scale North American Mustangs would be out before year’s end, further strengthening their Aviation Archive brand and signifying they are in the market for the long haul. Expected in November are a USAF North American F-51 Mustang Fighter that was nicknamed “Was that too fast?”, and attached to the 18th Fighter Bomber Group, then deployed to Chinhae Airfield, South Korea, during 1951 (AA27702) as well as a RAF North American Mustang Mk. IV Fighter that was piloted by Norwegian ace Werner Christie, who was attached to No. 150 Wing, then deployed to RAF Hunsdon during the spring of 1945 (AA27703) . Look for both models some time in November.

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Eaglemoss Boldly Goes Where Others Dare Not Follow

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If you like them big, “bold”, and beautiful, then you may want to grab a seat at the helm of the latest Star Trek starship about to join the fleet. According to information from Comic Con, held this weekend in New York City, Eaglemoss will begin scaling up their line of starships, offering select ships in a mega-sized format, which shows off far more detail, and possibly come illuminated. According to Ben Robinson, project manager for the Star Trek series, “all of the Enterprises” and other “hero ships” (including DS9’s USS Defiant, the USS Voyager, and possibly the USS Excelsior) would be produced in a large scale.” Judging by the photo, it would appear as if USS Enterprise NCC-1701 will kick off the series. No word concerning the exact size of the first replica, its price or date of availability, but its refreshing to see them take the series in new directions, thereby satiating even the most discriminating collector.

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Along with several new standard sized starships, Eaglemoss also plans to offer new printed material this fall, in the form of a 160-page reference book series comprised of starship design articles compiled from the Collection’s individual magazines. According to Memory Alpha (http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Official_Starships_Collection), the first perfect bound installment, Designing Starships Volume One, focuses on thirty-three ships and was supplemented with additional articles and concept artwork not found in the saddle stitched magazines. The first edition of one hundred copies was retailed at a recent Birmingham convention. No word as yet concerning its price and whether it will be made available in North America and elsewhere.

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Eaglemoss Fires Off a Spread of Star Trek Stuff

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The Trek Collective, a fantastic web site that covers all of the latest comings and goings in the Star Trek universe, shed light on some of the latest new offerings Trekkies can expect from Eaglemoss:

“At this weekend’s Star Trek Mission: New York convention Eaglemoss ran a panel on Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection, in which series manager Ben Robinson announced loads of new ships,and other news. Continue below for a round-up of what we learnt:

The big news is that once again the collection has been granted an extension, and will now run for at least 130 issues (plus specials and other additional issues), which is almost twice the originally planned 70 issue run!

Ben announced a whole load of new ships during the panel, but by far the most exciting to me was confirmation that the USS Titan issue will be coming, off the back of the petition to find support for it championed right here on The Trek Collective. And better yet, Ben also confirmed the USS Aventine will be released too! Both ships are due out in 2017.

When asked about other non-canon ships Ben was less keen, noting he did not expect to do a USS Enterprise-F. However also noted such decisions will depend largely on how well the Titan and Aventine do. As noted previously, Eaglemoss need to be able to sell at least 5000 of a ship to make it viable. So if you really want to see the Enterprise-F, or other Online and book ships to follow, then you need to make sure you snap up the Titan and Aventine, as well as petitioning for the ships you want.

The next special issue, the Jellyfish, due out later this year was revealed. TrekCore have posted a bunch of photos of the impressively huge looking model.Ben announced a run of four new special issues (oversized models outside the regular fortnightly releases), which will be coming out next year. The first of these will be the USS Franklin and a swarm ship from Star Trek Beyond – These haven’t come as close to the film’s release as initially hoped, because the designs kept changing throughout the production of the film, making it difficult for Eaglemoss to keep up with the final designs in time to release sooner.

Following will be the Kelvin timeline Klingon battlecruiser, as seen in the Kobayashi Maru simulation in the first nuTrek movie. And then Deep Space Station K-7 (only the second station in the collection so far), which may feature an article by The Trouble with Tribbles writer David Gerrold.

Ben also announced a whole new run of ships which will be convention and subscriber exclusives. The first of those will be the SS Yorktown, the originally proposed name of the ship that became the USS Enterprise when TOS was in development, released this year to mark the 50th anniversaries (I assume this will be a repaint of the regular Constitution class model, but it could be one of the Jefferies concept designs, I’m sure Ben will clarify soon).

This will be followed next year by the USS Enterprise design created for the unmade film Planet of the Titans, created by Ken Adams and illustrated by Ralph McQuarrie. This design is of course the inspiration of the USS Discovery, so will be a timely release alongside the new TV series. There were two distinct study models created of the design, which have appear on-screen as background ships, and Eaglemoss plan to release both, one as a regular issue, and the other as one of these new subscriber exclusives releases.

Ben also announced several new regular issues! Issue ninety will be the USS Saratoga, the first variant class design in the series, following the original USS Reliant Miranda class release much earlier. That will be followed by the Medusan ship seen in the remastered version of Is There in Truth No Beauty? Issue ninety-three will be a Suliban cell ship, and another Enterprise ship follows that, the ECS Horizon.

And then issue ninety-five with by the New Orleans class USS Kyushu, the first of the unique designs seen in the wreckage of the Battle of Wolf 359 – Renderings of this ship have previously been released. Ben also noted that with the series expanded to 130 issues we can now expect to see all the Wolf 359 ships featured (see previous reports to see rare photos of all those designs). And still there’s more! Ben also revealed the line-up of the second set of shuttles will be: The Enterprise-era shuttlepod, the TNG type 15 shuttlepod, the early TNG shuttle (type 7 I presume), and the executive shuttle form The Undiscovered Country. On top of that Ben is already seeing what designs he might compile into a third set.”

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If it Doesn’t Fit, Force it!

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Information seems to be trickling out from the new owners of the Forces of Valor line, which cuts across all of their individual brands, product segments and areas of interest. Here’s what we know thus far from their Facebook page:

  • The manufacturer has begin production on their late 2016 product introductions. Eleven 1:32 scale military vehicles are slated for reintroduction later this year, hopefully before the holidays, making them ideal gifts. Although the vehicles will be based upon previously released vehicles from Unimax, the re-introductions will purportedly feature better painting and the tracked vehicles will sport individual tracks linked together rather than a single rubber band like track. A couple of fixed and rotary wing aircraft are also being produced, as are most of their 1:700 scale warships. The warships will come with nicer display stands, making them suitable for desktop displays
  • The manufacturer has begun production on reintroducing their 1:24 scale radio controlled military vehicles range. The R/C line will be feature rich and more robust, making them ideal for competitions or solo play
  • The manufacturer has acknowledged that they will once again be offering the limited edition 1:16 scale Extreme Metal series in 2017, although no word as yet as to which vehicles will be built, price, production run, etc. To preserve the value of previously released products, the manufacturer has indicated that they have no plans to reintroduce the same versions, and will more likely look at other schemes or variants to carry the series forward. Does that mean we may one day see a 1:16 scale replica of “Fury”, the Sherman tank Brad Pitt commanded in the movie of the same name? It’s entirely possible, and would certainly be a smart marketing move on their part provided the licensing fees weren’t exorbitant
  • The manufacturer has hinted that they are already looking at new 1:32 scale vehicle builds for 2017, which could include a T-34/76 medium tank and a M4A3E8 medium tank. Other subjects are still being considered
  • A new web site is currently under construction which will likely feature product released under the former owner’s stewardship as well as all of the new products slated for release and/or scheduled for 2017
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If it Doesn’t Fit, Force It!

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According to several sources, it appears as if the long dormant Forces of Valor range of military vehicles, aircraft, and warships will be resurfacing soon, courtesy of a new owner and resurgent look. Their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/fovhobbies/) already has a new cover photo and feel plus, if information posted on July 28th is correct, even their 1:24 scale radio controlled military vehicles will be making a return engagement.

We’re not sure when the the line will be formally introduced or which products will be tapped to from the nucleus of the product portfolio, but we’re nevertheless happy to see them back and with a vengeance. We will post further information just as soon as its passed along to us.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford CVN 78, is represented here in a combination model and live shot digital photo illustration. The ship is the first in a new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, for the US Navy under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), HMS Queen Elizabeth and PLAAN Liaoning, all likely candidates for model representation from the new Forces of Valor some time in 2017.
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