Product Announcements – Page 55 – The Motor Pool

Hobby Master has a Remedy for the Winter Doldrums

Earlier this week, Hobby Master disclosed what they have in store for January 2016. Several intriguing new liveries are being worked on, including this commemorative 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain scheme adorning a Canadian Cf-18 Hornet (HA3526).

Other notable entrants include two Israeli warplanes – one based upon a F-15 Baz flown by the “Knights of the Twin Tail” squadron (HA4505) and an E-2C Hawkeye flown by a reconnaissance squadron (HA4805). All of the new replicas have been listed on our web site and are now available for pre-sale.

Share This:

Eaglemoss Orders General Quarters for the HMS Hermes

At the outset of the War in the Pacific in 1941, the Allies were woefully unprepared to take on the Imperial Japanese Navy operating in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific waters. One of the victims of the Japanese centrifugal offensive was the British aircraft carrier, HMS Hermes (95), which was sunk by Japanese dive-bombers on April 9th, 1942, after setting sail without its complement of aircraft on board.

Happily, Eaglemoss rendition of this venerable warship will feature some of its warplanes deployed on its flight deck, with the ship resplendent in a tropical tri-color camouflage pattern. Look for their newest entry in the Warships of the World Collection some time later this year.

On a related nautical note, four warships are expected to drop anchor at our port in early August. The list includes IJN battleship Musashi (EMGC04), IJN heavy cruiser Furutaka (EMGC27), IJN destroyer Fubuki (EMGC39), and the Marine Nationale battleship Dunkerque (EMGC43), the first French warship in the series.

Share This:

Corgi Gets Swept Away by a Typhoon

Long asked for but never truly addressed, Corgi finally has a pair of Eurofighter Typhoons scheduled to attack the diecast community.

Two versions of the multirole fighter are expected later this year – one paying tribute to a warbird that participated in “Operation Ellamy” to bring down the Lybian regime in 2011 (AA36406) and the other paying homage to the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain (AA36407). Both look quite handsome and make great additions to anyone’s aviation collection.

Share This:

PMA Gets Comfortable in Its Own Skin

Long serving as the manufacturing arm for Blitz 72, PMA has stepped out of the shadows and is now producing its own line of 1:72 scale military hardware. Expected in September is this Sd. Kfz. 8 DB9 prime mover which mounts a FlaK 18 88mm anti-aircraft gun on the rear bed. Painted in a whitewashed camouflage scheme and bearing loads of incredible detail, this main stay of the Wehrmacht fills a niche long neglected by the other model makers.

Share This:

Fight’s On: Hobby Master Puts On its Boxing Gloves

With 15 years in this business, we ordinarily take any news we come across with a grain of salt, particularly when new products are announced, since they sometimes end up as no more than pipe dreams or chest-beating rants by boastful manufacturers. However, when Hobby Master announced their intent to offer a 1:72 scale replica of the Grumman F-14 Fleet Defense Fighter, we sat up and took notice. Hobby Master has been one of the most reliable model makers in business today, while one of their rivals, Century Wings, is equally well-respected, largely confining its efforts towards producing a narrow gaggle of aircraft. The F-14 has always been one of Century Wings most passionate projects, with something on the order of 35 different aircraft released to date. Some command a small fortune in the after market, prized for their accuracy and limited runs.

Hobby Master’s first effort will be based upon a bird that was used by the commanding officer of VF-211 “Fighting Checkmates”, which was embarked upon the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) during 2004 (#HA5201). Moreover, the model will feature variable-geometry wings, thereby permitting them to be displayed in launch or in-flight configuration. Barring any licensing issues, a good subject for replication might be the F-14s depicted in the feature film, Top Gun, seeing as how the movie’s sequel is about to enter production.

Anyway, we thought it a bid odd that Hobby Master would devote precious resources towards producing a model that has become the bastion for another model maker, when loads of other untouched subjects could have made better choices. We wish them well in their endeavors and hope there’s enough market to go around for both companies to remain satisfied.

Share This:

SkyMax Models Returns From the Dead

Long thought to have been laid to rest, it looks as if SkyMax Models has risen from the dead and is giving us an encore performance. According to HobbyMaster Collector, the Company plans to reintroduce us to the Douglas Devastator this fall, by offering us a plane that was attached VS-42, then embarked upon the USS Ranger (CV-4), just prior to the start of hostilities in the Pacific during May 1941 (#SM8006). While its refreshing to see them make a come back, it would be nice to hear it from the manufacturer by providing its collectors and merchants a web site they can visit. Welcome back SkyMax!

Share This:

Air Force 1 “Raises Hell” with its First B-29

Even though replicas of the legendary “Enola Gay” and “Bockscar” B-29 Superfortresses aren’t due out until November, Air Force 1 has managed to scramble at least one bomber amongst the trio to mark the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb over Japan. “Raz’n Hell” (#AF10112A) is set to take off this August, and pays homage to a Superfortress that saw action at the tail end of WWII as well as the outset of the Korean Conflict. Offered up in 1:144 scale and heavy in the hand, this beauty comes with accurate nose art, not to mention its customary highly polished metal exterior, we’ve come to expect from this war winner.

Unlike their “Enola Gay” and “Bockscar” replicas, “Raz’n Hell” will not come bundled with a scaled down representation of the atomic bomb, hence the somewhat lower selling price as compared with its contemporaries.

Share This:

Wings of the Great War Dives into the Trenches of World War I

With a name like Wings of the Great War, you’d think the manufacturer would be content to stick to replicating aircraft of the Great War. In a turn about of sorts, the manufacturer announced today plans to offer a complete line of 1:72 scale combat vehicles that saw action in the War to End All Wars. Their first pair of tanks, which are expected in October, bring to life two of the most iconic vehicles ever to see action during the conflict – the British Mark IV Male tank (#WW10003) and the German equivalent, the Sturmpanzerwagen A7V Infantry Support tank (#WW10002).

Composed of resin and bundled with a decorative display base, their new armored vehicle series takes aim at a sorely overlooked segment of the pre-assembled market place. All we need now are the infantry, trenches, a “no man’s land” – festooned with barbed wire, craters and scorched earth – and we may just yet have a fully comprehensive look at the first war of the twentieth century.

Share This:

Halo 5: Guardians – Combat Continues to Evolve

Ever since Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers captured my imagination several decades ago, I’ve been fascinated with the sub genre of military science fiction. With the imminent release of Microsoft’s video game, Halo 5: Guardians, it made perfect sense to start checking out some of the new products being developed that will appear in the game and likely make an important impact on the industry at-large.

Besides all of the scale figures and vehicles currently on the docket, Dark Horse Comics, makers of the Halo comics series, has been tapped to create a squadron of warships that also form an integral part of the back story. Three ships are expected ahead of the game’s release, including the USNC Infinity, USNC Pelican drop ship and a Halo Covenant Truth and Reconciliation Cruiser.

Each comes fully painted and attached to a handsome display stand, and measure, on average, eight to nine inches in length. You can find all three ships within our redesigned Halo Universe section.

Share This:

Dragon Tip Toes into the Cold War

World War II has long been a bastion for Dragon, serving as a breeding ground for literally dozens of fighting vehicles from around the world and from virtually every theatre imaginable. Happily, the Company may have finally moved beyond its roots to other epochs, by offering a 1:72 scale model of the US M103A1 heavy tank (#DRR60691). Based upon a tank that served with the 24th Infantry Division in Germany during 1959, its refreshing to see that they are willing to step out of their comfort zone every so often. Since the M103 shares the same chassis used on both the M48 and M60 series of medium tanks, its a fair bet collectors will likely see these subjects in the not-too-distant future.

Share This: