Showing no signs of abatement, Hobby Master ushered in their March introductions earlier this week. No new toolings were among the mix, although several intriguing aircraft and military vehicles were added to their order of battle, including this F-4 Wild Weasel aircraft (HA1981) painted in a tri-color camouflage pattern. All of their new offerings can be found in our November 2013 Additions subsection, found within our Product Lineup page.
The folks at Century Wings report that a new SR-71 is finally in development and scheduled for take off some time in February 2014. The difference here is that two versions will be offered to aviation enthusiasts: a standard 1:72 scale model and a second variant signed by both the pilot, Major Brian Shul, and the RSO, Major Walter Watson. According to the manufacturer, the signatures will be on a very nice certificate that would be ideal for framing alongisde the model. This particular spy plane, known as the “Lybian Raider” took part in the fly over of Colonel Muamar Qadaffi’s Lybia back in 1986. Only 500 pieces of each version are slated for manufacture, making this a low-run, key release in their SR-71 series.
We can’t remember when low-cost diecast military vehicles were so plentiful. Just yesterday, another 15 1:72 scale combat vehicles were added to our Altaya selection, bringing the expected November cache up to a whopping 47 products.
While many of the vehicles can be found in other manufacturer’s lines, prices for these reintroductions can’t be beat, costing only a nominal $14.99 apiece. Again, the entire fall harvest is expected in early November, so if you’ve got a hankering to build an inexpensive diorama or just want to fill in some holes in your collection, now would be an excellent time to do so.
Sometimes its feast or famine as far as product availability goes. Earlier today, we learned that Altaya’s range of 1:72 scale diecast military vehicles are finally showing up on North American shores, with 32 vehicles making up the first wave. We’re in the process of listing all of the new vehicles but just wanted to point out that they are a bit cheaper than the comparable line of AmerCom vehicles we just posted plus they come with an acrylic display case. For $15 a pop, you simply cannot go wrong with these little gems and are an ideal way to bring in new collectors into the hobby.
Earlier today we learned of a brand-new line of scale military aircraft called Luft-X. As its name implies, Luft-X is focusing on some of the experimental aircraft the Luftwaffe was developing towards the end of World War II as a means of drawing parity with the Allied air forces. Two subjects are expected by year’s end: a Gotha Go P.60A All-Wing Fighter (#Luft001) and a Blohm & Voss Bv P.210 Fighter (#Luft002).
Both 1:72 scale aircraft come with display stands and a collectible card, which explains the history and developmental work that went into each creation. Considering their relatively inexpensive cost, this line is an ideal way of filling in some of the holes found in most aircraft enthusiast’s aviation collection. Pre-orders are now being accepted.
Its always frustrating to see entirely new ranges made available to consumers in other parts of the world and not being able to offer these products to our customer base. Recently, that paradigm seems to be changing, with more and more international brands coming to the North American marketplace. In the case of Polish manufacturer, AmerCom, they may have an American sounding name but its only now that their entire range of military aircraft, combat vehicles and military helicopters will be made available at affordable prices in the Western Hemisphere.
While we’re thrilled to finally be able to stock the line, its going to take us several days to build out every section and add each new item to our web site since there are over 200 SKU’s that have to be added.. With the extended weekend looming, we hope to have this job completed some time next week, and can begin to immediately accept pre-orders. Stock is reportedly arriving in early November, making them ideal stocking stuffers for the holiday season.
Never one to shy away from a daunting challenge, Oxford announced plans to add several interesting subjects to their line of Oxford Aviation aircraft. A number of new warbirds will be coming out in early 2014, among them a Japanese Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-kai “George” Fighter, USN Grumman Avenger Torpedo-Bomber that was piloted by former President George Herbert Walker Bush, and a German Hs 126A-1 Reconnaissance Aircraft. In their History of Flight range, look forward to seeing an RAF Avro Anson twin-engine multi-role aircraft, no doubt a key addition to any enthusiast’s military aircraft collection.
All of the new aircraft have been added to our site, and we anticipate several new 1:76 scale military vehicles will also be announced in the coming days.
Information has been posted on Corgi’s web site concerning their 2014 first half Aviation Archive lineup. Among the notable new entries is this De Havilland jet fighter, which was produced at the tail end of World War II for the RAF but never actually introduced into combat.
With 2014 serving as the 100th Anniversary of the start of the Great War, we had hoped to see more WWI era aircraft among the mix. Instead, only one new plane was shown, a repaint of the German DR.I. Perhaps more aircraft are being held back for the latter half of 2014, in an effort to maximize their marketing potential. We hope to have the entire list of new aircraft up on our web site shortly just as soon as we receive pricing and anticipated release dates.
Its been a very long time since Hobby Master announced anything new in their massive 1:32 scale aircraft line, so it came as a pleasant surprise last week when they shared the news on their forthcoming Grumman F6F Hellcat. Scheduled for a January ship, their inaugural over-sized, piston-engine fighter is based on the mount flown by David McCampbell off the deck of the USS Essex in 1944 (#HA0301). “Minsi II”, as he dubbed it, will sport all the hallmark detail that went into their previous SBD Dauntless range, and will likely be followed up with several other noteworthy Hellcat replicas. A display stand will be sold separately for those collectors inclined to display their aircraft in flight mode.
Several years ago, Dragon launched a line of ancillary pieces called “DiorArmor”, an obvious play on words that combined one of their Dragon Armor pieces with a dioramic base. They seem to have revisited the theme somewhat, by offering a new range of vehicles called PanorArmor. Another play on words (“panorama”), this all-new sub set of vehicles combines several of their more recent releases with scenic, theatre appropriate backgrounds, making them more attractive to look at under glass.
Four vehicles make up the initial series, all of whom are expected some time in October.
