At long last, some one has convinced Japanese model maker, Marushin, to resume production of their fine line of 1:48 scale military aircraft. Two planes are expected in September, and we hope this will be the first pairing of planes that many have been asking about for a very long time.
At this time, we are expecting a Kate torpedo bomber (#MARS028) and a Zero (#MARS002) and we hope to have further information concerning other aircraft in the not-too-distant future.
Not to be out done by their wily competition. The Collectors Showcase has announced plans to expand their WWII range by offering a series of 101st Airborne figures and accessories. Currently, the Company is touting this teaser image, which, among other things, shows several soldiers in varying poses, a Willys jeep and what looks like the tail section of a Horsa glider. We’ll revisit the entire collection in greater detail once more concrete information has been passed along.
First announced back in early 2011, Minichamps’ 1:43 scale 1975 Citroen CX Limousine used by East German President Erich Honecker looked like a shoe-in for political office by diecast collectors. Earlier this year, however, we were told that it was cancelled, perhaps due to weak pre=order sales or troubling subject matter. Fast forward to July 2013, and it looks like the latest installment in the Political Leader Series is back on the campaign trail and expected later this fall (#MIN436111400). Minichamps has confirmed this curious change, so we are once again accepting pre-orders for this sleek piece of automotive history.
Parodies aside, The Collectors Showcase announced plans to beef up their Romans: Claudian Invasion of Britain series with an all-new barbarian figure set. Their latest introduction depicts a victorious barbarian leader clasping the head of a decapitated Roman soldier while standing near his prostrate body (#CS00748). Somewhat grotesque, the new set nevertheless conveys the ferocity of man-to-man fighting in the Age of Antiquity, and provides a colorful focal point to any toy soldier diorama. Look for the new set around the end of August.
Building upon the success of their 1:700 scale warship series, Unimax announced the commissioning of their first modern era warship: USS Enterprise (CVN-65). The US Navy’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, Enterprise was embroiled in a number of post-WWII trouble spots, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, and the Gulf Conflicts (UNI86012). This particular version of CVN-65 will come with a complement of F-14 Fleet Defense Fighters and F/A-18 Hornet Strike Fighters.
Also shown for the first time was a 1:48 scale representation of the US Marine Corps’ AH-1W Super Cobra, perhaps the single-most important weapon in the USMC’s arsenal since the close of WWII (#UNI84007). Expect both the Enterprise and Super Cobra later this fall, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
It’s refreshing to see Dragon continuing to reinvent the wheel by coming out with more installments in their Project Cutaway series. Their latest 1:144 scale offering examines the very first Boeing 747-100 to roll out of their Everett, Washington, assembly plant back in the late 1960s, and offers all of the detail and polish everyone has come to expect from their exceptional 3-D “peer inside” series (#DRP 47012). Their marketing promo hypes an August release, which can’t come soon enough for this fan of aviation history.
In keeping with their monthly new product announcements schedule, Hobby Master unveiled their latest assortment of military aircraft and vehicles due out in November. While no new toolings were shown, the grouping did contain a couple of perennial favorites that have been out-of-stock for some time: a SBC Helldiver (HA2209) and SBD-5 Dauntless dive-bomber (HA0170).
Feel free to check out these and other notable new entrants in our July New Additions section located within the Product Round Up link.
Looking to capitalize on the success of its own private space program, Dragon has announced plans to offer an all-new diorama as part of their burgeoning Dragon Space Collection. Their Apollo 11 scenic pays tribute to mankind’s first manned landing on the moon and contains 1:72 scale reproductions of the Lunar Module (LM), christened Eagle, which landed on the southern Sea of Tranquility, the command module, orbiting overhead, and two scale astronauts, representing mission commander, Neil Armstrong, and Lunar Module Pilot, Buzz Aldrin (#DRW50391). Look for this new set to touchdown some time this summer.
In a departure of sorts, The Collectors Showcase took the wraps off of their latest World War II figure series – the Italian SS. The Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade der SS (Italienische Nr. 1), bettter known as the Legione SS Italiana, was created in November 1943, from 15,000 volunteers who began training at the Truppenubungsplatz Munsingen in Germany. In April 1944, three battalions fought against the Allied bridgeheads at Anzio and Nettuno with surprisingly good results, for which Heinrich Himmler, on May 3rd, 1944, allowed them to wear SS-Runes on black rather than red and be fully integrated into the Waffen SS. Look for this new five-piece figure set to defend the beaches at the end of August.
Dragon continues to produce an astounding array of space-related replicas, so it comes as no surprise that they would start to replicate some of the cargo-laden craft being used by NASA to ferry materiel into space.
Two three-packs were recently unveiled – the first modeling a trio of NASA Delta II Rockets w/Launch Pads (#SRW56394) while the second showcases a triumverate of Titan III Rockets w/Launch Pads (#DRW56395). Look for both 1:400 scale sets to blast off this summer.
