Shout Outs

Century Wings Says Sayonara

While we haven’t stocked the line in several years, we’ve learned that Japanese-based Century Wings will be shutting down operations at the end of December. Citing declining orders and deteriorating molds as two reasons for the change of heart, Century Wings had been weighing their options for the better part of the year. The current trade war between the US and the PRC, which culminated in exorbitant tariffs for goods being brought in to the US, no doubt also factored into their decision to close up shop. The Company has been is existence since 2006, producing primarily SR-71, F-14, A-6, A-7 and F-8 models, so collectors probably felt as if they had enough of each subject and were looking for other types of aircraft to add to their collection.

We’re not surprised by Century Wings’ decision to throw in the towel, which will certainly be taken into consideration by other model makers if the Trump tariffs aren’t rolled back to an acceptable level. As it stands right now, there’s only so much a manufacturer can charge for a new aircraft, tank or warship, before the collector balks and walks away to pursue other interests. It would be a sad way to say goodbye but one that is both logical and foreseeable given the current set of circumstances affecting both nation’s intransigence and reluctance to give in.

From a personal standpoint, part of the problem for their closure was self-inflicted. While I don’t have an excel spreadsheet that lists every model they’ve produced to date, the fact remains that most collectors do not need or want the same items over and over again. Sure, there are some collectors who would like nothing more than to show off every single Tomcat Century Wings ever built; a like number of Blackbird enthusiasts who can display every Mach 3 jet in their oversized glass cabinets. But the fact remains that most collectors are on a budget and will buy an example or two of any given subject before moving on to other models. By bombarding the hobby with the same aircraft type ad nauseum is, at best, a poor business plan that will come back to haunt any model maker.

As it stands right now, Century Wings decision to ring down the curtains could be a precursor for other diecast manufacturers that have largely halted production to see how the US Supreme Court would rule on the Trump tariffs. Should they be overruled, then many will likely resume production and look back on 2025 as an aberration. Should they be upheld, however, then you can expect more manufacturers, distributors and retailers to follow suit and call it a day, unable and unwilling to sell product at inflated prices that few can afford. Guess we’ll have to see what the Court decides to do when they take up the matter in January. In the mean time, it may already be too late for several companies to await the decision.

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Calibre et al Continues to Push Back

On Friday morning, Calibre Wings produced a YouTube video claiming their eagerly awaited B-58 Hustler strategic bomber has been delayed yet again and is now expected to ship out within the March/April 2026 time frame. Noel Lee, owner of Calibre Wings, claimed there were several quality control issues with the production run, more specifically paint spray problems and assembly misalignment, that plagued several of the models. He also pointed to the upcoming Chinese New Year, which typically slows things down even further as workers head home from the factories to see their loved ones and take a break from work.

We’re not certain why this problem is now bubbling to the surface, seeing as how they were probably halfway through the quality control process that was designed to ensure that the models were in top-notch condition prior to being shipped out. We recognize this is a major source of income for the diecast aircraft manufacturer so we hope that this delay will be the last and enable them to get back to business producing first class models. Needless to say if Calibre intends to produce a second B-58 Hustler, they will need to devote more time to inspecting each model before announcing a release date, particularly since these models are fetching what can best be described as a king’s ransom in today’s market.

Moving on to other matters, it appears as if 2025 will go down as the driest year for product releases on record, with many manufacturers either delaying the release of their merchandise or continuing to take a wait-and-see stance to gauge what happens with the Trump tariffs now being ruled on by the Supreme Court. Bear in mind that even if the Court strikes down the tariffs, it will be some time before manufacturers can ramp up production and tackle the new year. Workers were laid off or sought work elsewhere, meaning it will be awhile before they can ratchet up production and resume business as usual.

Earlier today, we learned that Corgi’s last set of 2025 releases are now slated to arrive in late December, barring any further delays. Likewise, the latest items from Hobby Master and Panzerkampf are supposed to arrive in late November, although nothing is set in stone. As we have indicated in our newsletters and web site posts, please do not hang your hat on the arrival of fourth quarter releases as gifts for the holidays. We don’t want to disappoint, but the fact of the matter is we are being as forthright as possible and aren’t going to field complaints when we have absolutely nothing to do with these endless push backs.

Takeaway: Manufacturers and distributors alike are feeling the impact of the Trump Administration tariffs. Product is being delayed and prices are being increased to reflect the additional import charges.

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Calibre’s B-58 Delayed

We’re about to head off for vacation but noticed this recent Facebook post that was created by Noel Lee, head of Calibre Wings. While he is currently conducting Quality Control for over 1,500 B-58 Hustler bombers, he states that at a rate of 50 models per day, he should have the entire batch completed by the end of November, barring any further delays such as the recent typhoon that struck Hong Kong. Since they’re coming to us direct from China and still have to pass through customs and potential delays stateside, we estimate that our shipment will likely arrive some time in December, pushing their original estimated date of delivery back by sixty days. We’re sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this is obviously beyond our control.

Convair B-58 Hustler bombers undergoing final inspection before being approved for shipment

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Wow! Wowee, Wow, Wow, Wow!

Years ago, actor/comedian Christoper Walken performed a sketch on Saturday Night Live, one in which he played a so-called sophisticate speaking to the camera as if there was a supposed woman in his apartment. Decked out in a smoking jacket and likely living in a simple and unremarkable one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, the performance struck a note with me. In fact, I oftentimes try to mimic his daffy performance for anyone who is willing to give me a moment of their time. Anyway, I’ve always been struck by that skit, both for its comedic value, his range as both an actor and comedian and its application in real-life.

USAF Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Air Dominance Fighter – 87-0781, Dave Maurice, “Gray Ghost”, PAV-2, 412th Test Wing, Edwards AFB, California, 1990 [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)

Which leads me to the point of this blog post. Last week, we finally got in our batch of Hobby Master 1:72 scale Northrop YF-23 air dominance fighters, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the shipment to reach our shores. When we put this item up for sale on both our web site and on eBay, I couldn’t believe how quickly it sold out, even when we nudged up the price a bit to throttle sales. As you might imagine, the first batch is now gone and we obviously under-anticipated demand for this model and its legacy as a potential aerial platform.

We’ve since placed a large re-order with our distributor, who claims more are expected in November. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we never see another piece as they get gobbled up by collectors worldwide. I know they made quite a few of these models and even with the tariffs imposed on product coming in from certain countries still managed to break our sales records with inquiries about its availability still filtering in.

USAF Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Air Dominance Fighter – 87-0800, “Black Widow II”, PAV-2, 412th Test Wing, Edwards AFB, California, 1990 (1:72 Scale)

Anyway, we’re leaving this model up on our web site and are still accepting orders should they indeed materialize for the holiday rush. Just as importantly, however, is the second release of the YF-23, known rather surreptitiously as the “Black Widow II”. Painted in matte black, we believe this version will also sell like hotcakes, possibly even breaking the first model’s sell-through rate which, as I’ve already pointed out, may have been our fastest selling aircraft model in our 25-year history. Food for thought if you don’t mind waiting a bit, have space set aside for this beauty and have your heart set on what many believe should have been our nation’s fifth generation air dominance fighter.

Update: If sales are any judge of a model’s success, then I think we can safely assume that Hobby Master’s initial release of the YF-23 will be hailed as the 2025 model of the year, perhaps usurped by the dark grey/black follow-on release expected by year’s end. We don’t acknowledge runaway “runway” hits all that often but it certainly appears as if the YF-23 may indeed receive these honors when the year is out. We did mention to Hobby Master that a navalized version of the YF-23 was planned by the aircraft manufacturer back in the 90s, featuring, among other things, more robust landing gear, canards and other external improvements so there’s a possibility that they may examine its feasibility as a potential model come the new year. What follows is some information on the at-sea version, excerpted from, you guessed it, Wikipedia.

A proposed naval variant of the F-23, sometimes known unofficially as the NATF-23 (the proposed naval variants were never formally designated), was considered as an F-14 Tomcat replacement for the U.S. Navy. The original HSF configuration of the F-23 was first considered with the initial DP500 design but would have had issues with flight deck space (it was to be no longer than the F-14), handling, storage, landing, and catapult launching, thus necessitating a different design. By 1989, the design was narrowed down to two possible configurations: DP533 with four tails and DP527 with two V-tails and canards. DP527 was determined to be the best solution. The NATF-23 design was submitted along with the F-23 proposal for full-scale development, or engineering and manufacturing development (EMD), in December 1990. However, by late 1990 the Navy was already beginning to back out of the NATF program and fully abandoned it by FY 1992 due to escalating costs. A wind tunnel test model of DP527, tested for 14,000 hours, was donated (with canards removed) by Boeing St. Louis (formerly McDonnell Douglas) in 2001 to the Bellefontaine Neighbors Klein Park Veterans Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Corgi Passes the Torch

Earlier today we learned that Hornby Hobbies USA has decided to shutter its Corgi North American distribution channel in an effort to reduce expenses and bring about a more streamlined experience. The Corgi product range will now be handled exclusively by Motor City Classics, which is based here in Florida.

The following announcement was made in regard to the Corgi hand over:

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Does Corgi’s “Royal Flush” Live Up to Its Name?

Its been a couple of years since Corgi released their last B-17 “Flying Fortress” heavy bomber. Mind you they have several large bombers in their growing portfolio so they have to be careful where they place their eggs in the product basket. But with the recent airing of the mini series “Masters of the Air”, hype was building for a 1:72 scale model that could both live up to its name and entice more collectors into the hobby. So, when Corgi indicated that a new B-17 was in the works, one that had a storied history behind it, we were downright giddy and looking forward to taking orders for the holiday season.


That is until now. Last week, as part of their regular Diecast Diaries newsletter, preliminary images were shown for “Royal Flush”, a legendary B-17F that, as it turned out, was the only aircraft to survive a bombing mission over Munster in 1943. As a member of the “Bloody 100th” bomb group, so named for the number of aircraft lost on this single mission, “Royal Flush” somehow survived this strike, despite being set upon by countless Luftwaffe fighters intent upon destroying the entire bomb group. At the controls of “Royal Flush” was Lieutenant Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal, an accomplished pilot that somehow performed a number of defensive maneuvers so that they could return home to their base at Thorpe Abbot Field in England.

But now the model. As you can see, the replica has a huge gap that runs from its nose down the fuselage, with a tampo-printed insignia overlaying the forward part of the model. The gap is so large that it almost seems as if you can peer into the nose section to see inside. Now I can understand if this was Corgi’s first attempt at modelling the B-17, but folks this is at least their 15th look at bringing the B-17 to their collector base. How they managed to bungle the job and introduce such a large join line at this point in the model’s lineage is, quite frankly, baffling, especially since they pride themselves on offering professionally-built and heavily researched scale models to their Aviation Archives series.


I don’t often criticize a model for its accuracy, especially one that hasn’t been released as yet and represents a sizeable impact on Corgi’s overall revenue this holiday season. But with the Trump Administration’s hike in tariffs on product brought in from China, we thought it made sense to say something now since there may be some time to re-work the model so that the join lines aren’t so noticeable. “Royal Flush”? Well, you decide if the name has a dual meaning.

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Congrats to Calibre

Earlier this month, Calibre Wings finally announced the pre-order price for their upcoming 1:72 scale Convair B-58 Hustler bomber. Decked out in a shiny metal finish and packed in a handsome wooden display case with all sorts of accoutrements, the B-58 was one of those oft-mentioned projects that seemed to take forever to finally come to fruition. Fortunately it has and now the manufacturer reports that they have completely sold out of the 1,000-piece production run scheduled to hit the streets shortly. We had hoped to stock this item, but weren’t sure if we could lay our hands on any of the pieces based upon the current tariff situation that seems to be permeating every facet of our business.

Calibre has officially said that they plan to make other schemes for the B-58, so if you weren’t able to nab one of these specimens from the first run take heart because other versions aren’t far behind. And, in the mean time, we’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Calibre Wings for not only having the chutzpah to make a model of this nature but to sell it out within weeks of it being announced. Bravo!

Update: A bit of good news for fans of Calibre Wings. We heard back from the Company on Tuesday morning, April 22nd. Turns out they are holding four (4) pieces of the B-58 Hustler for us. Our wholesale cost is right around the previously announced retail price so we’ve had to list it for quite a bit more to reflect our cost and overseas shipping charges which is significant considering that the model is packed in a heavy wooden box. Due to the cost and weight of this item, we will only be accepting domestic orders within the Continental US. Sorry, no shipments will be made to either Hawaii, Alaska or any US territory.

Needless to say, based upon heavy popular demand, we will list and offer the second version of the B-58 once information has been disseminated. A second variant is likely due some time in 2026.

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It’s Raining Planes (and Helicopters)

After speaking with our principal supplier, it looks as though we’re about to be deluged with loads of new models towards the end of March. For starters, we’re expecting 15 different MH-53 helos from Panzerkampf along with a nice re-stock of Forces of Valor items. Besides the long sold out MH-47 helicopter, we’re about to receive a pair of F/A-18 Hornets that have long been hinted at and have finally gotten their marching orders.

More importantly, we’re going to be receiving both the February and March shipments of Hobby Master products, along with several key re-stocks that will help to fill out our coffers. So, if you have already submitted pre-orders for any of these items, please hang in there while we sift through these shipments. We will provide you with tracking information so you know when you can finally lay claim to them just as soon as everything has been inspected and segregated. Enjoy!

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The Forces of Valor Update: Zzzzzzzz

We’re a few days away from the start of the Nuremberg Toy Fair, which most insiders agree is the venue where new product announcements are made. Thus far, Waltersons, the owners of the Forces of Valor brand, hasn’t privately discussed what’s in store from them for the 2025 calendar year, even though they’ve posted loads of new items to their multiple web sites. Why they have multiple web sites as opposed to one all-encompassing site is perhaps a topic for another time but suffice it to say that they seem reluctant to provide details on a wide range of yet-to-be-released items that they’ve hinted at for over two years running.

I know they purchased Greenlight Collectibles more than a year ago and that it has taken up much of their time. Its no easy task getting a new company to perform like clockwork. Heck, that’s a given. Greenlight gives them entree into an assortment of big box retailers from Walmart to Target whereas Forces of Valor has had to stick its nose and well-worn shoe in the door of these very same retailers to maintain any sort of presence. Let’s face it, war toys just doesn’t ring up at the cash register like they used to. But frankly that isn’t enough of a reason to leave their dedicated base of customers in the lurch for an extended period of time. Its been well over two years since they posted anything to their Facebook account and I’m not even certain if they are responding to collector inquiries, much less willing to draw back the curtains on what’s new.

That said, we’re hoping they are about to turn a corner and face their critics who have repeatedly asked if anything new is in the wings. If they don’t do so in 2025 I’m afraid they’re going to lose quite a few ardent supporters and witness the selling of more FOV collectibles by people who have moved on to other segments of the hobby. We’ve been a vocal supporter of the line too but are starting to wonder if that backing needs to be toned down in favor of other branches and manufacturers within the hobby. Its up to Waltersons to indicate if they plan on shedding light on what’s to come or are content to leave things the way they are. That would be a sad affair but ultimately their way of saying goodbye to their bread-and-butter range that to date has paid handsome dividends for both themselves and their retail network.

Update: Yesterday, we stumbled across this photograph from the Nuremberg Toy Fair that clearly shows both the Greenlight Collectibles booth playing host to the Waltersons Forces of Valor range. Only a handful of new products were being shown including their upcoming re-release of the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier, Ferdinand tank destroyer and a few other items we cannot accurately discern. Their soon-to-be-released line of 1:64 scale military vehicles are likely integrated within their Greenlight showcase, so there’s no point in discussing them any further. While its encouraging to see that Forces of Valor hasn’t dropped out-of-sight its a bit disappointing to see nothing new was being debuted in a public manner.

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Tales of Transparency: Panzerstahl

Its been a frustrating year from any number of standpoints, particularly as it relates to getting in new product that in many cases were announced months ago. Several manufacturers seem to be running into regular delays — oftentimes because of customs checks, manufacturing issues or other supply chain problems — which keeps affecting how and when we can expect to receive their items.

In the case of Panzerstahl, we were notified in August by one distributor that a cache of “previously made” product had been unearthed — presumably sitting in a warehouse somewhere in Asia or Europe — and that they could be expected before the start of the fourth quarter. Well, its now coming up on the end of November and we’re still sitting on our hands waiting to hear when they will be dispatched. We’ve told this distributor time and again that it does us no good if the product gets shipped to us at the end of December, when most online shopping has already wound down.

To make a long story short, we decided this morning to cancel our Panzerstahl order and have focused our attention on those lines that ARE actually expected sometime over the course of the next two weeks so they can make it to shoppers before Santa takes wing. Again, I have no idea why its taken this distributor so long to get in product that was made, packaged and sitting in inventory well over a decade ago looking for a nice new home. There’s only so many excuses I can listen to before I have to put on my big boy britches and call them out for not living up to their end of the bargain. Its one thing to get everyone’s hopes up — its another to drop the ball in spectacular fashion.

We apologize for not receiving said product and hope you understand that some things are simply beyond our abilities to properly address. Any orders we may have received to date for this line will naturally be cancelled and the listings will have a block in place to prevent any added orders from coming in.

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