Eaglemoss’ 1:1100 scale US Navy New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser – USS Minneapolis (CA-36) [With Collector Magazine]In what could be the last time the Eaglemoss navy weighs anchor, the latest, and perhaps greatest quartet of warships are leaving the manufacturer’s shipyard and heading towards our port of call. Expected this weekend are the following warships:
EMGC64 – US Navy New Orleans Class Heavy Cruiser – USS Minneapolis (CA-36) [With Collector Magazine]
EMGC77 – Imperial Japanese Navy Mogami Class Heavy Cruiser – Kumano [With Collector Magazine]
EMGC79 – Imperial Russian Navy Gangut Class Battleship – Gangut [With Collector Magazine]
EMGC76 – French Marine Nationale Richelieu Class Battleship – Richelieu [With Collector Magazine]
Priced at just $24.99, and bundled with a full-color magazine, these warships have become the de facto standard other replica navies have had to sail past to gain their own place in the sun.
The Panzer Museum, a highly regarded armored fighting vehicle museum based in Munster, Germany, indicated that they have lent their logo, photos, and other information to the makers of the board game, Monopoly, to create a game centered around WWII era tanks. Based upon photos posted to Facebook, it appears as if the game has been localized for the German market and likely their own gift shop, and therefore not meant for the global market. Still, its a fair bet they could offer the game in other languages, making it an ideal stocking stuffer for armored enthusiasts world over.
Some times a picture is, as they say, worth a thousand words. Even the 1:32 scale dioramas, first introduced way back in 2002, are slated to make an encore appearance
We were concerned that Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, hadn’t put in an appearance at the recently concluded Nuremberg Toy Fair largely because no one had seen nor heard from them at the Show. Turns out the Company was in attendance, all-too-eager to demonstrate to their fans that the productions lines were already churning and that plans were laid out for the year.
The Waltersons Forces of Valor radio controlled range now includes R/C products once produced under the VS Tanks marque, which was acquired in 2017. Its not clear if the manufacturer will retain the VS Tanks logo or nestle everything under the Waltersons/Forces of Valor brands.
According to our liaison, the first grouping of product expected this Spring will be their 1:72 scale aircraft, which will be followed, in quick succession, by several different 1:32 scale armored subjects. They also plan to update their web site as well as their respective Facebook pages, thereby maintaining regular communication with their fans and dealer network.
Several new tanks can be seen along with repaints of the R/C lineup
In the mean time, several of their upcoming 1:32 scale vehicles can be seen atop one display in their Nuremberg photo gallery. New camouflage schemes are evident for several of their 1:24 scale radio controlled vehicles, as well as images for their upcoming M26 Pershing, M1A1 Abrams and MLRS.
Waltersons claims that many of the relaunched 1:72 scale aircraft are already highly detailed so they will look much the same as in the past, perhaps with more attention paid to the engines. The display stands, however, will resemble the type used for their warship line, in that they will boast a “wooden look” with the name and nationality of the aircraft appearing on the front. Moreover, the display pillar has been completely redesigned, thereby enabling the aircraft to be rotated in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise fashion.
As far as 1:32 scale vehicles go, here is what we know thus far based upon post Nuremberg Show information passed along to us by the manufacturer. “After the 88mm guns, the Jagdpanther and Elefant will enter production. Following that would be the Sherman Firefly and Soviet T-34-85, and finally the Tiger I with lots of modifications. That would be the 1st – 2nd week of May.” So, if you read between the lines, any new molds such as the Sturmtiger and M4A3E8 Sherman are still a ways off, likely stealing the spotlight towards the end of the year. Likewise, the 1:16 scale Tiger, which everyone has been asking about, will almost certainly make it to market towards the end of 2018.
Again, we ask that you not contact us at this time to ask when a particular item is expected or to check on an order. You know as much as we do and questions of this nature are counterproductive, taking us away from things that we can fully address.
Well, its that time of year again when we’d like to wish everyone a merry Christmas, happy Hanukah and a joyous new year. This past year was especially good for us for any number of reasons and, as usual, we look forward to working with our customers, suppliers and everyone else connected with The Motor Pool in the coming year. Stay safe and sound.
Solido’s 1:72 scale German Sd. Kfz. 9 Famo Prime Mover and 88mm FLak Gun
We’re just weeks away from laying out the cookies and milk for Santa, but there’s still lots of stocking stuffers rolling in through out the month. Yesterday, we received a number of new Star Trek standard-sized starships as well as the Aventine, a highly coveted starship that came about because of an online petition and offered in limited numbers at the recent Comic Con convention in New York City.
Also expected this month are the second wave of War Master products developed for Solido, a restock of the TSM carrier deck, the December installment of Hobby Master aircraft, a handful of new Wings of the Great War pieces, several new Modelcollect weapons carriers, and, hopefully, a restock of their V-1 buzz bomb and launch ramp.
Looking ahead into January, expect the next to last wave of Eaglemoss Warships of the World warships, a number of new Eaglemoss Star Trek star ships, the Luft-X Haunebu flying saucer, the next pair of Calibre Wings F-14 Tomcats, and a wide range of other eagerly anticipated products. Save your hard-earned coin because there’s still lots to drool over as Santa makes his rounds!
Eaglemoss’ Star Trek Federation Vesta Class Starship – USS Aventine NCC-82602
As promised, we now have a cache of the convention exclusive Star Trek starship, the USS Aventine. For those unfamiliar with the starship, the USS Aventine is a first generation Vesta-class starship that was commissioned in 2380 and was the second starship of her class to be completed. Originally commanded by Captain Dexar, command of the Aventine was given to Lieutenant Commander – and subsequently promoted to Captain – Ezri Dax after Captain Dexar and his First Officer, Commander Tovak were killed in combat with a Borg Sphere near Acamar. The Second Officer took command of the ship and was able to get it to safety. Two weeks later, Lieutenant Commander Dax was promoted to Captain and given permanent command.
The ship comes bundled with a full-color collector magazine, and has been eagerly sought after ever since it surfaced at the recent Comic-Con convention in New York. This one will likely sell out fast, so place your orders as soon as possible to guarantee delivery before the holidays.
Dragon’s 1:72 scale German Sd. Kfz. 161 PzKpfw IV Ausf. G Medium Tank – 7.Panzer Regiment “Totenkopf”, 3.SS Panzer Grenadier Division “Totenkopf”, Kharkov, Russia, 1943
Maybe its appropriate that Dragon’s newest pair of 1:72 scale armored releases make it to market during the winter time frame. Just in time for the holidays and available for immediate shipping are two flocked Panzer IVs – the first, a German Sd. Kfz. 161 PzKpfw IV Ausf. G Medium Tank – 7.Panzer Regiment “Totenkopf”, 3.SS Panzer Grenadier Division “Totenkopf”, Kharkov, Russia, 1943 (DRR60699), the second, a restock of a German Sd. Kfz. 161 PzKpfw IV Ausf. G Medium Tank – 7.Panzer Regiment “Totenkopf”, 3.SS Panzer Grenadier Division “Totenkopf”, Kharkov, Russia, 1943 (DRR60700).The second tank has been out-of-stock for several months, so we’re excited to have it back in our armored stable for the holiday rush.
Dragon’s 1:72 scale German Sd. Kfz. 161 PzKpfw IV Ausf. G Medium Tank – 7.Panzer Regiment “Totenkopf”, 3.SS Panzer Grenadier Division “Totenkopf”, Kharkov, Russia, 1943
All things being equal, both items are beautiful pieces, perhaps some of the nicest tracked warriors to come out of the Dragon factory in some time.
A new method of paying for your purchases has now been implemented called PayPal Credit. With PayPal Credit, you can enjoy special financing offers like this one: No Payments + No Interest if paid in full in 6 months on purchases of $99 or more. Buying with the power to pay as you choose and still enjoying the security and reliability of PayPal…now that’s magic. The new method of payment appears in blue underneath the regular yellow PayPal button on our checkout page.
Keep in mind that PayPal Credit works in much the same manner as PayPal in that you are sending us payment once you have completed the transaction. As such, we strongly recommend that you use this payment option for items listed as being in stock rather than for pre-orders or back ordered merchandise.
We are about to be inundated in military vehicles. Lots of ’em. Drawn from a line in Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, we have been informed that our shipment of Eaglemoss Military Vehicles of the Second World War are en route and expected early next week. Many of the 1:43 scale vehicles expected have been sold out for some time, while others have never graced our shelves, meaning a great many people have been waiting a very long time hoping to one day nab these military apparitions.
Eaglemoss 1:43 British Chevrolet C8A Heavy Utility Truck – Guards Armoured Division, Arnhem, Holland, 1944
Our Product in Transit page shows all of the vehicles contained in the shipment, so, if you are interested in adding your name to the list of hopefuls we strongly suggest you pre-order the vehicles as quickly as you can. It’s entirely feasible that this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity, since they have already indicated they may not be able to obtain more of these vehicles for the foreseeable future.
Eaglemoss 1:43 German Kfz. 70 Krupp Protze L2HI43 6×4 Cargo Truck – Unidentified Unit, Poland, 1939
Minichamps 1:12 scale 1939 Triumph Speed-Twin Motorcycle – Red
So, we’re never quite clear where we stand with Minichamps, particularly when it comes to their classic 1:12 scale motorcycles. Their release dates are never accurate, the stories behind their delays seem to change on a daily basis, and yet, despite all of the inconsistencies and inaccuracies, their bikes are some of the most sought after collectibles on the market today.
As of late last week, here is where we stand with several of their most eagerly anticipated bikes — the latest release schedule calls for the re-release of their 1939 Triumph Speed Twin motorcycle some time in early 2018 and their 1932 Brough Superior SS 100 is supposedly coming back to the market within the fourth quarter of 2017.
Minichamps 1:12 scale 1932 Brough Superior SS 100 Motorcycle – T.E. Lawrence a.k.a. “Lawrence of Arabia”
And now their pair of Vincents, first announced eight years ago, and still two of the most eagerly expected bikes ever to make it onto the manufacturer’s drawing board. Although the German Minichamps site has taken down both listings — for whatever reason — the US distributor has not been informed otherwise, and has therefore kept both bikes on their release schedule. We don’t know what to tell you folks. We are not connected with Minichamps, we continue to wish that the bikes still materialize, and have watched the asking price for the replicas increase year over year, and yet collectors are still keeping their fingers crossed that the bikes will one day show up. I know its not much to go on, and other retailers will likely tell you the same thing based upon the information they too have been provided. So, we are still asking you to hang in there and will post any further news the moment we receive it.
