Shout Outs – Page 35 – The Motor Pool

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Merchandise

As many of you already know, September 4th is when licensed Stars Wars vendors are allowed to discuss details concerning all of the new Star Wars-related merchandise connected with the upcoming feature film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, scheduled to open on December 18th. As fate would have it, we are headed out-of-town this Friday, so we’re going to have to wait until next week to start listing all of The Force Awakens collectible products we intend to stock. Happily, you can find more information concerning the announcement here: http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-the-force-awakens-products-to-arrive-on-force-friday-september-4

Remember, may the Force be with you.

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Google Trusted Store Surveys

For the astute among you, you may have noticed that we have applied to become a Google Trusted Store, which means added benefits to both you, the customer, as well as us, the merchant. At the conclusion of an online order, a pop-up window will appear similar to the one shown here, which will allow you to submit a survey regarding your overall shopping experience. We would appreciate it if you could take the time out of your busy schedule and rate us for each of the questions posed by Google. High ratings, would, of course, be most welcome!

You can find more information regarding the program here: http://www.google.com/trustedstores/

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How Do You Spell Eagle(mas)?

Every so often we run into a situation where we get short shipped a few items. In the case of Eaglemoss, we learned today that several items in their partworks line that we had been expecting in the August/September time frame won’t be materializing, chief among them the 1:43 scale Bren Gun Carrier. Likewise, we got short shipped the Studebaker truck in CIAB livery, although we will be able to fill a few orders based upon the date we received them. Our distributor hasn’t given up hope, so there’s still a chance that they will locate another cache of these items, thereby enabling us to fill a few more orders and possibly offer the product up for general sale.

Anyway, one of the lessons learned from this unhappy happenstance is that it pays to submit pre-orders early. We fill orders based upon the date we receive them, in a sense rewarding those customers who place their orders ahead of the product being received rather than dallying on the sidelines waiting for a timely opportunity to arise. Again, by using a credit card, you have nothing to lose since we do not charge you until the merchandise is ready to be shipped out. If you decide to pay by PayPal or use a debit card then that’s a different story, since each brings with it its own set of circumstances discussed in detail on our First-Time User Information page.

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The Museum of American Armor

In the “duh, we had no idea this was in our backyard department,” we just learned about the existence of The Museum of American Armor. Located on the grounds of Old Bethpage Village, Long Island, right near the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport, the Museum houses several dozen pieces of military hardware, and recently received a USMC LVT “Buffalo” from the estate of a deceased collector.

The Museum of American Armor in New York www.museumofamericanarmor.org is acquiring a rare World War II era LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) “Buffalo” amphibious assault vehicle from Thea Kronlund as part of a joint decision to create a permanent living tribute to her late husband and armor collector, Mr. Kevin Kronlund, and his leadership in keeping alive our nation’s military heritage.

Mrs. Kronlund stated, “On the eve of Kevin’s death the Museum of American Armor acquired his Long Tom cannon and M 4 artillery tractor for the purpose of making it a cornerstone of the museum’s armor collection on Long Island. Over the passage of time the museum has made repeated references to Kevin’s legacy when visitors come to tour their facility. Given that the museum is located within one of the largest veterans populations in the United States and some 35 miles from Manhattan, we thought his LVT would be an appropriate means to create a lasting tribute to Kevin’s legacy that would be appreciated by many.”

According to their web site, “visitors will walk through the museum’s camouflaged front doors that have been heavily sandbagged similar to the way important bunkers were protected some 70 years ago. Inside, a gift shop and administrative office will occupy a modest amount of space as the bulk of the building will be devoted to the display of some 30 vehicles. Half a dozen times a year, and in coordination with OBVR programming, these vehicles will be presented in the field or on the Village’s country roads as living historians offer displays on WW II tactics.”

For more information about the museum and its semi-regular events, you can visit their web site: http://museumofamericanarmor.com/

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Props to (and from) Air Force 1

Earlier this week, we posted a slide comparing the upcoming Air Force 1 Northrop-Grumman E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft against the one proposed by Hobby Master. While we didn’t catch it previously, we did notice that the Air Force 1 version featured four propellers on each of the engines, while the Hobby Master replica showed eight. We queried the distributor regarding this glaring difference between the two aircraft and they indicated that the Air Force 1 version will ship as is, but will also include a second set of 8-bladed propellers. Wikipedia explains why the changes were made:

“In 2004, the E-2C’s propeller system was changed; a new eight-bladed propeller system, named NP2000, was developed by the Hamilton-Sundstrand company to replace the old four-bladed design. Improvements included reduced vibrations and better maintainability as a result of the ability to remove prop blades individually instead of having to remove the entire prop and hub assembly. The system had previously been used in the C-130 Hercules, which also uses the T-56 engine, to great effect. However, one major difference between the C-130J and the E-2C is that the C-130J uses a six-bladed propeller. The E-2C needed to use a new eight-bladed configuration in order to maintain harmonic compatibility with the electronics that were designed for a four-bladed propeller. The propeller blades are of carbon fiber construction with steel leading edge inserts and de-icing boots at the root of the blade.”

Frankly, kudos go to Air Force 1 for including both sets of propeller configurations, which take into account the changes made to the aircraft design in 2004. Its these types of details that go a long way towards making the collector happy with their purchase, much like Hobby Master’s fix for its radome oversight which came to light a few weeks ago.

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Russia’s Mistrial with the Mistral

When Russian forces moved into neighboring Ukraine last year, France suspended the sale of two completed helicopter assault ships it had built for the Russian Navy. Undaunted, Russia now plans to build several ships of its own, according to their St. Petersburg navy design bureau, one intended to be larger, faster and more heavily laden than the French built Mistral warship. Dubbed Lavina (‘Avalanche’), the new ship, which is scheduled for completion by the end of this decade, “will have a full load displacement of 24,000 tons, as opposed to 21,300 tons for the French-designed ship. It will also have a maximum speed of 22 knots, compared to 19 knots for the Mistrals.

Just like the Mistral, Lavina will house 16 helicopters, about 50 armored vehicles (about 10 fewer than the French amphibious assault vessel) and a potential six smaller boats, as opposed to the Mistrals’ four. All figures are likely rough estimates, with numerous variables, and it is unclear how advanced the Lavina blueprints are at the current stage. ”

Other helicopter carriers are also in development, including the Priboy, a 14,000-ton helicopter carrier, capable of transporting 16 attack helicopters, and previously announced by Nevsky Design Bureau, another leading St. Petersburg design bureau.

According to Russia Today, “the Yantar shipyard also reportedly began construction of a smaller Ivan Gren-class assault vessel, which the Navy said would be ready by 2018.”

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Luft-X Heads Back to the Drawing Board

The fundamental mission behind the creation of Luft-X is to offer up several of the more exotic aircraft that was under development by the Luftwaffe at the closing stages of WWII. It is therefore a tad ironic that their upcoming Horten Ho 229 fighter-bomber is being wheeled back to its hangar for a new coat of paint, one that is more in keeping with its historic roots and color plates. The new scheme has an earthy look to it (see above), likely treated so it could blend in with trees and other fauna if it was to operate from roadways and rural areas, while its original scheme had a more dazzling look to it (see below).

Their next pair of aircraft are expected in mid August.

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Eaglemoss Gives Us a Head Fake Then Heads for the Hoop

We’ve been waiting patiently for the July shipment of Eaglemoss 1:43 scale products to arrive, which was expected earlier this month. However, we’ve just learned that the nineteen vehicles have been delayed a bit, although hopefully not for too long. Conversely, several vehicles that were slated to arrive in August were apparently pushed up and received by our distributor, which are now en route to us as we speak. Likewise, some of the Fabrri 1:72 scale vehicles are also being sent to us, although a handful of others have been shunted to the August window. We apologize for these “mid-course corrections” and will do our utmost to get these out the door the moment they arrive.

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Turning Lemons into Lemonade

While several manufacturers have been accused of not including enough information with their models it looks as if one went a tad too far in the other direction, and with unhappy results. Hobby Master originally included some text on the top of the radome for their inaugural E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning Aircraft (as shown in this image), an oversight that may never be fully explained. Anyway, as some have pointed out, the text never appeared on the actual aircraft (as shown in the second image), as several online photographs clearly show, meaning their first foray could have been headed to the bargain bin.

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 17, 2007) An E-2C Hawkeye, attached to the “Screwtops” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123, performs a fly-by for family and friends of crew members during an air power demonstration held by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during a three-day Tiger Cruise. Enterprise and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 are on a scheduled six-month deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class George R. Kusner (Released)

To fix the error, Hobby Master has dutifully returned this bird to their hangar and is removing any and all text they inadvertently included, leaving just the “blue swirl” intact to signify it belongs to VAW-123 “Screwtops”. While other manufacturers may have declined the notion of recalling a model to fix such a glaring error, its refreshing to see that at least one model maker is willing to go the extra mile to make their replicas as true-to-life as possible, even if it costs them resources, time and energy to bring their product to market. No one likes a black eye, but the take away here is that the Company recognizes its responsibility to their clientele and is working towards rectifying the issue to everyone’s satisfaction. Well done!

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Corgi Takes on the Luftwaffe Over the Skies of England

Its refreshing to see that the Battle of Britain is still a topic of heated conversation some 75 years hence, which many regard as the pivotal battle to defeat Nazi aggression. To mark the occasion, Corgi will be offering three different WWII bombers to the public this fall, each a key player in the attempt by the Luftwaffe to subjugate the island fortress. Expected in November is a German Junkers Ju 88A-5 Medium-Bomber that was attached to 1./Kustenfliegergruppe 806, during August 1940 (#AA36710). Also up for consideration is a German Heinkel He-111P-2 5J+CN Medium Bomber which was attached to Kampfgeschwader 4, and deployed to Oslo, Norway, during 1940 (#AA33714). And, finally we have a German Dornier Do 17 Light Bomber that was attached to 7 Staffel, III Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 3, during August 1940 (#AA38806)

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