As September draws to a close, it made sense for us to pause and provide you with our usual monthly recap in order to keep you abreast of the latest developments affecting our release schedule. Late yesterday, we learned that a new shipment of PMA products are en route to us, which includes, among other things, a 1:72 scale Ho 229 bomber. What makes this model different from the already available Luft-X version is that it is made of diecast metal rather than resin and features a pair of Jumo engines embedded within the aircraft. Its a stunning model and serves as PMA’s first foray into the diecast aviation market. No doubt other schemes will eventually come out as is typical of PMA and we’re hoping other warbirds aren’t too far behind, thus expanding their scope and variety. Also in the shipment is their first 54cm Karl-Gerat Mortar, featuring a longer if slightly narrower barrel designed to shoot a projectile a bit further than the 60cm version. All of the PMA Karl-Gerat mortars have sold extremely well and we currently have the five-man crew in stock, a perfect accompaniment to any of their siege mortars.

Also expected to return to stock are several DeAgostini WWII era warbirds, which continue to sell well despite being created exclusively for the Japanese market. When back ordered merchandise start to trickle back in it oftentimes means that the distributor has also received another batch of new warbirds, although word as yet hasn’t surfaced regarding which new models will soon be available.

The August shipment of Hobby Master products is now expected in early October as is an Air Force 1 shipment, which hopefully contains a number of items that have been out-of-stock for several months running. Both shipments have been adversely affected by the port congestion issues still plaguing our supply chain even though they have been diverted away from the west coast ports and re-routed through Savannah, Georgia. It remains to be seen if the September Hobby Master shipment will likely be pushed back in light of all of the logistical problems arising ahead of the holiday season.

In other news, we still do not have firm release dates for either Forces of Valor or Panzerkampf, two key lines that have both seen their fare share of trouble in 2021. In the case of Forces of Valor, the manufacturer is once again working with a new distributor so any previous deadlines for the arrival of new products went out the window this past summer. Likewise, its difficult to say when Panzerkampf is expected, since the line is stocked by two different distributors neither of which have concrete information to pass along.

The next major Corgi shipment is slated for early October, barring any further delays caused by the port congestion. While several models have already seen the light of day in other parts of the world, it seems to be taking the US market around three to four weeks before they too can boast the availability of these models. Most of the other brands we stock seem to be deeply affected by both logistical issues as well as problems associated with COVID. It remains to be seen when these lines will resume operations to pre-pandemic levels, so its unwise to provide any updates until we feel confident the manufacturers in question can truly hit their marks.

As an aside, we are headed back out to Dallas towards the end of October to take the Dallas crew trick-or-treating, a rite of passage for our two daughters and now our five grandchildren. On a personal basis, I believe a holiday such as this enables both the parent and grandparent to truly bond with their kids, making it a more memorable event for both ends of the family unit. So, we will be closed from October 28th until November 1st, and plan to resume business on the second. We’ve also updated our shipping cutoff dates for the upcoming holiday season, which will no doubt be closely scrutinized in the wake of last year’s shipping issues. Anyway, that’s it for now and Happy Halloween!

As July draws to a close and the back half of the summer slowly slips into view, we thought it best to discuss things as we see them for the balance of the summer and, quite possibly, the balance of the year. To begin with, COVID in the US seems to rearing its ugly head once again, largely due to a lot of people refusing to get vaccinated. I’m going to stay out of the politicizing of the virus, and how both sides of our political spectrum seems to be addressing the issue from rather different standpoints, but suffice it to say I think everyone should get vaccinated. The benefits far outweigh the risks associated with a vaccine developed in record time. Moreover, this country will never fully get back on its feet until and unless we have properly dealt with this pandemic once and for all.

That said, COVID continues to have a dramatic impact on the global supply chain, be it the manufacture of goods in east and southern Asia, port congestion due to the huge influx of consumer goods swamping our ports of entry, and the way in which we have learned to cope with the pandemic for a second year running. Some diecast manufacturers seem to be fairing rather well during this hiatus, continuing to bang out goods in the face of a growing list of unforeseen problems. For instance, Hobby Master seems to be back on track, now that their long delayed May shipment has been finally unloaded and sent out to its distribution network. Their July shipment is still expected the first week of August and, unless something happens to upset the apple cart, it appears as if the balance of their 2021 release schedule should arrive on time and hopefully intact.

Corgi is also doing well, cranking out its fair share of military vehicles and aircraft as originally planned. We haven’t heard of any further delays to their release schedule, although they did notify us recently that they plan to increase prices by 10% on August 1st. As a result, we will be forced to raise prices accordingly, so if you are looking to pre-order any of their second half releases, we strongly recommend you do so now before the price increase goes into effect.

And then there are the rest of the pack of manufacturers we sell, who have, for the most part, been adversely affected by the global pandemic far out of proportion to their size. Some, such as Modelcollect, seem to have abandoned making any more pre-assembled models at least for the foreseeable future, preferring instead to stick with the making of model kits. We’re not certain if they ever plan to return to making pre-assembled diecast products, perhaps getting a better idea as we head into 2022. Others, such as Panzerkampf, seem to be stuck in neutral, announcing a bevy of new products over the last year or so that never seem to make it to market. We still have high hopes that these products will make it to our shores sooner rather than later, but the fact remains that we are still unable to get any clear cut information as to when to expect them.

The balance of the lines we stock have also been affected by the slowdown in the logistical chain, forced, in many instances, to deal with higher material and labor costs, not to mention the huge increase in prices for trans-oceanic shipping. We hope that this problem will eventually subside once the upcoming holiday rush has run its course but its anyone’s guess as to when the issue will be put to bed for good. So, as always, we appreciate both your business and patience as we and everyone else in the business of providing quality diecast collectibles struggle to keep our ships afloat amidst the raging COVID storm. Remember, every little bit helps so do your part by keeping abreast of the latest information and supporting your favorite sources.