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.
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.
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.