Growing up, most youngsters go through a rite of passage of sorts, playing, or at least attempting to play, the board game of Risk. For those unfamiliar with Risk, its a board game that, at its core, is about world conquest, using rather simplistic rules, pieces and playing cards to facilitate movement and combat. The game was even profiled in an episode of the TV-sitcom Seinfeld, poking fun at the manner in which two central characters of the show took the game to heart while the world around them tried to ignore their chaotic shenanigans.
That said, you may want to give the following video clip a look, as it too pokes fun at some of the nuances of the game, and some of the would-be players you might find in a typical face-to-face session. Enjoy!
Thank you for your service soldier and enjoy your retirement.
Some times we get grief, occasionally we get a tip of the cap, but today we received a very special thank you from a new customer trying to make a former aviator proud. Earlier today we received this image via email which shows a 1:72 scale Amercom helicopter sitting atop a retirement cake. The following note was attached: “Thought I’d share with you how I used my purchase!! Made the DAY for a 42-year Army aviator veteran’s retirement party… he was SO impressed I found his first aircraft. Thank you for the fast shipping and seamless service.”Its acknowledgements like this that makes everything worth while.
The all-new 88mm FLaK gun now comes with eight figures including the Desert Fox himself, General Erwin Rommel.
At the 57th All Japan Model and Hobby Show, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, showed off some of the revamped 1:32 scale military vehicles expected this holiday season.
Walterson’s researchers even paid a visit to the Bovington Tank Museum in England to ensure their replica was every bit as accurate as the real thing
While none of the toolings on display were new, they did demonstrate some of the enhancements the manufacturer implemented since taking over the line last year, including updating the paint schemes, reworking some of the existing molds, adding bonus parts that include engines, and adding new figures such as Erwin Rommel to the new desert variant of the 88mm FLaK gun.
The updated Sherman Firefly medium tank now features an opening rear hatch over the engine compartment and removable engine
We are hoping that additional images are forthcoming, since the Company is still insisting other 1:32 scale vehicles and 1:72 scale aircraft are due out for the holidays.
In other news, the manufacturer posted a video showcasing some of the painstaking lengths they’ve taken for their upcoming 1:16 scale radio controlled T-72 main battle tank. The manufacturer indicated that the vehicle may also be available as a kit, although details regarding this development weren’t made available.
Previously, only a desert scheme version of the 1:24 scale M1A1 Abrams tank was available. Soon, a tri-color scheme will also be sold
Also expected this holiday season are a 1:24 scale radio controlled M26 Pershing tank as well as two versions of the M1A1 Abrams tank – painted in either a desert scheme or tri-color European pattern.
Solido’s 1:72 scale German Sd. Kfz. 9 Famo Prime Mover and towed 88mm FLak Gun
Produced for french manufacturer Solido, War Master has been busy cobbling together a new sack of diecast goodness, many of which are ideal gifts for the holidays. Here’s what you can expect to nestle under the Christmas tree this December:
Corgi’s 1:72 scale RAAF Short Sunderland Mk. III Flying Boat – W3999/ RB-Y No. 10 Squadron, RAF Mount Batten, Plymouth Sound, Devon, England, Early 1942
Ever since its launch in 2015, Corgi’s Short Sunderland flying boat has proven to be extremely popular among the aviation community, combining heft, depth of detail and legendary storytelling not often seen in today’s market. Their latest version replicates a ship flown by the Royal Australian Air Force, particularly one attached to No.10 Squadron, then deployed to RAF Mount Batten, Plymouth Sound, Devon, England, in early 1942 (AA27503).
There’s no question that the latest Sunderland will sell out as quickly as its previous two iterations.
The majestic Sunderland flying boats of RAF Coastal Command were some of the most impressive aircraft of the Second World War and performed vital duties in protecting Britain’s sea lanes from enemy attack. With crews having to endure long and arduous patrols, they would often be sent to rescue downed airmen in perilous situations, with little thought for their own safety. Such an incident occurred on June 21st, 1942, when the crew of Sunderland W3999 took off from RAF Mount Batten to try and locate a dinghy containing the crew of a ditched Coastal Command No.172 Squadron Vickers Wellington. On reaching the search area, the Sunderland, along with an accompanying Whitley patrol aircraft, were attacked by a German Arado Ar 196 float plane, with the Sunderland taking a number of hits. Losing height immediately, the flying boat effected a landing on the open sea, but at the end of its landing run was seen to explode and sink beneath the waves. Coming under further attack, the Whitley took evasive action, before setting course for home, with the crew having the unpleasant task of confirming that there were no survivors from this tragic incident.
Look for Corgi’s rendition of this fabulous legend to dip its wings some time in November.
Your guess is as good as ours when this handsome A39 Tortoise Heavy Assault Tank will hit the market in North America
Some times we’re left in a lurch, not knowing what or who to believe. Such is the case with Panzerkampf, a relatively new manufacturer of diecast military vehicles that’s been lurking in the shadows of obscurity for several months now, neither providing hard-and-fast release dates for its retail clientele nor clear about which vehicles will be released and in what order. According to information found elsewhere on the web, this could prove to be crucial, since they have a number of completed vehicles that will instantly get snapped up once they do find a willing stockist.
Merkava anyone? While the Mk. 3 Merkava has been available from numerous manufacturers, collectors have been after this Mk.5, with its saucer-shaped turret, for a very long time
The two most notable projects supposedly out before the close of 2017 are a WWII-era British A39 Tortoise heavy assault tank and a modern-day Israeli Merkava Mk.IV main battle tank. Other vehicles appear on the Panzerkampf Order of Battle, including the German Panther and Panzer III tanks, and Hummel tank destroyer, along with a Russian Amata main battle tank and MSTA self-propelled howitzer. For now, we’ll keep twirling our fingers waiting to hear from one of our distributors lucky enough to have locked up the line. For now, we’ll join you in ogling some of these tantalizing replicas and hope they become stocking stuffers instead of stuffs of legend.
Forces of Valor’s German 88mm Flak 36/37 Anti-Aircraft Gun with Trailer – Deutsches Afrika Korps, North Africa, 1942
“The peril of the hour moved the British to tremendous exertions, just as always in a moment of extreme danger things can be done which had previously been thought impossible. Mortal danger is an effective antidote for fixed ideas.”
– Generalfeldmarschal Erwin Rommel
At long last, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, has begun to draw back the curtains on some of the 1:32 scale military vehicles collectors can expect to lay their mitts on this holiday season. The first vehicle they have lassoed from the dressing room is the venerable 88mm FLaK gun, this time around painted in the desert scheme colors of the Deutsches Afrika Korps. As you can see by the close-up image, no detail has been left out, including a pitted gun shield and kill tally, as well as a dual display mode, so collectors can show the gun in either a transported mode or ready to do battle atop its cruciform mount. While the accompanying figures were omitted from these test shots, the DAK version will include 8 figures – seven crewmen to serve the weapon and the Desert Fox himself, Erwin Rommel. We’re getting close to a release date, which will hopefully make it available around Turkey Day.
Observe the pitted marks on the gun shield and some of the kill markings on the lower portion of the gun barrel signifying this gun has seen its fair share of battle.
No doubt a Sd.Kfz.7 prime mover, adorned in the desert colors of the DAK, will follow suit, so collectors can proudly display in the gun in a towed mode with the crew seated within the vehicle\s passenger compartment.
The wheel assemblies can be detached enabling collectors to display their gun in either a transport or action mode. Notice too the burnished barrel indicating lots of wear and tear and heavy usage on the battlefield.
Wings of the Great War’s 1:72 scale British Mk. A “Whippet” Light Tank then attached to B Company, 3rd Tank Brigade, Amiens, France, August 17th, 1918
The Battle of Amiens, France, fought in August 1918 near the tail end of the Great War, has always held special significance for my family since a German regiment, taking its name from a distant relative, was virtually destroyed by advancing Allied armor, specifically two Mark V tanks. So, when Wings of the Great War announced plans to offer a British Whippet light tank that saw action at the same battle, we obviously sat up and took notice.
Whippet’s were first employed in 1917, designed to operate in conjunction with some of their heavier counterparts.
Expected some time in October, the British Mk. A “Whippet” light tank (WW10209) shown here, known as “Firefly”, was attached to the British Army’s B Company, 3rd Tank Brigade, and is now on display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels, Belgium, still showing the damage it took on August 17th, 2018. The Whippet actually saw service for the first time a year prior, when a light tank called the Mark A was ready to be used on the Western Front. Nicknamed the Whippet, it was faster than previous tanks, particularly the ponderous Mark IV, but was still unreliable and vulnerable to artillery fire. Weighing in at 18 tons, it could traverse ground at nearly double the speed of its heavier counterpart, clocking in at a blistering 6 mph.
For more information on the Battle of Amiens, feel free to click on the following link:
ModelCollect’s 1:72 scale German E-100 Panzer Weapons Carrier with Rheintochter 1 Surface-to-Air Missile
While its not clear if there was any true classification for a weapons carrier within the German Army’s framework, that hasn’t stopped ModelCollect from stoking the fires of imagination and offering their own spin on the late war panzers. Earlier today, two new vehicles were introduced into the ModelCollect lineup: the first a E-100 Panzer Weapons Carrier with 128mm Gun (AS72078) and the second a E-100 Panzer Weapons Carrier with a Rheintochter 1 Surface-to-Air Missile (AS72079).
ModelCollect’s 1:72 scale Soviet T-64AV Main Battle Tank with Explosive Reactive Armor
Furthermore, two more Russian battle tanks were added to their arsenal: the former a Soviet T-64AV Main Battle Tank with ERA (AS72081) while the latter being a T-80UD Main Battle Tank (AS72080). We anticipate delivery some time in November, making them great stocking stuffers for the holiday season.
USS Discovery NCC-1031, the star attraction in the forthcoming Star Trek Discovery series.
With the debut of the latest Star Trek series, Star Trek Discovery, just a few days away, Eaglemoss has begun showing off images of the series star attraction. The USS Discovery NCC-1301 features a distinctive disk in the forward section of the ship, which is circumnavigated by a second larger disk attached to several connectors. This unusual configuration is connected by its neck to a larger splayed fuselage which, in turn, is affixed to the traditional twin engine nacelles. Its a radical departure of sorts, since most of the Federation starships boast a single saucer where most of the ship’s activities take place. We can only assume there is a reason for this odd configuration that will likely be explained as the series commences.
We will be listing the Discovery ship on our site shortly, which will reportedly be followed by additional ships from the new series. No price has yet to be established, although rumor has it that this line will be more in line with their XL range of larger starships that come bundled with their own magazines.
