Hobby Master’s latest incarnation of the A-10 Warthog due to arrive in a few days.
With Chinese New Year having now concluded, Hobby Master has bolted out of the gates, unleashing a torrent of new product as well as announcing a bevy of new items for a mid year release. According to one source, those items expected to arrive in both the February and March timeframes have arrived at our distributor and should be shipping out to the dealer network over the next few days.
Add another “Jolly Rogers” F-14 Tomcat to the long list of fleet defense fighters showing up from a number of manufacturers.
Additionally, a number of new items were announced today, covering everything from 1:72 scale jets and prop-driven fighters to several 1:48 scale WWII-era aircraft. We are in the midst of listing all of these new items and hope to have the task completed in the next couple of days.
Waltersons Extreme Metal 1:16 scale mid production Tiger I heavy tank, likely to be one of the most sought after military collectibles this holiday season.
“We will attack in staggered formation. First, Lion on the assault, second Panther.”
– Actor Robert Shaw portraying the fictional Colonel Martin Hessler, “Battle of the Bulge”
We waited until today, Valentine’s Day, to throw open the pre-order doors for Walterson’s newest 1:16 scale entrant to its wildly successful Extreme Metal series. Due out later this year, their first introduction picks up where the series left off with Unimax, by offering a mid production Tiger I heavy tank. The mid production version features a revamped cupola with side-swinging hatch as shown in this picture. The mid-production version also boasts the early model road wheels, which proved to be insufficient in dealing with mud during the rainy season. The vehicle does not come with the rear-mounted Feifel air filters that became standard with the release of the late-production Tiger series.
Waltersons has indicated that the retooled tank will come with sprockets and road wheels that are made of diecast metal instead of plastic, thereby enabling smoother operation on flat surfaces. Thus far, it’s not clear which commander and unit will be portrayed, although they have indicated the vehicle will include a fully detailed interior compartment as well as all of the attendant accessories and paraphernalia that have made previous releases such a success in the marketplace. With several of their previous releases commanding in excess of $1,000 or more in the secondary marketplace, this is one introduction you may not want to pass by.
Here are some recent eBay listings showing similar, previously released 1:16 scale Tiger I tanks and their asking prices:
Federation Springfield Class Starship USS Chekov (NCC-57302), which is scheduled to boldly go later in 2017
At long last, Eaglemoss Collections has shed light on some of their upcoming standard starships destined for release in 2017. The following ships have now been added to the range and scheduled to arrive in staggered shipments over the course of the year:
101. Bajoran Antares Class Freighter
102. Klingon D5 Battle Cruiser
103. Vidian Warship
104. Federation Galaxy Class Starship – USS Jenolan (NCC-2010)
105. Smuggler’s Ship
106. Kazon Warship
107. Klingon Attack Bird-of-Prey (Wings Down)
108. Federation Cheyenne Class Starships – USS Ahwahnee (NCC-71620)
109. Borg Queen’s Vessel
110. Federation Springfield Class Starship – USS Chekhov (NCC-57302)
111. Captain Proton’s Rocket Ship
112. Federation Nebula Class Starship – USS Phoenix NCC65420
113. Lokirrim Fighter
114. Federation Challenger Class Starship – USS Buran (NCC-57580)
115. Tellarite Cruiser
As usual, the lineup is skewed towards Federation starships, which have thus far proven to be the most popular choices among collectors. A smattering of new races have been added, including the Tellarites and Vidians, along with some rather obscure ships, such as an unnamed smuggler’s skiff and Captain Proton’s rocket ship, which resembles something from a Buck Rogers saga. Of note is the USS Chekov, no doubt paying homage to Anton Yelchin, the actor portraying Pavel Chekov in the NuTrek series of feature films, who lost his life in a freak accident in 2016. We anticipate news concerning the rest of the Star Trek Starships series shortly.
Every so often we come across some helpful information on the web that might be of use to both historians and collectors alike as they delve ever deeper into our hobby. One such topic is military aircraft markings, always a fascinating segment of the air war over Europe and how it evolved over the course of time. The Calgary Mosquito Society recently posted an intriguing video on YouTube that discusses some of the markings and insignia used by both the Allies and Axis powers on different parts of their aircraft. Enjoy!
Every so often we get snake bitten by a new film that seemingly comes out of nowhere, one that deserves mention since it sheds light on some of the lesser known aspects of World War II that few care to recall. A play on words, Land of Mine is an award-winning foreign film that tells the tale of a post-war Europe, where two thousand German soldiers turned prisoners were forced to remove, by hand, several million land mines that were sewn into the Danish beaches to prevent a seaborne invasion. Many of the German soldiers were actually young boys in the flower of their youth, called upon to clean up the mess that their older brethren had caused during the occupation of Denmark. For more information on the film, Wikipedia discusses their tale in greater detail: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_Mine
Luft-X all-new 1:72 scale Haunebu 1 “flying saucer” takes to the skies this May.
We’ve all seen the documentaries and read the books concerning some of the incredible Wunderwaffe projects the German military planners were working on towards the end of the war. Some projects were nothing more than conjecture in nature, while others pointed to the usage of advanced technology that was still in its infancy yet seemed to hold promise as war-winning weapons.
One such project was the attempt to create a “flying saucer”, employing non-traditional propulsion and radical shapes to overcome some of the hurdles designers faced when building new platforms. The Haunebu 1, as it was known, was the first example of this, which attempted to demonstrate the supposed advantages of utilizing a circular, bell-shaped model over the more commonly excepted cigar-shaped designs using wings for lift and control surfaces for maneuver.
Haunebu 1 with its landing gear retracted
Luft-X is paying deference to this radical approach to flying with its upcoming 1:72 scale Haunebu 1 flying saucer, tentatively scheduled for a May liftoff (LUFT010). Composed of resin, this highly-secretive replica boasts three ball-shaped turrets embedded in the base of the aircraft, accurate markings and insignia and all the hallmark features and detail we’ve come to expect from this exciting series. Astute collectors will note that neither LUFT008 nor LUFT009 have thus far been announced by the manufacturer, meaning two more additions to the Luft-X series aren’t far behind.
Top down view of the upcoming Haunebu 1 flying saucer. The underside features three ball turret gun emplacements
Waltersons brand-new Forces of Valor 1:24 Scale Tiger I Heavy Tank which now boasts a 2.4GHz FHSS radio system
We are pleased to announce that the first quartet of 1:24 scale radio controlled military vehicles from Forces of Valor are now in stock and ready for immediate shipment. Unlike the previous set of vehicles released by Unimax several years ago, the all-new Waltersons lineup utilizes a 2.4GHz FHSS radio system with a minimum coverage of 60 meters, making them more reliable, feature-rich and capable against other vehicles. Moreover, the new system allows up to 16 players to go at it in battle mode, facing off in either head-to-head fashion or team-based play. We’ve uploaded .pdf files for each of the new vehicles as part of their product details, which discusses the merits of the system as well as some background information for each vehicle portrayed.
Keep in mind, Waltersons has big plans for the new series, largely due to their ties to the radio controlled business. According to a recent sales brochure, several dozen new vehicles are planned for the near future, which run the spectrum from a British A41 Main Battle Tank to a Japanese Chi-Nu Heavy Tank. Other plans are also being developed that should make their approach to the hobby more versatile, appealing and current with today’s advances in computer science. Stay tuned for more details in the months ahead.
Minichamps’ 1939 Triumph Speed Twin, possibly their best selling classic bike of all time, makes an encore appearance in 2017
Several years ago, Minichamps was forced to shutter a couple of factories in the Far East which were largely responsible for their scale motorcycle production. Fast forward to 2017, and the Company seems to be back on track, announcing several classic bikes that are expected to hit the road within the near future. As part of their Nuremberg showing, Minichamps indicated that they are bringing back their highly coveted 1:12 scale 1939 Triumph Speed Twin, possibly their best selling bike of all time. They also plan to offer several new rides, among them a 1966 Munch 4 TTS in blue, 1986 Yamaha XT500 street bike finished in dark blue and white, and a 1988 Yamaha XT500 Street two-wheeler clad in black. A trio of Honda Goldwing GL 100 K3 touring bikes were also included in the mix, but its not clear if these will be brought to the American shores or available solely in Europe. We’ve opened the pre-order window for the Triumph and Yamaha bikes and are awaiting word on the Hondas before accepting any advance orders. As always, it can take several months before Minichamps actually releases these cycles, so patience is the name of the game if you want any of these high-end replicas.
Presently, we are awaiting the next grouping of Eaglemoss warships that will be released in the month of February. Thus far, our distributor has been releasing them, on overage, at around 4-5 ships per month and will likely continue to do so until all 80 ships have been released into the marketplace. This means that it could take upwards of a year before the entire series has been completely released, with some older items no longer available for purchase. That said, we are reviewing back orders once each shipment comes in to determine which orders can best be fulfilled based upon shipping destinations, inventory levels and other mitigating factors, such as payment. Please be aware that there may be instances where we will ship out orders piece meal until we can fill an order in its entirety. If you do not accept this arrangement then your order may be subject to cancellation. We will not hold inventory for more than a few days after it has arrived so it is important that you understand that our fulfillment system is designed to serve both you as well as our own needs in the best possible fashion. Thank you for your understanding.
For several weeks, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, has been hinting at what they plan to release in 2017. From radio controlled military vehicles to warships, battle tanks to dioramas, the proud new caretakers of the multi-faceted Forces of Valor range is approaching things from a bride’s perspective, offering something old, borrowed and blue to whet the appetite of collectors world over.
In terms of old, several legacy molds were shown to the public at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, including a reworked 1:32 scale Tiger I heavy tank that “borrows” from its Extreme Metal range in that a separate tank engine will be included as an added bonus. As for blue, their highly coveted warships range now comes in handsome new packaging that makes the ship look as if its cutting through the surf to join up with its brethren.
While some of the old favorites were on display, it appears as if the PLAN Liaoning aircraft carrier was also in the booth, meaning it is likely just a month or so away from an actual launch. We hope to have final pricing concerning all of the new warships coming to market and will likely receive an update in May concerning the Company’s new 1:16 scale Extreme Metal Tiger tank, 1:72 scale military vehicles and multi-scaled fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
