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.
Last month, as part of our preview of what to expect in 2017, we alluded to the fact that French manufacturer, Solido, was planning on getting back into the military game in a “big” way. By “big”, we weren’t necessarily referring to the fact that they intended to offer a large number of SKUS – rather, by introducing both a 1:72 scale range of military vehicles and aircraft repurposed from the War Master line up, along with larger, reworked 1:43 scale military vehicles originally made by Eaglemoss. In fact, the banner image on their Facebook page even showed several former Eaglemoss vehicles as part of their 2017 vehicle lineup to bolster this claim. However, when we paid a visit to their Facebook page earlier today, their Nuremberg Toy Fair booth didn’t include any Eaglemoss vehicles at all, but rather several 1:43 scale vehicles that we haven’t seen before, including both a German and US tank transporter, King Tiger heavy tank, and what looks like a modern era US AFV sitting atop the US tank transporter.
Currently, we are awaiting further information concerning this intriguing development, which will no doubt help to reignite interest in the 1:43-1:50 scale segment of our hobby.
Despite running into some manufacturing issues which has delayed the released of their first pair of F-14 Tomcats, Calibre Wings used the Nuremberg Toy Fair to show off their next tooling: a Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer all weather attack aircraft. Initially, two planes are being planned for an end-of-year release: one based upon a Ukranian Su-24MR and a second, and likely more popular, Su-24M variant flown by a Russian squadron.
Thus far, neither version is being shown in their markings and insignia, although the prototype was displayed with its ordnance and some of its characteristic features, among them variable geometry swing wings and opening cockpit.
We are just a scant day away from the opening of the Nuremberg Toy Fair, typically the venue most diecast makers use to unveil the bulk of their wares for the coming year. Of course, some smaller companies don’t have the resources to attend the Show, and oftentimes announce new offerings on their web site, social media or in email newsletter blasts to their dealers and audience. In any event, we will start listing the new product we learn about as soon as information comes in, which can some times take several days to accomplish. Items of particular note we will list first and begin accepting pre-orders as soon as we know their landed costs. Obviously, we ask for your patience during this process and refrain from asking us product-related questions until everything has been posted to our site. Thank you and enjoy some of the latest and greatest items coming to market.
Perhaps hoping to one day retake land lost to the Russians in the 2014 invasion of the Crimea and other regions, Ukraine recently announced plans to refurbish a fleet of rusting T-64 main battle tanks with the intention of making them as battle worthy as the Russian T-14 Armata. On January 18th, the Ukranian government charged the Azov engineering group with the modernization of its antiquated fleet of T-64 tanks currently rotting in a depot and turning them into the newly dubbed Tirex (pronounced “T-Rex” like the dinosaur). The Company has also been tasked with the development of infantry fighting vehicles and the “Azovets” combat vehicle. According to reports, the Azovets is really a prototype, and aspects of the vehicle will be implemented in other projects including infantry fighting vehicles.
Little information has thus far been released concerning the surprise announcement, and it will be a dubious task indeed to turn an aging battle tank from the 60s into a fighting vehicle capable of standing toe-to-toe with a more robust, state-of-the-art battle tank in the form of the Armata that the Russians have already begun deploying in limited numbers.
“We lose every battle that we do not take part in. Tomorrow, you do battle for my daughters and I’m in battle with you and we pray and support you and we have faith in you.” – Doctor Samir Pandya, recanting what the conjoined twins’ father said to him hours prior to the second and final phase of the procedure to separate his daughters
So, last month I briefly touched upon why I have no trouble remembering the birthday of my eldest daughter, Linda, largely because it falls on December 7th. Earlier today, her husband, Samir, currently a pediatric surgeon at the Maria Fereri Children’s Hospital, an integral part of the Westchester Medical Center in New York, was profiled by NBC Today. Last week, he completed the second of two phases involved in the separation of conjoined twins, who were attached at the hip and back and shared several common systems. If you’re interested in learning more about the 22-hour procedure as well as the family involved, please visit this link: NBC Today Health and Wellness
Obviously, our entire family is immensely proud of Samir and his accomplishment, and we wish the twins godspeed and a quick recovery as they spend the next few weeks rehabbing before they can return home to the Dominican Republic. I have since been told that their overall prognosis is excellent and even though they shared portions of their lower spine, it appears as if both children will be able to walk and perform full range of motion likely without the need for any medical assistance.
Doctors Samir Pandya and Whitney McBride, co-leads in the separation of 11-month old twins at the Maria Fereri Children’s Hospital, along side anchors Rosanna Scotto and Greg Kelly of Fox 5’s Good Day New York
Post Script: As Samir’s father-in-law, I feel obligated to add one final note to this amazing tale that has thus far not been touched upon by any of the antecedent news reports that have gone viral. When Samir was a teenager growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, he was attacked by a gang of youths and stabbed several times around various spots on his body. His father, an emergency room surgeon in his own right, was notified that evening that he had a patient coming in that needed immediate attention. For some inexplicable reason, he had a premonition that it was his own son that needed to be operated on, one which proved to be correct. That evening, his father repaired his son’s wounds and saved his life, thereby enabling him to go on to become a world famous surgeon. I bring up this point because in the years that followed, it isn’t easy for Samir to stand for hours on end in the operating room, much less spend upwards of 22 hours attending to the needs of his conjoined patients. Sometimes, there is a human interest story that needs to be told that lingers in the background and never comes to the fore, one that requires a little bit of prodding to come out.
Finally, this televised ad ran just minutes after the conclusion of Super Bowl LI (51) on Fox 5.
Its been said that when training for the next military conflict, generals typically do so by fighting the last war, taking lessons learned from the most recent conflict and then attempting to apply them to the battlefield of the future. While its certainly important to dissect why a particular campaign succeeded and how it was carried out, military planners must nevertheless keep a wary eye on what’s to come using the latest technological breakthroughs, thinking outside the box to come up with new ways, platforms and doctrine to take on even the most determined of foes.
For some reason, this very same allegory seems to apply to today’s diecast manufacturers. Rather than modelling many of the latest weapons destined to be used by today’s warfighter, the current crop of modelmakers seem more content to offer an array of replicas tied to former conflicts instead of following today’s headlines. Thus far, there have only been a smattering of replicas aimed at today’s air forces, the most notable coming in the form of the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, largely due to their connection to the voracious US/UK markets. However, there are other aircraft types now setting foot on the world stage that are screaming to be modeled too, most notably the Russian PAK-FA as well as the PLAAF’s pair of J-31 and J-20 stealth fighters. Yes, Air Force 1 did a credible job of recreating a prototype PAK-FA several years ago that is no longer available, but with Russia scheduled to deploy upwards of 100 PAK-FAs to its front line aviation units later this year, I would think that collectors would be equally happy to add one or even several updated operational schemes to their collections.
The same holds true for the newest Chinese aircraft nearly ready for operational use, which will likely be sent to defend their interests in the South China Sea. Bear in mind that I’m not advocating for a military conflict to settle geographic disputes, particularly with the change of administration in Washington DC taking place today, however, I do think its important that military enthusiasts, collectors, analysts and even those people that could care less about a regional confrontation have some sort of point of reference to look upon, as we enter, what many believe to be a Second Cold War.
