The Motor Pool – Blog – Page 134 – Pureveyors of Fine Diecast Collectibles

Product Spotlight: Fly Softly and Carry a Big Stick

“They have retreated, our troops reached the outskirts of Port Stanley. A large number of Argentinian soldiers have lain down their arms. White flags are flying over Port Stanley. Our troops have issued the command to shoot only in self-defence. Discussions among the commanders on the capitulation of the Argentinian troops in the Falklands have begun.”

– British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, reporting on the British victory over Argentine forces, June 14th, 1982

Back in 1982, Argentina attempted to wrest control of a group of islands in the South Atlantic, known as the Falkland Islands (a.k.a. The Maldives), from the clutches of Great Britain, citing their proximity as the principal reason why it should become Argentinian soil. In response, the British sent the bulk of their fleet and Royal Marines to retake the islands from the Argentinians, and supported the attack with Avro Vulcan strategic bombers carrying conventional ordnance. On May 1st, British operations on the Falklands opened with the first in a series of “Black Buck 1” attacks (of which there were five) on the airfield at Stanley. A Vulcan bomber from Ascension flew on an 8,000-nautical-mile (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) round trip dropping conventional bombs across the runway at Stanley and back to Ascension.

As the final RAF Avro Vulcan squadrons were contemplating their impending withdrawal from service in early 1982, developments in the South Atlantic would see this mighty bomber go to war for the first time in its 26-year service history. Operation “Black Buck” would require a Vulcan to drop 21 conventional 1,000 lb bombs on the runway at Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands, preventing Argentine forces from using their most capable strike and support aircraft. It would also send a strong message to Argentina’s political leaders that Britain would stop at nothing in re-taking the Islands.

The raid would be launched from RAF Ascension Island, which was some 6,300 km from the Falklands and presented something of a logistical nightmare for military planners. Flown almost entirely over the sea, the Black Buck raids would require the support of twelve Victor tankers on the outbound leg, with a further two for the return flight and all the associated contingency plans.

Taking off from Ascension Island at midnight on April 30th, 1982, Avro Vulcan B.2 XM607 piloted by Flight Lieutenant Martin Withers was to fly as reserve aircraft to the primary bomber XM598 on this highly complex raid, but was quickly promoted to lead aircraft on “Black Buck 1” following technical difficulties encountered by XM598. Embarking on what was the longest bombing raid attempt in history, XM607 was refuelled seven times on its way to the Falkland Islands, before successfully releasing its payload of bombs across the Port Stanley runway.

Following a further rendezvous with a Victor tanker on the way home, XM607 returned to its base on Ascension Island and a place in the history books – if nothing else, this raid illustrated Britain’s determination to take back the Falkland Islands and that they had the capability to do it. Of the seven Black Buck raids planned against Argentine forces on the Falkland Islands, five actually took place and proved to be the only time that Britain’s Mighty Avro Vulcan went to war.

Corgi’s RAF Avro Vulcan B.2 Strategic Bomber – XM607, RAF No. 44 Squadron, “Operation Black Buck”, Falklands Conflict, South Atlantic, 1982 (AA27203) is expected later this holiday season.

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The First Wave of Forces of Valor Gets Set to Hit the Beach

Earlier this year, when Waltersons announced they had purchased the entire product portfolio comprising the Forces of Valor brand, it was unclear which items would be offered first and when. Well, we now have an answer. The first four vehicles in their 1:24 scale radio controlled military vehicle range have been shipped out to their distributor network and, barring any unforeseen issues, could conceivably make it under the Christmas tree this holiday season.

The quarter includes a Tiger I heavy tank, PzKpfw IV Ausf. H medium tank, US M4A3 Sherman medium tank and even a Soviet T-34/85 medium tank. The remaining vehicles in the original range have been given the green light for a 2017 release, although that could occur further down the road.

Since no information was disseminated concerning their static model range, and pictures have yet to be shown, we are assuming that the first wave won’t arrive until early 2017, at the earliest. New items will likely be discussed at the upcoming Nuremberg Toy Fair, held in German in early February, although the manufacturer has already hinted at quite a few new vehicles for release next year.

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Films in Focus: Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

There seems to be no shortage of war films coming to market, the vast majority of which seemed to be based upon real-life events in WWII. This week, a new military-themed movie hits theaters, this time around examining the fictional exploits of a US Army squad caught up in the War to liberate Iraq in 2003. Directed by Ang Lee, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is a novel written by Ben Fountain, which was published in early May 2012 by Ecco Press, a publishing imprint of HaperCollins. The novel chronicles the experience of a group of Iraq War Veterans who are hailed as heroes and sent on a victory tour following their engagement in an intense firefight that happened to be caught on camera. Set during a single day, the story primarily focuses on Specialist Billy Lynn’s perspective as he struggles to reconnect with his family and come to grips with the huge disconnect between the realities of the war at home and the war overseas as Bravo Squad is sent to participate in the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving halftime show. The novel’s primary themes include brotherhood, the commercialization of war, and what it really means to support the war when the real costs are barely felt by the majority of U.S. citizens at home.

A sharp satire, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is Fountain’s first novel and received highly positive reviews from critics and won several year-end awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Fountain also won the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize and was a finalist for the 2012 National Book Awards. The novel was especially praised for its dialogue and “pitch-perfect ear for American talk.” A film adaptation of the novel directed by Ang Lee is scheduled for release in November 2016.

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Messerschmitt Down?

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Film director, Christopher Nolan, is no stranger to demanding authenticity in his films. Responsible for Inception, Batman The Dark Knight and Interstellar, Nolan demands that his films look as genuine as possible, making use of actual artifacts where ever and when ever possible instead of relying upon CGI graphics. For his upcoming film, Dunkirk, which covers the Allies’ evacuation from the french port in May 1940, reports are circulating that he may even destroy a precious WWII artifact valued at up to $5 million to make his point as believable as possible.

According to War History Online, “Online commentators have expressed the disapproval they feel for the reported actions of Christopher Nolan. It was released that he was the Interstellar director planning to use a priceless World War II plane valued at $5 million in his latest movie, Dunkirk. The report claims that the plane is scheduled to crash and ultimately be destroyed. However, there has been no official confirmation that this story is true. It was originally reported by IndieRevolver’s Jay Carlson, and has been attributed to an anonymous source.

This war plane is said to be a former Luftwaffe aircraft that was bought for $5 million by the Warner Brothers production company. The IndieRevolver story reported that Nolan would be linking the IMAX cameras to the actual plane. This technique is intended to facilitate and create some impressive in- flight action for the movie.”

Frankly, we are of the opinion that he wouldn’t dare damage or outright destroy such a valuable piece of military history and would look at using alternate techniques to fill in the blanks yet communicate his intent. If he does decide to wreck a WWII fighter, he would likely face a tremendous backlash from the military history community, who would likely boycott his film in protest.

For more information on the story, you can visit this website: http://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/rumor-says-nazi-plane-will-destroyed-dunkirk-movie-christopher-nolan.html

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New Line: Panzerkampf

Evey so often, a new line of diecast military vehicles seems to pop up on the radar screen that catches us completely by surprise. One such brand is Panzerkampf, a new Chinese company that seems to be offering several subjects that no one else has done before such as a three-piece Israeli Iron Dome missile defense shield set. It would appear as if they plan to offer a T-14 Armata main battle tank too as well as a T-15 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the core of the new armored forces currently being fielded by Russia.

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Now here’s the rub. We’ll be posting all of this information on Friday since its my youngest daughter’s wedding day today, which obviously takes precedence over any new product information. We hope you join us in the celebration and I know you can wait just one more day before we shed further light on this new manufacturer and their interesting mix of products.

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Product Spotlight: Dancing with Doodlebugs

Perhaps the most curious development arising from the Second World War was the so-called Wunderwaffe (Wonder Weapons), which came about when the German military sought a qualitative solution over the Allies as they closed the noose around the Third Reich during the final stages of the war. One of the technological breakthroughs was the Vergeltungswaffe 1 or V-1 (also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb, or doodlebug) – a rocket propelled, unmanned aircraft filled with explosives that was flown off of low slung ramps from the westernmost bases along the English Channel towards targets in England. Once the V-1 reached its target, its engine would cut out and the aircraft would descend vertically towards its target, which was usually a dense civilian population center. To defeat these high speed threats, the RAF employed their fastest interceptors to either shoot down the bombs from a distance before they could reach their targets or tip them over using a highly risky wingtip-to-wingtip toppling technique (“the Doodlebug Dance”) that put the pilot’s life in jeopardy, as well as his aircraft.

Corgi’s upcoming set consisting of a Gloster F.1 Meteor and accompanying Doodlebug is a fitting reminder of what air-to-air combat had become towards the waning stages of the War (AA27403).

Under the cloak of extreme secrecy, Britain had been testing the viability of a jet-powered fighter since early 1941, with the Gloster E28/89 Pioneer proving that this was indeed possible. The race was now on to produce an effective, operational jet fighter, at a time when every available resource was required for the war effort and experimental technology was a luxury that often proved to be more of a distraction. Work continued apace and the twin-engined Gloster Meteor neared a test flight.

This work was so highly classified, that any test flight required the roads around the airfield to be sealed off by the local constabulary and all residents ushered away from the immediate vicinity. All non-essential personnel were forced to leave the airfield for the duration of the test flight, even though they would have clearly seen (and heard) the strange new aircraft once it was in the air! Following completion of the flight and the safe recovery of the aircraft, life could get back to normal.

As the Gloster Meteor entered RAF service, it was originally charged with destroying the V-1 flying bombs that were being sent indiscriminately in the direction of southern Britain. The first Meteor victory over a Doodlebug occurred on the 4th August 1944, when Flying Officer T.D ‘Dixie’ Dean spotted a V-1 flying in the direction of Tunbridge Wells. Placing his Meteor EE216 in a shallow dive to build up speed, he lined up the V-1 in his gunsight and fired – after a short burst, all four guns jammed.

Dean was determined not to let the Doodlebug get away and maneuvered his Meteor alongside the flying bomb, wing tip to wing tip. When he was positioned as close as he safely could, he flicked the control column of his Meteor and banked sharply away – the sudden airflow disruption caused the V-1 to go out of control and crash without causing injury on open ground. Dean had the first Meteor victory over the V-1 and was the first pilot to use the risky ‘tip and run’ tactic to destroy one these feared flying bombs.

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The Motor Pool’s “Gobble Up the Savings” 15% Off Sale!

The turkeys may be running for the hills in anticipation of Thanksgiving but that doesn’t mean you should! In fact, you can load up on all of the “fixins” and main course at our annual “Gobble up the Savings” 15% Off Sale! This discount can be applied to any item listed on our web site. Please enter discount code ” TMP159” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends Wednesday, November 23rd, 2016. May not be combined with any other sales discount.

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Hammers Slammer’s Nears Reality

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Just a day after we published a blog post discussing the US Army’s MPF program, and in an eye-popping development that would likely make the author of Hammer’s Slammers proud, comes news that any new combat vehicles being fielded henceforth would likely run on hybrid power and feature laser weapons. According to UPI, “The U.S. Army’s next-generation combat vehicle will likely run on hybrid power and feature laser weapons, possibly for offensive and defensive purposes, experts said during an event to discuss the system’s future on Tuesday at the Association of the U.S. Army.

The service’s efforts to field its first next-generation combat vehicle by 2035 requires major decisions to be made by 2025, less than a decade away, Col. William T. Nuckols, director of the Mounted Requirements Division at the Maneuver Center of Excellence,said during the association’s Institute of Land Warfare forum that focused on ground combat platforms.

Such a vehicle will likely also feature advanced-composite armor and active protection systems, but final decisions will hinge on future threats.”

UPI goes on to say that “when it comes to protecting such vehicles, different advanced-composite materials are being assessed, including nanotechnology and nano-grain metals, Dr. Bryan Cheeseman, team leader at the Army Research Laboratory’s Material Manufacturing and Technology Branch, said at the forum.

While several potentials were bandied about at the forum, the exact manifestation of the next-generation combat vehicle remains to be seen.

It could be a single combat vehicle replacing the Abrams tank, or Bradley fighting vehicle, or it could emerge as a family of vehicles.”

The problem with laser-based weaponry isn’t so much its lethality, but the size of the weapon itself. Typically, laser weapons are large and cumbersome, like the one shown here, which leads to a high and obvious profile on the battlefield. To acknowledge its employment on next-gen systems implies they have been able to reduce its footprint to the point where it does not appear any larger than a current weapons system, and that it can recharge itself quickly enough to get off rapid fire results.

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Films in Focus: My Honor was Loyalty, 28 Men

Co-opting the slogan of the Waffen SS, My Honor was Loyalty (German: Meine Ehre heisst Treue) is a new independent film directed by Alessandro Pepe that follows the paths of three soldiers who enlisted in the 1.SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. Spoken in German with English subtitles, the film attempts to portray what it was like to serve in one of the most feared yet despised units in the German Army during the latter stages of the War, as seen through the eyes of the Deutsches soldaten.

Meanwhile, if you like your war films with subtitles, then you won’t want to miss the Russian-made film, 28 Men. If you believe the tale, The Panfilov Division’s Twenty-Eight Guardsmen (Russian: Двадцать восемь гвардейцев дивизии Панфилова), commonly referred to simply as Panfilov’s Men (Russian: Панфиловцы, Panfilovtsy), were a group of soldiers from the Red Army’s 316th Rifle Division who took part in the defense of Moscow during World War II. According to official Soviet history, they were all killed in action on November 16th, 1941, after destroying 18 German tanks. The Twenty-Eight were collectively endowed with the title Hero of the Soviet Union. An investigation by Soviet authorities in 1948, since declassified, revealed that the description of the events was exaggerated. Six of the soldiers were still alive, including one who was arrested in 1947 on charges of high treason and confessed to having “voluntarily” surrendered to German troops and later joined a German police force. The findings were kept secret, and the Twenty-Eight Guardsmen were considered national heroes until the collapse of the USSR.

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Product Spotlight: Going Down with his Flagship

“Searches by my carrier planes revealed the presence of the Northern carrier force on the afternoon of 24 October, which completed the picture of all enemy naval forces. As it seemed childish to me to guard statically San Bernardino Strait, I concentrated TF 38 during the night and steamed north to attack the Northern Force at dawn. I believed that the Center Force had been so heavily damaged in the Sibuyan Sea that it could no longer be considered a serious menace to Seventh Fleet.”

– Admiral William “Bull” Halsey in his dispatch after the battle of Leyte Gulf to CINCPAC, October 24th, 1944

One of the Eaglemoss warships that we just received and has been selling unexpectedly well is the IJN battleship, Yamashiro (EMGC54), the flagship of Admiral Shoji Nishimura at the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944.

Near the end of the war in the Pacific, Nishimura was named the commander of the “Southern Force” in “Operation Sho-Go”, which was aimed at a final and decisive naval battle against the United States Navy in the Philippines. Nishimura′s Force “C” consisted of battleships Fuso and Yamashiro, heavy crusier Mogami, and destroyers Shigure, Michishio, Asagumo, and Yamagumo.

Launched in 1915, Yamashiro was an aging warship, although she was modernized between 1930 and 1935, with improvements to her armor and machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style. Nevertheless, with only 14-inch guns, she was outclassed by other Japanese battleships at the beginning of World War II, and played auxiliary roles for most of the war.

By 1944, with the prospects of defeat for the Imperial Japanese Empire looming, Yamashiro was forced into front line duty despite its shortcomings. In the Surigao Strait between Leyte and Dinagat Islands on the evening of October 24th, 1944, Nishimura’s force came into contact with the US 7th Fleet under Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf, which consisted of six battleships, eight cruisers, 29 destroyers, and 39 motor torpedo boats. Nishimura′s force was crushed when the Americans crossed the Japanese “T”, thereby enabling the US forces to deliver crushing salvos against the Japanese fleet while minimizing their own exposure to enemy action. Nishimura was killed during the battle when his flagship, the Yamashiro, was sunk after being hit multiple times from the U.S. battleships by torpedoes and naval gunfire.

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