Boo! Did we scare ya? While your shivering in your boots and hiding under the covers, we thought you might like to know that we are conjuring up our annual Spook-Tacular 15% Off Sale! This discount can be applied to any item listed on our web site. Please enter discount code “TMP158” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends Monday, October 31st, 2016. May not be combined with any other sales discount.
Its difficult to comprehend that 75 years have elapsed since the surprised attack on our base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, an event that swept our nation into World War II when no previous incident or catalyst had the means to do so. To mark the event, a series of tributes and other ceremonies will be held this coming December 7th as part of the National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration. More information on the event schedule, history and historic sites can be found here: http://pearlharbor75thanniversary.com/wednesday-december-7-2016/
In case you missed it, the final trailer for the upcoming feature film, Star Wars: Rogue One, was debuted this morning. Rogue One is the first in a new series of anthology films that do not directly follow the path of the Star Wars films but rather diverge a bit but are still set within the familiar Star Wars universe. The setting for this first film occurs just prior to Star Wars: A New Hope, released way back in 1977, and takes place prior to the attack and subsequent destruction of the first Death Star. Arch nemesis Darth Vader makes a return performance, voiced by none other than James Earl Jones. Look for the film to open on December 16th.
“Illegitimi non carborundum” (a mock-Latin aphorism meaning “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.)”
– Motto of VF-111 “Sundowners”
Nowadays, it seems as though every manufacturer is either producing or planning to produce their version of the venerable F-14 Fleet Defense Fighter. So, when Hobby Master jumped into the game earlier this year, several model makers took notice, as did the bulk of the diecast collecting community. Pretty far along now in the production process, we recently received images of their next warbird: one nicknamed “Miss Molly,” and attached to the VF-111 “Sundowners”, then embarked upon the USS Carl Vinson (CV-70) during 1989.
The VF-111 Sundowners was a U.S. Navy fighter squadron flying the F-14 Tomcat until disestablished in 1995. The Sundowner tradition lives on in the form of VFC-111 as an aggressor squadron flying F-5Ns, it was made official in November 2006.
In October 1983 VF-111 returned to NAS Miramar following a world cruise on the maiden deployment of the USS Carl Vinson. The Sundowners accumulated over 1400 landings and 300 flight hours during the cruise.
In 1986 VF-111 accumulated over 7000 accident free flight hours and won the COMFITAEWWINGPAC Third Quarter Safety Award. The squadron earned COMCARGRU 3 and COMCARWING 15 endorsements to receive the ADM Joseph C. Clifton Award which designates the recipient as the best fighter squadron in the Navy.
In the spring of 1986 VF-111 began another busy work-up cycle, completing a successful series of training evolution and exercises in preparation for their June 1988 Pacific/Indian Ocean deployment. VF-111’s seventeen month work-up was capped by a history making event, FLEETEX 88-2, the first time since World War II that a carrier, USS Carl Vinson and a battleship, USS New Jersey operated as a Battle Fleet.
VF-111’s eventful 1988 deployment began in June and ended in December. It included operations in the Northern/Western Pacific, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean, providing support of tanker escorts in the Persian Gulf and included a transit of the Bering Sea, the fourth such transit in four deployments. Interoperability with U.S. and foreign air assets was stressed through exercises with the USAF Alaskan Air Command and Air Forces of Malaysia, Japan and Thailand.
In preparation for another deployment in 1990, VF-111 deployed aboard USS Carl Vinson from September to November 1989 as participants in PACEX 89. This landmark exercise had the Sundowners operating in the Bering Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan as a part of the largest naval exercise since World War II.
Look for “Miss Molly” (HA5213) some time in November.
While available in Russia for the last couple of years, it wasn’t until today that our distributor announced that the Eaglemoss range of Red Army Soldiers of World War II would be made available to comrades elsewhere. Twenty seven 1:32 scale soldiers comprise the series, all hand painted and pre posed and cutting across all ranks, titles and job duties. Look for the human wave assault some time in January.
In a surprise move today, Corgi announced two new 1:72 scale North American Mustangs would be out before year’s end, further strengthening their Aviation Archive brand and signifying they are in the market for the long haul. Expected in November are a USAF North American F-51 Mustang Fighter that was nicknamed “Was that too fast?”, and attached to the 18th Fighter Bomber Group, then deployed to Chinhae Airfield, South Korea, during 1951 (AA27702) as well as a RAF North American Mustang Mk. IV Fighter that was piloted by Norwegian ace Werner Christie, who was attached to No. 150 Wing, then deployed to RAF Hunsdon during the spring of 1945 (AA27703) . Look for both models some time in November.
If you like them big, “bold”, and beautiful, then you may want to grab a seat at the helm of the latest Star Trek starship about to join the fleet. According to information from Comic Con, held this weekend in New York City, Eaglemoss will begin scaling up their line of starships, offering select ships in a mega-sized format, which shows off far more detail, and possibly come illuminated. According to Ben Robinson, project manager for the Star Trek series, “all of the Enterprises” and other “hero ships” (including DS9’s USS Defiant, the USS Voyager, and possibly the USS Excelsior) would be produced in a large scale.” Judging by the photo, it would appear as if USS Enterprise NCC-1701 will kick off the series. No word concerning the exact size of the first replica, its price or date of availability, but its refreshing to see them take the series in new directions, thereby satiating even the most discriminating collector.
Along with several new standard sized starships, Eaglemoss also plans to offer new printed material this fall, in the form of a 160-page reference book series comprised of starship design articles compiled from the Collection’s individual magazines. According to Memory Alpha (http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Official_Starships_Collection), the first perfect bound installment, Designing Starships Volume One, focuses on thirty-three ships and was supplemented with additional articles and concept artwork not found in the saddle stitched magazines. The first edition of one hundred copies was retailed at a recent Birmingham convention. No word as yet concerning its price and whether it will be made available in North America and elsewhere.
“From Mud Through Blood To The Green Fields Beyond”
– Motto of the Royal Tank Regiment in World War I
When it was first introduced to the battlefields of World War I, it was hoped that the tank would be able to break the stalemate in fighting, turning the horrors of static trench warfare into a more mobile battle that could bring about quicker results. Slow and cumbersome, the earliest tanks were monstrosities at best, causing momentary anxiety amongst its enemies until antidotes and their own unwieldy qualities could be turned against them.
The Schneider Char d’Assault tank was France’s first real attempt at differentiating dedicated tanks from dedicated self-propelled gun systems. Like it’s predecessors before it however, the system would never meet its potential due to the design theory of melding a long hull on a short set of tracks. In practice, this combination proved to make the Schneider unable to pass over any type of uneven terrain.
The Schneider was a Char d’Assault idea by Colonel J .E. Estienne with a full design developed by Eugene Brillie under the Schneider Company brand. Both men visited the United States of America in an effort to study and research the Holt series of tractors that utilized a distinct tractor and chassis assemblage – more specifically the “Baby Holt”. The resulting design was termed as the Tractuer Blinde et Arme and production for the French Army followed.
The Schneider Char d’Assault was the most fundamental of tank designs, consistent with early tanks in general. It was of a boxy hull design with a sharp angle at fore. The system sat upon shortened tracks, leaving the forward and aft hull sections hovering over the track assembly. Main armament consisted of a 75mm main gun. Two additional Hotchkiss-type 8mm machine guns were fitted in positional ball mountings on either side of the upper hull for self-defense. The Schneider could carry a full compliment of 7 personnel.
Once the Schneiders became available for use, their design shortcomings quickly became apparent. The short tractor assemblies were useless over anything but flat roads as the elongated hull protruding fore and aft caused the system to get stuck. As a result, the system suffered catastrophic losses against enemy artillery barrages, rendering the entire concept nearly useless. In one particular offensive no fewer than 57% of the 132 fielded Schneiders were destroyed in this fashion.
Look for Wings of the Great War’s first version of the Schneider (WW10202) to rumble onto the diecast battlefield this November.
“In terms of speed, MiG-25 can fly at mach 3.2 but after that flight – and it will be short one, I don’t know how long but it will be short one – but after that flight you must change its engines.”
– Lt. (Sg.) V. Belenko, Russian pilot who defected to the West with his MiG 25 interceptor
When it was first unveiled to the world in the late 1960s, the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 25 “Foxbat” caused a great deal of consternation in the West, appearing as if the Soviets had gained the upper hand in fighter aircraft design. However, at a time when Western military planners were still unsure as to the exact purpose of the MiG 25, fate and a good bit of luck would turn things around and give the Soviets a headache of their own.
Inaccurate intelligence analysis caused the West initially to believe the MiG-25 was an agile air-combat fighter rather than an interceptor. In response, the United States started a new program which resulted in the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. NATO obtained a better understanding of the MiG-25’s capabilities on September 6th, 1976, when a Soviet Air Defence Forces pilot, Lt. Viktor Belenko, defected, landing his MiG-25P at Hakodate Airport in Japan. The pilot overshot the runway on landing and damaged the front landing gear. Despite Soviet protests, the Japanese invited U.S. Air Force personnel to investigate the aircraft. On September 25th, it was moved by a C-5A transport to a base in central Japan, where it was carefully dismantled and analyzed. After 67 days, the aircraft was returned by ship to the Soviets, in pieces. The aircraft was reassembled and is now on display at the Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod.
To pay tribute to this amazing warbird, Hobby Master has announced their intent to build a 1:72 scale replica of the MiG 25P “Foxbat-A” interceptor (HA5601). More importantly, Hobby Master has chosen to recreate the aircraft flown by defecting Soviet pilot, Viktor Belenko, as its first foray into the land of the MiG, the same aircraft he flew from Russia to Japan in 1976, and returned to the Soviet Union some two months later.
We anticipate extremely strong sales for this aircraft when it gets released some time this coming March, so we advise placing your pre-orders as soon as possible since it is entirely possible we may not have enough for general sale once it does arrive.
According to a report published by Popular Mechanics, Lockheed-Martin won a contract valued at $147 million to develop, build, field and test a Mach 20 capable weapons system that could strike a target anywhere around the world in less than an hour. The goal, it goes on to say, “is to create a high-speed delivery system that could bomb targets thousands of miles away in an hour or less. It’s similar to what other countries, including Russia and China, are working on.
Tactical Boost Glide (TBG) will be an air-launched boost glide weapon system. The TBG itself is a aerodynamic, arrowhead-shaped vehicle fitted on the nose of a rocket. The rocket in turn is carried by a large aircraft such as a B-52 bomber, which would carry the rocket to high altitude and then launch it. The rocket boosts TBG to an even higher altitude, whereupon a scramjet or ramjet kicks in and quickly accelerates it up to hypersonic speeds. TBG then glides unpowered the rest of the way to the target.
How fast will TBG go? A nearly identical program concluded in 2011 reached speeds of Mach 20. At that speed, a hypersonic vehicle could travel from New York City to Los Angeles in 12 minutes, or London to Sydney in 49 minutes.
Hypersonic is the next frontier in weaponry. The super-fast speeds could make it possible to destroy a faraway but time-critical target—say, a North Korean missile fueling on the launch pad or a terrorist meeting in a remote location. Hypersonic speed also makes interception very difficult—and makes the actual vehicle a weapon when the kinetic energy of an object traveling at Mach 20 is transferred to a target.
Boost glide systems are difficult to shoot down. Their high speeds reduce reaction times, giving the defender less time to respond to the incoming threat. The launch profile of boost glide weapons is much like a traditional ballistic missile but stops short of entering low-earth orbit. This makes them tricky targets for existing, slower-moving interceptor missiles.
According to Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which awarded the contract, Tactical Boost Glide will build on “knowledge and lessons learned from development and flight testing of previous boost glide systems, including the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2.” HTV-2 was that previous Mach 20 hypersonic program that last flew in 2011 for nine minutes. The stress of flying at Mach 20 subjected it to shockwaves one hundred times what it was designed to endure, as well as temperatures of up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit, before it was intentionally ditched in the Pacific Ocean.
Hypersonic weapons are also the next arms race. China is working on its own hypersonic weapon, the DF-ZF, which uses a DF-21 intermediate range ballistic missile instead of TBG’s bomber and rocket system. DF-ZF has been tested seven times, the latest in April 2016, with six tests judged by outsiders as successes. China’s hypersonic weapon travels at a more modest Mach 5 to Mach 10. The Russian Yu-71 system has been tested five times, with four failures.”
Obviously, such a system would be unmanned since it is inconceivable that a man could survive traveling at such incredible speeds while transiting low-earth orbit. And, if the vehicle is designed as an all-inclusive kinetic energy weapons system, then it would mean that the pilot was forfeiting his life in the process of carrying out the mission, perhaps other competing nations are willing to pay if they have similar systems in mind that are traveling at less stressful speeds, as PM suggests.
Of course, all of this falls under the purview of the recently announced doctrine dubbed Prompt Global Strike and flies in the face of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction), first put forth in the 1950s and obviating the need for huge atomic arsenals. Prompt Global Strike (PGS) is a United States military effort to develop a system that can deliver a precision-guided conventional weapon airstrike anywhere in the world within one hour, in a similar manner to a nuclear ICBM. Such a weapon would allow the United States to respond far more swiftly to rapidly emerging threats than is possible with conventional forces. A PGS system could also be useful during a nuclear conflict, potentially replacing the use of nuclear weapons against 30% of targets. The PGS program encompasses numerous established and emerging technologies, including conventional surface-launched missiles and air- and submarine-launched hypersonic missiles, although no specific PGS system has yet been finalized as of 2015.
