DeAgostini Gets Ship Shape for May

ATL7134101

Admittedly, its been a little slow of late when it comes to announcing new products. So, when DeAgostini announced that a new squadron of 1:1250 scale warships were due to make port in May, we instantly sat up and took notice. Three new warships are scheduled to set sail, including the Kriegsmarine’s Bismarck as well as His Majesty’s Prince of Wales and Hood. Priced at just $21.99 apiece, these warships have been selling like hotcakes, and go a long way towards proving collectors are interested in diecast that sailed the high seas as much as they are interested in military vehicles and combat aircraft.

Share This:

The Mighty Eighth Takes Wing in 2017

First Daylight Raid on Berlin

Originally entitled Master’s of the Air, HBO’s latest mini series, The Mighty Eighth, pays homage to the men and machines of the US Army Air Force’s 8th Air Force during WWII. Once again the magical movie pair up of film director, Steven Spielberg, and award-winning actor, Tom Hanks, looks at the exploits of the bombardment squadrons tasked with bringing the Third Reich to its knees, largely through precision daylight bombing raids flying deep into Nazi-occupied Europe and back. The series follows in the footsteps of Band of Brothers and The Pacific, two previously released mini series held in high regard by historians, military buffs and film goers alike. While Band of Brothers focused on the exploits of a paratrooper company in the ETO and The Pacific cobbled together the stories of several real-life veterans of the war against Japan, The Mighty Eighth attempts to encapsulate the story of the bombing campaign by avoiding the use of composite characters, focusing instead on the real stories of the actual figures who flew with Eighth Air Force, and in particular the “Bloody Hundredth” bomb group, one of the hardest hitting — and hardest hit– which alone lost 229 airplanes and suffered nearly 1,900 men killed or taken prisoner between June 1943 and April 1945.

Share This:

ModelCollect’s May Day Parade

 

AS72046

April showers may bring May flowers but this year, they could also be helping to sprout T-14 Armata tanks. First debuted to the public last year at the Moscow Victory Day Parade on May 9th, the T-14 Armata tank represents the latest generation of armored fighting vehicle put forward by the resurgent Russian “Bear”, combining speed, mobility, firepower and armament into one combat platform.

AS72047

 

We’ve known for some time that ModelCollect had a model kit of the Armata on the drawing board, but now we’ve learned that they have a pair of pre-assembled versions of the Armata being cranked out by their arms industry. Two versions will be offered, one in the standard green scheme bearing the new Russian Ground Forces emblem (AS72046), and a second painted in a desert sand scheme (AS72047). We’re hoping both versions will be available by May 9th, no doubt to celebrate the 2016 Victory Day Parade. With nine new vehicle types shown to the public at last year’s parade, its entirely possible that ModelCollect could also be working on replicas of these vehicles too, particularly the T-15 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, which is designed to replace their aging BMP fleet.

Share This:

Master Fighter Comes

MF48575HI

A couple of months ago, we listed many of the french-built Master Fighter vehicles and accessories on our site to gauge interest in the line and assess its strengths in relationship to other ranges now on the market. We’re proud to say that reaction to the line has been strong; in many instances far outstripping our initial forecasts. Unlike the original Gaso.Line range stocked several years ago, the Master Fighter series come in their own handsome acrylic cases which resemble many of the other comparable lines available on the global market today. Moreover, the vehicles are not based upon a Solido, Verem or Corgi chassis, making them look more uniform and ideal for wargaming aficionados as well as collectors interested in showcasing a premium line.

We’ve placed an initial order with the manufacturer, which will hopefully arrive in the next couple of weeks after clearing customs. We’ve deliberately kept our order conservative, largely because the line is both broad and deep and we do not want to tie up funds unnecessarily in some items that may not sell as well as others. So, we strongly recommend pre-ordering those items you may wish to purchase now, before the shipment comes in and gets doled out to early adopters. Its entirely possible that some items may not be listed as available for general sale, at least until a follow-on shipment is released to us at a later date.

Share This:

DeAgostini Slips a Round Peg into a Square Hole

DARA21

When we received the DeAgostini multi-scale Russian military aircraft range last year, there were a few notable absentees who failed to stand muster before our police line up. Of these, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 23 Flogger fighter (DARA21) was one of the most suspicious, a mainstay of the Russian air force for several decades boasting exceptionable qualities and characteristics. Fortunately, a remedy seems to be at hand, with stock expected of this 1:150 scale replica set to arrive some time in April. Priced at just $15.98, its a great way to fill in one of those ignominious holes in your collection, at least until the much larger Hobby Master rendition comes out this year.

Share This:

The Six-Day War: Fifty Years and Counting

Six Day War

Next June is the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the Arab-Israeli Six Day War, perhaps one of the most pivotal conflicts of the twentieth century. In less than a week’s time, the outnumbered Israeli Defense Forces virtually destroyed the military apparatus of Egypt, Syria and Jordan, thereby enabling them to seize the Sinai peninsula, the West Bank, which includes Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Much of this territory is still held today, buffer zones should hostilities ever erupt again and a testimony to excellent planning, training and a will to survive despite facing overwhelming odds.

To mark the occasion, we are hoping that several model makers recognize the importance of the event and, in so doing, create a brand new series of diecast military vehicles and aircraft that pays homage to the men and machines that fought on both sides of the conflict. Certainly much can be learned by studying the war in detail, and what better way to do it than with miniatures that help bring the conflict to life. Here’s hoping the model making community doesn’t let us down.

Share This:

And You Thought You Had a Collection

A church usher who recently passed away, willed his house and much of its contents to the local church he served. When officials gained access to his home, they found more than 30,000 diecast replica automobiles neatly stacked around the house in glass cabinets, into his bathroom, along his kitchen and even on his bed.

You can read the entire story here: USA Today

Share This:

Hobby Master Shows Us Their July Fireworks

HA5301

While several products have now been delayed until July, Hobby Master did reveal detail concerning several new warplanes also expected that month. Among them are the first MiG 23M Flogger, which was announced previously but never assigned a firm price (HA5301). We’ve learned that its coming in at just $99.99, thereby making it affordable and a key release for 2016.

HA8454

Also slated for July is a 1:48 scale replica of a P-47 Thunderbolt flown by a member of the Tuskegee Airmen (HA8454), a third example of their 1:72 scale F-14 Tomcat (HA5203), and a F/A-18C Hornet flown by VFA-25 “Fist of the Fleet” (HA3528).

HA5203

Share This:

Lockheed: How Fast is Fast?

Hypersonic Test Vehicle

Lockheed announced that it is currently developing a mach 6 capable warplane under its Hypersonic test vehicle program. The program’s aim is to comply with the DARPA Falcon Project, an effort to develop hypersonic vehicles capable of performing airstrikes anywhere in the world within one hour, a military goal known as Prompt Global Strike (PGS).

According to Popular Mechanics, “The HTV-2 and HTV-3X are proposed unmanned transonic aircraft that could perform long-distance airstrikes. The HTV-2 has been part of two launch tests, but the HTV-3X program was put on hold due to budget shortages in 2008.

The HTV-2 is an experimental aircraft that is capable of achieving Mach 20 speeds, or about 13,000 miles per hour, after being launched on a rocket. Two HTV-2 launch tests were conducted, one in 2010 and one in 2011. After the second launch on a Minotaur IV rocket in 2011, the HTV-2 successfully hit speeds between Mach 17 and Mach 22 before crashing into the Pacific as a safety precaution.

The HTV-3X, referred to as Blackswift before the project stalled out in 2008, differs from the HTV-2 in that it would take off and land conventionally rather than be launched by rocket. The HTV-3X would be the size of a conventional fighter jet.”

Share This:

Clearance Pricing on Many Air Force 1 Models

ZTZ99G

It started with their suite of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and now its moved on to other aircraft types and even some ground vehicles. Our distributor has acknowledged that they have reduced the pricing on many Air Force 1 SKUs, no doubt to clear out some inventory, many of which are the Chinese aircraft, helicopters and tanks they still have in stock. Here’s a list of what’s being reduced in price:

SKU                   Description                 Old Price                      New Price

AF100034         1:72 J-8B Fighter              $52.99                           $49.99

AF100036         1:48 J-5 Fighter                $67.99                           $49.99

AF100037         1:48 J-6 Fighter               $113.99                          $89.99

AF100039        1:1444 H-6K Bomber        $66.99                           $49.99

AF100040       1:72 J10A Fighter              $39.99                           $34.99

AF100044       1:48 J-10Fighter                $99.99                           $79.99

AF100045       1:72 J-11B Fighter             $62.99                           $49.99

AF100048       1:72 J-15 Fighter               $52.99                           $49.99

AF100053       1:72 J-16 Fighter               $62.99                           $49.99

AF100066      1:72 JH-7 Bomber              $79.99                           $59.99

AF100069      1:48 Z-9 Helicopter             $89.99                           $69.99

AF100072     1:48 Z-10 Helicopter            $89.99                           $69.99

AF100080     1:48 Z-19 Helicopter            $99.99                           $69.99

AF100081     1:48 AC313 Helicopter        $99.99                           $69.99

AF100109     1:35 ZTZ-98 Tank               $99.99                            $69.99

AF100110     1:35 ZTZ-99 Tank                $99.99                           $69.99

AF100113     1:72 Helicopter                   $62.99                           $49.99

In some instances the savings are rather substantial, making them excellent value for the money, particularly with several important holidays coming up. As before, these items are offered on a first come first served basis and when inventory is depleted we do not expect them to return to stock.

Share This: