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
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.
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).
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.”
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.
Our lookouts have been posted for some time now, scanning the horizon for Task Force Eaglemoss. Thus far, the warships seem to have taken a rather indirect route to reach our shores, avoiding the traditional sea lanes for perhaps a more scenic route. Or maybe we’re just suffering from sun stroke and seeing mirages.
Anyway, we’re now being told to expect several new ships in June, although we still don’t know as yet which ships will form the latest squadron. To date, they’ve been released in a non-sequential fashion, so its anyone’s guess which ships will make the cut and which will be delayed for the next assault wave. We will continue to review the sonar scans, feed the lookouts black coffee and monitor radio traffic to the best of our abilities and issue General Quarters once we have a solid lead.
In an ongoing effort to make our business as transparent as possible while keeping everyone informed about the latest diecast we offer in our product portfolio, we have decided to add a special series of graphics to each manufacturer category called “series graphics.”
Three graphics have been created – limited edition, mass produced and partworks – which will be positioned on the initial category landing page just below the company information. These have been designed to clarify how each range is presented to the public and will hopefully help you to make a more informed purchasing decision, including the likelihood of return on investment should you be approaching this hobby from a purely financial standpoint.
We hope these graphics add to your enjoyment of the hobby!
Perhaps Fred the Baker of Dunkin Donuts fame said it best when he uttered those immortal words, “Its time to make the donuts!” With Chinese New Year now all but a distant memory, we were hoping to hear a bit of news concerning several models from Hobby Master, ones they’ve produced in the past but have now dried up due to high sales demand. Key among them is their 1:72 scale F-111/EF-111 Aardvarks, not to mention their recently introduced RA-5C Vigilantes, which blew out almost as fast as they arrived. We are now completely out of both aircraft types, thanks to strong demand, abbreviated production runs and generally high consumer satisfaction with both models. Likewise, we’re hoping to see their upcoming F/A-18E Super Hornet along with their MiG 23 Flogger sometime soon, which has obvious implications for a potential MiG 27 strike aircraft.
Helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky is reporting that tests are currently underway on the replacement for the CH-53E Super Stalion Stallion heavy-lift helicopter, the CH-53K King Stallion. According to Flightglobal, “The Lockheed Martin-owned rotorcraft manufacturer says its second triple-engine giant achieved flight on January 22nd, and the two developmental aircraft have logged 35 flight hours since CH-53K flying began on 27 October.
Operating from Sikorsky’s flight test center in West Palm Beach, Florida, the first engineering development model (EDM) recently flew 120kts, just 21kts sky of its advertised speed of 141kts.
The programme, which entered development in October 2005, will deliver 200 “super-heavy-lift” helicopters to the US Marine Corps as a replacement for the CH-53E Super Stallion, which the service plans to phase out by 2027.
Powered by three General Electric Aviation T408-400 turboshaft engines, the King Stallion will introduce fly-by-wire controls, “fourth-generation rotor blades” with anhedral tips, and increase the payload capacity threefold. It will haul 12.2t (27,000lbs) over 110nm – 1.4t (3,000lbs) less than the original target set in 2005 but still significantly more than the Sikorsky CH-53E.”
Hopefully, the diecast modelmakers are listening, and a replica of this important rotary-wing aircraft isn’t too far behind.
Leslie Shook, the woman behind the female voice in the F/A-18 cockpit that chirps up when things go awry, plans to retire from Boeing. An automated recording of her voice had been used as an audio cue that was designed to help reduce the workload on the pilot. In a study published years ago, pilots of the Hornet and Super Hornet typically experienced the highest workload in the single-seat aircraft, who were tasked with a multitude of jobs ordinarily performed by a two-seat crew.
In a year where there will likely be a deluge of F-14 Tomcats, its important we compare apples to apples and Tomcats to Tomcats. Hobby Master’s first release was based upon an “A” version, and was decked out in a standard naval scheme with squadron logos and insignia (HA5201). Their second release represents a completely different look at the venerable Fleet Defense Fighter, this time portraying a “D” variant in a low-vis naval grey aimed at making it blend in with the sky (HA5202).
Like its predecessor, the Hobby Master replica features swing wing variable geometry wings, so you can display your warplane in a swept back or forward positioned takeoff mode. Combined with the legendary “Felix the Cat” logo of VF-31 “Tomcatters”, a full load of ordnance, and the usual attention to detail, it looks like we have another winner on our hands.
