The Motor Pool – Blog – Page 160 – Pureveyors of Fine Diecast Collectibles

Father’s Day Wishes and Caviar Dreams

Some dad’s hope for an iPad, haberdashery, or a quiet day alone napping in a shade-covered hammock. For me, I have my own set of simple dreams for Father’s Day – perhaps a copy of Tom Clancy’s latest tome, but more importantly, loads of new diecast replicas that are oddly missing from the market.

To begin, there are a number of new navy ships from around the world that are now setting sail or coming to the fore, including the HMS Queen Elizabeth, USS Gerald R. Ford, the USS Independence (LCS-2), which is a bold trimaran littoral combat ship, USS Zumwalt – a stealthy guided missile destroyer, an all-new nuclear-powered People’s Liberation Army Navy cruiser, and a littany of other warships.

In the air, there seems to be a dearth of 1:72 scale twin engine aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Me 410, the Pe-2 bomber, and all sorts of Japanese and Italian aircraft from WWII. As far as modern aircraft goes, there’s the new Lockheed SR-72 reconnaissance plane that comes to mind, as well as the USAF new long-range strategic bomber.

And then there are the ground systems, or lack thereof, now that several players have exited the market. Minichamps left the 1:35 scale military market several years ago, yet we still receive oodles of requests for new vehicles. Likewise, Forces of Valor’s departure in the 1:32 scale regime doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a market for these vehicles – rather a marketing strategy that some where along the way went afoul. The Russians debuted their Armata tank, the Poles have an interesting new vehicle aimed at the export market and there are other vehicles soon-to-be deployed that would make for excellent replica subjects. C’mon guys, now’s a great time to test the waters and try something new before some one else beats you to the punch. Producing the same old same old, might work in the short run, but it gives your competition ample wiggle room to enter the fray with something new and fresh.

Happy Father’s Day!

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Corgi Takes on the Luftwaffe Over the Skies of England

Its refreshing to see that the Battle of Britain is still a topic of heated conversation some 75 years hence, which many regard as the pivotal battle to defeat Nazi aggression. To mark the occasion, Corgi will be offering three different WWII bombers to the public this fall, each a key player in the attempt by the Luftwaffe to subjugate the island fortress. Expected in November is a German Junkers Ju 88A-5 Medium-Bomber that was attached to 1./Kustenfliegergruppe 806, during August 1940 (#AA36710). Also up for consideration is a German Heinkel He-111P-2 5J+CN Medium Bomber which was attached to Kampfgeschwader 4, and deployed to Oslo, Norway, during 1940 (#AA33714). And, finally we have a German Dornier Do 17 Light Bomber that was attached to 7 Staffel, III Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 3, during August 1940 (#AA38806)

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Move Over BMW, Mercedes and Lexus and Say Hello to the Ripsaw

Originally developed for the military, the “Ripsaw Extreme Vehicle 2” (EV2), is described as a “handcrafted, limited run, high end luxury super tank” by its maker, Howe & Howe Technologies. Now, collectors, off-roaders and military buffs can own their very own tank sans gun, provided they have the cash to burn on such a high-end extravagance.

According to the maker, the “Ripsaw Extreme Vehicle 2 was “Originally designed and built for the military as a high speed super tank, its base platform the ‘Ripsaw’ proved to be the fastest dual tracked vehicle ever developed.” The civilian model is geared towards “extreme off-road recreation” enthusiasts.

“The EV2 model appears to be based on the demilitarized MS2 design, capable of accelerating to 60 mph in less than four seconds, with a maximum speed of 80 mph,” according to Russia Today.

“These vehicles take up to 6 months to fabricate and can cost well into the 100s of thousands depending on desired luxury and performance packages,” the company said.

A fully loaded MS2 can accelerate from 0-50 mph in 5.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 60 miles per hour. Able to traverse 50-degree gradients and 45-degree slopes, the military model of the MS2 had an estimated cost of $250,000 apiece. No word as to how much the Ripsaw will run you.

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The Motor Pool’s “4th of July” 15% Off Sale!

For those of you who would rather pre-order some of the upcoming products at the best possible prices, we are announcing the start of our annual 4th of July 15% Off Sale. Unlike the Grand Re-Opening Sale, you can now apply a 15% off discount to any back order, pre-order or special order item shown in our product portfolio, as well as anything listed as being in stock. Please enter discount code ” TMP140” in the coupon box just prior to final checkout. Sale ends Sunday, July 5th, 2015. May not be combined with any other sales discount.

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Eaglemoss Hits the Ground Running in July

With nineteen 1:43 scale military vehicles scheduled to begin shipping next week, Eaglemoss has a further ten vehicles comprising the second wave in July. The list of vehicles is varied, ranging in scope from a German Steyr RSO 0/1 raupenschlepper to a Chevrolet CBA transport in British markings. The entire range now sells for $21.99 apiece, again a real bargain considering their size, breadth of subjects, durability and collectability. Incidentally, the M3A1 scout car in New Zealand livery has been moved up to a June ship.

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Land Ho! Another Model Maker Christens its Fleet

Great news for all you nautical buffs. We’ve learned that DeAgostini’s line of warships will be leaving port and making its way to our shipyard this September. Scaled at 1:1250 (which is slightly smaller than the Eaglemoss range), the DeAgostini collection examines some of the most iconic warships of the Second World War, with a little less emphasis on the Imperial Japanese Navy and more insight into some of the other ships and navies that sailed the high seas. Priced at just $21.99, these are going to make excellent stocking stuffers this holiday season!

The warships include US Navy Iowa Class Battleship – USS Missouri (BB-63) (#DGWS003), Imperial Japanese Navy Yamato Class Super Battleship – Yamato (#DGSW002), Royal Navy Ark Royal Class Aircraft Carrier – HMS Ark Royal (91) (#DGSW006), US Navy Pennsylvania Class Battleship – USS Arizona (BB-39) (#DGSW008), German Kriegsmarine Deutschland Class Heavy Cruiser – SMS Admiral Graf Spee (#DGSW007), German Kriegsmarine Scharnhorst Class Battleship – SMS Scharnhorst (#DGSW001), US Navy Yorktown Class Aircraft Carrier – USS Hornet (CV-8) (#DGSW004), Royal Navy Renown Class Battlecruiser – HMS Repulse (#DGSW005), German Kriegsmarine Admiral Hipper Class Heavy Cruiser – SMS Prinz Eugen (#DGSW010), and US Navy Lexington Class Aircraft Carrier – USS Lexington (CV-2) (@DGSW009).

Best of all, each replica comes with a full-color, multi-page magazine (written in English, no less!), with the proposed series covering some sixty subjects in total.

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The US Navy: Carriers Still Forge the Way

With the US Navy due to accept its newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), in March 2016, reports have surfaced that the service has also ordered the second carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), as well as placing a down payment for the third carrier in the Ford-class, the USS Enterprise (CVN-80).

Gerald R. Ford is intended to be the first of a class of aircraft carriers that offer significant performance improvements over the previous Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Gerald R. Ford is equipped with an AN/SPY-3 active electronically scanned array multi-function radar, and an island that is shorter in length and 20 feet (6.1 m) taller than that of the Nimitz-class; it is set 140 feet (43 m) further aft and 3 feet (0.91 m) closer to the edge of the ship. Replacing traditional steam catapults, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) will launch all carrier aircraft. This innovation eliminates the traditional requirement to generate and store steam, freeing up considerable below-deck square footage. With this EMALS innovation, Gerald R. Ford can accomplish 25% more aircraft launches per day than the Nimitz-class and requires 25% fewer crew members. The Navy estimates it will save $4 billion in operating costs over a 50-year lifespan.

Accord to Bloomberg Business, “The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer has approved awarding Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. a contract valued at as much as $4 billion to start building the second in the new Ford class of aircraft carriers.

Frank Kendall issued a decision memo for the Navy to proceed with detailed design and construction of the USS John F. Kennedy and make a down payment on the third carrier in the $42.8 billion program. The memo, signed on Wednesday evening, was obtained by Bloomberg News.”

Unfortunately, some shortcomings have come to light regarding the capabilities of the new carrier. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the launching and landing systems on the Ford would place extra stress on aircraft, precluding the external fuel tanks needed for combat missions.

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Are We in a State of War with the Russians and Chinese?

Earlier today, it was announced that the Chinese government was responsible for a massive breach of the Office of Personnel Management, hacking the files of four million current and former federal employees.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLA_Unit_61398

Earlier this year, sources claim that the Russians were purportedly behind a hack of the Internal Revenue Service, also affecting several thousand US individuals. http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/04/politics/federal-agency-hacked-personnel-management/index.html

If memory serves us correctly, these types of overt acts are nothing short of sabotage and, in the past, led to the start of shooting wars. Witness the attack on the battleship Maine on February 15th, 1898, which led to the start of the Spanish-American War. Whether or not we are launching cyber-counterattacks to combat these regularly occurring incidents is anyone’s guess but it is becoming clear that there are governments that are willing to do anything to subvert our system.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Aurora

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Shady_RAT

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Does South Korea Have the Bomb?

Although South Korea’s nuclear weapons research program effectively ended on April 23, 1975, with its ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, reports indicate that they indeed may have the bomb. According to several news sources, South Korea on Wednesday successfully test-fired a domestically built ballistic missile that can hit all of North Korea, amid continuing animosity between the rivals over the North’s push to bolster its nuclear and missile capabilities. The missile purportedly has a range of 500-miles, meaning it could strike any target within North Korea. Earlier this year, North Korea test fired its own ICBM from a submerged submarine, indicating that the missile could reach as far as the west coast of the United States, although its not clear if the missile’s guidance system is as sophisticated as they claim.

Its hard to imagine a scenario where the country would develop, test and field a missile with this type of range and targeting capability if it wasn’t tipped with an atomic device and instead carry conventional weaponry. Where this weapons race will lead is anyone’s guess, with a potential nuclear exchange between the two countries coming about in a matter of a few minutes.

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From GCV to FFV: Still Alive and Kicking

When the Pentagon cancelled the proposed Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) it wasn’t at all clear what they had up their sleeve or intended to replace the aging Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. According to Defense News, “the Army has awarded two contracts of more than $28 million each to BAE Systems Land and Armaments and General Dynamics Land Systems to develop design concepts for the FFV. The work is due Nov. 28, 2016.”

“As the original equipment manufacturer for the Bradley fighting vehicle, we have a unique understanding of the requirements and user needs,” Mitchell said. “Among our top considerations will be platform weight and program affordability as we balance overall performance,” said BAE spokeswoman Megan Mitchell.

Whatever design is chosen, it will likely one day have to go toe-to-toe with two of Russia’s latest pair of infantry fighting vehicles: the BMD-4 (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta-4 literally “Combat Vehicle of the Airborne”) and BTR-MD Rakushka (“Shell”), both currently being distributed to Russia’s growing airborne arm.

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