Seems as if we’re following an Italian theme of late, but we’re proud to announce that we will soon be stocking a new line of diecast aircraft from Leo Models. Based in Italy, naturally enough, their multi-scale line traces the history of Italian aviation from its inception until the present. Seeing as how there are nearly 50 items in the line, we expect to have everything posted to our web site by the close of business Sunday, February 22nd. Until then, ciao bambina!
Slightly over one hundred years after the start of World War I, Italian-based RIO Models has decided to revisit the battlefield with a scale model of an Italian Army Fiat 18 BL transport truck. Replicated in 1:43 scale, the vehicle comes with four seated soldiers, two in the front and two in the rear.
Only 100 pieces are to be made with an anticipated release date of May. We are now accepting pre-orders but due to the extremely limited quantities being offered, may have to cut off the acceptance date very quickly and may not have any available for general sale once they do arrive.
All hail the chief! The chief of sales, that is, with our annual 15% off ‘President’s Day’ Sale. This sale begins on Sunday, February 15th, and ends on Sunday, February 22nd, 2015. This discount can be used for any type of item except radio controlled military vehicles, from in-stock merchandise to pre-orders, back orders and special orders.
As always, we would greatly appreciate it if you could keep these orders separate and do not combine non-qualifying items with sales merchandise. Please note that this discount cannot be used for any of the radio controlled vehicles we sell. If you have any questions, feel free to call or email us. Customers must apply discount code “TMP135” at the point of checkout in the coupon code box. Sale ends Saturday, February 22nd, 2015, 12AM EST
Well, praise the Lord and pass the ammunition! Long rumored to be in development ever since they commissioned its line of Dragon Armor Panzer IV tanks several years ago, the Company has finally pulled back the curtains on its first 1:72 scale Panzer IV Ausf. H medium tank (DRR60651). Sporting a turret girdle and schurzen side armor skirts, the Panzer IV Ausf. H was one mainstay of the Wehrmacht that collectors have been clamoring for for a very long time. Look for Dragon’s inauugaral Panzer IV Ausf. H to tear up the collector countryside in April.
With its eyes set on the skies, Air Force 1 Model Company announced plans to offer a 1:72 scale replica of the war-winning Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber. Their first effort will be a USAAF Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Heavy Bomber, nicknamed “A Bit O’ Lace”, which flew with the 447th Bombardment Group, and was deployed to Rattlesden, Norfolk, England, during 1945 (#AF10110). Priced at just $99.99, this is quite a steal, considering the workmanship. detail, amount of diecast metal and price of other similar 1:72 scale aircraft. It even comes with a heavy metal display stand. Look for “A Bit O’ Lace” to take to the skies this August.
Its no secret that this Christmas, Star Wars will be all the rage. With the new movie set to debut on December 18th, and several toy manufacturers already in high gear getting ready for the event, more and more product are starting to become available to the retail trade.
In the case of DeAgostini, they’ve steadily made a diverse range of starships and vehicles for several years running. We’ve quietly watched the range grow, which now encompasses several dozen releases, spanning the first six feature-film releases. Happily, we’ve now learned that one of our distributors will be carrying the range, and they expect to take delivery of the bulk of the line in late March/ early April. Priced at only $23.98, each item is attractively packaged and highly detailed, and already commanding higher-than-release prices in the after market. We hope to have the entire series listed on our site by tomorrow, the 11th, and will keep our eyes open this weekend at Toy Fair to see if the manufacturer has more on display.
Just days before the start of the American International Toy Fair, we’ve uncovered four products in Mattel’s all-new Elite series that are scheduled to ship later this year and into 2016.
All are six inches in length and include a X-Wing Starfighter, TIE Fighter, Millenium Falcon and a new ship from the upcoming film: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Pre-orders are now being accepted and we expect these to go quick once word circulates about their availability.
We’ve been in this business for fifteen years now, and have seen a number of curious developments take hold in the diecast military space. Over the last year or so, for instance, we’ve witnessed the rise of both Air Force 1 Model Company and Eaglemoss Collections – the former a newcomer to high-end diecast modelmaking while the latter has steadily built a multi-tiered portfolio of partworks product ranges. Both companies have done well over the past year or so, perhaps too well, which has caused seismic changes in the market place.
Earlier today, our principal distributor reported that both Falcon Models and Panzerstahl were ceasing production, at least for the forseeable future, neither company offering anything new at the recently-concluded Nuremberg Toy Fair. We had heard that Falcon Models factory in China had closed, and that the owner was seeking another factory to take over production. We can only surmise that they were unsuccessful. What does come as a surprise is the end-of-the-line for Panzerstahl, a German-based company that we thought had carved out a respectable niche in the military vehicle arena. In fact, their last few efforts were tied, in part, to the World of Tanks online massively multiplayer game, so we thought that might be enough to keep the wind in their sails. Apparently, it was not.
So, we will be selling off our existing stocks of both Falcon Models and Panzerstahl, and we hope other newcomers will step to the fore to take their place. In a related news story, we still haven’t heard any word from the Unimax Forces of Valor camp, despite rumors from their new distributor that they were still alive and kicking. That too isn’t a good sign and it may mean another player is being scratched from the lineup. Fortuitously, smaller companies such as Modelcollect, Amercom and and Altaya seem to be picking up the slack, and manufacturers such as Lucky Diecast are picking up the pieces from the Yat Ming closure.
If anything changes in the near-term, we will certainly keep everyone informed, and keep our fingers crossed that this bit of doom and gloom we are seeing in early 2015 will give rise to green chutes in the latter half of the year.
According to our distributor, five new Eaglemoss warships are expected to set sail for our home port next week. The next squadron includes EMGC09 — IJN battleship Haruna, 1928, EMGC12 — IJN battleship Hyuga, 1941, EMGC20 — IJN aircraft cruiser Mogami, 1944, EMGC23 — IJN light aircraft carrier Ryuo, 1933, and EMGC28 — USN battleship New Jersey, 1944. Aside from the standard Japanese text adorning the plinth, box and accompanying magazine, this series has been remarkably well-received, and we look forward to taking delivery of the warships.
Some product lines seem to have nine lives. In the case of Yat Ming, several times we’ve counted them down and out, only to watch them rise from the ashes like a newborn Phoenix. That said, two of their highly prized 1:24 scale Presidential limousines are being offered again, and we should have them in stock and ready for sale by the end of the first week in February.
The pair includes this 1972 Lincoln limousine used to ferry President Ronald Reagan around Washington DC and other destinations, along with John F. Kennedy’s open-top 1963 Lincoln X-100 limousine, used, in rather sad fashion on the fateful day in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963. Best of all, both vehicles still carry a retail price of just $69.99, no change from where they stood a year ago. Please note that these products are now being produced under the Lucky Die Cast banner.
