The Motor Pool – Blog – Page 167 – Pureveyors of Fine Diecast Collectibles

Air Force 1 Toasts the Memory of the Doolittle Raiders

Air Force 1 Model Company intends to honor the memory of the April 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo with a 1:72 scale replica of General Jimmy Doolittle’s North American B-25B bomber. What makes this announcement even more poignant is the fact that some will come with a nameplate signed by his co-pilot, Lt. Richard E. “Dick” Cole, one of the last surviving members of the low-level bombing raid designed to lift morale back at home. The replica is expected in May, which is almost 73 years to the day when they took off from the deck of the USS Hornet and flew into history. A commemorative such as this comes along very infrequently, so even if you have a passing interest in WWII aviation, you may want to consider putting this one on your wish list.

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The Future of E-Commerce?

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the impending release of Windows 10, which will represent an impressive departure from operating systems of the past. One of the most important features found in Windows 10 will be HoloLens, a device which will enable end-users to see everything on their computer screen within an augmented reality universe, complete with interactive holographic imagery.

For a retailer such as ourselves, we believe this could usher in an entirely new experience for our customers, who could, potentially, see an object from multiple viewing perspectives and compare it against other products in real-time.

At this point, Microsoft has not officially announced the release date for Windows 10, the cost of the HoloLens device, computer specs to run the software, and a myriad of other considerations that could affect the device’s roll out. For now, you can learn more about the software here:

http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us?ocid=MSCOM_HoloLensGlobe

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Oxford Schools ‘Em on the Ground

As promised, Oxford plans on introducing several new vehicles later this year. The posse includes a Bedford MWD Truck (MWD006), Bedford QLB Bofors Gun Tractor (QLB001), AEC “Dorchester” Armoured Command Vehicle (DOR001, and Austin Tilly Bomb Disposal Truck (TIL009). Enjoy!

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And Oxford Educates ’em in the Air

As the British Toy Fair draws to a close, word from Oxford is that we can expect four new diecast military aircraft later this year. Up for your consideration is a Gloster Gladiator Mk.II Biplane (AC056), Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 fighter (AC057), Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.I night fighter (AC058), and Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk.I fighter (AC059). All are competitively priced, are feature-rich, and model subjects that have always been popular amongst the collecting community.

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Altaya Sails into History

Even though they aren’t available just yet in the North American marketplace, that doesn’t mean we can’t go hog wild over Altaya’s latest venture – a range of 1:1250 scale WWII-era warships. Unlike the Eaglemoss Warships of the World series, which is heavily focused on Japanese warships, the Altaya collection serves up a much wider array of ships from around the world. Currently, it appears as if the series is only available in Spain, with each ship’s accompanying literature printed in Spanish. Hopefully, the series will be localized for the English-speaking market and become available in the not-too-distant future to naval buffs on this side of the pond.

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Wings of the Great War Dons its Floaties

Fully assembled, scale WWI-era aircraft have always been in short supply, and when they are finally offered, then tend to focus on the fighter aircraft of the time. It is therefore with great pride that we can finally put forth something a bit different – a WWI-era float plane. Expected this April, Wings of the Great War breaks with tradition and plans to roll out a 1:72 scale resin representation of a German Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 Float Plane (WW17001), which saw service at the tail end of WWI.

Also slated for an April fly over is a German Roland D.VIa Fighter (WW16001) as well as their second look at the German Pfalz D.IIIa Biplane Fighter (WW11002), both painted in a dazzling lozenge pattern. Its been 100 years since many of these aircraft took to the skies, but that doesn’t mean they still don’t conjure up the wild swirling dogfights which came to symbolize the war in the air in the War to End All Wars.

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The Motor Pool’s ‘Winterize Your Arsenal’ 15% Off Sale!

Take heart, winter warriors! Even though you may be shivering while staring at your private war museum you can beef up your arsenal courtesy of our annual 15% off ‘After Christmas’ Sale. This sale begins on Tuessday, January 13th, and ends on Saturday, January 31st, 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 “TMP133” at the point of checkout in the coupon code box. Sale ends Saturday, January 31st, 2015, 12AM EST

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Dragon Goes for a Dip at Dieppe

No stranger to the ranks of the Churchill tanks, Dragon announced plans to reinvigorate the line with a vehicle involved in the disastrous Dieppe Raid of 1942 (DRR60419). This particular vehicle sports an extended exhaust pipes for deep wading purposes and bears the markings of the 14th Canadian Army Tank Regiment (Calgary Regiment).

On a side note, we anticipate that the manufacturer will soon announce a number of “Hobart’s Funnies”, which were specialized Churchill tanks developed for the D-Day landings at Normandy. Stay tuned…

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Unimax Studies War No More?

According to a post on the Diecast Hangar Pub forum, a prominent UK distributor is indicating that Unimax, the makers of the Forces of Valor range of military vehicles, aircraft and warships, are throwing in the towel and calling it quits, at least as far as military diecast is concerned. They claim that the manufacturer has cancelled all of their upcoming projects slated for 2015, instead of postponing them indefinitely as had been rumored. Recently, Unimax had closed their North American distribution arm and sold off all of their inventory to a US distributor.

If true, this marks a particularly sad state of affairs for collectors, who were expecting a number of key items for several months running. Moreover, the departure of another long time stalwart in the diecast military space represents a nod to some of the manufacturers who have gained market share either by offering untapped subject matter, cheaper items, other scales, or a combination of all three mitigating factors.

Please note that we have yet to confirm these findings with our North American distributor so the information provided could still be sketchy. For further information, please review this thread:

http://tdhp.fr.yuku.com/topic/19329/Re-FOV-items-Cancelled-totally?page=-1#.VLUoOXsYNM4

Update: In early January, our distributor informed us that the list of product originally slated for release was nixed by the manufacturer in favor of a new group of items. It is now February, with the Nuremberg Toy Fair behind us, and we are of the opinion that Unimax has withdrawn from the marketplace, perhaps permanently. We hope it isn’t true but at this point fear the worst.

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Dragon Surges with the Panther D

First announced over two years ago, the very first 1:72 scale Panther Ausf. D medium tank is finally en route to us and expected shortly. We expect them to sell out quickly since this is a key introduction many collectors have been waiting eons to drive into battle.

No longer content to sit on their laurels, the manufacturer is also showing the fourth iteration of this popular warhorse on their site, which is pegged with a March release date. While its refreshing to see so many versions to choose from, we can’t help but wonder if this is a sound strategy since it floods the market with a wide array of choices in a short period of time. (Shown from left to right: #DRR60645, DRR60683 and DRR60684)

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