Hobby Master recently unveiled their December offerings, which cover everything from a NASA-inspired F-15D Eagle fighter (#HA4503) to a signed 1:48 scale P-47 Thunderbolt (#HA8450) flown by Colonel Steve Pisanos.
All of their latest introductions have now been listed in their respective sections and we hope to take delivery of their December cache before Santa shimmies down the chimney.
Despite the warm summer weather, Century Wings unveiled its latest addition to its growing fleet of replica warbirds – a “Santa Cat”. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a “Santa Cat” replaces the VF-103 “Jolly Rogers” familiar Skull-and-Crossbones logo with candy canes and a skull donning a floppy santa claus cap (#CW001613).
The new, holiday-inspired warbird is being billed as Century Wings last release of the year and will reportedly touch down in November. Only 1,200 pieces are being produced and carries a retail price of $145.
Dragon never ceases to amaze and their two newest Dragon Armor pieces should serve as a mute testament to their cause. Expected in September are a 1:72 scale rendition of a Japanese Ka-Mi amphibious tan sporting floating pontoons (#DRR60607) and a repainted PzKpfw III Ausf. M medium tank (#DRR60579) which served in southern Russia during 1943.
We expect further product announcements in the weeks to come.
We’ve had great success with the Eaglemoss range of military vehicles and warships so when word reached us that a new line of collectibles was now available we jumped at the opportunity. Later this month, we will be receiving the first squadron of Star Trek-related merchandise, which replicates many of the most iconic ships seen in the TV series and feature films. While there is no set scale for these items, we believe that their intricate detail, affordable price and collectible nature will more than make up for any size deficiencies. We should have the entire range listed on our web site by August 6th and can be found within our Military Science Fiction section. Live long and prosper!
Looking to give several heavily entrenched manufacturers a run for the money, newcomer Air Force 1 Model Company announced plans to release four new 1:72 scale warbirds in September.
All four new aircraft are part of their Shenyang Collection, which includes a Peoples Liberation Army Air Force J-8B fighter (#AF100034), J-11B fighter (#AF100045), J-15 fighter (#AF100048), and J-16 strike aircraft (#AF100053).
Priced between $53 and $63, these highly detailed aircraft come with a heavy display stand and loads of features offering value and subject matter no one has yet to match.
As they await licensing rights to both the Reaper and Predator unmanned aerial systems, Air Force 1 officially took the wraps off of their first government-sanctioned replica drone, the Northrop Grumman X-47B (#AF100115). Unlike the former systems, The Northrop Grumman X-47B is intended to fly off of an aircraft carrier, making it a more robust combat platform for the US Navy well into the 21st century.
Unlike the Italeri rendition offered earlier this year, the Air Force 1 replica will come in 1:72 scale and feature, among other things. folding wingtips and a fully-realized internal weapons compartment just like the real aircraft. Look for the drone to loiter over their competition some time in September.
In an April report on The Verge that was gleaned from a HuffPost interview, Jerry Bruckheimer is apparently spilling some of the beans concerning the upcoming feature film, Top Gun 2. Lead actor, Tom Cruise, will once again reprise his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the dapper F-14 ace who rose to the occasion despite his misgivings to rescue his fellow airmen and serve his country in magnificent fashion. This time around, however, Cruise will reportedly square off against a bevy of unmanned combat aerial vehicles, although the reason for the high-speed dogfight and locale are still a mystery. Since the movie has yet to go into production, we are probably looking at a Christmas 2016 airing at the earliest, with replicas likely following.
More information concerning the upcoming film can be found here: http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/1/5570710/top-gun-2-will-feature-tom-cruise-versus-drones-says-jerry-bruckheimer
Aviation enthusiasts have been lamenting the fact that no die cast manufacturer has made a credible attempt at modeling the venerable P-61 Black Widow Night Interceptor. Apparently, their pleas haven’t fallen on deaf ears after all, now that Air Force 1 Model Company has confirmed plans to replicate the Northrop aircraft in 1:72 scale (#AF10013A and B). Two versions of Major Lee Kendall‘s “Lady in the Dark” are proposed, one featuring the pilot’s signature adorning the display stand. Both versions are now listed on our web site, which is expected some time in September.
On the night of August 14th, 1945, “Lady in the Dark” was reportedly the last Allied plane to down an enemy aircraft in WWII.
With the retirement of the SR-71 several years ago, and growing speculation regarding what has come to be known as Aurora soaring high over the American southwest, it was perhaps just a matter of time before the USAF finally lifted the veil of secrecy concerning their hugh-hush secret projects. Back In November, the Air Force confirmed that they were developing a new fleet of stealthy, high-speed reconnaissance aircraft that could fly at Mach 6 using Scramjet technology. Dubbed simply as the SR-72, the new midnight black aircraft may even field strike capabilities, utilizing Lockheed Martin’s High Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW), which is essentially a hypersonic missile concept.
From a collector’s standpoint, it seems logical that the SR-72 will become one of the next highly coveted replicas enthusiasts will be yearning for, perhaps one day supplanting the SR-71 as their centerpiece reconnaissance plane. For now, proof-of-concept images will have to be revealed first beyond the handful of artist’s renderings now being distributed.
For more information on the SR-72, please visit this site: http://www.airforce-technology.com/features/feature-lockheed-martin-unveils-sr-72-successor-sr-71-spy-plane/
Ordinarily, we tend to bypass the model kit category since most of our clientele would rather purchase a pre-assembled replica, ready-to-display right out of the box. However, when we received the sales literature concerning Merit International’s upcoming release, we had to sit up and take notice. Expected in September, this manufacturer plans to offer a 1:35 scale model kit of the legendary German Heavy railway gun, Dora (#MT35001). Huge by any measure, the 1:35 scale kit will cover 4-1/2 feet of desktop space, to say nothing of its height, weight or wow factor.
The manufacturer is offering drop shipping to the lower 48 contiguous states, so orders will be shipped out of their California warehouse once it arrives. Unfortunately, due to its overall dimensions, we cannot sell this item to overseas customers, so you’ll just have to make do with the images provided.
