If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ll know that last week Ukraine invaded Russia near the historically significant town of Kursk, scene of the largest tank battle in history that pitted the forces of Nazi Germany against those of the Red Army. This comes at a time when Russia’s land forces are continuing to apply pressure further south, in a bid to expand their foothold along the eastern flank of Ukraine.
Perhaps because of this, Panzerkampf seized upon this headline and announced the addition of two new Mi-24V Hind attack helicopters to their growing stable of mid-sized rotor craft. Both of the new Hinds bear Russian insignia although its not clear if either of these new choppers were meant to replicate Hinds used to turn back the Ukrainian attacks.
No definite time frame was announced for either of these new helicopters, so we are going to presume they will out be out for the holidays.
We’re issuing an all points bulletin for Hobby Master’s recently released HA9801 as well as their HG0116. In case you’re wondering, the former is a 1:72 scale Israeli Defense Force Dassault-Breuget Mirage IIICJ “Shahak” Fighter – Yoram Agmon, 101 Squadron, Hatzor Air Base, Israel, July 1966, while the latter is a 1:56 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Heavy Tank – “Red 131”, schwere Panzerabteilung 504, Panzerarmee Afrika, Medjed el Bab, Tunisia, North Africa, April 1943. Apparently, in the hand off from one distributor to the other earlier this year, neither received these models, thereby making them extremely rare on this side of the pond. Its not clear why they never made it over to our shores, and its doubtful they ever will, unless the manufacturer decides to find or make some more. So, if you’re hard up for either model, we suggest you nab them while you can because it doesn’t appear as if any of the US dealers will get them any time soon. Just saying…
Every so often, we get emails asking about lines from the past — lines that seem to come and go in a heartbeat never to be heard from again. Today, we received just such a message, this time around from one of our distributors indicating that a cache of Panzerstahl 1:72 scale military vehicles were uncovered and will soon be winging its way to the US. Bear in mind that only a handful of SKUs were unearthed – most having to do with WWII-era German armored cars, Hetzers and 88mm FLaK guns. Nevertheless, the vehicles are in perfect shape, still in their original packaging and have been long sought after for at least a decade. Keep in mind too that many of these items are no longer available from any other manufacturer, making them all the more special to military diecast collectors.
Its going to take us at least a couple of days to relist all of the SKUs back on our web site, so please bear with us as we put out the construction cones, break out the jack hammers, and breathe new life into this once dormant section. Amazingly, the manufacturer’s web site is still in the ether, making it much easier for us to obtain photos and other pertinent information. Oh, and best of all, the price points haven’t changed all that much since the line disappeared, meaning they’ll likely get gobbled up the moment they hit the streets — for the second time.
We understand how frustrating it can be to place an order only to have to wait months on end for its arrival. That said, we play no part in the manufacture nor the distribution of any of the items we sell. While we may offer advice to several of the major players in the hobby regarding what to produce based upon our prior selling experience, we are simply a retailer based in Florida. We do not visit the manufacturers, many of whom are either located in Hong Kong or Bangladesh. We have no affiliation with any of the manufacturers or distributors we work with despite what some may tell you.
From time to time, we ask the manufacturers and distributors when we can expect to receive an item. If they tell us February, then its February, and we post it to our web site. If it slips to April, only to slip again for several months running, then we update our site accordingly and go from there. Again, we have no control over their inability to properly forecast when an item will return to stock. Sometimes customs can slow down the arrival of a shipment. Sometimes cargo ships get re-routed for whatever reason. Occasionally, a distributor may hold up a shipment so that they can consolidate merchandise with other merchandise that may have just been completed, thereby reducing their shipping costs.
Bear in mind too that this is a relatively small industry as compared to say the toy or video game industry. These are collectibles made in relatively small batches for worldwide consumption and as such are handled by a relatively few distributors faced with their own set of challenges. These aren’t GI Joe figures made in the hundreds of thousands or video games that can be uploaded to Steam then downloaded around the world in the blink of an eye. In many ways, the distribution of said products are handled in the same manner as they were decades ago, shipped to retailers such as ourselves via UPS or FedEx who face their own set of daily challenges that can include inclement weather, work stoppages and traffic issues.
Remember, you are always free to contact the manufacturer and/or the distributor yourself if you feel you are getting the run-around from a dealer. Its 2024, and most of the companies have web sites that include a Contact Us link, where you can message them directly. While some are located in Asia and occasionally their English may need tweaking, these companies make it their business to respond professionally with whatever information is at hand. They want to make you happy but oftentimes they themselves may be working with old or outdated data. Be mindful of the fact that they are 12-hours behind us — or 12-hours ahead of us, depending upon your outlook.
So, as we start to head into the back half of the calendar year, please be mindful of the fact that patience is a virtue and everyone in the supply chain is doing their utmost to get product into your hands in the most expeditious manner possible. Yes, it can be frustrating, but its oftentimes just as frustrating for us as we do our best to provide you with accurate and timely information. Thank you.
Besides several back ordered items, the June shipment has some notable aircraft included, among them Colonel Robin Olds’ F-101C Voodoo when he was deployed to Europe as part of the USAF’s 92nd Tactical Fighter Squadron “Skulls”, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, then deployed to RAF Bentwaters, England, during 1964. Olds was certainly a colorful airman, earning ace status in both World War II and again in the Vietnam War, and was instrumental in retraining our air force squadrons deployed to Vietnam to better deal with the North Vietnamese Air Force.
Sometimes you need a score card to tell the players apart from one another. In the case of the newly launched Armor Collection (which happens to have no connection with the former Franklin Mint line of military aircraft), their pedigree first points to the Wings of the Great War line of resin WWI-era military aircraft, and then, with a wink and a nod, to its off shoot, the Wings of the Great War Armor Collection. Got it?
In any event, this new line of resin 1:72 scale military vehicles is designed to cover many of the armored vehicles that appeared on the battlefield post World War I. The first three armored fighting vehicles includes a Vietnam-era Ontos rocket-propelled tank destroyer as well as a pair of legendary WWII-era tanks — the first, Creighton Abrams’ Sherman tank known as “Thunderbolt VII” and the other Michael Wittmann’s final Tiger I mount, “007”. All three vehicles features historically accurate markings and insignia, rotating turrets and, where applicable, an elevating gun or set of rocket launchers. Each also comes with a decorative display base and a handsome outer box, just like their WWI-era cousins. Look for all three vehicles to roll out this October.
Apparently, collectors don’t mind adding a few notional or “what-if” aircraft to their aviation collection. We’ve known for several months now that Hobby Master’s recently released take on a Ukrainian F-16 was selling extremely well at retail even if they are just now entering the real world fray. Now, Corgi’s newest TSR-2 strike aircraft is following suit, selling out over this past weekend at a price point well in excess of their original cost.
No doubt part of the huge surge in demand has to do with the fact that Corgi’s TSR-2 has been unavailable for several years running so any new introduction, even a fictitious one, was bound to do well. But I think the real reason for the popularity of these models is the fact that collectors don’t mind dabbling in conjecture every once in awhile, more than willing to nab a new model that may never come to fruition in the real world so long as there’s some sort of emotional or intellectual connection with current or past events. No matter the reason, its encouraging to see such strong demand for notional models, which may end up ushering in other models that may have never seen the light of day.
As events in the Indo-Pacific region continue to deteriorate, comes news that the US, Japan and South Korea have signed a mutual defense pact that promises to assist one another should any or all of the three nations come under attack. Over the last few years, Russia, the PRC and North Korea have provided increasing cooperation with one another with North Korea even providing munitions to Russia in return for certain technological developments. Defense analysts also point to the PRC for continuing to not only provide encouragement to Russia in their war with Ukraine but certain types of “unnamed” assistance ranging from humanitarian aid to weaponry.
For years, the US has attempted to bring both South Korea and Japan to the bargaining table, pointing to near-term threats in the region as a means of putting aside past differences. These differences go back to World War II, when Japan brutalized South Korea in their campaign to seize the entire Pacific Rim, going so far as to use South Korean civilians as “comfort women” to pacify Japanese soldiers returning from battle. Admittedly its difficult to look beyond war crimes such as these and act as if nothing of consequence occurred over eighty years ago. However, recent moves in and around the region by a belligerent PRC, a nuclear-armed North Korea and aggressive Russia has convinced many that it was time for both countries to take stock of the current situation and take steps to counter these threats should events continue to head south. Other pacts are almost certain to occur, as the US has sought to bring in other nations to defend the Indo-Pacific region should war break out.
The US also acknowledge that they will be upgrading their forces in and around Japan, to both modernize their land, sea and air assets and work in closer cooperation with other allied nations.
Lately, we’ve made a lot of hay regarding the recently conducted and now concluded RIMPAC wargaming exercise that was held off of the Hawaiian shores in early July. While it was important to coordinate and demonstrate the joint capabilities and interoperability of 29 partner nations that were led by the US, it was equally vital to test out some of the latest platforms and munitions starting to come online. New stand-off munitions such as the AIM-174b are designed to fight the enemy from afar, keeping our ships and bases out of harm’s way from enemy weapons and subsurface platforms. Other newly deployed weaponry, including the MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone, represent our latest eyes in the sky over a huge battlespace, capable of gathering intelligence, dropping sonobuoys to determine the enemy’s whereabouts, and even engage enemy targets with a package of Joint Strike missiles.
We’ve already discussed the Manta Ray remotely operated submersible in a previous post and other newly developed weapons. These include the LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile), which boast extended range ship-killing capabilities, again designed to be fired from distant stand-off positions to keep our forces out of harm’s way while bringing the battle to the adversary in their own home waters.
If the PRC intends to carry out its threat of seizing Taiwan by force by the year 2027, then the US and its allies will certainly be ready to face them. While Allied forces will enter the fray clear-eyed and ready to accept tangible losses to meet its mission requirements, it is the enemy that will undoubtedly be bloodied by the latest technological advancements being tested and readied for battle.
Each month Hobby Master trots out the latest flock of models collectors can expect to lay their mitts on later that year. As part of their March 2025 launch calendar, two warbirds caught our eye: one based upon the F-14 Tomcat portrayed in the feature film Top Gun Maverick as well as a F/A-18E Super Hornet meant to depict one of the four US Navy aircraft used to attack a heavily-protected uranium enrichment facility buried deep inside a supposed enemy country. Needless to say, the model maker took precautions to depict both aircraft in a somewhat nebulous form, never actually showing either aircraft as they appeared in the film to avoid any legal entanglements with Paramount, the producer of the film. So, its up to the collector to either display the model straight out-of-the-box as is or, if they so choose, perform what is known in the hobby as a “Code 3”, meaning they can obtain and apply decals from other sources to finalize the look of each model.
Lots of other models were shown in the monthly leaflet, including a U-2S spyplane and an all-new experimental F-35C donned in a black chrome reflective coating. We invite you to take a look at the latest models likely headed to showcases around the world this coming March.
