Showing no signs of abatement, Hobby Master ushered in their March introductions earlier this week. No new toolings were among the mix, although several intriguing aircraft and military vehicles were added to their order of battle, including this F-4 Wild Weasel aircraft (HA1981) painted in a tri-color camouflage pattern. All of their new offerings can be found in our November 2013 Additions subsection, found within our Product Lineup page.
In case you haven’t heard, Hanukkah comes especially early this year, popping up on November 28th, the same day as Thanksgiving. While some are referring to it as “Thanksgivukkah” due to its strange coincidental fall, we just wanted to remind everyone that the ‘festival of lights’ is just a few weeks away, making any sales we may be running right now all-the-more important.
With the holidays just a month or so away, we’ve updated our Calendar of Events so that it now includes shipping deadlines for both UPS and USPS.The Calendar of Events can be found at the bottom of our left hand navigation menu.
Each shipper, as well as their differing methods of transport, now appear on the calendar on a day-by-day basis so we strongly recommend you consult our chart, particularly if you live outside the US or plan to take delivery of your order, close to the holidays.
Lastly, orders must be received before 4PM EST for same day delivery, otherwise parcels will be shipped out on the next business day.
The folks at Century Wings report that a new SR-71 is finally in development and scheduled for take off some time in February 2014. The difference here is that two versions will be offered to aviation enthusiasts: a standard 1:72 scale model and a second variant signed by both the pilot, Major Brian Shul, and the RSO, Major Walter Watson. According to the manufacturer, the signatures will be on a very nice certificate that would be ideal for framing alongisde the model. This particular spy plane, known as the “Lybian Raider” took part in the fly over of Colonel Muamar Qadaffi’s Lybia back in 1986. Only 500 pieces of each version are slated for manufacture, making this a low-run, key release in their SR-71 series.
We can’t remember when low-cost diecast military vehicles were so plentiful. Just yesterday, another 15 1:72 scale combat vehicles were added to our Altaya selection, bringing the expected November cache up to a whopping 47 products.
While many of the vehicles can be found in other manufacturer’s lines, prices for these reintroductions can’t be beat, costing only a nominal $14.99 apiece. Again, the entire fall harvest is expected in early November, so if you’ve got a hankering to build an inexpensive diorama or just want to fill in some holes in your collection, now would be an excellent time to do so.
A few months ago, we indicated that we had enrolled and been approved to enter ebay’s Global Shipping Program, which enables us to ship ebay-related sales globally to participating countries. We are happy to report that this program is now live and fully functional.
To determine the shipping and import costs to your country, simply click on the Shipping and Payment tab located within the body of each ebay listing. Next, click on your country from the drop down menu (if your country has been approved to participate in the Global Shipping Program). The buyer can now see, up front, what all of his or her shipping related-costs will be prior to purchasing the merchandise so there are no unexpected surprises once the item clears customs.
Keep in mind that we will be shipping said items to ebay’s fulfillment center, which is located in Kentucky, and ebay will now be responsible for shipping the merchandise direct to the consumer. Ebay will also provide both the seller and the buyer a tracking number, which permits both parties to track the parcel from start to finish. If you have any further questions regarding this program, feel free to contact us or ebay’s customer service.
Sometimes its feast or famine as far as product availability goes. Earlier today, we learned that Altaya’s range of 1:72 scale diecast military vehicles are finally showing up on North American shores, with 32 vehicles making up the first wave. We’re in the process of listing all of the new vehicles but just wanted to point out that they are a bit cheaper than the comparable line of AmerCom vehicles we just posted plus they come with an acrylic display case. For $15 a pop, you simply cannot go wrong with these little gems and are an ideal way to bring in new collectors into the hobby.
Earlier today, we received several samples of Eaglemoss Collections’ 1:43 scale Military Vehicles of the Second World War series. All of the diecast vehicles we received looks very good and were very reminiscent of the now defunct range of military vehicles once offered by Solido.
Where applicable, each vehicle features a rotating turret, elevating gun and movable vinyl tracks, and in the case of their Stuka zu Fuss halftrack, removable side-mounted rockets. Moreover, each vehicle sports a realistic-looking paint scheme and what looks to be pad printed markings and insignia.
We understand that negotiations are still under way to bring the line to the North American marketplace. That said, we will list the handful of samples we received for sale in the Eaglemoss section later today but keep in mind its first come first served.
Just to get everyone up to speed, we’ve now completed all of the new listings for both the AmerCom military vehicles section as well as the military helicopter section. We’re now turning our attention towards adding all of the new military aircraft soon to arrive, which encompasses both 1:72 scale as well as the smaller 1:144 and 1:200 scales.
As you might expect, all of this work takes time, and we anticipate completing these tasks towards the end of this week, based upon the length of time it took us to get the first two portfolios properly listed and any new information being passed along to us. We thank you for your patience.
Long rumored but only just confirmed, Hobby Master has announced development of a 1:72 scale replica of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (HA4401). Scheduled to join its burgeoning air armada in February 2014, their first effort will be based upon the US Air Force’s “A” Model, and will no doubt be followed up with versions for both the US Navy and US Marine Corps, as well as several export versions.
Several other new items were announced in conjunction with the announcement, all of which can be found in our October 2013 Additions section. Enjoy!
