The Motor Pool – Blog – Page 197 – Pureveyors of Fine Diecast Collectibles

Falcon Models Goes Supersonic

In a surprise announcement, Falcon Models plans to offer a 1:72 scale replica of the Grumman F-11 Tiger (#FA728001). Seeing service for only four years because its performance was inferior to the Vought F-8 Crusader and its J65 engine proved unreliable, this carrier-borne aircraft was nevertheless an important fleet defense fighter, since it was the US Navy’s first supersonic fighter jet. Likely follow-on candidates for replication will be a US Navy Blue Angels aerobatic aircraft, as well as a F-11F-1 Super Tiger, which were fitted with a more robust pair of engines.

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Dragon Launches its FLaK Attack

At long last, Dragon has finally hauled its 88mm gun into position to take aim at the collector market. Their first FLaK gun (#DRA60630) comes in a simple, early war grey finish and represents a gun that saw action in Stalingrad, Russia, during late 1942. According to Dragon, their first gun is being allocated to its dealers, which means they hope to fill our order in two installments over the coming weeks. This, in turn, means we will be filling our earliest orders first, until our first allocation has been exhausted.

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Unimax Decides Upon Some Name Dropping for 2013

Recognizing that a legendary ace helps to spur sales, Unimax has decided to leverage two venerable names from the pages of military history for their early 2013 range. Armor enthusiasts should have no trouble with the name Otto Carius, the diminutive panzer ace who commanded both a TIger I heavy tank and later a Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyer. Their latest 1:32 scale Jagdtiger (#UNI80078) bears his turret identification number ‘201’, which was attached to schwere panzerjager abteilung 512 in the waning stages of WWII.

Also expected is Unimax’ first ever 1:72 scale rendition of a McDonnell F-4J Phantom II fighter-bomber, which bears the ignominious number “100” on its fuselage, signalling its place in history as “Showtime 100” (UNI85021). Piloted by Randy “Duke” Cunningham, this F-4 was famously connected with the supposed North Vietnamese ace, Colonel Toon, during the latter stages of the Vietnam Conflict. Look for both new entrants later this spring.

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Unimax Puts to Sea with the British Admiralty

As part of their early 2013 lineup, Unimax, the makers of the Forces of Valor military vehicle, aircraft and warship range, have announced plans to offer a 1:700 scale reproduction of the HMS Ark Royal (91) (UNI86007). Bundled with all sorts of early WWII-era aircraft such as the Fairey Swordfish, their latest addition to their fleet of diecast warships will probably set sail some time in April. The pre-order window is now open and we hope to have some additional product announcements up shortly.

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A Man Called Marco

Minichamps North America has finally received its share of the Marco Simoncelli shipment of tribute bikes and our coveted rides are on their way to us. Barring a truck hijacking, blizzard, or meteorite shower, we should have our cache of bikes this coming Tuesday, and will be working feverishly to get them all out the door within 24 hours. If you have a new credit card and have this bike on pre-order, now would be a good time to update your records with us so there is no delay in getting out the bike to you.

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International Shipping Just Got Easier

Ebay has finally rolled out its eagerly awaited Global Shipping Program to qualified sellers and we’re happy to report that we’ve enrolled in it. Purportedly, this will enable customers living outside the US to be able to reduce their shipping costs dramatically, since Ebay will now handle all of the leg work after we’ve shipped them the package.

Frankly, this is all new to us so it may take us a few transactions to get the hang of this and work out any bugs that invariably crop up. We also do not know how this will impact the speed of delivery, since the packages will first be shipped to a clearing house and then on to its final destination. A limited test program was conducted by Ebay this past holiday season and we assume that everything went well.

If the system works as touted, we can upload any item we sell on our web site to Ebay, which will permit customers to shave their shipping costs and be able to track their packages from beginning to end. Keep your fingers crossed because this could be a boon for everyone involved. Note: The Global Shipping Program currently includes the following countries:

Australia
Bulgaria
Canada
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Greece
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
United Kingdom

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Could Corgi's B-17 Fly Again?

Thus far, Corgi has remained mum concerning the incorporation of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress into their 2013 Aviation Archive program. However, that may soon change, as they have just added an intriguing post to their Tumblr page that could portend its use as a subject replica. According to the feed, Corgi stumbled upon a fascinating story involving a B-17 named ‘Ye Old Pub’, that was savaged by German aerial attacks over western Europe. Instead of finishing off the stricken plane, a chivalrous Luftwaffe pilot examined then escorted the plane to the North Sea in an attempt to steer it back home to England.

You can find more information on the tale here: http://corgi.tumblr.com/post/40628115507/a-higher-call-amazing-story-charles-brown-was-a

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Could Corgi’s B-17 Fly Again?

Thus far, Corgi has remained mum concerning the incorporation of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress into their 2013 Aviation Archive program. However, that may soon change, as they have just added an intriguing post to their Tumblr page that could portend its use as a subject replica. According to the feed, Corgi stumbled upon a fascinating story involving a B-17 named ‘Ye Old Pub’, that was savaged by German aerial attacks over western Europe. Instead of finishing off the stricken plane, a chivalrous Luftwaffe pilot examined then escorted the plane to the North Sea in an attempt to steer it back home to England.

You can find more information on the tale here: http://corgi.tumblr.com/post/40628115507/a-higher-call-amazing-story-charles-brown-was-a

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Signature Models Turns Back Time

One of our European distributors informs us that they will soon be offering modified 1:43 scale Signature Models that come complete with historical figures. Based upon a 1938 Grand Merecedes 770K Cabriolet ceremonial parade limousine, (#MMSIG43700) portrays a vehicle with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and six of his party officials as they drove through the streets of Vienna, Austria, after the Anschluss in 1938.

The second vehicle (MMSIG43701) depicts a 1938 Grand Merecedes 770K sedan as it arrives at the Hotel Nido dell Aquila del Gran Sasso in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. As is typically the case with these bundled sets, they sell out very fast and are oftentimes made in very limited numbers that are difficult to find years hence.

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Minichamps Posts Pix of their Latest Bikes

Even though we haven’t received our allotment yet, that doesn’t mean we cannot share images of Minichamps latest diecast classic motorcycle, their 1958 Triumph TR6 Thunderbird Motorcycle (#MIN122133550). Finished in silver and red, and bearing all the hallmark detail we’ve come to expect from their 1:12 scale bike series, their newest introduction is expected shortly, perhaps as early as mid-January. Close-up photographs were also provided for their Hoda Bol D’Or, which is already in stock and doing well at retail (#MIN122161900).

While we’re on the subject of two-wheeled riding, it appears as if Minichamps has just received their shipment of Marco Simoncelli 2011 Honda RC212V Team San Carlo Honda Gresini MotoGP Test Bikes, which means we should be receiving our share of the winning entry very soon. No doubt, the 2011 racing bike isn’t far behind…

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