Product Spotlight: Up the Boot

Armored Fighting Vehicles of World War II 1:43 scale US M18 Hellcat Light Tank Destroyer – “Black Cat”, 805th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 5th Armored Division, Italy, 1944

The tank destroyer battalion was a type of military unit used by the United States Army during World War II. The unit was organized in one of two different forms – a towed battalion equipped with anti-tank guns, or a mechanized battalion equipped with armored self-propelled guns. The tank destroyer units were formed in response to the German use of massed formations of armored vehicles units early in WWII. The tank destroyer concept envisioned the battalions acting as independent units that would respond at high speed to large enemy tank attacks. In this role, they would be attached in groups or brigades to corps or armies. In practice, they were usually individually attached to infantry divisions. Over one hundred battalions were formed, of which more than half saw combat service. The force was disbanded shortly after the end of the war when the concept had been shown to be militarily unsound.

One such unit was the 805th Tank Destroyer Battalion. The 805th was formed from the 105th Anti-tank Battalion on December 15th, 1941, in line with the reorganization of the anti-tank force. It was shipped to the United Kingdom in August 1942, and then deployed for the North African Campaign in January 1943, equipped with M3 GMC tank destroyers. It was attached briefly to the 34th Infantry Division, then attached to the 1st Armored Division on February 20th, just in time to see action at the Battle of the Kasserine Pass, where it took heavy losses. On March 23rd, equipped with the new M10 tank destroyer, it fought at the Battle of El Guettar.

In October 1943, it converted to a towed battalion equipped with 3″ anti-tank guns, and was shipped to Italy, arriving in the Naples area on October 25th – the first 3″ towed battalion to see combat. It was attached to the 34th Infantry Division in January 1944, and supported the division in fighting on the Bernhardt Line and at Monte Cassino, before being shipped to the Anzio beachhead in mid-March and attached to the 36th Infantry Division. In June, it was attached to the 1st Armored Division.

It re-equipped with M18 Hellcats in the summer of 1944, but continue to be used mainly for indirect-fire missions through the remainder of the war, attached to a variety of different units during the drive north. On April 21st, 1945, they were attached to the 34th Infantry Division when it captured Bologna, and with the 88th Infantry Division when it reached the Brenner Pass in early May.

The second batch of six Armored Fighting Vehicles of World War II, which includes the Hellcat shown here, are now in stock and ready for immediate shipment. And if you’re looking to retake Italy from the Nazis, you may want to deploy this combat vehicle to the front lines.

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Product Spotlight: “The Gremlin Teaser”

Corgi’s 1:72 scale RAF Short Stirling Mk. III Heavy Bomber – “The Gremlin Teaser”, No.199 Squadron, RAF North Creake, England, 1944

Back during the early days of World War II, British RAF pilots often blamed so-called “gremlins” for any malfunctions their aircraft experienced in combat. For purposes of discussion, a gremlin is a mischievous mythical creature that’s said to cause trouble to machinery, particularly in airplanes. When you’re a nervous flyer, confronting all sorts of man made issues, the last thing you want to think about are gremlins messing with the plane’s engines or other mechanical components.

The word gremlin first appeared in print in 1929. It emerged from the U.K.’s Royal Air Force aviator slang (possibly influenced by goblin), and it became especially popular during World War II, as pilots were forced to contend with FLaK, enemy fighters, poor weather and even night time flying to perform their missions.

Of course, there’s no such thing as a gremlin yet pilots persisted in blaming the mythical tricksters on otherwise inexplicable accidents — convenient scapegoats, if you will, for any odd issues they faced that couldn’t be explained away or overcome.

As if thumbing its nose at the supposed gremlin infestation plaguing other RAF aircraft, Stirling Mk.III LJ542 was unusual in that it sported rather elaborate nose artwork — a feature which wasn’t quite as prevalent on British aircraft as it was on those flown by the USAAF, but was particularly impressive nonetheless. Named “The Gremlin Teaser”, the artwork featured a pin-up girl wearing what appears to be strap-on angel wings, the inference thought to be that this angelic figure was flying in defiance of evil, in this age-old wartime struggle of good against evil, something its crew must have felt they were doing on a nightly basis.

While the Lancaster would go on to become synonymous with the RAF’s bombing campaign over Nazi-occupied Europe, aircraft such as the Short Stirling soldiered on alongside the Lancs. Indeed, the impressive stature of the Stirling was a result of the massive, lengthened undercarriage the aircraft employed, a design modification needed to give the Stirling a greater angle of attack during take-off.

The Stirling’s huge bomb bay allowed the aircraft to carry three times as many bombs as the Vickers Wellington and almost nine times the weight carried by a Bristol Blenheim, presenting the RAF with a potent new weapon with which to take the war to the enemy and pointing the way towards the future of night bombing operations.

“The Gremlin Teaser” would end up being a veteran of 60 operational sorties and during her time with No.199 Squadron, was involved in undertaking vital electronic countermeasures missions, particularly around the time of D-Day, confusing enemy defenses in advance of the Allied invasion.

Corgi’s latest Short Stirling bomber, “Gremlin Teaser”, is currently en route to us and available for shipping early next week.

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Product Spotlight: Final Hours of the Red Baron

Corgi’s 1:48 scale German Fokker Dr.1 Triplane Fighter – Werner Steinhauser, Jasta 11, Cappy Aerodrome, France, April 21st, 1918

Werner Steinhauser was beginning to develop into an extremely gifted aviator under the guidance of his inspirational Commanding Officer, Manfred von Richthofen, when he took off with the Flying Circus on the morning of April 21st, 1917. When he initially joined the unit earlier that year, he had only a solitary observation balloon victory to his credit. Now that he found himself in the company of some of the Luftstreitkrafte’s most gifted fighter pilots, he began to show real skill and poise during combat situations and as a consequence, his victory tally began increasing.

Flying alongside von Richthofen in his own distinctively marked personal Fokker Dr.1 fighter on the morning of April 21st, 1917, Steinhauser would be involved in the intense fighting with the Sopwith Camels of RAF No.209 Squadron, which ultimately resulted in the death of his mentor. The famed ‘Flying Circus’ never really recovered from the loss of von Richthofen and from this date, an ever increasing number of Allied fighters in the air at any one time would result in the loss of the majority of their most successful pilots. Going on to score a further six aerial victories after this fateful day, Werner Steinhauser would himself be shot down and killed near Neuilly on June 26th, just three days before he would have celebrated his 22nd birthday.

Corgi’s 1:48 scale German Fokker Dr.1 Triplane Fighter – Ltn Hans Weiss, Jasta 11, Cappy Aerodrome, France, April 21st, 1918

At 10am on April 21st, 1918, six Fokker Dr.1 fighter aircraft of Jasta 11 took off from Cappy aerodrome to embark on an offensive patrol over the Somme Valley region. Led by their inspirational commander, Manfred von Richthofen, this was an elite unit where only the finest fighter pilots were invited to join the squadron – the ‘Best of the Best’. Hans Weiss has joined Jasta 11 with a reputation as being something of a balloon specialist, but by this date, he was credited with an impressive ten combat victories.As the formation approached Le Hamel, they spotted a pair of Allied reconnaissance aircraft over the town and dived in to attack.

As the battle commenced, an unseen flight of Sopwith Camels joined the melee to protect the reconnaissance aircraft and just minutes later, the infamous reign of the Red Baron would be over. The distinctive white colored Fokker Dr.1 flown by Weiss had been hit by return fire from the British reconnaissance aircraft, severing one of his rudder cables and forcing an immediate return to Cappy. Nursing his damaged aircraft back to his home airfield, Weiss would live to fight another day, however, his Commanding Officer would not be quite so lucky.

Weiss would later command Jasta 11 himself, but only for a three week period, before he also fell in combat, the victim of Canadian ace Merrill Taylor.

Both triplanes are now winging their way to us from the Corgi Aerodrome and should be ready to seek vengeance for the death of the Red Baron by the third week of June.

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Father’s Day is Fast Approaching

Even though we haven’t as yet actually received our latest Panzerkampf and AFV shipment, we are going to mark them as received so that we can begin processing these orders ahead of their imminent receipt. As always, we would appreciate it if you do not contact us regarding any pre-orders you may have placed with us since responding tends to slow us down and prevents us from addressing each order with proper care. We will do our due diligence and process each order as expeditiously as possible but bear in mind that issues such as invalid credit card authorizations or splitting up orders periodically pops up and leads to added delays. We will do our best to get out all of the orders before Father’s Day but we are making no assurances that said orders will actually be received prior to June 19th.

Incidentally, there was a change to one of the AFVs that are in the latest batch of arrivals. AFV009 is actually a US built and operated M18 Hellcat and not the supposed French M10 we had originally listed as being inbound. Frankly, the US vehicle is a better fit for many of our customers who may prefer to collect US built and operated vehicles as opposed to those tanks that were operated by some of our allies during the Second World War. We can only assume that the M10 will come out at a later date.

Update: We were informed this morning, June 13th, that our shipment is leaving Nevada today. Originally, it was scheduled to leave last Friday, which would have meant it would reach us here in New York by mid week. So, it would appear as if this shipment will likely arrive at our facility by the end of this week, which means that any orders intended as Father’s Day gifts will not make it for the holiday. That said, we also know a great many of you placed orders for these items without concern for the holiday, so a few more days of waiting may not be crucial. If it is, please contact us and we will cancel your order. Because of the delay, we have decided to hold off processing these orders until later this week. Furthermore, this year, most of the major carriers are closed for Juneteenth, so the soonest we can start shipping out orders is Tuesday is the 21st. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but things often change on a daily basis despite our best efforts to make them go as smoothly as possible.

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Hobby Master Continues to Add More Planes to its Pattern

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed-Martin F-22A Raptor Air Dominance Fighter – 04-4065, 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, 53d Test and Evaluation Group, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, November 2021 [Anti Reflective Coating]

No one can fault Hobby Master for being the most prolific maker of military diecast aircraft. Like clockwork, the modelmaker announced yet another flock of aircraft models looming on the horizon, this time around expected in March 2023. As usual, there’s something for everyone, from new 1:48 scale Messerschmitts Bf-109s to high flying 1:72 scale jet aircraft that cover every era imaginable. Perhaps the most ambitious announcement is their newest take on the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, which will purportedly be clad in an anti-reflective coating instead of its usual sky-blending grey finish. Aviation analysts are still unsure what this new “mirrored” coasting means for both the latest generation of military aircraft still on the drawing board and for stealth technology, although some claim that with the advent of compact energy-based weaponry, it could represent an effort to absorb light like the recently engineered Vantablack coating or possibly thwart these weapons by either bouncing a laser beam away from the aircraft or back to its host platform. Be that as it may, it will be interesting to see if Hobby Master can present this newest F-22 in the same startling finish that adorns a pair of actual F-22s currently undergoing experimental testing in the Mojave desert.

Here now the rest of what you can expect next spring:

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Attack Aircraft – 84-0828, 9th Attack Squadron “Flying Knights”, “40 Years of Owning the Night”, Savannah Air National Guard Base, Georgia, May 2022
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Israeli Defense Force General Dynamics F-16I Sufa Fighter – “470”, 253 “Negev” Squadron, Ramon Airbase, Israel, 2022
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF McDonnell F-4E Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron “Gorillas”, 432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, June 1972
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-30MK “Flanker-C” Fighter – “Blue 02”, MAKS-2009 Airshow, Zhukovsky, Russia, August 2009
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk Attack Aircraft – 155208, VMA-142 “Flying Gators”, Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida, 1984 [Low Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale German Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21SPS “Fishbed” Fighter – 22+02, Jagdfliegergeschwader 1, Drewitz Air Base, Germany, 1990s
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare Aircraft – 163527, “Eve of Destruction”, VAQ-141 “Shadowhawks”, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), 1991 [Low Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale USAAF North American P-51D Mustang Fighter – “Marie”, Captain Freddie Ohr, 2nd Fighter Squadron “American Beagles”, 52nd Fighter Group, ETO, 1944
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale German Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7B “Emil” Fighter – “Black S9”, III./ Schnellkampfgeschwader 210, Russia, 1941
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The ABCs of AFVs

AFVs 1:43 scale US M26 Pershing Heavy Tank – 2nd Armored Division, Cologne, Germany, April 1945

Finally some good news in regard to the Armored Fighting Vehicles of World War II line. Word has reached us that the next six vehicles are due to hit our distributor’s warehouse by Friday so we should be receiving our order by the close of next week. Moreover, the next nine vehicles in the range are well on their way towards being completed and should be available by the end of the summer. As we have noted previously, we will be relocating our business around the same time as the vehicles arrive in the US, so we’ve listed them as September arrivals. All nine vehicles have been listed in the AFV section and are available for pre-order. Lastly, it would appear as if the manufacturer is finally back on track getting this series up to speed, so we are hoping that another six vehicles will arrive by Thanksgiving, possibly earlier if things go smoothly in the supply chain.

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Keep on Truckin’

Back when we first started out well over twenty years ago, we stocked a line of construction vehicles produced by Joal. I believe they have since went the way of the Dodo bird but I always thought there was a natural cross over from military-related products to construction vehicles, probably because many of the key vehicles found in both realms use tracks as a means of getting around in rough terrain. That said, I decided to begin stocking a line of construction vehicles produced by Diecast Masters, who many see as the leader in construction vehicle replicas. The line is quite extensive, focusing primarily on Caterpillar heavy equipment, but with our upcoming move to Florida, I will likely start to list each new item over the next couple of weeks then take delivery once we have settled in to our new location. Likewise, we will also carry their range of long haul cargo trucks, many of which are based upon some celebrated automotive names such as Kenworth and Peterbilt.

This expansion doesn’t mean we are straying away from our core military business. Far from it. Its just that with the global supply chain still in a bit of flux, and several manufacturers struggling to get finished product out the door, now seemed to be the time to look at new ways to grow our business by addressing certain natural synergies within the marketplace. Anyway, just thought I’d give you a heads-up regarding how we plan to add to our product portfolio in the months ahead and bring in some new customers who may be searching for a reliable dealer with over two decades in the business.

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Product Spotlight: Panzers on the Neva

The area around Leningrad is one of the most geographically diverse in the world, situated in the southern sub zone of the taiga – a snow covered forest found in the cold subarctic. The subarctic is an area of the Northern Hemisphere that lies just south of the Arctic Circle where forests occupy about 40% of the territory, and swamps a further 10%. There are cliffs in the Gulf of Vyborg and to the north of Lake Ladoga, huge swampy areas to the south, marshy valleys with granite boulders on the Karelian Isthmus, canyons and waterfalls, plains and hills to the south of Neva. By any military measure, the region was not conducive to mobile military operations much less ideal “tank country,” yet it nevertheless served as the backdrop for the first actions of the Tiger I heavy tank — an ill-suited baptism of fire its designers, the architects of the Blitzkrieg and troops picked to employ it would just as soon prefer to forget.

Forces of Valor’s German Initial Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “100”, schwere Panzerabteilung 502, Leningrad, Russia, February 1943

Schwere Panzerabteilung 502 took the Tiger I into combat for the first time south of Lake Ladoga near Leningrad on September 16th, 1942. On September 22nd, after crossing a causeway, one Tiger became bogged down in the mud, thereby living up to its iconic unit heraldry of an elephant blindly on the march. After several unsuccessful attempts to recover it, the vehicle had to be abandoned, fierce enemy fire deterring the crew from reaching the vehicle. To prevent its capture, a decision was eventually made to destroy the vehicle, which was carried out on September 25th. All in all, a rather ignominious start for what was hoped to be a miracle weapon.

On that same day several new Tigers as well as Panzer IIIs arrived at the front, thereby bringing the unit up to its full armored complement. On January 14th, 1943, Soviet troops disabled and captured one of the battalion’s Tiger tanks near Leningrad during Operation Spark. A second vehicle was captured several days later. Both Tigers were quickly brought to the Kubinka experimental armor facility where they were thoroughly analyzed for strengths and weaknesses. Efforts were then made to develop and organize strategies to counter the tank.

A handful of additional Tiger Is were issued to the unit in February 1943, replacing several vehicles lost in combat. On April 1st, 1943, a second and third company were formed. Thirty one Tigers were shipped to the unit in mid to late May 1943, which brought the battalion up to full strength. In June 1943, due to a change in the organization of heavy tank battalions, the 1st company was completely outfitted with Tiger Is, rather than a mix of Tigers and Panzer IIIs.

The battalion participated in engagements on the Eastern Front during 1943 and 1944. The unit operated around Lake Ladoga from July to September 1943 and Newel, near Belarus during November and December 1943 covering the retreat of German forces from the Leningrad area. The 502nd held Narva, Estonia from February to April 1944. The 502nd fought in Pleskau in April and May 1944, then around Dunaburg, Latvia in July.

The battalion only received a few Tiger IIs. The last 13 Tiger IIs built were picked up directly at the factory by crews of the 3rd Company of the 510th and the 3rd company of the 502nd on March 31st, 1945.The 502nd received the lion’s share of the final batch produced – eight vehicles it then took into combat on April 1st, 1945. In hindsight, schwere Panzerabteilung 502 was both one of the first and, as it turns out, one of the very last heavy tank battalions formed during the second world war to take the Tigerwaffe into battle.

Forces of Valor’s German Initial Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “100”, schwere Panzerabteilung 502, Leningrad, Russia, February 1943, is expected to rumble into battle this September, terrain and overwhelming numbers of enemy forces permitting.

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June Swoon

Back when I followed the Chicago Cubs in the 60s and 70s, the team would be perennially plagued by what’s been called a “June Swoon”, whereby they simply fell out of the top standings in their division by losing an inordinate number of ball games. Needless to say its disheartening to watch your ball club lose out year after year, particularly while our home team was doing just the opposite. I gave up on the Cubbies decades ago, even though I still root for them when they make the post season. Happily, I’ve since switched my allegiance to the New York Yankees for obvious reasons and intend to take in a pre-season game or two when we get down to southwest Florida. Hopefully, that June Swoon won’t carry over to the Yankees, who currently enjoy a first place ranking in their division. But ya never know.

Speaking of June swoons, our new home construction recently passed its pre-dry wall inspection and is currently slated to be completed around the end of August – early September if things some how slow down or the hurricane season picks up. As a result, we will likely run an inventory clearance sale through much of August in an effort to reduce our overall inventory footprint thereby lessening the amount of product we have to transport down to the Sunshine State. I’m not sure how much of a discount we will be offering since we are still monitoring how much “stuff” is expected over the course of the next couple of months as well as how much product we currently have in our warehouse. While the discount will be enticing, remember that we sell limited edition collectibles, so there’s still a good chance that newly arriving product may not be available for the sale. Please keep that in mind if you’re hoping to snag a new item at a fantastic bargain by waiting a couple of months before placing your order.

I think that we will also cut off any new shipments on July 31st and resume the receipt of new product around the end of September; earlier if we are able to get up-and-running in Florida quicker than we anticipate. We learned today that a number of new Forces of Valor products are expected this summer, so there’s a good chance that we will be able to offer the July shipment prior to our relocation although the balance of the summer deliveries will likely be made available in September. The same holds true for Hobby Master, Corgi and any of the other major modelmakers we deal with.

The next six vehicles in the 1:43 scale Armored Fighting Vehicles of World War II series are expected to make landfall in early June. Likewise, Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale M1070 heavy equipment transporter in desert sand is also scheduled to arrive in a couple of weeks along with a couple of M1A2 Abrams tanks, one featuring the TUSK II Survival Kit. As a result, we have created a special bundle for Father’s Day whereby you can purchase both vehicles together and by doing so save $10 as opposed to purchasing them separately. You can view the item and/or pre-order the set by checking out our June 2022 Upcoming Release section.

That’s about it for now. If anything else occurs to me over the next couple of days, I’ll edit this blog post. In the mean time, have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and don’t forget about dear old dad in a few weeks! Me? I’m off to see Top Gun Maverick this weekend…

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Hobby Master Joins the Fox Hunt

Its no secret there are give-and-take relationships at every level of the diecast industry, from retailers vying with one another for the lion’s share of the consumer market, to distributors looking to lock up the selling rights to certain modelmakers. And, of course, there are the manufacturers, who oftentimes do their utmost to undercut their perceived competition by offering those subjects collectors are seeking, in some instances flagrantly using every trick in the book to beat their competition to market.

Take the MiG-31 “Foxhound” interceptor as an example, a high-flying weapons platform that was developed by the famed Mikoyan Gurevich design bureau during the height of the Cold War in an effort to prevent the super speedy SR-71 from making reconnaissance overflights miles above the Russian heartland. For some time, Calibre Wings has indicated plans to build and sell a 1:72 scale replica of the Foxhound, recently announcing they would be using a crowdfunding source to secure the necessary funds to first build the mold then make 800 examples of the model. In fact, an early build was recently presented to collectors through manufacturer-created videos and via Facebook, with the claim that the model would be completed and shipped out to early bird purchasers some time in 2023.

Today, Hobby Master, looking to beat Calibre Wings to the punch, indicated that they too were going to make a model of the MiG-31, only there’s would be released in early 2023, barring any issues with the global supply chain. Thus far, apart from the image shown above, little else is known about the Hobby Master offering, although its more than likely going to carry a MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) designed to undercut the Calibre Wings version. Presently, anyone that pre-orders the Calibre Wings MiG through Kickstarter, will be able to purchase it for around $150 plus shipping, which Calibre Wings estimates will cost a further $60 to dispatch worldwide via an as yet unnamed courier service. If, on the other hand, collectors wait until the finished build is available, then they’re being asked to cough up $250 plus shipping, a hefty price tag considering where other comparable jet aircraft are currently pegged.

On a personal level, I’m not going to get involved in the issues that go along with bitter disputes between two manufacturers — that’s something they have to work out between themselves and hopefully to everyone’s satisfaction. We sell both lines and have developed strong working relationships with the principals at both companies. That’s how things are done in the industry and as one of its elder statesmen (I turn 66 this year if the wifey permits), would like to see both manufacturers figure out how they can prosper by offering the same model, each released within the same calendar year. We can only presume the Calibre Wings version will be more detailed, perhaps including a removable engine much like their F-16. Anyway, as the hobby continues to expand, with more and more new collectors joining the fray, it would be nice to presume that these two modelmakers can eventually put aside their differences and remember that at the end of the day they both serve the same audience who must then decide which models they would prefer to collect and where they want to spend their hard-earned cash.

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