Of the four recently received M1083 cargo trucks, this one seems to be the most popular, outselling the second best-selling version by nearly 2 to 1. Frankly, I would’ve thought the ones with the gun and armored shield would sell the best but I guess I backed the wrong horse! We will re-order it shortly, now that all of the pre-orders have been dealt with…
We’ve gotten all of the pre-orders out-the-door for both the recently arrived Panzerkampf and JC Wings lines. We’re actually out of one of the M1083 cargo trucks, and will likely have to re-order it shortly to maintain availability. All of the other versions are currently in stock as is the Russian Pantsir S-1 air defense system.
Our Forces of Valor shipment is slated to arrive at the tail end of the month. We will start reviewing our pre-orders several days ahead of time to ensure that we get out the bulk of the orders as quickly as possible. If you placed a pre-order by credit card, it may make sense to touch base with us to see if we have your current details on hand so we can get a new authorization code tout de suite. It will likely take us a few days to process all of the pre-orders so we again beg you not to contact us asking about your order other than to provide us with your current credit card information. Stopping to respond to any other queries simply slows us down. Again, we will be processing the oldest orders first, so if you placed an order for the soon-to-be-received Sherman over the last couple of weeks please hang in there because we need to address all of the orders that came in ahead of yours.
Lastly, we’re not certain as yet if the February Hobby Master shipment is still expected this month or if it has been pushed back into March. We are currently awaiting updated shipping information from our distributor that handles the line and will make changes to our web site the moment we learn of its disposition. That’s about it for now and we hope you’re having a splendid winter. I know we are now that we are based in sunny Florida!
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo Assault Tank with VVSS Suspension – “Cobra King”, C Company, 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Bastogne, Belgium, December 26th, 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
So we finally have some news to share regarding Forces of Valor. With the 2023 Nuremberg Toy Fair fast becoming a distant memory, the principals at Forces of Valor have indicated that they are ready to begin shipment of their latest 1:32 scale Sherman tank, “Cobra King”, along with their 1:700 scale replica of the IJN Yamato battleship and their trio of 1:72 scale P-40 Warhawks. We don’t have a definite date as yet for their arrival but we are tentatively looking at around the fourth week of February for them to be rolling in. Some back ordered items will be hitching a ride on the shipment, including their latest Tiger I tank and the 1:700 scale take on the USS Arizona.
That said, we implore that you take a seat and relax as we start to process orders around the middle of next week. Please do not contact us saying “I placed my order back on such-and-such date” or “I Paid you by PayPal and you’ve been sitting on my money ever since”. These were YOUR decisions, not ours. We never asked for payment up front and we are the last link in the supply chain. So, just because a manufacturer announces a new item, they have to make it, ship it overseas, pass through customs and lastly stock it with a distributor before it heads our way. We’ve explained this countless times before so this shouldn’t be new to anyone.
Once our shipment arrives, we will start by processing the Sherman tank orders, looking at the oldest orders first then the latest in chronological order. So, if someone placed an order back on March 2021, their order will be reviewed first before an order that was submitted say in October of last year. Sorry, but that’s the fairest method we regularly use when it comes to shipping out orders for a highly requested item. If you cannot wait, then contact us to cancel your order and you are certainly free to place your order with another vendor. If this becomes a habit be forewarned because we will cancel any remaining orders you have with us and close out your account. I don’t want to wake up each day and read all sorts of missives that either talk down to us as if we were intentionally sitting on your order or hear how important it is that you be moved to the front of the line and get this item immediately. That’s not going to happen and we will continue to do things at our own pace to avoid mistakes, favoritism or anything else you can throw our way.
On a positive note, we hope you enjoy FOV’s latest 1:32 scale combat vehicle once it does arrive. We likely will only have a handful available to be listed across our marketplace sites until we are prepared to submit a re-order.
Legendary Cruise Ships’ 1:1250 scale replica of the Olympic-Class Ocean Liner RMS Titanic – 1912
The Olympic-class ocean liners were a trio of British ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line during the early 20th century. They were Olympic (1911), Titanic (1912) and Britannic (1914). All three were designed to be the largest and most luxurious passenger ships at that time, designed to give White Star an advantage in the transatlantic passenger trade. While Olympic, the lead vessel, had a career spanning 24 years and was retired and sold for scrap in 1935, her sisters would not see similar success: Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage and Britannic was lost during World War I after hitting a mine off Kea in the Aegean Sea before she could enter passenger service. Although two of the vessels did not have successful careers, they are among the most famous ocean liners ever built. Both Olympic and Titanic enjoyed the distinction of being the largest ships in the world. Olympic was the largest British-built ship in the world for over 20 years until the commissioning of Queen Mary in 1936. Titanic’s story has been adapted into many books, films, and television programs and Britannic inspired a film of the same name in 2000.
RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15th, 1912, after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making it the deadliest sinking of a single ship up to that time. It remains the deadliest peacetime sinking of an ocean liner or cruise ship. The disaster drew public attention, provided foundational material for the disaster film genre, and has inspired many artistic works.
RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time she entered service and the second of three Olympic-class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line. She was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Thomas Andrews, the chief naval architect of the shipyard, died in the disaster. Titanic was under the command of Captain Edward Smith, who went down with the ship. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia, and elsewhere throughout Europe, who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada.
The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury, with a gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class restaurants, and opulent cabins. A high-powered radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger “marconigrams” and for the ship’s operational use. Titanic had advanced safety features, such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors, contributing to its reputation as “unsinkable”.
Titanic was equipped with 16 lifeboat davits, each capable of lowering three lifeboats, for a total of 48 boats; she carried only 20 lifeboats, four of which were collapsible and proved hard to launch while she was sinking (Collapsible A nearly swamped and was filled with a foot of water until rescue, Collapsible B completely overturned while launching). Together, the 20 lifeboats could hold 1,178 people – about half the number of passengers on board, and one third of the number of passengers the ship could have carried at full capacity (consistent with the maritime safety regulations of the era). When the ship sank, many of the lifeboats that had been lowered were only about half full.
Unlike the original passenger ship, which was sent to the bottom of the Atlantic in 1912, expect this 1:1250 scale replica to make port by the middle of February.
Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale Russian Pantsir S1 Self-Propelled Air Defense System – Russo-Ukrainian War 2022
Its been awhile since we took delivery of any new Panzerkampf items but it looks as if February is going to be a bumper crop as far as new armor is concerned. Several eagerly awaited products are headed our way including this Pantsir S-1 air defense system, which regularly shows up on CNN and other news sites covering the war in Ukraine. While six versions of the Pantsir are planned, thus far the manufacturer has only shown pictures of this model, which prominently features the letter “Z” on its sides.
Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the letter “Z” was seen painted on tanks as well as other military vehicles massing near the border. With both countries using similar tanks and trucks, it was originally thought this was meant to distinguish different units to prevent friendly fire and assist with mobilization.
Some speculate that the “Z” could stand for “zapad,” which means west in Russian. Some have snidely suggested that the symbol stands for other words such as “zhopa,” meaning ass in a reference to stiff Ukrainian resistance. The letter does not appear in the Cyrillic alphabet used by both Russia and Ukraine. Since mid-March 2022, the “Z” began to be used by the Russian government as a pro-war propaganda motif, and has been appropriated by pro-Putin civilians as a symbol of support for Russia’s invasion.
Also rolling in are four different M1083 multi-wheeled cargo trucks – two with machine guns mounted up top and clad in an armored protective shield surrounding the vehicle’s cab.
In other news, Legion, which is Panzerkampf’s budget-minded line of military replicas, is scheduled to make its first showing in March. The range includes a pair of aircraft carriers, four different F4U Corsairs and a wide array of 1:72 scale military vehicles spanning everything from GMC 2-1/2 ton trucks to Hetzer tank destroyers. While their packaging is a bit spartan as compared with their higher-priced brethren, the Legion vehicles make up in quality what they lack in sexy packaging. As a result, many of the vehicles cost about half as much as a Panzerkampf product, making them ideal entry level replicas for younger collectors or avid military buffs gathering their arsenal on a tight budget.
It may be the tail end of Chinese New Year, but that hasn’t prevented Hobby Master from announcing even more new aircraft models in the making for later this year. Expected sometime in November, the latest gaggle of model in minutiae encompasses just about everything for everyone, covering every major epoch from World War II to the present day. One new tooling was debuted – a 1:72 scale version of a RF-101 Voodoo reconnaissance aircraft shown above.
Here now the latest and greatest from the prolific house of Hobby Master.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis “Fagot” Fighter – “Black 8170”Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Chinese Peoples Liberation Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis “Fagot” Fighter – “Red 811”, Lt. V. I. Chizh, 72 GvIAP, Ansan, North Korea, November 1st, 1950Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV Fighter – Wing Commander Colin Gray, Lympne Wing, Lympne, England, October 1944RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV Fighter – Wing Commander, J. E. “Johnnie” Johnson, No. 125 Wing, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 1945Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16C Viper Fighter – 89-2060, 8th Fighter Wing “Wolf Pack”, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, 2021 [Heritage Scheme]Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16C Viper Fighter – 91-0379, 79th Fighter Squadron, 2005 [Tiger Meet Scheme]Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF McDonnell F-4B Phanton II Fighter-Bomber – 151506, VF-84 Squadron “Jolly Rogers”, USS Independence (CV-62), 1964Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Boeing F-15C Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 85-0114, 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron “Gorillas”, Eglin AFB, Florida, 1991 [Low-Vis Scheme]Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Israeli Boeing F-15D Baz Multi-Role Fighter – “957”, Markiya Shakim “Sky Blazer”, No.106 Squadron “Spearhead”, Tel Nof Airbase, Israel, 2011Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 169304, VFA-147 “Argonauts”, USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), 2021 [Low-Vis Scheme]Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye AEW Aircraft – 161522, “Miss B. Havin”, VAW-124 “Bear Aces”, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), 1991Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Strike Fighter – 168929, VFA-94 “Mighty Shrikes”, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), 2021Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 31B “Foxhound” Interceptor – “Red 24”, 712th Interceptor Regiment, Kansk, Russia, 2022
Now that we’ve reestablished ourselves in the warm weather state of Florida, we thought it made sense to bring everyone up to speed concerning some of the upcoming events and news that has come to light over the last few weeks. For starters, we’re days away from the opening of the Nuremberg Toy Fair, which is typically where most of the diecast manufacturers share news concerning their upcoming wares. Naturally we’ll post news of the show the minute we learn about some of the latest product expected this calendar year.
Corgi has already discussed some of their upcoming projects for 2023, diverging somewhat from their 2022 strategy of announcing upcoming product in trimesters or every four months or so. Frankly, we’re not sure which strategy makes more sense but we’re willing to bet that something came up during 2022 that made their initial strategy untenable, at least for the near term. In any event, several new aircraft were discussed briefly on their 2023 price list, although nothing firm was provided including imagery for several planes that include their second issue 1:48 scale Eurofighter. These will likely be talked about in greater detail as the year progresses, possibly in their Diecast Diaries. We did learn, however, that Corgi lost the license to the highly coveted Top Gun film collection, likely because someone else with deeper pockets came along and was willing to pay more money for the rights to produce replicas based upon the box office smash hits. We’re sold out of their best-selling jet-based twin pack but do have a handful of the F/A-18/P-51 twin pack in stock as well as Maverick’s F/A-18 all by its lonesome. No doubt these will sell out quickly once word spreads that Corgi no longer has the rights to the Top Gun franchise.
In an interesting turn of events, Corgi indicated that they had secured the rights to produce Star Trek-related products from Paramount, something the now defunct Eaglemoss had owned lock, stock and barrel for several years running.. In the wake of Eaglemoss’ demise, however, I’m beginning to wonder if they also hired Ben Robinson, the former product manager for Eaglemoss range of sci-fi ships and other paraphernalia to oversee the Corgi expansion. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Corgi discusses the Paramount licensing deal in greater detail at the upcoming Nuremberg Toy Fair. In other news, the manufacturer also created this video which shows some of the products expected in early 2023 as well as those products they are currently working on and slated for release later in the year.
In other news, we are still awaiting the release of the Forces of Valor “Cobra King” Sherman tank, an eagerly awaited replica that was supposedly due out in late December but seems to be delayed for one reason or another. We are awaiting clarification regarding its release but seeing as how its Chinese New Year, we may have to wait a few more days to determine when we can expect our shipment.
Our distributor who handles the Panzerkampf line reports that a new inbound shipment is expected in February. Currently we do not have a manifest outlining which items are expected, so we do not have any hard-and-fast information concerning those items coming in. We’ll stay in touch with the distributor to determine when the container is expected to make landfall as well as those items included in its bowels. This same distributor also stocks the Neo Dragon Armor line of 1:72 scale military vehicles so here again we will await further word as to when and which items are scheduled to arrive.
We’re all caught up on those orders we can successfully ship out so our turn-around time for new orders should be almost instantaneous moving forward. Items such as Hobby Master’s inaugural Dassault Rafale fighter and third issue Su-57 “Felon” stealth fighter are in stock and ready to wing their way to anyone that places an order with us while stocks remain strong. Keep in mind that all outbound shipments are now emanating from Florida instead of New York, now that our transition to Wesley Chapel has gone without a hitch. That’s about it for now as we await news from Europe on some of the latest and greatest diecast collectibles you can expect to lay your mitts on this calendar year. Panzers vorwarts!
Low angle tropical plants with a welcome sign to hot weather
After motoring down the I-95 corridor for the better part of three days, then being instructed to take some back alley roads by Waze, we finally made it down to our new digs in Florida last week. Its taken us roughly a week to get everything sorted out including all of our inventory unpacked, racked out and ready for immediate picking. That said, we’re up-and-running and ready to resume business. All of the orders we received while we were on hiatus have been dropped off and should be meandering their way to their final destinations throughout the course of this week.
We’ve also instructed all of our principal vendors that they can resume shipping any orders they may have been holding for us over the last few weeks. We’re also getting updates on some of the delayed shipments that should be hitting the roadways this week, most notably the latest Forces of Valor releases as well as the recent spate of Hobby Master shipments. Barring any further issues, these should be arriving by the third week of January at which point we will make a herculean effort to get them turned around the moment they come in. That’s about it for now — we still have some things to address such as obtaining a replacement desk since the one I ordinarily use broke during the move so we’re temporarily using snack trays as stand-ins for sturdier office ware.We are also in dire need of some packing supplies since most were used for the move. All things being equal, we’re sort of glad the transition was made in early January rather than at any other time of the year since it gives us more time to ensure everything is done properly and on time. Thanks for bearing with us during this transition period.
Now that China has relaxed its Zero COVID policy and lifted both movement and lock down restrictions that led to protests around the nation, it appears as if the OMICRON variant is now running rampant through much of the country. While Chinese government officials acknowledge the death of only a handful of individuals due to COVID, western media outlets are reporting millions of respiratory-related deaths and a different form of angst – massed funerals. The problem is so bad that crematoriums are running round-the-clock in an effort to deal with the number of bodies being brought in day and night. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been monitoring the situation and, based upon their own data, and pointing to the inability of the Chinese to adequately deal with the pandemic, predicts that at least 1,000,000 people will likely die from COVID this winter unless the government can come up with a plan to deal with current conditions.
Needless to say, the economic situation is once again becoming tested, as people refuse to congregate or take mass transit to their jobs, further exacerbating the problem. Naturally, if people cannot report to work, they cannot produce the goods the world expects to be made, which, as you might imagine, includes toys and diecast merchandise. While we don’t want to raise the red flag just yet and get everyone in a tizzy, it doesn’t take a world renowned economist to sift through the data and announce that stalled assembly lines and fearful workers translates into fewer goods being produced. Sorry to sound so dire, particularly at this time of year when everyone is in a festive mood, but we envisage tough times ahead for both the diecast industry and other sectors of the economy for much of 2023.
Neo Dragon Armor’s 1:72 scale US M4A3E8 Sherman Medium Tank – Creighton Abrams’ “Thunderbolt VII”, 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Germany, 1945
Technically, 2023 marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit in Chinese mythology, however, with the deluge of Neo Dragon Armor subjects expected this February, we’re going to characterize it as the Year of the Dragon. According to a recent announcement made by our distributor, no fewer than 20 new products are expected in the second month of 2023, far outstripping our first shipment that arrived back in October. The list of upcoming releases is too numerous to list here, so we’re going to point everyone to our February Release section, which shows each item and, where applicable, each variation currently on the docket. We advise everyone to go through the section as soon as possible and pre-order those items you’d like to nab before some sell out.
Neo Dragon Armor’s 1:72 scale German Initial Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. H Heavy Tank – “White 100”, schwere Panzerabteilung 502, Mga, Russia, 1942
Going forward we will likely see more of these larger-than-normal shipments arriving every quarter or so. The reason for this is that ever since Dragon Models USA closed its doors well over a year ago, our distributor must bring in a container load of new product at a time to make it worth their while and lower the per unit trans-oceanic cost associated with importing goods from the Pacific Rim. That means the next shipment is probably pegged for this coming spring, and will likely include those items that are currently showing a “2023” estimated release date. Its also hoped that with shipping costs slowly decreasing as compared with the 2021-2022 period, that the retail price for many of their soon-to-be-released items will drop somewhat as well.
When it comes to value, few services can compete with Amazon Prime – a be all, perk-filled solution that encompasses everything from free music and video streaming to low cost book buying. It now appears as if Prime wants to play a bigger role in merchant fulfilled sales by purportedly offering free shipping if you use AmazonPay and/or Prime enrollment as a means of paying for your orders. Here’s the message we received from Amazon earlier today that supports this claim:
“According to the Baymard Institute, 48% of shoppers abandon their carts because of additional shipping fees, and 22% of shoppers abandon carts because delivery is too slow
Why not add Prime shopping benefits like fast, free shipping to help reduce your cart abandonment rates. Merchants like you are offering customers a trusted, familiar checkout as well as the fast, free delivery experience they’ve come to expect.
Delight your customers — both new and returning — with 1-2 day shipping, free returns, and an easy checkout.”
Needless to say we are very interested in learning more about this upcoming program, particularly if it increases sales for us while simultaneously reducing– or even wiping out — shipping costs for our customers. We’ve already signed up to hear more about this new program and will certainly share the news with our clientele as soon as Amazon explains how the program will work and if the costs are in-line with the benefits. Stay tuned.
