When Dragons Fly Again

As many of you may know, Dragon pulled up stakes in the US about a year or so ago, although no reason was given for the sudden move,. To date, no one has stepped forward to import the line, that is, until now. Rumor has it that one of our distributors is looking to bring back some, most or even all of the many ranges Dragon produces, beginning with their flourishing Neo Armor line. This, of course, comes at a crucial yet opportune time since Dragon has begun rolling out a number of new Neo Armor products that now cover both WWII as well as modern era subjects. We hope to have more concrete information by the weekend so bear with us as we wait to hear back from our source as they continue to hammer out the details.

Update: Great news for all you Dragon tread heads. We learned today that our distributor struck a deal with Dragon Models to import the Neo Dragon Armor line into North America. The first batch of vehicles are expected as early as this September, with additional shipments expected each month thereafter. We will be listing all of the new vehicles over the weekend and should have everything completed by Sunday. Bear in mind that the range has grown somewhat from its earlier iterations a couple of years ago and continues to gain momentum and new additions on a weekly basis. Furthermore, there are several items that we do not plan to stock, such as their JGSDF and South Korean AAVPs, as well as their JGSDF Bushmaster. These models have limited appeal here in North America and frankly we think it will take us a month of Sundays to move the inventory when we can best stick with those items we know we can sell without difficulty. Of course, these can still be ordered direct from Dragon on their web site. Lastly, we are exploring the feasibility of obtaining many or potentially all of the Cyber Hobby versions of each vehicle type that they plan to offer. Vehicles such as the Bushmaster and Boxer already have Cyber Hobby variants in the works, so its a good bet many if not all of their most recent introductions will be available as Cyber Hobby exclusives too.

After several years of lying dormant, it now appears as if Dragon is once again betting big on their smallest line of vehicles to see them through the post-pandemic world. Five new Shermans were recently announced, all sporting “Tiger Faces” on the front of the vehicles. During the Korean Conflict, it was rumored that the Communist Chinese soldiers were deathly afraid of anything that resembled a tiger since 1951, the second year of the Korean Conflict, represented the “Year of the Tiger”. We’ll post all of them to our web site shortly…

We strongly suggest pre-ordering those items you may be interested in obtaining as quickly as possible because our pre-order with the distributor is due to be placed early next week. I know some of you like to create dioramas with multiple vehicles of the same type, so please bear this in mind if you hope to have your order filled as completely as possible.

Its noon Sunday. I’m bleary-eyed and over caffeinated but it appears as if we have successfully listed all of the newest Neo Dragon Armor items to our web site. We are still checking with the manufacturer to determine if any of the assortments come with limited edition “chase” vehicles. If so, we will offer them separately. We are still in the process of uploading ancillary images for each vehicle so the lone image uploaded for each vehicle will have to suffice for now. Again, please peruse these new listings at your earliest opportunity and submit your orders early so we can best determine the quantities we will need to order from our distributor. Since we are no longer ordering from Dragon Models USA, its very possible that we will only be able to order each new item once before it is sold out and no longer available for re-order.

Share This:

Product Spotlight: On Hallowed Ground

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

To this day, there is some debate whether or not the beleaguered 101st Airborne Division, who were tasked with defending the Belgian crossroads town of Bastogne during the Ardennes counteroffensive, were in need of rescuing against vastly superior German forces then encircling the area. Ask the “Screaming Eagles” holed up in the town and they’ll say they were simply holding out against ferocious if failed Nazi assaults for several days running. Patton’s 3rd Army, on the other hand, who had ceased attacking German forces well to the south of the so-called “Bulge”, pivoted 90-degrees then marched through the thick of winter for two days, will answer differently, acting like saviors for the men of the 101st who, for all intents and purposes, were cut off from the world and hanging on by a thread.

On the morning of December 26th, 1944, as part of a concerted effort to relieve the 101st Airborne (“Screaming Eagles”) defending the all-important crossroads town of Bastogne, the 4th Armored Division’s (“Breakthrough”) Combat Command Reserve (CCR) was ordered by Division HQ to link up with Combat Command B (CCB), which was still fighting for the town of Chaumont in southeast Belgium. Colonel Wendell Blanchard, commander of CCR, called together Lt. Colonel Creighton Abrams of the 37th Tank Battalion, and Lt. Colonel George L. Jaques of the 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion.

He told them to attack and seize the village of Chaumont, which was just 3 miles from Bastogne. From there, they were to advance in earnest up the main road, break through the German cordon, and make contact with the beleaguered 101st, which was rapidly running out of ammunition.

After capturing Chaumont, the two commanders initially planned to attack the town of Sibret, but because it was so heavily defended, they instead chose to assault the nearby village of Assenois, which was located on a secondary road but still provided access to Bastogne. With artillery firing in support, the leading element of CCR, comprised of three Shermans followed by a halftrack full of infantry, then two more Shermans, stormed the village. Abrams’ tanks blasted their way through the obstacles, while dismounted infantry mopped up the remaining strongpoints. After eliminating several enemy soldiers laying Teller mines along the road, Abrams command linked up with elements of the 101st at 1700 hours. The siege had been lifted and with it came the collapse of Hitler’s “Wacht am Rhein” operation.

Look for the “First in Bastogne” Sherman from Forces of Valor to break the siege in the Ardennes Forest early this fall.

Share This:

One Abrams Doesn’t Make the Cut

Death by a thousand cuts. One Abrams that landed on the cutting room floor

We received some unexpected and disappointing news from Panzerkampf late Friday. Apparently, the model maker has decided not to produce one of the M1 Abrams tanks they had advertised for some time, #PZK12209PA, which was a US M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank with TUSK I Survival Kit in a tri-color camouflage pattern with side-mounted desert sand colored ERA. No explanation was offered for nixing this item so as of now only one tri-color camo version of the Abrams is still being made – the US M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank with TUSK I Survival Kit that served with the 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division (PZK12208PA). The decision seems odds given the number of desert sand versions produced to date but one we have to live with nonetheless. If you pre-ordered and pre-paid for this item we will automatically switch the order to the latter vehicle, which is still expected later this summer.

The manufacturer also indicated that they have no plans to produce their hot-selling M1070 heavy equipment transporter in arctic winter white although the solid green version is still on the table. So, if you see one in the marketplace, we suggest you grab it while you can.

Share This:

The Hobby Master Traffic Jam

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN Douglas A-1H Skyraider Attack Aircraft – VA-176 “Thunderbolts”, USS Intrepid (CV-11), 1966

If you thought there was congestion at the nation’s airports this summer then you haven’t paid attention to the arrivals board at the Hobby Master terminal. As it stands right now, it appears as if both the May and June shipments are expected late next week, possibly one container right behind the other. That means lots of new warbirds all showing up at the same time. But the conga line doesn’t end there because there’s a strong chance that the July shipment won’t be too far behind thereby adding to the mayhem. Don’t get me wrong, its always nice to see new product arriving — its just when they all arrive at once, for one reason or another, then it creates a bit of a logjam for retailers such as ourselves. Needless to say we will update this blog post just as soon as we receive more concrete information from our distributor. In the mean time, we will start making room in our warehouse for all of the new goodies set to show up and begin listing them on our marketplace sites once they’re ready to get turned around.

Update: According to our distributor, both the May and June shipments are now expected to arrive the week of August 2nd-8th, and the July shipment won’t be too far behind them. So, strap in, cause August will be another heavy outbound shipping month for us, with lots of new Hobby Master aircraft models to choose from. At this point, there really is no point in trying to distinguish which models in our August 2022 Hobby Master releases are coming in and when (fifty models of all sorts and sizes is a lot to choose from) so we’ve lumped them all together and await word from our distributor as to which models are arriving and in what order. I know that’s a tall order for everyone concerned but one we are forced to accept given the inelastic nature of the shipping troubles still plaguing our nation. In the mean time, tally ho!

Share This:

Eaglemoss May No Longer Boldly Go

Eaglemoss, the maker of the Star Trek Starships line of Star Trek model replicas, seems to be on the brink of collapse according to Trek Central, a fan site that delves deeply into the Star Trek franchise. According to their recent posting, the British manufacturer has reportedly filed a Notice of Intention to appoint an administrator back on July 12th, and English way of saying they are filing for bankruptcy protection from their creditors. Its not clear what led to the decision to file or how the Company ended up in such a disastrous state-of-affairs when things seemed to be on the upswing and new lines and agreements were being forged as late as last year. At this juncture, its not clear if another entity will look to take over the flagging model maker or if the Company will simply sell off its assets at fire sale prices to raise funding before permanently closing its doors. We’re hoping for the former but recognize that in today’s economic climate anything is possible. For more information on the story, visit Trek Central.

Share This:

The Forces of Valor Update: When Shermans Roll

Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4(105) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension and Deep Wading Gear – 713th Tank Battalion, Okinawa, April-June 1945 [Bonus Continental (Wright) R-975, Radial 9 Engine]

Its no secret that Waltersons, the new caretakers of the Forces of Valor brand, changed course a couple of years ago, announcing a bevy of M4 Sherman and Tiger I tanks in lieu of other vehicle types they had hinted at when they first took over the brand. Highly requested vehicles such as the Su-85 and M10 tank destroyer have taken a back seat to a litany of Shermans and Tigers the likes of which we haven’t seen in years. Its great if you love both vehicle types — not so awesome if you’ve been patiently awaiting other vehicles to add to your diecast arsenal for several years running.

Be that as it many, the Company showed off the next pairing of Sherman tanks expected later this year – an M4(105) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension and Deep Wading Gear as well as a US M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo Assault Tank with VVSS Suspension. Like the previous pairing of Shermans, these two vehicles feature lots of moving parts, a removable engine and a mostly heavy metal exterior, making them excellent testaments to the weaponry that helped to defeat the Axis powers during the Second World War. The problem, as I already touched upon, is where are all of the other vehicles Unimax once produced that are crying out to be re-purposed for the modern age — vehicles such as the M26 Pershing, Panther, Sturmgeschutz and M1 Abrams, along with perennial stalwarts such as the diminutive Zundapp motorcycle. Instead, we get more of the same thing year after year while other vehicle types languish on the back burner, to say nothing of the vehicles collectors have been demanding they make for years on end. I get the fact that it costs quite a bit of money to produce a new tooling hence the abundance of Tigers and Shermans rolling off the Waltersons assembly line, however, when you keep returning to the wishing well expecting to drain it for all its worth, the law of diminishing returns eventually comes into play, as diehard collectors begin to poo-poo the newest releases and wonder when their dreams will finally be fulfilled.

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]

Don’t get me wrong — these new vehicles will sell well largely because collectors don’t have much to choose from and competitors such as 21st Century Toys have folded up years ago. But after awhile you begin to ask what was the point of taking over the line if you’re going to confine your production to just a handful of new items while doing your best to tamp down anxieties that seem to gather momentum as the years tick by?

In any event, now that we know what they actually look like, their respective price tags and an approximate release date, we’ve opened up the pre-order window for both of these models. They’ll no doubt get snapped up due to their quality and uniqueness. We just wish that the manufacturer would jump off of the Tiger and Sherman bandwagon and hop on another.

Share This:

Hobby Master Serves Up Another Banquet for Next April

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16D Viper Fighter – 90-0778, 310th Fighter Squadron “Top Hats”, Luke AFB, Arizona, June 2022

Even though they’ve fallen behind in both deliveries to their distribution network and artwork for many of their upcoming aircraft models, Hobby Master took time out from the 4th of July festivities to announce yet another flock of warbirds. The latest batch of aircraft aren’t due out until April 2023, but, nevertheless, crisscross virtually every major conflict of the last century, from WWII to the modern day. So, in effect, there’s something for everyone, if you don’t mind waiting what could be a year before they show up in the marketplace.

Here now the rest of what you can lay claim to next year:

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16C Viper Fighter – 87-0332, 100th Fighter Squadron “Red Tails”, 187th Fighter Wing, Alabama Air National Guard, Dannelly Field, Alabama, 2021
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale German Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 “Gustav” Fighter – “Christl”, Gerhard Barkhorn, II./Jagdgeschwader 52, Ukraine, September 1943

Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale Croatian Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 “Gustav” Fighter – Mato Dukovic, Jagdgeschwader 52, Crimea, April 1944
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-27SM “Flanker-B” Multirole Fighter – “Red 06”, 2013
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale North Vietnamese Air Force Shenyang J-5 (MiG 17F) “Fresco C” Fighter – Nguyen van Bay, 923 IAP “Yen The”, 1972
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – 162705, Commander Dale “Snort” Snodgrass, VF-33 “Starfighters”, USS America (CV-66), 1990
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale RAF Lockheed-Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – ZM158, 207 Squadron, RAF Marham, England, January 2022 [Low-Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale RAF Lockheed-Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – “Beast Mode”, ZM158, 207 Squadron, RAF Marham, England, January 2022 [Low-Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Boeing F-15C “Mod Eagle” Multi-Role Fighter – 84-0025, 53rd Fighter Squadron “Tigers”, 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem AFB, Germany, 1980s [Low-Vis Scheme]
Share This:

Tales of Transparency: July Fireworks Start Early

Amazon, eBay, Facebook, WalMart and the Meta Verse. Oh My!

As many of you know by now, our new home construction has been indeterminately delayed. We’re not sure by how many months — it could be a few, in which case we will attempt to relocate our business and belongings before the advent of the holiday season, or it could be as late as November, in which case we will hang around New York until the first of the year so we do not lose out on the holiday business.

Earlier today, we were approved to sell on Walmart’s Marketplace site. This will be our fourth marketplace site (you can already find us on Amazon, eBay and Facebook) that operates alongside our main web site, and I’m sure will bring with it its own set of challenges and rewards. I’ll likely look at how easy or difficult the onboarding process is around the middle of July and start by listing an abbreviated lineup on their site to see how well certain items sell and whether or not the work brings with it the necessary revenue stream that warrants its daily upkeep.

Lastly, we are looking at launching our next marketplace site, The Motor Pool VR, some time in 2023. Unlike our other more traditional retail annexes, our VR site may require the use of Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 headset to navigate the site since everything will be nestled within a virtual reality world. Here again we will likely launch a limited number of products within what we term a boutique setting, which will allow customers to interact with the products, view different forms of dynamic merchandising techniques, and hopefully lead to bigger and better things as we gain traction within the oft-discussed VR world.

That’s about it for now since we have a very large Forces of Valor shipment spread out over three separate deliveries, which will require us to work diligently for the next few days to ensure everything gets out on time and into the hands of our customers. To recap, the latest delivery includes a number of back ordered items, among them a pair of 1:700 scale warships (USS Missouri and USS Enterprise), their inaugural 1:32 scale Tiger I tank, their second issue Sturmtiger assault mortar and the metal tracks everyone has been asking about since they were released earlier this year. Also arriving is their second issue 1:32 scale Tiger I tank, their second M4 Sherman tank and a set of weathered metal tracks that can be attached to either of their M4 Sherman tanks.

That’s about it for now. In the mean time, have a wonderful Fourth of July, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy the summer months. We’re off to see Minions: Rise of Gru!

Panzer Vorwärts!

Share This:

JC Wings Does a Head Fake

JC Wings 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18C Hornet Strike Fighter – VFA-42 “Marauders,” 2004

A couple of weeks back, rumors began swirling that JC Wings was planning on making a F/A-18 based upon the latest Top Gun: Maverick film. Images were even circulated although nothing firm was announced by the manufacturer nor was anything said through their social media accounts. Thus far, we aren’t sure if the rumors are true so we’ll just assume they are that for the moment. What we do know is that late yesterday the manufacturer did show off their latest additions to their aerial arsenal, all of which are expected to take wing in the fall. Here now what you can lay claim to in a few months time:

JC Wings 1:72 scale US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – VF-41 “Black Aces”, 1978 [Low-Vis Scheme]
JC Wings 1:72 scale German Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 “Gustav” Fighter – Erich “Bubi” Hartmann, 9./Jagdgeschwader 52, October 1943
JC Wings 1:72 scale US Navy Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare Aircraft – Electronic Attack Squadron 2 (VAQ-141) “Shadowhawks”, 2007
JC Wings 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-34 “Fullback” Strike Fighter – Russo-Ukrainian War, 2022 (1:72 Scale)
JC Wings 1:72 scale USAAF Lockheed P-38J Lightning Interceptor – Major Thomas McGuire, 431st Fighter Squadron, 475th Fighter Group, 1944
JC Wings 1:72 scale USAF Boeing F-15C Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 173rd Fighter Wing, 2020 [Commemorative Scheme]

Share This:

Home, Home on the (Kitchen) Range

No these aren’t our cabinets. Ours are likely on a dock, lying amidst a labyrinth of containers, sitting idle in Shanghai, waiting to be placed aboard a cargo ship with 10,000 other fully laden containers. Sigh…

Previously we posted that we planned on moving to Florida sometime this summer after our new home was completed, passed inspection and was fit for occupancy. Well, things have changed and our timeline has had to be reevaluated. The recent lockdown in Shanghai has slowed the delivery of all sorts of manufactured goods, from diecast tanks and planes to, of all things, kitchen cabinets. Without cabinets, we are unable to move into our new residence and presently our building coordinator does not have an accurate idea as to when the cabinets will be completed, on the water, in Florida and hung in our brand new kitchen. This could take place in October or it could be as late as November. If it is November, it appears as if we will have no choice but to delay our move until early 2023, since it will have a dramatic impact on our holiday business. So, for now, assume everything hasn’t changed and we will continue to accept new product as it is made available. Obviously should anything change we will post an update here to let everyone know about our revised plans.

Share This: