Tales of Transparency: Free Shipping on Our Marketplace Sites

We’ve had great success with our free shipping business model on Amazon and have therefore decided to adopt a similar model for eBay, at least in the short term. Beginning on February 21st, 2021, all of our eBay listings now offer free domestic shipping. Thus far we’ve only adjusted the prices on a handful of lower-priced items to at least partially cover the cost of shipping around the nation. Frankly, there’s probably enough margin in some of the higher-priced items to cover the cost of ground shipping so its the lower priced items that we need to watch carefully and, in some instances, may need to adjust their prices since the dollar margin isn’t all that great.

We will soon be offering FedEx for both domestic as well as international shipments likely beginning in early March, so please don’t be a bit surprised if your next shipment is brought to you by the folks “that positively have to get it to you” by any and all means necessary. Again, we’ll be keeping a careful eye on this facet of our operation, particularly for larger packages that need to travel across several shipping zones.

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The Forces of Valor Update: The Sturmtiger

While much of China is celebrating their New Year, Waltersons decided to post a video of their soon-to-be-released 1:32 scale Sturmtiger assault mortar. A cinematic tour de force, the 2-1/2 minute video shows off the Sturmtiger in all of its exquisite detail, both inside and out, thereby cementing its position as the preeminent maker of pre-assembled, large scale diecast military vehicles.

We are still anticipating taking delivery of the first batch of Stumtigers some time in March, so there is still time to place your pre-order. No word as yet as to when the other two Sturmtigers in the three-vehicle series are expected to be released.

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Introducing the AFVs of WWII at a Break the Bank Price!

AFV’s of WWII 1:43 scale German Sd. Kfz. 186 Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger Heavy Tank Destroyer with Henschel Turret – “211”, schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 512, Germany, 1945

Even though they are well behind schedule, our distributor claims that the first four vehicles in the AFVs of WWII series are still pegged for a March release. We’re pretty jazzed about this lineup, largely because there aren’t very many high quality 1:43 scale military vehicles on the market today, particularly when it comes to armored fighting vehicles. To help communicate our enthusiasm, and hopefully get you to order more of the vehicles when they finally roll in at a more predictable rate, we’ve decided to lower the price of the Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyer (#AFV00004) to just $24.99, a whopping $10 off the regular price for each of the other vehicles in the series. Frankly, that’s a huge savings and brings the item well below the price of some of the smaller 1:72 scale vehicles we also offer. Heck, you can buy several and give one to a friend at that price!

Our hope is that once you see the detail, heft and fabulous affordability of the range, that you’ll want to collect more, provided, of course, you are willing to wait for the entire series to make it to market. If you’ve already pre-ordered this particular vehicle then we will adjust your invoice to reflect this introductory price once the vehicles start to ship out. If you haven’t, well then you’re getting in on the ground floor of one of the most highly sought after series released in recent memory. These are incredible finds and certainly well worth your time collecting. Panzers vor!

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Hobby Master Turns ‘n Burns this July

Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale Finnish Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 “Gustav” Fighter – “White 0”, Ilmari Juutilainen, MT-451, 1/LeLv34, June 1944

Even as we begin packing up the February Hobby Master releases that showed up this week, we’re already looking ahead to the summer when the latest flock of warbirds materializes. That said, here’s a quick-and-dirty at what you can expect to set off for the wild blue yonder this coming July:

German Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 “Gustav” Fighter – “Yellow 6”, Ofw. Alfred Surau, 9./Jagdgeschwader 3 “Udet”, Germany, September 1943 (1:48 Scale)
German McDonnell RF-4E Phantom II Reconnaissance Aircraft – “Norm 83A”, 35+67, Aufklarungsgeschwader 52, Leck, Germany, 1992 (1:72 Scale)

RAAF Boeing F/A-18A Hornet Strike Fighter – A21-26, “20 years F/A-18”, 2005 [Anniversary Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
Canadian Boeing CF-18A Hornet Strike Fighter – RCAF Demonstration Team, “Canada Special Marking 2012” [Anniversary Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
RAF Panavia GR. Mk. 1 Tornado IDS All-Weather Bomber – “MiG Eater,” No.15 Squadron, Operation Granby, 1991 (1:72 Scale)
Italian Panavia Tornado IDS All-Weather Bomber – 6 Stormo, 102 Gruppo, April 2001 (1:72 Scale)
USAF Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 494th Fighter Squadron “Panthers”, “75th D-Day Anniversary Scheme”, RAF Lakenheath, England, 2019 [Heritage Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
USAF Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle Multi-Role Fighter – 493rd Fighter Squadron “The Grim Reapers”, “75th D-Day Anniversary Scheme”, RAF Lakenheath, England, 2019 [Heritage Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
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Tales of Transparency: February Odds and Ends

Based upon some preliminary discussions, it appears as if we will be adding FedEx to our list of outbound carrier options. According to our sales person, FedEx is looking to get more aggressive within the e-commerce space, particularly since it has grown exponentially in the wake of the pandemic. An official Zoom presentation is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, so if we like what we hear and the terms are amenable, we will enable the FedEx API on our web site so that our customers can now compare shipping rates across all three major carriers. Keep in mind that we will still be the final arbiter when deciding upon which carrier to use based upon shipping costs, the value of the package and other mitigating factors.

FedEx is also looking to garner more international shipments, although it remains to be seen if they are indeed competitive with the USPS and can provide viable last-mile delivery confirmation to ensure that a parcel arrives at its ultimate destination to everyone’s satisfaction.

In the past, February has typically been a retrenching month for us as well as the industry at-large, where the manufacturer’s show off many of their new products for the coming year. Since the customary toy fairs have been dispensed with in 2021, much of this information is being passed along through the Internet, so some of this new product information is a bit spotty at best, in some instances devoid of any imagery. We will update new product introductions as soon as imagery is provided.

Looking back, 2020 was our strongest year to date, and we anticipate much the same spike in business for the balance of 2021. Its difficult to say if this trend will continue well into the outer years but all signs thus far are pointing to a robust recovery, which should propel our own business trajectory for at least the foreseeable future. That’s it for now. We’ll be taking a few days off towards the end of this month largely to scout out a new location in Florida for both our business and home. Wish us luck.

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Calibre Wings Fires Up the F-16

As was the case with their previous releases, Calibre Wings has crafted an elaborate tutorial explaining the inner workings of its latest release, the F-16 Viper. The 15-minute instructional video is hosted by the Company’s owner, Noel Lee, who does a marvelous job of discussing the packaging, model, and all of its attendant detail, going so far as to show how to attach and detach various parts of the model to the main body of the aircraft. The video can be viewed here, within the body of each product listing on our web site, or seen on YouTube.

As a reminder, the first pair of F-16s are expected to land on our tarmac some time in February and Noel has publicly indicated that the inaugural model, the USAF F-16C Block 50D, is already sold out at the factory level. A second pair of F-16s is likely expected some time this spring.

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Delays on Top of Delays

As a wordsmith of sorts, I’ve been asked by several entities to explain why a number of lines and highly sought after items still haven’t arrived. In a word, COVID.

The Corona virus has had a huge impact on virtually every aspect of the supply channel, from manufacturing to logistics and everything in between. Obviously, if there are far few workers making each item then it takes quite a bit longer to deliver each model to market. Now, add to that the fact that workers in China have already begun their annual migration from the factories to their native homes ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year, some with the expressed desire of not returning to the factories, for whatever reason, and you have a situation that can turn the most resolute planner into a Mad Hatter.

Second, a great deal of manufacturers have re-located from the Chinese mainland to other countries in the hopes that they can continue producing low cost goods with some degree of regularity and at affordable prices. The problem, as some have begun to realize, is that COVID has had a direct impact on shipping, causing many ships to take far longer to reach their ultimate destination here in North America than what was originally forecast. One distributor we work with claims that in several instances it has taken over two months for a container ship to leave Bangladesh to reach one of our west coast ports. One ship, that left Bangladesh in November, is still moored in Kobe, Japan. Naturally, this has led to congestion at these very same ports, which again creates a bit of a logjam in the system as they are then forced to wait for the next available truck or train to take them to the distributor. Add a few nasty weather fronts to the mix, delays with all of the major carriers coming out of the holiday season, and you have the recipe for a perfect storm that produces endless delays from start to finish, as well as a ludicrous way to make any reliable forecasts.

Having said all that, it truly does not help to send us an endless stream of messages asking about the whereabouts of your order when we update our web site on a daily basis as soon as we have learned new information from each of the manufacturers and distributors we deal with. Moreover, we send out regular newsletters which shows, in handy graphical form, the latest arrivals along with those items expected in the not-too-distant future. We also have gone to great lengths to explain everything we do on our First Time User Information page in an effort to be as transparent as possible amidst this pandemic. If, at the end of the day, you still do not understand that COVID has caused a great upheaval in the market, we would prefer that you do not place your order with us since we simply do not have the time to explain this over and over again ad nauseum. I know its probably not what you want to hear at the end of the day but I’d prefer to give you the bare facts than blow smoke your way with false promises and heady illusions. That said, stay healthy, stay safe, and above all else, hug and kiss your loved ones in lieu of mindlessly staring at an empty space on your bookshelf as you await the next collectible to arrive. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it.

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Forces of Valor Super Sizes its Cobra

Forces of Valor’s 1:48 scale ROC (Taiwanese) Bell AH-1W Super Cobra Attack Helicopter Equipped with M261 19-Tube Rocket and M260 7-Tube Launcher – “528”, 602nd Air Cavalry Brigade Attack Battalion, Hsinchu Air Force Base Open Day, April 2008

There is no question that Forces of Valor’s stable of 1:72 scale Chinooks have done incredibly well at retail, with their MH-47G taking center stage and the lion’s share of the spotlight. We therefore had hoped that the manufacturer would choose it as the basis for its larger 1:48 scale range of helicopters to kick things off in 2021. Instead, the manufacturer chose the AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter, a chopper the previous owner of the line released a dozen or more years ago. No matter, images of the first Cobra were released today, all based upon a Taiwanese (ROC) attack helicopter that will come in three different configurations and markings. For now, we’ve included the standard isometric image for comparison purposes and hope to have close-up shots for each helo as soon as the manufacturer posts it to their web site.

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Rotorheads Rejoice

I’m convinced that January must mean rotorcraft in Latin even at a time when they had no idea what it meant when it was included in the Julian calendar. Dopey innuendoes aside, we are finally going to be receiving our second shipment of MH-47G helicopters from Forces of Valor and will likely have to place a further order once this allotment has evaporated. Also in the shipment are the first pair of Royal Australian CH-47 choppers, both clad in a desert yellow paint scheme.

Additionally we are heard that all three MH-53 Super Stallion helicopters from Panzerkampf are en route. The MH-53s are big and beefy and represent a great way for Panzerkampf to kick off their entry into the helicopter category. Rumor has it that a Hind is in the works, also these won’t likely touch down until the latter half of 2021.

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Hobby Master Shuffles and Deals its June Lineup

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Israeli Defense Force General Dynamics F-16C Barak Fighter – 101 Squadron, Norvenich Airbase, Germany, Exercise Blue Wings, 2020

With Chinese New Year fast approaching, Hobby Master wasted no time re-jiggering its mid-year lineup and adding a bevy of new aircraft for a June delivery. While no new toolings were shown, several of their newest warbirds have been requested for several months, including an Israeli F-16C Barak fighter that took part in joint operations with the Luftwaffe over German skies as part of Exercise Blue Wing 2020. Here now some of the latest aircraft added to the Hobby Master aerial armada.

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