Forces of Valor’s 1:72 scale RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IXe Fighter – MK 210, Gustav Lundquist, “Tolly Hello”, USAAF Test Section, Long Range Experimental, Wright Field, Ohio, 1944
Slowly, ever so slowly, Waltersons, the new caretakers of the Forces of Valor brand, has been shedding light on their 2022 line up. To date, images and information have largely centered around their 1:32 scale military vehicles, which many consider their bread-and-butter range, then, now and likely well into the future. Earlier today, however, they finally peeled back the curtain on several of their upcoming 1:72 scale aircraft, another category that has seen success since its re-invigoration late last year.
Three images were posted to their web site, all based upon the next WWII-era aircraft to see the light of day: the legendary Supermarine Spitfire. While only two images were uploaded for each model, it appears as if the trio are pretty far along and will likely get the green light to fly into collector cabinets this summer. Like its predecessors, these new introductions will come with simulated slivers of landing bases and a pose-able display stand that has set it apart from the competition. You can also expect a highly detailed engine, seated pilot figure, and opening cockpit. The Spitfire will likely be followed up by the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, another iconic WWII-era aircraft that severed several user nations well throughout the conflict.
Forces of Valor’s 1:72 scale RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IXe Fighter – EN315/ZX-6, Squadron Leader Stanislaw Skalski, No.145 Squadron, Polish Fighting Team, La Fouconnerie, Tunisia, April 1943
We’ve opened the pre-order window for the Spitfires but bear in mind it may be several more months before they arrive and are ready for shipping. In the meantime, enjoy their latest creations.
The Bristol Beaufort (manufacturer designation Type 152) is a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber. At least 1,180 Beauforts were built by Bristol and other British manufacturers.
Beauforts first saw service with Royal Air Force Coastal Command and then the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm from 1940. They were used as torpedo bombers, conventional bombers and mine-layers until 1942, when they were removed from active service and were then used as trainer aircraft until being declared obsolete in 1945. Beauforts also saw considerable action in the Mediterranean; Beaufort squadrons based in Egypt and on Malta helped interdict Axis shipping supplying Rommel’s Afrika Korps in North Africa.
As an Island nation, the protection of Britain’s sea lanes during the Second World War was a crucial battle which had to be won. Throughout the first few months of conflict, the German capital ship Gneisenau and her sister vessel Scharnhorst were posing a serious raiding threat and on receiving news that the ships had entered Brest harbor to undergo repairs in late March 1941, the RAF immediately planned raids intended to destroy, or at least damage the ships. On Sunday April 6th, 1941, Bristol Beaufort Mk.I N1016 (OA-X) took off from RAF St. Eval in Cornwall and headed for a rallying point off the coast of France, close to the entrance to the harbor. Even though the weather was poor, they were surprised to find that they were the only aircraft to make it and with radio silence crucial to the success of the mission, the crew faced the decision whether to press on with their attack alone, or return to base. Although the odds were seriously stacked against them, they turned towards the heavily defended harbor and began their attack run, descending to almost wave top height. Pilot Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell, expertly lined up his Beaufort for the optimum attack angle, passing so close to enemy shore batteries that they could hardly fail to hit their target, but only releasing the single torpedo when he was sure it would strike the warship.
Almost hitting the mast of the ship as the aircraft pulled away in a violent, banking turn, the Beaufort exposed its under surfaces to the anti-aircraft gunners, who raked it with everything they had. Having sustained heavy damage during its attack run against Gneisenau, Bristol Beaufort N1016 crashed into the harbor almost immediately, tragically claiming the lives of all souls on board. Unbeknown to them, their attack had successful and the torpedo had blown a huge hole under the waterline of Gneisenau, causing it to return to the dry dock from where it had only just emerged, in need of further repairs. It would be out of commission for almost six months following the attack and it is impossible to gauge how many lives were saved and how much vital cargo reached its destination as a result of the heroic actions of this single Beaufort crew. Launching their attack alone, the selfless actions of Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell and his crew would have probably gone unheralded had it not been for the intervention of the French resistance. Sending a report on the condition of the German battleship back to British authorities, they also described the actions of this brave Beaufort crew and how they had paid the ultimate price whilst heroically performing their duty. For displaying valor in the face of extreme peril and without regard for his own safety, Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for valor in the presence of the enemy, an honor he would surely have gladly shared with the rest of his crew.
Corgi’s first Bristol Beaufort is currently en route to us and will be available for immediate dispatch by the middle of April.
Corgi’s 1:72 scale USAAC Consolidated Catalina PBY5A Flying Boat – 14-P-5, Patrol Squadron 14 (VP-14), Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, December 7th, 1941 [80th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack]
Now that Hornby has completed its annual inventory, we’ve learned that a sizeable gaggle of diecast warbirds are headed our way. Several are key introductions, such as their first ever Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber and a heavily requested Consolidated PBY Catalina in USAAC markings. We’ve moved the models that are packed up and winging their way to us to our Product en Route section, so make sure you eye them over and select which models you want to pre-order before they arrive towards the end of next week. Some may not get put up for general sale so be forewarned!
To my knowledge, Dragon still has no official distribution arm in North America after they closed up their self-titled shop back in 2021. Candidly, its hard to imagine that a large model maker such as Dragon, who was once the undisputed king of the 1:72 scale pre-assembled market, has pulled out of what has to be their most lucrative market but there you have it folks. Stranger things have happened. Its entirely possible they could be looking to re-establish themselves by forming a partnership with another modelmaking entity but until that time, retailers such as ourselves, are being asked to order direct from their Chinese factory, which, I might add, is too costly and time consuming to undertake.
Happily, they do seem intent to keep their toe in the diecast water by churning out several new vehicles under their Neo Armor banner. While it remains to be seen if these vehicles will ever make it to our shores within a reasonable time frame, we’re holding out hope that someone will eventually step forward and pick up the gauntlet, making these and anything else they plan to produce once again available to the Noth American collector. Anyway, here’s a quick pictorial update as to what’s purportedly being made for 2022.
While war continues to rage in Ukraine, modelmakers have seized the day, so-to-speak, by replicating – in scale form – many of the combat systems continuously being shown to them on late night TV. We’ve already discussed the litany of aircraft expected by such stalwarts as Hobby Master and JC Wings, but now comes word that Panzerkampf plans to throw its hat into the ring with several interesting ground vehicles. The first vehicle expected to see the light of day is the Russian-built Pantsir (“Carapace”) air defense system, a state-of-the-art family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery systems that has seen limited use in Ukraine largely because of the relative size of the Ukrainian Air Force vis a vis the Russian Air Force. The Pantsir-S1 was designed to provide point air defense of military, industrial and administrative installations against aircraft, helicopters, precision munitions, cruise missiles and UAVs; and to provide additional protection to air defense units against enemy air attacks employing precision munitions, especially at low to extremely low altitudes.
After seeing the size of this model on Facebook, we’ve temporarily taken it down for pre-order purposes until we get a more realistic idea as to its final cost. We hope to re-list it, along with photos for each of the six iterations planned, in the weeks ahead.
JC Wings 1:72 scale Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 “Flanker” – 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, 2016
In a move that comes as no surprise to anyone, be it wily collectors or the eager trade, JC Wings has decided to offer yet another model based upon an aircraft that has taken part in the current Russo-Ukrainian Conflict. Previously they had offered a MiG 29 in a digitized winter camouflage scheme, which was released just prior to the start of the invasion. Naturally, these sold out almost immediately and we’re certain another version will soon make its way onto their release schedule. In the mean time, they have just unveiled a Su-27 in a scintillating horizon blue paint scheme, which will no doubt become another heavily sought after model upon release. The balance of their latest military hardware has now been posted to our site.
JC Wings 1:72 scale German Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4 Fighter – Major Siegfried Schnell, Jagdgeschwader 2, France, 194JC Wings 1:72 scale Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Fighter – Warrant Officer Tetsuzo Iwamoto, 253rd Kokutai, 1944JC Wings 1:72 scale USMC Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare Aircraft – Electronic Attack Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2) “Death Jesters”, Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, North Carolina, 2019JC Wings 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16C Viper Fighter – 182nd Fighter Squadron, 149th Fighter Wing, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, “70th Anniversary”, 2017 [Anniversary Scheme]JC Wings 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Strike Fighter – VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers,” USS Eisenhower (CVN-69), 2016JC Wings 1:72 scale US Navy Grumman F-14B Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – VF-11 “Red Rippers”, USS George Washington (CVN-73), 2005
Panzerkampf’s 1:72 scale US M1A2 SEP Abrams Main Battle Tank with TUSK II Survival Kit – 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Baghdad, Iraq, July 2008 [Clean Version]
While everything in the world seems to be going up in price, we’re happy to report that at least one item has successfully downshifted. We learned today that the upcoming fleet of M1 Abrams tanks from Panzerkampf will now be priced at $49.99 apiece, a 20% reduction off of its original price of $59.99. A couple of vehicles are expected to return to stock some time this May and, if luck be a lady, the balance should be in stock by the end of this summer, sooner if the logistical logjam plaguing our ports finally get straightened out. Also expected this May is the desert version of the M1070 heavy equipment transporter, which will go nicely with any of the vehicles shown on our site.
Incidentally, if you were fortunate enough to pre-order any of the upcoming Abrams tanks at the incredible price of just $39.99 when we first trotted them out, then we will honor this price. Enjoy!
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Initial Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “100”, schwere Panzerabteilung 502, Russia, February 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]
As stocks of their first Tiger I tank continue to draw down, and the release date for their second vehicle draws nigh, Forces of Valor decided to unveil images of its third Tiger iteration – an initial production tank that served with schwere Panzerabteilung 502, then deployed to Leningrad, Russia, during February 1943.
When the first production Tigers rolled out of the Henschel factory in late 1942, they were immediately sent to the training grounds at Fallingbostel to equip schwere Panzerabteilung 502 (502nd Heavy Tank Battalion). After just three days of training, the unit was sent to reinforce the German forces laying siege to Leningrad even though the tanks had teething problems and were still proving unreliable. Upon arrival at Mga, close to the front, they were ordered up to the front line where they would soon see combat.
These first nine Tigers had a unique appearance which differed markedly from later Tigers. To begin with, they had no fenders nor storage boxes on the hull sides. Further, their mudguards at the front and rear of the vehicle did not project beyond the hull side. They were also issued with “mirrored” tracks, i.e. the right and left tracks were different, unlike those of any other German tank. The crews disliked the inconvenience of this arrangement and eventually put just a single type of track on each Tiger. Finally, the initial production Tigers featured ammunition stowage racks conspicuously affixed to the sides of the turret, which would eventually be moved to the rear of the turret in later versions to reduce the vehicle’s profile and make them less of an obvious target to enemy gunners.
A total of nine Tigers were sent to this battalion, filling out its 1st company, before events in North Africa diverted additional Tiger production to the Mediterranean theater. The 502nd fought in forests and swamps south of Leningrad and achieved only limited success. Technical problems with the tanks caused as much trouble as the terrain, and so the more reliable Tigers were given the best components thus leaving the remaining vehicles in an even more precarious position.
On January 18th, 1943, a breakthrough by the Soviets cost the unit five Tigers, including numbers “121” and “100” (seen here), which were captured intact because they had bogged down in the swamps around Leningrad. Only two of the original nine Tigers remained serviceable by February, although their ranks were bolstered by three new vehicles still rolling off of the production line.
So why is this release so important if the vehicle turned out to be such a disappointment? Simply put, because it helps to trace the evolution of the Tiger tank series, from its earliest beginnings in the hands of inexperienced crews to its nightmarish engagements when commanded by tank aces such as Michael Wittmann. Unlike Unimax, who was content to simply repackage the same vehicle over and over again in different liveries and unit insignia, Waltersons is making a concerted effort to distinguish the differences of each variant, all of which helped to make each iteration unique in its own right. While it was feared by Allied warfighters throughout the latter half of World War II, its rushed production to regain momentum on the battlefield meant that the vehicle had to overcome a slew of mechanical obstacles before it could indeed live up to its fateful name and become a legendary war machine.
Look for the third vehicle in Forces of Valor’s Tiger I tank series to rear its head sometime this fall.
…or a weathered appearance? You may have the option to get both.
Ordinarily, Panzerkampf plays it cool on social media, occasionally talking up some of their latest projects one at a time and oftentimes days if not weeks apart. That strategy changed completely this past weekend when they announced a bevy of new products, many of which were well along in the build process based upon photos shown. They began their dog-and-pony show with a couple of Russian-built MiG 19s fighters, both of which were clad in operational schemes that got many a fan jealous with envy. Also unveiled were some of their upcoming M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks, this time around sporting the TUSK II Survival Kit. Interestingly, there’s a good chance that Panzerkampf, for the first time, will be offering their military vehicles in both factory fresh as well as weathered, battle hardened paint schemes, meaning lots more to choose from depending upon how you plan to display them.
Lastly, two new military vehicles were added to their recently unveiled Legion line of budget-inspired vehicles – a German Marder Ausf. H anti-tank gun and a Hetzer tank destroyer. Both looked sharp and it appears as if even more vehicles will be announced in the not-too-distant future.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale French Dassault Rafale C Multirole Aircraft – 118 EF, “Arctic Tiger”, NATO Tiger Meet 2012
Showing no signs of abating, Hobby Master churned out yet another flock of warbirds all scheduled to take off this December. Among the new releases is their first ever french-built Dassault Rafale fighter, clad in a wintry white scheme indicative of taking part in a NATO led Tiger Meet competition conducted in the far north. Here now, the rest of the aircraft you can expect to see under the Christmas tree barring any logistical issues.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Convair F-106A Delta Dart Interceptor – 90053, 87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron “Red Bulls”, Sawyer AFB, Michigan, 1970sHobby Master’s 1:72 scale RAF Panavia GR. Mk. 1A Tornado IDS All-Weather Bomber – ZA592, No.13 Squadron, RAF Marham, England, 1995Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16C Viper Fighter – 86-0333, 119th Fighter Squadron, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 2016 [Low Vis Scheme]Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16CG Block 40 Viper Fighter – 89-2035, Commander of the 555th Fighter Squadron, 2003-2004 [Low Vis Scheme]Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN Boeing F/A-18C Hornet Strike Fighter – VFA-81 “Sunliners,” USS Saratoga (CV-60), January 1991 [Low Vis Scheme]Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Lockheed S-3B Viking Anti-Submarine Aircraft – 159390, CAG VS-30 “Diamondcutters”, USS George Washington (CVN-73), 2005Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Lockheed S-3B Viking Anti-Submarine Aircraft – “VS-21 “Fighting Redtails”, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), January 2005 [Decommissioning Scheme]Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-34 “Fullback” Strike Fighter – “Red 24”, Ukraine, March 2022Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale RAF North American Mustang Mk. III Fighter – Eugeniusz Horbaczewski, No.315 “City of Deblin” Squadron, Southwest England, 1944Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale USAAF North American P-51B Mustang Fighter – Lt. Bill Overstreet, “Berlin Express”, 363rd Fighter Squadron, 353rd Fighter Group, Leiston, England, 1944
