DeAgostini’s 1:1250 scale German Kriegsmarine Bismarck Class Battleship – DKM Tirpitz
Yesterday we learned that six more 1:1250 scale warships will join DeAgostini’s ever-expanding Kriegssschiffe warships series. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it’s primary focus are the German warships that saw service throughout the twentieth century, from King Wilhlem II’s Kaiserlichte Marine up to the present day Bundesmarine. A handful of warships from other nations are also included in the mix although the series is heavily skewed towards German surface ships. Most of the warships come bundled with a German language magazine chock full of full-color photos and other pertinent data aimed at describing each ship in greater detail.
So, without further ado, here are the six warships expected to make port some time in May:
Wings of the Great War’s 1:72 scale Royal Flying Corps Nieuport 17 Fighter – Lt. William “Billy” Bishop, 60 Squadron, Filescamp, France, March 1917
Until we have evidence to the contrary, we are now presuming that AF-X, Luft-X and Wings of the Great War are no longer being made and have therefore been discontinued by our distributor. Any orders that have been submitted to us thus far for the pair of pre-ordered Wings of the Great War aircraft (WW19002 and WW11004) we were expecting along with any items marked as back ordered will now be cancelled. If our distributor has concrete proof that these lines will be continued then we will re-open the ordering window again and update our site accordingly.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Republic F-105G Thunderchief Wild Weasel Aircraft – 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron “Wild Weasel”, Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 1972
Though it had been flying the Republic F-105 Thunderchief since February 1964, it took a further eight years of training and base changes before the 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron’s traded in its illustrious fighter-bomber for the more robust two-seat variant known as the F-105G Wild Weasel.
In April 1972, the squadron established Detachment 1 at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, and flew combat Wild Weasel missions. The detachment was discontinued in September, but crews and planes of the squadron continued to fly missions until late January 1973. The squadron was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” Device and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm for this period. A plane from the 561st was the last F-105 shot down in the Vietnam War. It was hit by a surface-to-air-missile on November 16th, 1972; the crew was rescued. One of the surviving aircraft from the squadron is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force with the 561st Squadron’s markings.
On July 1st, 1973, the 561st moved to George Air Force Base and joined the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing. At George, the squadron mission was primarily the training of Wild Weasel crews. The squadron continued to fly the F-105G until 1980, when it began transitioning into the McDonnell F-4G Phantom II advanced Wild Weasel, completing the transition the following year. In August 1990, the Wild Weasels deployed to Sheikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain and during Operation Desert Storm flew over 2,400 sorties logging more than 8,000 combat hours. After the war, the squadron was inactivated on June 30th, 1992.
The squadron was activated at Nellis Air Force Base as part of the 57th Operations Group on 1 February 1993. the 561st soon deployed to Incirlik Air Base in support of Operation Provide Comfort and returned to Southwest Asia at Dhahran Air Base in Saudi Arabia, supporting Operation Southern Watch and Operation Vigilant Warrior. The 561st was also employed as an “Aggressor” squadron during RED FLAG exercises. In 1994, the 561st became the largest fighter squadron in the United States Air Force. It maintained a continuous deployment to the Middle East until inactivating in October 1996.
Look for Hobby Master’s first rendition of the F-105G Wild Weasel to grace collector’s shelves some time in October.
With most modelmakers struggling to get product out the door in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hobby Master saw an opportunity to up the ante and add yet another weapon to its aerial armada. According to Hobbymastercollector.com, the Company plans on offering a model of the Boeing F/A-18XT Advanced Super Hornet Strike Fighter, an aircraft that, for all intents and purposes, is still in the nascent stage of development that hasn’t gone into full production or been pegged to join any front line squadron.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman self-funded a prototype of the Advanced Super Hornet in the early 2010s. The prototype features a 50% reduction in frontal radar cross-section (RCS), conformal fuel tanks (CFT), and an enclosed weapons pod. Features could also be integrated onto the EA-18G Growler; using CFTs on the EA-18 fleet was speculated as useful to releasing underwing space and drag margin for the Next Generation Jammer. Flight tests of the Advanced Super Hornet began on August 5th, 2013, and continued for three weeks, testing the performance of CFTs, the enclosed weapons pod (EWP), and signature enhancements. The U.S. Navy was reportedly pleased with the Advanced Super Hornet’s flight test results, and hopes it will provide future procurement options.
In March 2013, the U.S. Navy was considering the widespread adoption of conformal fuel tanks, which would allow the Super Hornet to carry 3,500 lb (1,600 kg) of additional fuel. Budgetary pressures from theF-35C Lightning II and Pacific region operations were cited as reasons supporting the use of CFTs. Flight testing demonstrated CFTs could slightly reduce drag while expanding the combat range by 260 nautical miles (300 mi; 480 km). The prototype CFT weighed 1,500 lb (680 kg), while production CFTs are expected to weigh 870 lb (390 kg). Boeing stated that the CFTs do not add any cruise drag but acknowledged a negative impact imposed on transonic acceleration due to increased wave drag. General Electric’s enhanced performance engine (EPE), increasing the F414-GE-400’s power output from 22,000 to 26,400 lbf (98 to 117 kN) of thrust per engine, was suggested as a mitigating measure. In 2009, development commenced on several engine improvements, including greater resistance to foreign object damage, reduced fuel burn rate, and potentially increased thrust of up to 20%.
In 2014, Boeing revealed a Super Hornet hybrid concept, equipped with the EA-18G Growler’s electronic signal detection capabilities to allow for targets engagement using the receiver; the concept did not include the ALQ-99 jamming pod. Growth capabilities could include the addition of a long-range infrared search and track sensor and new air-to-air tracking modes.
In September 2014, Boeing readied plans to close its St. Louis production lines for the Super Hornet and F-15 in 2017. Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, told the Wall Street Journal that, although “we’re still solidly behind them,” the company could have decided by April 2015 whether to shut down both assembly lines and close the factory, but chose to keep the Super Hornet line going. Due to various Pentagon contracts, Boeing had enough orders to keep things running into 2017 to give Boeing the opportunity to firm up more international orders.
Early on in the Trump administration, the President liked the idea of bolstering its air defense lineup with cheaper to build F/A-18 aircraft that, while no where near as stealthy as say the F-22 or F-35, could still hold its own against many of today’s front line aircraft. Furthermore, the F/A-18XT is far cheaper to build than the F-35, meaning more aircraft can be added to either the USMC or USN arsenal without breaking the bank.
PMA’s 1:72 scale German Mid Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger Ausf. E Heavy Tank – ‘111’, schwere Panzerabteilung 501, Orsha, Russia, 1944 [Bonus Maybach HL 230 TRM P45 Engine]
For the men of schwere Panzerabteilung 501, 1944 rapidly devolved into an exhausting year. Originally commanded by Major Erich Lowe, the unit had been reformed in late 1942 from remnants of the old battalion, including several wounded tank crewmen who had been evacuated to Europe for recuperation before the unit’s demise in Tunisia. Rebuilt and re-staffed, by November 12th it comprised some 45 Tiger I tanks (three companies of 14 tanks, plus three tanks for battalion command).
Between December 5th-12th, the battalion was transferred to the Vitebsk region in what is modern-day Belarus. On December 20th, the 501st attacked an enemy tank formation near Losovka, inflicting 21 enemy tanks destroyed and some 28 guns put out of action, all for the loss of two of its own tanks and all three company commanders wounded. Because infantry support was unable to follow up its success, the 501st was forced to withdraw. Three days later, Major Lowe, the battalion commander, went missing after he was forced to change tanks when his own was knocked out. Over the next five days, the battalion destroyed 81 enemy tanks. By the end of December, however, 16 Tigers were operational out of 39 available, two having fallen into Soviet hands.
Major von Legat took command in January 1944 and the battalion carried out missions in the Orsha region. On January 13th, a Tiger was destroyed by an artillery shell plunging through its turret roof. On February 13th, failed attacks led to the loss of a further nine Tigers. By March 1st, only 17 Tigers were available for action out of 29 that fell in for duty due to a lack of spare parts.
On March 12th, the battalion joined the 256.Infanterie division in a counterattack north of Nipinzy; by the next day, the enemy forces were surrounded and destroyed. By April 1st, spare parts had been delivered and 27 tanks were again operational.
In June, nine tanks were transferred to schwere Panzerabteilung 509, leaving 20 operational. On June 23rd, Operation Bagration was launched by the Red Army. Fighting at Orsha resulted in the battalion having to be dispersed, leading to several days of independent tank battles, some against IS-2s. Under the weight of a withdrawing Tiger, the Orsha bridge collapsed, and several others ran out of fuel. The rest retreated towards the Berezina River, where only six could be ferried across, the rest being blown up by their crews on July 1st.
By July 2nd-4th, ad-hoc defenses of dispersed Tigers fell back towards the Minsk area: despite the arrival of five replacement vehicles, which boosted operational forces to seven, two were lost, and another broke down. The next day, several Tigers ran out of fuel while withdrawing near Maladzyechna; another bogged down, and all three immobilized Tigers were blown up. Operational tank strength dropped to zero and the year was only half over.
PMA’s tribute to the men and machines of schwere Panzerabteilung 501 rolls in this April, provided the bridges can hold them and the Red Army falls back to lick their wounds.
Dragon’s 1:72 scale US M1124 Stryker ATGM Guided Missile Vehicle
With Chinese factories now open, and most workers having returned to their jobs, we were wondering what the status was with Dragon’s newly launched Neo Dragon Armor series. Several items were announced months ago and were already appearing in Asian stores, making it hard to understand why they weren’t available yet here in the North American market. According to our distributor, several items are scheduled to arrive in mid-May, including DRR63005, a US M1124 Stryker ATGM Guided Missile Vehicle. Interestingly, DRR63005 is already sold out at the factory and distributor level, so if you are looking to nab one of these replicas we strongly recommend you pre-order them now before they run out. We have a handful still left for pre-order and we doubt any will be listed for general sale once they do arrive.
Dragon’s 1:72 scale PLA ZBL-09 Snow Leopard Infantry Fighting Vehicle – Digital Camouflage, Parade Version
Also in the hopper is DRR63001, a Peoples Liberation Army ZBL-09 Snow Leopard Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The standard vehicle will come in a digitzed camouflage scheme with white wall tires, making it ideal for Chinese military parades. A special edition vehicle, available in limited quantities, will come with a PLA flag and the more traditional blackened tires. Finally, a limited edition vehicle will come in UN markings and is painted all-white, standard attire for a United Nations vehicle performing a peacekeeping mission. Only one piece in every 24-piece master carton contains the limited edition vehicle, hence the higher price.
Dragon’s 1:72 scale Limited Edition PLA ZBL-09 Snow Leopard Infantry Fighting Vehicle – United Nations Peacekeeping Force
Back in the day, a cad was a man who behaved dishonorably towards a woman, forsaking her good name in an effort to, well, take advantage of her when chivalry was still the norm. Today, CAD has taken on quite a different meaning, spelled out in capital letters and now signifying computer aided design, a creative process by which most models are now developed with the help of sophisticated software packages.
Recently, Waltersons, the new caretakers of the Forces of Valor brand, posted a bevy of CAD images to their website for many of their upcoming projects. Five different Tiger Is are shown, along with eight Sherman tanks and the first vehicles in their “Inside Out” series: the Sturmtiger. We’ve posted all of the images here and have already begun to accept pre-orders for the group. At this time, we don have firm release dates for any of the vehicles, since the production pipeline was disrupted by the COVID-19 crisis and Waltersons hasn’t shown any of the paint masters so collectors can get a better idea of what the finished products will look like. Stay tuned and remember its going to be a very busy third and fourth quarter from the folks at Forces of Valor, as they get set to release these and other projects long hinted at and finally coming to fruition.
Note: Keep in mind that many of the Tiger I images look the same based upon these CAD images. Actual photos of each Tiger I tank are expected in the coming weeks.
Forces of Valor’s Inside Out Series: German Sturmtiger Assault Mortar
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production RW61 Sturmtiger Rocket Assault Mortar with Loading Crane – Prototype Presentation to Fuhrer, Ehrenfriedhof Arys Proving Grounds, East Prussia, October 20th, 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 V-12 Water-Cooled Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Late Production RW61 Sturmtiger Rocket Assault Mortar with Loading Crane – Sturmmorser Kompanie 1002, Berlin, Germany, May 1945 [Bonus Maybach HL230P45 V-12 Water-Cooled Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Mid Production RW61 Sturmtiger Rocket Assault Mortar with Loading Crane – Sturmmorser Kompanie 1002, Ebendorf, Germany, April 1945 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 V-12 Water-Cooled Engine]
Forces of Valor’s Engine Plus Series: German Tiger I Heavy Tank
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “832”, 2.SS Panzer Regiment, 2.SS Panzer Division “Das Reich”, Eastern Front, February 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “123”, schwere Panzerabteilung 503, Kursk, Russia, August 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “100”, schwere Panzerabteilung 505, Kursk, Russia, July 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “321”, schwere Panzerabteilung 505, Kursk, Russia, July 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – Michael Wittmann, “S04”, schwere SS Panzerabteilung 101, Eastern Front, Winter 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]
Forces of Valor’s Engine Plus Series: US M4 Sherman Medium Tank
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(75) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – 35th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Bastogne, Belgium, December 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(105) Sherman Howitzer with HVSS Suspension – 8th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, Avranches, Brittany, France, July-August 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3E8 Sherman Medium Tank with HVSS Suspension – “A Paper Doll”, A Company, 68th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Division, Germany 1945 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4(75) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – 47th Tank Battalion, 14th Armored Division, France, 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3E8 Sherman Medium Tank with HVSS Suspension – Creighton Abrams’ “Thunderbolt VII”, 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, NW Europe, 1945 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4(105) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension and Wading Equipment – 713th Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division, Okinawa, April-June 1945 [Bonus Continental (Wright) R-975, Radial 9 Engine]Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(76)W Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – C Company, 771st Tank Battalion, 12th Armored Division, Linnich, Germany, February 1945 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]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]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Strike Fighter – VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers”, 75th Anniversary Commemorative Scheme, USS Lincoln (CVN-72), 2017 [Anniversary Scheme]
Like clockwork, we’ve received the April shipment of Hobby Master products with just a few days to spare before May rolled in. It’s composed of a rather diverse set of collectibles, covering everything from ROC tanks to a sleek F/A-18F Super Hornet clad in a stunning anniversary scheme. Here’s the run down of what’s now in stock and ready for immediate departure:
It appears as if Corgi is back on track after a herky-jerky start to the new year and finally releasing several warbirds that are part of their 2020 collection. There’s lots to choose from, including this massive 1:72 scale rendition of an Avro Vulcan strategic bomber. So, without further ado, here’s the list of new aircraft we’ve received this week that are now ready for immediate shipment:
Any one that follows our blog has probably recognized that we’ve run into some issues over the past week. Essentially, our blog hosting solution “lost” our posts from January 7th, 2020, onward and has been unable to restore them. Earlier today, our blog was completely inoperable so we had to open yet another ticket aimed at restoring our blog posts. Strangely, the blog hosting solution was able to re-publish the site and restore all of our information up to March 29th. We’re not sure if they will be successful in restoring all of the remaining missing files so we thought it best to update everyone here and now in case the blog should run into further problems.
