Six more warbirds are set to join the DeAgostini 1:72 scale aerial armada this month, thereby bringing our ever-expanding squadron up to 11 releases from the original 12. We elected to drop the P-51 Mustang from the mix because it did not come in the bookcase format packaging, something we believe adds to the value of the product. The six newest include:
Each warplane comes packed in its own slick bookcase format case which includes a fully illustrated color magazine written in Japanese. Bear in mind that there are 100 entrants in this series so if you plan to collect them all make sure you have the necessary space allotted to display each of these fabulous collectibles.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Sd. Kfz. 173 Jagdpanther Ausf. G1 Tank Destroyer with Zimmerit – “234”, schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 654, Normandy, August 1944 [Bonus Maybach HL230 P30 Engine]
So, we finally have some good news to report on the Forces of Valor front. Our distributor claims they have received their latest shipment of merchandise, which includes restocks of several back ordered items as well as a handful of new products. The new items include their 1:32 scale Jagdpanther tank destroyer as well as their Jagdtiger heavy tank destroyer. As mentioned previously, these are largely upgraded vehicles from the Unimax line that now feature removable engines, a decorative display base, more metal to give them greater heft and better paint schemes that includes weathering and pitting where applicable. We invite you to check out some of the images we’ve posted for both vehicles to get a better sense of what they now look like.
Forces of Valor’s 1:700 People’s Liberation Army Navy Surface Force Liaoning Class Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier – Liaoning (CV-16), Hong Kong Visit, 2017
Waltersons first new warship is also on its way to us, the PLAAN Liaoning aircraft carrier (CV-16). Two versions are being offered – one having participated in live fire military drills in the South China Sea in 2016 and the other portraying the ship as it pulled into Hong Kong harbor in 2017. Both have working elevators, a full complement of aircraft, and turning defensive armament as well as a vacuu-formed sea wave blister that can be used to display the ship as if it were at sea. If not, both warships comes with stands so they can be displayed atop a credenza.
Air Commander’s 1:72 scale USAF McDonnell F-4C Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – Robin Olds, “Scat XXVII”, 433rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron “Satan’s Angels”, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, 1967
Few pilots have become more synonymous with the Vietnam War than Robin Olds. A veteran of WWII, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing on September 30th, 1966, which was based at Ubon Royal Thais Air Force Base, Thailand, a hub of activity for bombing North Vietnam and interdicting supplies running down the Ho Chi Minh trail. A lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose in the wing had led to the change in command (Olds’ predecessor had flown only 12 missions during the 10 months the wing had been in combat). The 44-year-old colonel also set the tone for his command stint by immediately placing himself on the flight schedule as a rookie pilot under officers junior to himself, then challenging them to train him properly because he would soon be leading them.
Olds’ vice commander was Col. Vermont Garrison, an ace in both World War II and Korea, and in December Olds brought in Daniel James Jr. to replace an ineffective deputy commander for operations, creating arguably the strongest and most effective tactical command triumvirate of the Vietnam War. The Olds-James combination became popularly nicknamed “Blackman and Robin”. Olds took to the air war over North Vietnam in an F-4C Phantom he nicknamed “Scat XXVII”, in keeping with his previous combat aircraft that all carried the “Scat” name.
Air Commander, no stranger to collectors for modeling a wide array of Phantom fighter-bombers, has now selected “Scat XXVII” as the subject for its next F-4. Expected in June, “Scat XXVII” will undoubtedly become the centerpiece in Air Commander’s range of F-4 Phantoms and will almost certainly take center stage for many Vietnam War aviation enthusiasts not only due to who flew the plane but because of their painstaking attention to detail and craftsmanship.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Sd. Kfz. 186 Jagdpanzer VI Jagdtiger Heavy Tank Destroyer with Henschel Suspension – Kampfgruppe Goggler, 3/schwere Panzerjager Abteilung 653, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, 1945 [Bonus Maybach V-12 HL 230 P30 Engine]
Back in December, we did a write up on the upcoming Jagdtiger from Forces of Valor, which is largely an upgrade to the Unimax Jagdtiger released several years ago but now comes with a detailed engine compartment complete with a bonus engine. At the time, there weren’t many images of the new vehicle available, so the article was somewhat text heavy and ended up discussing the reasons for building and fielding a Jagdtiger (hunting tiger) tank destroyer even when the Reich’s late-war resources were scarce and likely should have been diverted to other less costly projects.
Well, the manufacturer was kind enough to provide us with an avalanche of images for their soon-to-be-released Jagdtiger, which show off the upgrades made to the existing mold as well as the weathered ambush paint scheme it now bears.
According to our distributor, both the Jagdtiger and Jagdpanther (hunting Panther) are expected to arrive this month, along with a restock of their Sherman Firefly and other items. We anticipate brisk sales for all three vehicles and hope to share some additional information we’ve gleaned from the manufacturer in the days ahead. Stay tuned.
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Corgi’s 1:50 scale US M4A3(76)W Sherman Medium Tank – B Company, 2nd Tank Battalion, 9th Armored Division, Clervaux Castle, Luxembourg, 1944
Originally expected last fall, the balance of Corgi’s Military Legends line of 1:50 scale military vehicles are finally en route to us. Interestingly, Corgi quietly updated two of the product photos – one for the US M3A1 half-track and the other for the Sherman tank. The revised half-track now features bed rolls attached to the front fenders of the vehicle, a gear rack affixed to the rear of the vehicle, and a dustier paint job, giving it a more grizzled, well-worn appearance better suited to a hard-fought WWII battlefield than its predecessor. The Sherman tank, on the other hand, has been completely overhauled. We were expecting a standard M4A3 Sherman tank but it now appears as if we are getting a M4A3(76)W which featured a 76mm main gun and a more bulbous turret. Its not clear why the images were updated so late in the production cycle, but both will certainly sell well despite the mix up.
Other vehicles en route to us include their Tiger I heavy tank, German Sd. Kfz. 7/1 prime mover and Bedford QL supply truck. We should have them in stock during the first week of February and will be completing all of our outbound shipments as soon as they arrive.
Waltersons has been exploring ways to better market its Forces of Valor 1:32 scale military vehicle category and has decided to change things up a bit to better reflect its revised strategy. Essentially, they’ve come up with three separate categories for their military line, all based upon each item’s features, extras and lineage. Here’s how everything will be categorized going forward:
The Legacy and Engine Plus series are actually two series rolled into one. To begin with, the Legacy series represents those vehicles produced by Unimax, the original manufacturer of the line. The Engine Plus series, which is the creation of Waltersons, the new owners of the line, encompasses those vehicles that have been upgraded with a removable engine and fully detailed engine compartment. Other enhancements may have been made, such as updated suspension systems, better weathering and painting, and additional metal components to give each vehicle more heft.
The Inside Out series, as its name implies, emphasizes the intricacy, ingenuity and complexity of the crew compartment found in many of the world’s armored fighting vehicles. As such, these replicas feature fully modeled three-dimensional interiors that are designed to show off some of the incredible detail found within each all-new combat vehicle. Where applicable, each crew station has been accurately modeled, along with ammunition stowage racks, ordnance, weapons and other important gear typically found within a vehicle that heretofore haven’t been correctly replicated by any of the major modelmakers. Presently, its not clear if this sub category will feature removable engines like the Engine Plus series although we’re willing to bet it will.
Like their larger brethren, the new 1:32 scale Extreme Metal series will feature metal tracks, added crewmen, accessories, a simulated wooden crate for stowage and added collectibility, replica munitions, as well as other familiar hallmarks that have made the 1:16 scale series so near and dear to the hearts of collectors worldwide.
To this end, we’ve temporarily taken down many of the new product listings until we have a better sense as to how they will be marketed and priced. It is possible, for instance, that a particular product could fall into multiple categories so we will wait a bit longer until this new marketing strategy has been fully fleshed out since there could still be some changes made to this plan. A similar plan could and will likely be created for their soon-to-debut military aircraft line so we will wait and see how they plan to approach this category in the days ahead.
Beginning last October, PayPal changed the way it handled refunds and order cancellations that are completed with PayPal. Essentially, PayPal is now charging vendors 2.9% of an order’s value plus a 30 cent transaction fee any time a vendor issues a refund or cancels an order. So, a cancelled $100 pre-order would end up costing the vendor $3.20 (2.9% plus .30) even though the vendor was never able to fill the order. While we believe this tactic on the part of PayPal is unfair, we have no choice but to pass along this fee to our customers. We cannot run a business where we are paying our payment processor a fee for a transaction that never took place. So, beginning in January, any order that we cannot fill that was paid via PayPal will be subject to this fee deduction. We are sorry to have to do this and hope everyone understands that as a merchant we are being caught in the middle here and should not have to incur any unnecessary charges that are beyond our control. Please keep this in mind whenever you wish to use PayPal as your payment choice for items that we have not yet received.
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero” Fighter – 3-116, Saburo Sakai, Tainan Kokutai, Formosa, China, 1940-1941
Several months ago, we wrote how Corgi completely blew it with their soon-to-be-released 1:50 scale Tiger I heavy tank, which is supposed to portray an initial production vehicle that saw action in the Leningrad sector of the Russian Front during late 1942. Instead, they used a late model Tiger I and claimed it was historically accurate. And, lest we forget about the engine cowlings on the Air Force 1 B-17 Flying Fortresses, which are peeled back and exaggerated beyond all explanation. Well, it now appears as if Hobby Master will be facing much the same back lash with their soon to take wing 1:48 scale Mitsubishi Zero that was piloted by the famed IJN naval ace, Saburo Sakai.
While we don’t as yet have the aircraft in our possession, it appears as if the grey exterior paint scheme commonly associated with an IJN Zero has morphed into a sky blue overcoat, thereby giving the model a strange and somewhat eerie appearance that isn’t ugly but ahistorical nonetheless. During the war, its commonly believed that there was no single grey color used by the IJN to paint their aircraft. In fact, after Midway, when the IJN lost four front-line aircraft carriers, many aircraft were forced to deploy to land bases and were therefore repainted with a green top coat to help them blend in with their new surroundings. That said, it appears as if Sakai’s Zero, which was based at Formosa well before the disaster at Midway, falls somewhere in the middle, a failed attempt at getting his model to look like the real thing. A pity really.
We recognize that sometimes its a struggle to get a model painted in the correct colors and to date, Hobby Master usually posts pre-production photos on various forums so that collectors can give the products the once over before giving their nod of approval. In this case, it appears as if this never happened, and the model went into mass production well before anyone could critique it. Frankly, its not a bad model, and some collectors may decide to give it a Code 3 make over, meaning they’ll redress the model to make it more acceptable. Still, it would have been nice if Hobby Master had stuck to their tried-and-true process of letting collectors say yay or nay to the model before it was turned over to the production line thereby avoiding these types of mishaps.
Beginning in January, we are now changing the way in which we accept international orders for pre-ordered and back ordered merchandise. In the past, we have accepted payments made via PayPal and AmazonPay, two payment services that transmits the customer’s payment to the vendor when the order is submitted even though the vendor may not be able to fill the order until a later date. As a result, the customer has, on occasion, believed that they are then entitled to have their order shipped to them in piecemeal fashion as the product comes in, which ends up costing us much more than what was originally billed. This procedure will now end.
Customers located outside of the continental United States must now use a credit card when they attempt to order either pre-ordered or back order merchandise from us. Once the order is submitted, we will then contact the customer to obtain their complete billing information. As merchandise comes in, we will then bill them for each shipment sent out. No exceptions will be made. Should a customer submit an order to us using PayPal or AmazonPay for merchandise that is clearly marked as not being in stock, we will cancel the order, refund their payment and explain this new order acceptance process with them. If the issue continues, we will close out their account with us for refusal to abide by our terms of sale.
To be clear, customers located outside of the continental US may still use either PayPal or Amazon payment to pay for merchandise that is marked as being in-stock.
