US Army Air Force Douglas A-20G Havoc Medium Bomber – “Little Chief”, 321st Bomb Squadron, 1944 (1:72 Scale)
In a surprise announcement made late Friday, six new aircraft models were added to the Hobby Master air armada, all of which are tentatively scheduled to appear in May. Although no new toolings were shown, the roster did include a number of eagerly awaited warbirds by collectors world over, among them this handsome A-20G Havoc light attack bomber. So, without further ado or fanfare, here are the rest of the May introductions.
Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu J-7C Night Fighter – 69394, 2011 (1:72 Scale)
Czechoslovak Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-21MFN Fighter – “Black 2500”, 41st Fighter Squadron, Caslav AB, Czech Republic, October 2002 (1:72 Scale)
USMC Boeing Harrier II AV-8B+ Plus Jump Jet – 164569, VMA-223 “Bulldogs”, MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, 2025 (1:72 Scale)
Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy Sukhoi Su-30MKK “Flanker-G” Fighter – 20694, 2013 (1:72 Scale)
Footnote: Incidentally, Hobby Master recently released preliminary photos for HA2826 (shown above), their newest F-22 Raptor Air Dominance Fighter. As some have correctly pointed out, the model is far too bluish in color, particularly around the nose cone and surface edges, and we pointed this out to Hobby Master. They responded by stating that the blues will be significantly toned down and that the final production images will have a more traditional greyish quality about it. So, take heart and don’t let the pre-production photos get you down. Like the second YF-23, which had to be re-shot to show off its true dark grey colors, the next F-22 will be touched up, re-photographed and re-examined to gauge its accuracy.
To say that 2025 has been an incredibly tough year would be a terse yet severe understatement. Between my wife’s illness, her recovery, the new Administration coming to power, the recent government shut down and finally the effects of tariffs, all seem to conspire to work against us, particularly at this time of year when we should be up to our eyeballs in the latest and greatest product coming to market. I know our competitors feel much the same way, each dealing with the vagaries of business as best as they can, but it just seems to be hitting home at a time when we have to evaluate the world in which we play in discreet terms.
But then there’s the intangibles to consider. Earlier this month, Hornby USA shuttered its doors, all in an effort to consolidate its business and reduce costs. If you aren’t familiar with Hornby, they’re the blokes that sold us all sorts of Corgi merchandise, from 007-inspired motorcycles and copters to the complete Aviation Archives collection. Some lines we never carried, such as Wallace and Grommet kid-oriented products that has/had a devoted following over in Europe to the Thunderbirds puppet-based line of high-tech conveyances. Now I don’t know about you, but the Thunderbirds first appeared on television way back in the sixties when I used to watch it, so the license is a bit long-in-the-tooth for my taste. I’m sure it sold well, but I prefer something a little more current, such as Top Gun models or Star Trek starships, which help to define our industry to both old timers and newcomers alike.
Which leads me to the point of this post. Hornby decided to break up the distribution of its many US lines as a means of remaining in vogue with North American collectors. Unfortunately, this has led to several problems, most notably both pricing and pack sizes. While there’s no way of getting around the tariff situation unless the Supreme Court decides to put the kibash on the Trump-imposed taxes which many feel will occur in 2026, we’ve had to increase prices across-the-board to adhere to the latest bump up in MAP changes. But we’ve also noticed that the discounts we once received from Hornby have vanished and, along with it, an eye-popping increase in pack sizes. Whereas we were once able to purchase smaller aircraft in four-packs, we’ve now witnessed a threefold increase in some of the very same models, such as their Spitfires or World War I fliers. In one instance, their upcoming Stuka dive-bomber can only be obtained if we purchase in 36-piece lots, which is far in excess of what we feel we need in a standard business cycle. I’m not certain why they cannot be broken down further into smaller lots or re-packaged to accommodate the typical US re-seller beset by higher-priced merchandise. Now, the odd thing here is that the upcoming Me-410 destroyer can be obtained in single-serving packs, which makes the Stuka buy all the more problematic if we plan to continue stocking the line in 2026 and beyond.
To sum up, we cannot bring in some of their newest merchandise unless the pack counts decrease dramatically. While some dealers can no doubt handle these larger buys and tie up dollars for extended periods of time, we’ve decided to make camp along the banks of the Rubicon and wait it out until something is worked out between Hornby and our US distributor to make it worthwhile selling their products. Right now, something smells foul, and it isn’t my wife’s cooking.
Takeaway: While times are tough, manufacturers and distributors need to explore ways to make it as convenient as possible for dealers to sell their products before the clock strikes twelve and the coach in which we’ve rode in and reveled about reverts to an ordinary pumpkin. The mice have spoken…
USAF Northrop F-5N Tiger II Fighter – “Red 117”, VFC-111 “Sundowners”, Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, 2014 [Aggressor Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
Earlier this week, Hobby Master indicated that a slew of new aircraft were in the works for an April release. While the list was indeed long, there weren’t that many new models that caught our eye, the bulk having to do with foreign air force’s that typically don’t sell all that well in the North American marketplace. For instance, while a Royal Thai F-16 looks promising, three are in the offing, meaning we have to tie up big bucks watching them sit for months on the shelf until we have a buyer. While it would be nice to stock everything under consideration, the fact remains that we have to be judicious in deciding which models fit our overall product portfolio. That said, only six new warbirds will be added, all of which have now been listed on our web site under the April 2026 release section. So, without further ado, here now the military muscle we’ll be offering to our esteemed audience this spring:
Militaria Diecast US M40 155mm Gun Motor Carriage – 991st Field Artillery Battalion, Germany, March 1945 (1:43 Scale)
While other manufacturers seem to have fallen asleep behind the production wheel, Militaria Diecast claims they’re ready to break the speed limit by offering several new products for early 2026.Five new items were announced today: two in the air, two more on the ground and one for the high seas. As with their previous releases, each of these new items are affordably priced, especially when compared with some of the more prestige lines we sell
Militaria Diecast German Kriegsmarine Bismarck Class Battleship – DKM Bismarck, Operation Rheinubung, Gotenhafen, Poland, May 1941 (1:1250 Scale)
Militaria Diecast US Navy Grumman Avenger TBF-1C Torpedo Plane – “White 95”, VT-2, USS Bogue (CVE-9), August 1944 (1:72 Scale)
Militaria Diecast USAF Lockheed-Martin F-22A Air Dominance Fighter – 1st Fighter Wing, Langley Air Force Base, VA [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
Militaria DiecastUS Army Dodge WC6 1/2-Ton 4×4 Command Car – 2nd Armored Division, France, August 1944 (1:43 Scale)
We’re now accepting pre-orders for each of the items shown here, all of which are expected this coming March.
I’m not certain what gets into some people, talking down to us as if we were misbehaving junkyard dogs for not listening to or acceding to their demands. Its something we’ve had to deal with ever since our inception — instances where a customer feels as if they are in the right despite what they are being told, shown or provided. I don’t think its a generational thing, since it emanates from every quarter and every demographic, nor do I think its directed at us personally, even though I sometimes have my doubts. In any event, their behavior is so abhorrent and/or despicable that we either have to close out their account with us on the web site or permanently block them from making any further purchases on our marketplace sites. Its sad, but I hear this type of behavior occurs with other dealers.
That said, once a year, usually on Thanksgiving, we temporarily remove any account blocks and permit these very same people from making another purchase from us. Mind you, if we still get an earful of ridiculous comments or they take unwarranted action such as cancelling the sale moments after they make it, they go right back on our “Naughty List” and are blocked from both communicating with us or making any additional purchases for an entire year. “Amnesty Day”, as we’ve come to call it, is our way of rolling out the welcome mat all over again to those individuals that, for whatever reason, go off on a tangent, rant or any other type of misguided attack but have promised to behave and follow the rules.
So, on November 27th, Thanksgiving Day, anyone that landed on our blocked buyer list can purchase an item(s) on eBay without any strings attached. Should that same person decide to unload on us all over again, then the sale is cancelled and their account is once again blocked. If the purchase goes through without any hitches, then they can resume purchasing from us after Amnesty Day, unless, of course, they decide to blow up all over again.
Takeaway: Amnesty Day falls on Thanksgiving. Anyone that may be on our blocked buyer list on eBay can make a purchase from us and demonstrate that they have things under control, thereby enabling them to make further purchases on eBay. Blow it, and you’re back on our Naughty List. In short, you can save the drama for your mama….
In recent months, we’ve noticed an uptick in eBay buyers placing orders with us only to cancel them within minutes. Oftentimes, this occurred with buyers who had little or no positive feedback and seemed to be relatively new to eBay. We wondered why this was occurring since the buyer can theoretically review the invoice prior to commitment and sending us their payment. initially we thought it was buyer’s remorse but have instead reached the conclusion that buyers were looking to get a positive feedback added to their profile to make them look better to other sellers.
Our policy has always been to block these types of buyers from placing further orders with us since they are essentially wasting our time and screwing with the system. To combat this growing problem, we decided to go one step further when it comes to leaving feedback. Going forward, we have changed our policy by leaving positive feedback only after payment has been made, the customer has received the item and they have first left us positive feedback so that they cannot game the system. Once they have done this, then eBay will automatically leave them a canned positive feedback on their profile.
If you are a legitimate buyer, I strongly suggest that you refrain from this type of behavior or at least notify us why you are looking to scratch your order before attempting to cancel the transaction. Once we hit the “Block Buyer” button, you can no longer communicate with us through eBay’s messaging system and we are not going to reinstate you unless you have a good explanation as to why you need to cancel your order. We’re sorry to have to make this change but quite frankly we aren’t here to play games with buyers since we are upfront with our listing and feedback history. We hope everyone understands why we have resorted to making this change but a few bad apples have made it necessary for us to keep up with these types of shenanigans by altering our feedback policy.
Takeaway: Expect to be permanently blocked on eBay if you submit an order only to cancel it within minutes of its being placed.
Hobby Master’s US Army Air Force Douglas A-20G Havoc Medium Bomber – “The Hell’n Pelican II”, 90th Bombardment Squadron “Pair-O-Dice”, 3rd Bombardment Group, Gusap Airfield, Papua, New Guinea, 1944 (1:72 Scale)
Ordinarily, commerce raiding is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than engaging its combatants or enforcing a blockade against them. Privateering,, on the other hand, is a form of commerce raiding conducted by independent operators.
During World War II, elements of the United States Navy based in Brazil conducted operations in the Atlantic against German commerce raiders and blockade runners. In the Pacific, the U.S. Navy operated against Japanese merchant shipping, as well as engaging in offensive operations against ships of the Japanese Imperial Navy. The bulk of the Japanese merchant marine was sunk by American submarines. By the end of the war, only 12% of Japan’s pre-war merchant tonnage was still afloat.
The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Carrier Striking Task Force of the Japanese Navy from March 31st to April 10th, 1942, against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean. It was an early engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II.
The staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to send some raiders to Indian Ocean waters from December 12th, 1941 to July 12th, 1942. The Germans had already been operating in the area and conducted mutual aid with Japanese submarines, in the form of re-supply and military intelligence. The Indian Ocean was the largest operating area involving direct contact between the two Axis partners, in which their primary objective was to keep pressure on the shipping lanes. The Japanese Navy participated in some commerce raiding, but concentrated its efforts toward a “decisive battle” in the Pacific, which never took place.
While naval assets continued to play a pivotal role in World War II, commerce destroyers took on an added dimension with the introduction of military aircraft. One such aircraft that took on this task was the inimitable Douglas A-20 Havoc, an American light bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. The A-20G, as it came to be known, filled the role perfectly. Delivered from February 1943, would be the most produced A-20 variant, with 2,850 built. The glazed nose was replaced by a solid nose containing four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano cannon and two .50 in M2 Browning machine guns. After the first batch of 250, the less-accurate cannon were replaced by more machine guns. After 750 aircraft had been built, a power-driven gun turret fitted with two .50 in machine guns was fitted, with the fuselage 6 inches (15 cm) wider as a result, and the ventral tunnel gun changed from a .30 in to another .50 in Browning. The powerplants were two 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) R-2600-23. Many A-20Gs were delivered to the Soviet Union. Notably, U.S. A-20Gs were used on low-level sorties in the New Guinea campaign.
During World War II, the 90th Bombardment Squadron operated in the South Pacific, flying A-20 Havoc and B-25 Mitchell aircraft. Their main mission involved highly-dangerous skip bombings. In an effort to improve the effectiveness and protection of the 3rd Bombardment Group’s pilots, Major Paul ‘Pappy’ Gunn, 3rd Bombardment Group engineering officer, devised a modification to the B-25C. The modification replaced the forward bombardier with four forwards firing .50 caliber machine guns, supplemented with two twin .50 caliber gun packages side mounted on the fuselage. The lower turret was discarded. The A-20s received similar modifications. The modified aircraft were first employed by the 90th and proved exceptionally effective, receiving the nickname ‘commerce destroyers.’ During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, every aircraft in the 90th scored a hit on the Japanese convoy of 18 ships. It was the first sea-level attack by B-25 strafers in World War II and demonstrated that this tactic was extremely effective. The squadron also participated in the raids on Wewak, New Guinea, which were preemptive strikes that virtually ended the threat of enemy offensive air capabilities.
Expect Hobby Master’s newest A-20G to strafe the competition in late November.
The town of Velikye Luki in Russia was captured by German forces during July 1941. From the view of Heeresgruppe Mitte which was responsible for this sector, Velikye Luki was very important for several reasons. First, it formed a bridgehead across the Lowat River. Second, it was a major railroad junction, and third, it screened the vital Vitebsk-Leningrad railroad. The Red Army launched several attacks and partisan actions against Velikye Luki during the following 15 months, but failed to seize the town. By November 1942, Velikye Luki and the surrounding area was still in German hands, awaiting yet another storm of armor. While Velikye Luki would capture the attention of many on the eastern front, it was perhaps on the western front where it took on added meaning.
Legion’s British Sherman Firefly Mk. Vc Medium Tank – “Velikye Luki”, 3 Troop, A Squadron, Northamptonshire Yeomanry, Normandy, France, 1944 (1:72 Scale)
After being promoted to the rank of SS-Haupsturmfuhrer, legendary panzer ace Michael Wittmann was offered but refused a position as an instructor at an armored training school, instead returning to Normandy and his men on July 6th, 1944. His unit, sSSPzAbt. 101, took part in the Battle for Caen, which raged from July 3rd to the 10th. In August, Wittmann and his crew received a new Tiger Ausf. E tank, which was assigned the command identification number 007. Thereafter, Wittmann, along with the rest of sSSPzAbt. 101, was transferred to a region just outside Cintheaux, France. At the time, strong German forces attempted to recapture the crucial city of Caen, which had become completely destroyed by weeks of incessant fighting. On August 8th, 1944, a new battle raged near Cintheaux, which would later become Wittmann’s final engagement.
According to SS-Hauptscharfuhrer Hoflinger commanding Tiger #213, whose tank was positioned in the same field as Wittmann’s tank but towards the rear and to the right of Wittmann’s mount, at 12:55 AM he saw Wittmann’s tank explode as it sat near the road to Caen-Cintheaux, at Gaumesnil, apparently struck by a long-range tank round fired by a Sherman Firefly from the Northampton Yeomanry. Afterwards, Wittmann and his crew were laid to rest beside what was left of their burned out Tiger, sadly without any graveyard markings. The War’s most famous tank ace had paid the ultimate price in blood and iron, a fate awaiting many more tankers in the months to come.
We are currently expecting this vehicle, along with several other Sherman Fireflies, towards the end of November.
On Friday morning, Calibre Wings produced a YouTube video claiming their eagerly awaited B-58 Hustler strategic bomber has been delayed yet again and is now expected to ship out within the March/April 2026 time frame. Noel Lee, owner of Calibre Wings, claimed there were several quality control issues with the production run, more specifically paint spray problems and assembly misalignment, that plagued several of the models. He also pointed to the upcoming Chinese New Year, which typically slows things down even further as workers head home from the factories to see their loved ones and take a break from work.
We’re not certain why this problem is now bubbling to the surface, seeing as how they were probably halfway through the quality control process that was designed to ensure that the models were in top-notch condition prior to being shipped out. We recognize this is a major source of income for the diecast aircraft manufacturer so we hope that this delay will be the last and enable them to get back to business producing first class models. Needless to say if Calibre intends to produce a second B-58 Hustler, they will need to devote more time to inspecting each model before announcing a release date, particularly since these models are fetching what can best be described as a king’s ransom in today’s market.
Moving on to other matters, it appears as if 2025 will go down as the driest year for product releases on record, with many manufacturers either delaying the release of their merchandise or continuing to take a wait-and-see stance to gauge what happens with the Trump tariffs now being ruled on by the Supreme Court. Bear in mind that even if the Court strikes down the tariffs, it will be some time before manufacturers can ramp up production and tackle the new year. Workers were laid off or sought work elsewhere, meaning it will be awhile before they can ratchet up production and resume business as usual.
Earlier today, we learned that Corgi’s last set of 2025 releases are now slated to arrive in late December, barring any further delays. Likewise, the latest items from Hobby Master and Panzerkampf are supposed to arrive in late November, although nothing is set in stone. As we have indicated in our newsletters and web site posts, please do not hang your hat on the arrival of fourth quarter releases as gifts for the holidays. We don’t want to disappoint, but the fact of the matter is we are being as forthright as possible and aren’t going to field complaints when we have absolutely nothing to do with these endless push backs.
Takeaway: Manufacturers and distributors alike are feeling the impact of the Trump Administration tariffs. Product is being delayed and prices are being increased to reflect the additional import charges.
Try as they might, the US Air Force has been unable to retire the venerable A-10 Warthog from its air armada. Essentially, Congress has consistently blocked previous attempts to retire the close attack aircraft, citing a lack of a viable replacement for its close air support (CAS) role and concerns about local jobs. While the Air Force views the A-10 as outdated for peer-to-peer conflict due to its lack of stealth, Congress has previously intervened to prevent its retirement by blocking budget requests and adding provisions to National Defense Authorization Acts. However, the Air Force has recently gained more permission to start retiring the fleet, with a plan to phase them out by 2028/2029, though this process was paused until a replacement was ready and has been subject to ongoing congressional debate
USAF Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II Ground Attack Aircraft – 76-0530, 47th Tactical Fighter Squadron “Termites”, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 1990 (1:72 Scale)
On October 7th, 1996, the 47th’s mission changed from combat to A-10 pilot training. Since that time they have participated in Operation Century Eagle 1999 & 2001, Saguaro Patriot 2001, Patriot Claw 2001 and Patriot Buccaneer 2002. During the first tactical and conventional gunnery competition open to A-10s, Hawgsmoke 2000, and the 47th took First Place for Top Hawgsmoke Tactical Unit, Top Overall Pilot and Top Overall Tactical Pilot. Then during the next Hawgsmoke competition in 2002, they won top A-10 Squadron in the world.
The school graduated approximately 45 active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve students per year.
In June 2003, the squadron deployed to Combat Readiness Training Center, Gulfport, Mississippi for Operation Patriot Pursuit.[2] In April 2004, the 47th hosted Hawgsmoke 2004 at the England Air Park (former England AFB), Louisiana. There were 18 A-10 teams from all over the world deployed to participate in the biennial A-10 bombing and tactical gunnery competition. The 47th deployed to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida for Operation Patriot Gator the end of July through the first of August 2004.[2] In 2005, the 47th deployed to McChord Air Force Base, Washington, for Operation Patriot Lightning, a close air support training exercise in conjunction with the Army National Guard.
In 2006 pursuant to a Base Realignment and Closure decision, the 47th gained eight A-10 aircraft and a number of full-time and part-time positions. In March the 47 FS won third overall out of 17 teams in Hawgsmoke 2006 at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Also in March, they participated in Operation Atlantic Strike III, a joint training exercise held at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida with the squadron operating from nearby MacDill AFB.
As a training unit augmenting the active duty A-10 Formal Training Unit (FTU) squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, the 47th graduated about 45 active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve students per year.
1 October 2011, the 47th Fighter Squadron converted from a training unit to a combat coded unit. January 2012, the 917 Wing was inactivated. The wing’s B-52 squadron, the 93d Bombardment Squadron, was assigned to the 307th Bombardment Wing and the 47th was assigned to the 917th Fighter Group, which became part of the 442d Fighter Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, MO.
In September 2013, the squadron relocated to Davis-Monthan AFB.
In September 2024, the 47th Fighter Squadron won the biennial Hawgsmoke bombing, missile, and tactical gunnery competition.
While they may be retired sooner rather than later, you can still nab the latest rendition of the A-10 from Hobby Master in late November.
