Product Spotlight: Hobby Master Recalls that Tomorrow is Yesterday


Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed F-104G Starfighter Interceptor – Captain John Christopher, FG-914, “Bluejay 4”, RAF Waddington, England, 1960s

Every so often we sit back and are forced to do a double-take at some of the items coming to market. While there are many products rooted in the past – after all, we are selling historical collectibles – one looks to tear a page out of Star Trek lore to help generate interest and take a shot at melding fact with fantasy.

Such is the case with Hobby Master’s latest Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (HA1044), which was profiled in the nineteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. In the episode
dubbed “Tomorrow is Yesterday”, the crew of the USS Enterprise accidentally travels back to 1960s Earth and must correct damage they cause to the timeline.

On stardate 3113.2, the Federation starship USS Enterprise is thrown back in time to Earth during the 1960s by the effects of a high-gravity “black star“. The Enterprise ends up in Earth’s upper atmosphere, and is picked up as a UFO on military radar.

A U.S. Air Force F-104 interceptor piloted by Captain John Christopher (Roger Perry), is scrambled to identify the craft. Fearing an attack, Captain Kirk orders a tractor beam to be used on the jet, which tears the plane apart. The pilot is transported aboard the Enterprise.

Fearing Christopher could disrupt the timeline if returned to Earth, Kirk at first decides that the pilot must stay with the Enterprise. When Science Officer Spock later discovers that the pilot’s as-yet-unborn son will play an important role in a future mission to Saturn, Kirk realizes he must return Christopher to Earth after all.

After learning of the existence of film taken of the Enterprise by Christopher’s wing cameras, Kirk and Lt. Sulu beam down to the airbase to recover the film and any other evidence of their visit. They are caught by an Air Policeman, who accidentally activates an emergency signal on Kirk’s communicator and is immediately beamed aboard. Kirk and Sulu continue their search, after which Kirk is captured again and Sulu escapes.

Spock, Sulu, and Christopher, who knows the base’s layout, beam down to recover Kirk. After Kirk’s guards are subdued, Christopher grabs one of their guns and demands to be left behind. Spock, having anticipated Christopher would make such an attempt, appears behind Christopher and disables him with a Vulcan nerve pinch.

After they return to the ship, Spock and Chief Engineer Scott inform Kirk of a possible escape method by slingshotting around the Sun to break away and return to their time. The maneuver is risky, since even a small miscalculation could destroy the ship, or make them miss their own era.

Kirk okays the maneuver, and time on board the Enterprise moves backwards. Christopher is beamed back to his fighter jet at the instant he first encountered the Enterprise, preventing any evidence of the ship being produced, and erasing his memory of his time on the Enterprise. The same is done with the Air Policeman. Enterprise then successfully returns to the 23rd century.

While we don’t suggest performing the same slingshotting maneuver, or advocate turning back time to score higher on your college entrance exams, its comforting to know that at least one model maker is willing to take a chance by setting aside history and dabbling in the “What if.”

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Hobby Master Lives Up to the March Saying


Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Douglas A-1H Skyraider Attack Aircraft – 22nd Special Operations Squadron “Green Hornets”, 56th Special Operations Wing, South Vietnam (1:72 Scale)

Its been said that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Apparently, the same could very well hold true for Hobby Master, who ushered in the month with a bevy of eagerly anticipated models and looks to go out in much the same fashion although with a bang instead of a whimper.

According to our distributor, the March shipment of Hobby Master releases are expected to hit their loading dock late next week, meaning they’ve received two shipments of new products in a single month instead of the usual one. If that wasn’t enough, we’ve also learned about their August shipment, which includes several models having been pushed back by a month along with ten or so new items not previously announced. We’re currently in the middle of listing all the new vehicles and aircraft and hope to have everything, including some eye-catching line art, uploaded by the close of business.

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DeAgostini Helps to Put Words in Our Mouth

Occasionally, we have precious little to report, as difficult as that might sound to the untrained ear. Its not that we’re at a loss for words – Lord knows that will likely never happen in our lifetime. Its just that news concerning our hobby is some times few and far between, usually occurring just after Chinese New Year when the factories are getting back up to speed and still counting heads to see which of their workers have returned from vacation.

So, we thought we’d look at a line that we’d like to stock but haven’t been able to nab largely because its another partworks line that has eluded us. We have nothing against partworks ranges, which typically wed a vehicle with a full-color magazine designed to explain the vehicle in question and its use on the battlefield. Rather, these lines are usually available in Europe first and must run their course before becoming available to other international suppliers.

In the case of DeAgostini, they are now up to their 20th 1:43 scale tank, and show no signs of abating, which, of course, is a good thing. Their first 13 tank replicas were based upon Russian-made designs that saw service with the Red Army during and after WWII. Interestingly they have diverged a bit since formulating that initial strategy, and are now starting to offer vehicles built by other nations, such as this US made M4 Sherman and British constructed Churchill. Other notable vehicles, such as a French made Char 2C super heavy tank and Valentine have also been released, making this one of the more sought after lines of mid-sized diecast military vehicles released in recent memory. The problem, as I alluded to earlier, is that we still can’t lay our grubby little hands on them until the series has concluded. Drats!

We’ll keep our fingers crossed that this series will eventually make it to our shores and keep you apprised of any changes as the line bulks up. In the meantime, keep one eye on the line and the other on our site for the latest news concerning the series.

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Eaglemoss Kicks its Star Trek Discovery Line into High Gear


Eaglemoss Star Trek Federation Constitution Class Starship – USS Enterprise NCC-1701 [With Collector Magazine]

While it looks as if their standard ships line has slowed down to impulse power, that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Eaglemoss Star Trek Discovery range. Three new ships were announced in recent days, bringing the total to fifteen entrants. Shown above is a Star Trek Federation Worker Bee (EMSTDISC13), which was a small utility craft in use by the Federation in the mid-23rd century. Both the USS Shenzhou and her contemporary starship the USS Discovery carried a complement of worker bees.


Eaglemoss Star Trek Klingon Cleave Starship [With Collector Magazine]

Number fourteen is a rather strange looking Klingon Cleave Starship (EMSTDISC14), a 23rd century Klingon warship in service to the House of T’Kuvma.


Eaglemoss Star Trek Federation Hoover Class Starship – USS Edison NCC-1683 [With Collector Magazine]

Finally, we have the fifteenth offering, the USS Edison (NCC-1683), which was an Hoover-class Federation starship operated by Starfleet during the mid-23rd century (EMSTDISC15). All three are expected this Spring and more, no doubt, are waiting in the wings as the series continues to pick up steam.

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Atlas Hoists Its Bomber Force on its Brawny Shoulders


Atlas Editions’ 1:144 scale Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Mitsubishi Ki-21 “Sally” Heavy Bomber (1:144 Scale)

As Spring approaches, so does Atlas Editions’ ever-widening range of 1:144 scale bombers of World War II. Although they are designed for the budget-minded collector, these models don’t skimp on detail nor do they miss the sweet spot of the average aviation enthusiast by offering tons of detail at an extraordinary price.

The usual suspects are included in the mix, as are some rare warbirds, such as an Imperial Japanese Navy Sally heavy bomber or an early war Lockheed Hudson. Best of all, each is priced at just $24.99, making them a great way to introduce collectors to the wonderful world of diecast collecting.

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Product Spotlight: Dance of the Doodlebugs


Corgi’s 1:72 scale German Heinkel He-111H-16 Medium Bomber with Fi 103 (Doodlebug) – A1+HK, 2./Kampfgeschwader 53, Air Launch V-1 Flying Bomb Unit, Late 1944

Year after year, the Heinkel He-111 medium bomber is one of the most popular aircraft in the Corgi Aviation Archive stable. Its sleek lines, handsomely applied paint schemes and wonderful attention to detail helps to explain way we sell out of this model almost as soon as we get them in stock.

This June, the latest entrant in the Heinkel line up is this He-111H-16, which is armed with a Fi 103 (Doodlebug), better known as a V-1 Flying Bomb (AA33716). A similar model was released way back in 2005 and instantly became one of the most sought after Heinkels ever to take wing, and now garners exceptionally high prices in many of the the after markets.


The newest Heinkel (AA33716) was operated by Legion Condor and wrought vengeance upon the Allied Armies following the invasion of Europe. Just one week after the D-Day landings and the successful Allied invasion of enemy occupied Europe, the Germans were determined to show that the war was far from over and launched the first of their V-1 Flying Bombs against Southern England. Described as their first “Vengeance Weapon”, these pulse jet powered unmanned flying bombs emitted a distinctive sound from the intermittently firing engine and quickly became known as “Doodlebugs”, with the indiscriminate nature of their targeting spreading panic amongst the British population. At its peak, more than 100 V-1s were hurled against England from their launch sites on the French and Dutch coasts, however, although they spread panic amongst the population, the range of these attacks was restricted to southern English counties.

In an attempt to extend the range of these attacks, a specialist bombing unit was formed and equipped with modified versions of Heinkel He-111H bombers, which could carry a Doodlebug slung beneath the starboard wing, between the wing root and the engine. With an electric connection running from the bomber to the V-1s engine, the optimum delivery method was for the Heinkel to reach a height of approximately 2,000 feet, before entering a shallow dive to reach a launch speed of 150mph. This was the speed needed for the V-1 to fly and once reached, the pulse jet engine was remotely fired, allowed to run for a few seconds, then released, with the parent aircraft diving away for a low level return to base. Many factors would then come into play and dictate where the V-1 fell, such as heading, wind direction and performance of the rather basic jet engine.

Look for Corgi’s rendition of its newest Heinkel He-111 to land some time in June.

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Tales of Transparency: Collecting Out-of-State Sales Tax

Earlier today, I read, with great interest, an email sent out by one of our competitors to their clientele regarding the collection of online sales tax. In it, the owner expressed his dismay regarding the onerous task of collecting sales tax for states outside his immediate purview. While I can understand his frustration and cause for alarm, I just wanted to point out something he and the rest of the collecting community may not be aware of after doing some due diligence of my own.

The following text was excerpted from the SalesTaxInstitute.com web site and may help to explain why some sellers are collecting sales tax and others are not: “On June 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., addressing South Dakota’s economic nexus law. This decision overruled the physical presence rule for sales tax nexus for sales made over the internet. States now have right to require tax collection from online retailers and other remote sellers that do not have physical presence in their states. Looking strictly at the South Dakota economic nexus legislation addressed in the case, South Dakota’s law minimizes the burden on online and out-of-state sellers. The legislation provides a safe harbor for small sellers: a remote seller must make in-state sales exceeding $100,000 or makes 200 or more separate sales transactions in the previous or current calendar year for the nexus provision to apply. The legislation also ensures that the nexus provision does not apply retroactively.”

So, in effect, unless the seller is doing a truly bang up job in a particular state, they are exempted from this Supreme Court ruling by this so-called safe harbor. Online sellers such as Amazon and eBay are clearly exceeding these thresholds, which is why they are currently tacking on sales tax to online transactions made in states mandating the collection of sales tax. Now, should things change from a legislative standpoint or we start doing incredibly well such that we are meeting or exceeding these thresholds, then I doubt a retailer of our size and stature will have to collect and remit sales tax for states other than New York, our nexus, which is where we are currently located.

As states seek to raise revenue in the wake of store closings and online sales continue to increase vis. a vis. brick-and-mortar businesses, this ruling will likely be reviewed again and possibly amended to reflect the state-of-affairs. Until such time, however, we will continue to collect sales tax from customers located in New York but will certainly notify everyone if it appears as if we must follow suit and start collecting sales tax from and for other states.

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Calibre Wings Recalibrates

Calibre Wings’ 1:72 scale JASDF Grumman F-14J “Mona Cat” Fleet Defense Fighter – 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron

Originally launched under the Imaginarium moniker, Calibre Wings has decided to rebrand its fantasy-based category by calling the new selection “Dream Cats”. The idea here is to tweak an existing model without going through the added expense of actually retooling the mold – a makeover of sorts by applying ahistorical “what if” liveries and schemes to operational aircraft. In the case of their F-14 Tomcat, the Company has elected to apply a familiar Japanese scheme typically seen on their F-1 and F-2 jets and calling the new aircraft a “Mona Cat”, then finishing by assigning it to the JASDF’s 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. It’ll be interesting to see if collectors warm to the idea of adding models to their collection that never saw service with the nationality or squadron depicted. Its certainly a novel concept, and helps to defray the cost of producing the mold, so we hope it “takes off” with aviation enthusiasts world over.

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Waltersons Dabbles in the Model Kit Market

Waltersons updated 1:72 scale Tiger I heavy tank model kit

Just like its predecessor, Unimax, Waltersons will apparently test out the model kit market with its soon-to-be-released Model Kit 999 Series. Twelve 1:72 scale kits are set to hit the streets, most based on World War II era machines of war. At first blush, these look to be the same 12 kits that Unimax produced roughly ten years ago. Interestingly, the Forces of Valor logo does not appear on the updated packaging. Its not clear, at present, if our distributor will stock the series or remain focused on the pre-assembled range of vehicles and aircraft that make up the Forces of Valor line up.

Unimax’ 1:72 scale Tiger I heavy tank model kit bearing the Forces of Valor logo

Speaking of Forces of Valor, the manufacturer intends to use the upcoming Shizuoka Hobby Show held in Japan this April to display much of their wares and hopefully provide everyone with a production schedule for the balance of the year. Despite falling behind schedule we are still hoping for some good things to appear in 2019 that will rekindle our passion for the line.

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Product Spotlight: “Task Force Ripper”



Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC M60A1 Patton Medium Tank with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) – “Genesis II”, “Task Force Ripper”, C Company, 3rd Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Operation Desert Storm, 1991

Its been awhile since we’ve received a military vehicle of particular note, one with a fair bit of history behind it instead of some generic, unidentified unit no one cares about. Which is one reason why we’ve had our eye on Hobby’ Master’s recently released M60A1 Patton tank with explosive reactive armor (HG5606), a sharp-looking vehicle that served with “Task Force Ripper” during Operation Desert Storm.

Task Force Ripper, under the command of Colonel Carlton W. Fulford Jr., led the 1st Marine Division straight into Kuwait City during Operation Desert Storm, smashing through enemy armor and enemy delaying actions. As the Marine 1st Division edged nearer the city, commanders heard reports of two developing counterattacks by Iraqi forces. “We fired on the two gathering points and it wasn’t 30 minutes before we scattered them like rabbits out of the bush,” said Myatt, the division commander. “The Cobras {helicopter gunships} and the LAVs {light armored vehicles} had a field day” as a “hunter-killer package” to search out and destroy Iraqi equipment. On the way to their objective, the Kuwait International Airport, Task Force Ripper M-60A1 Patton tanks destroyed about 100 Iraqi tanks and armored personnel carriers, including about 50 top-of-the-line Soviet T-72 tanks. 1st Marine division commander Maj. Gen. J.M. Myatt said, “During the first day of combat operations 1st Platoon, D Company, 3rd Tank Battalion destroyed 15 Iraqi tanks”. The Marines also destroyed 25 APCs and took 300 POWs. The 1st Marine Division’s Task Force Shepherd lost 14 killed in action during combat operations en route to Kuwait International Airport. Task Force Taro was also a participant in the 1st Marine Division’s combat operations. Task Force Papa Bear, C and D Co, 1st Marine Division, who as the division reserve repelled a huge enemy counter-attack while defending the minefield breach. The 1st Marine Division also destroyed around 60 Iraqi tanks near the Burgan oil field without suffering any losses.

An Iraqi counterattack was broken up by fire from five Marine artillery battalions. An assault by the 22nd Brigade of the Iraqi 5th Mechanized Division was broken at the point of attack by Marine Infantry. Company I of the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines hit the Iraqi 22nd Brigade with close range fire from their Dragon ATGMs and handheld antitank weapons. Company C, 1st Tank Battalion would destroy 18 Iraqi vehicles during this particular engagement. The 1st Marine Division lost 1 M60A1 tank clearing a path through a minefield. The 1st Marine Division encountered more Iraqi opposition as it proceeded to move north. Elements of the 1st Marine Division came into contact with the Iraqi 15th Mechanized Brigade, 3rd Armored Division. During this engagement the Marines destroyed an additional 46 enemy vehicles and took approximately 929 POWs. Three Marines were wounded in the process. As the 1st Marine Division continued its advance it destroyed an additional 29 Iraqi combat vehicles and captured 320 POWs. During these engagements the most effective Iraqi unit appeared to be the Iraqi 449th Artillery Brigade. Its accurate fire killed a Marine and wounded 12 others. Marine Company C, 3rd Tank Battalion would have a tank damaged by Iraqi artillery fire. In return 1st Marine Division artillery would also prove its worth eliminating numerous enemy targets or driving off other Iraqi forces. The 1st Marine Division would encounter more Iraqi opposition along the way to the Kuwait International Airport destroying dozens of more Iraqi tanks and APCs while taking hundreds of additional POWs.

Once the 1st Marine Division reached Kuwait International Airport they found what remained of the Iraqi 12th Armored Brigade, 3rd Armored Division defending it. The Marines destroyed 30 to 40 Iraqi T-72 tanks which had taken up defensive positions around the airport. The Marines also encountered T-62 tanks in dispersed and under strength platoon and company units. They were knocked out by TOWs at long range. By the end of the day the Iraqi 3rd Armored Division was totally destroyed. The Iraqi 3rd Armored Division losses included more than 250 T-55/62s and 70 T-72 tanks.

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