Tales of Transparency – Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Out of curiosity, we sometimes get asked why we do not have a new item physically in stock even though it may be marked as such on our web site. The simple answer is time or perhaps more to the point, time management. We run a tight ship here at The Motor Pool. When a noteworthy item comes in that has been pre-ordered up the gazoo, we begin the arduous task of searching our ordering system for the item in question then wedding it with other items that may already be held for the customer or other newly received items expected around the same time frame, thereby reducing shipping costs for everyone concerned. For instance, when the 1:32 scale Forces of Valor vehicles start appearing on the horizon, we may need several days head start to address each new item, contacting the customer if we do not have their proper billing information, editing orders to prevent redundancy, adjusting inventory counts, and such. If we waited until the merchandise actually arrived, then we’d get swamped with new orders as well as old, potentially undermining the process of getting product out in the most expeditious manner possible. As we get larger, and make our products available on additional venues, this issue can easily get exacerbated, so we make every effort to keep everything correct, up-to-date and ship-shape, particularly during the hectic holiday shopping season.

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Hobby Master’s Den of Thieves for June

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Soviet Sukhoi Su-25 “Frogfoot” Ground Attack Aircraft – “Red 59”, 378. OShAP, VVS, 40th Army, Bagram AB, Afghanistan, 1986

Every so often we call attention to the monthly roster of Hobby Master products rolling in through our doors. June seems to be a particularly noteworthy month, since it contains a wealth of important subjects spread out across a number of scales, categories, and eras. Perhaps the most significant release is their first ever Suhkoi Su-25 “Frogfoot” ground attack aircraft (HA6103), the Soviet’s equivalent to our A-10 Thunderbolt II. Their first foray in the world of the Frogfoot is certainly memorable, bearing the Soviet’s trademark red star on its tail and representing a warbird that served in Afghanistan throughout the 1980s.

Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero” Fighter – Tetsunzo Iwamoto, 201st Naval Flying Group, Rabaul, November 1943

Also in the hopper is Japanese ace Tetsunzo Iwamoto‘s Mitsubishi Zero, a 1:48 scale IJN fighter that was based at the Japanese fortress of Rabaul (HA8803). Other notable aircraft include a 1:48 scale Corsair from VMF-214 “Black Sheep” (HA8218), a huge 1:32 scale Dauntless dive-bomber (HA0209) and a pair of Soviet ISU-152 self-propelled guns (HG7053 and HG7054). Indeed, the June shipment should be of interest to a wide swath of collectors, cutting across the entire spectrum of diecast military products. Enjoy!

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The June Swoon: What’s Still on Tap for the Rest of the Month

Air Commander’s latest F-4 Phantom is still slated for a June arrival.

So, we received an update from our distributors regarding which items/ lines are still expected by the end of June, hopefully before we close for vacation from July 2nd to the 10th. Here is what is still on tap:

Hobby Master – en route to us and should be in stock by the third week of June

Air Commander – late June

Forces of Valor – late June

War Master/Solido – late June

Air Force 1 – late June

The Forces of Valor shipment includes several back ordered warships that we have been out of for awhile. Nothing new is expected, unless there’s a surprise in store that we aren’t aware of. We’ve pushed back Wings of the Great War, Modelcollect and Eaglemoss into July, and are on the fence regarding several Corgi releases. Keep in mind that the shipments may have to be delayed by several days if it appears as if they might arrive while we are away. We have instructed our distributors to hold our shipments until our return.

It’s been awhile since we received a handsome piece of WWII-era self-propelled artillery, particularly a US M12 GMC 155mm self-propelled gun clad in a flocked winter camouflage scheme.
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Marketplace Update: Amazon

Part of becoming a successful retailer in today’s fast-paced global market is establishing a presence on each of the major marketplace sites. We’ve had a thriving satellite store on eBay for 19 years and thought it was finally high time we created a similar store on Amazon. Earlier today, we began listing a portion of our product portfolio on Amazon and will continue to do so over the course of the next few weeks, thereby building out our global footprint and servicing even more people than before. Later this summer, we will be creating like-minded stores on Walmart’s marketplace as well as Jet.com, reaching even more customers both here and abroad. Our ultimate aim is to offer the widest possible array of diecast military products as possible to the broadest possible audience, all the while continuing to pay careful attention to our core web site, themotorpool.net. We hope you appreciate our efforts and look forward to even greater things in the not-too-distant future. To visit our Amazon store, simply click on the image above.

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Eaglemoss Reckons its Time to Test Star Trek Cadets with its Own Kobayashi Maru

Perhaps one of the most poignant moments in Star Trek lore was when Captain Kirk demonstrated his prowess as a star ship captain by skillfully defeating the Federation-created Kobayashi Maru training exercise. Thetraining exercise in the fictional Star Trek universe was designed to test the character of Starfleet Academy cadets in a no-win scenario. The Kobayashi Maru test was first depicted in the opening scene of the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and also appears in the 2009 film Star Trek. Screenwriter Jack B. Sowards is credited with inventing the test. The test’s name is occasionally used among Star Trek fans or those familiar with the series to describe a no-win scenario, a test of one’s character or a solution that involves redefining the problem.

The notional primary goal of the exercise is to rescue the civilian vessel Kobayashi Maru in a simulated battle with the Klingons. The disabled ship is located in the Klingon Neutral Zone, and any Starfleet ship entering the zone would cause an interstellar border incident. The approaching cadet crew must decide whether to attempt rescue of the Kobayashi Maru crew — endangering their own ship and lives – or leave the Kobayashi Maru to certain destruction. If the cadet chooses to attempt rescue, the simulation is designed to guarantee that the cadet’s ship is destroyed with the loss of all crew members.

Look for the Eaglemoss replica of the Kobayashi Maru (EMSTSP14) to test your knowledge some time in August.

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The Modelcollect Train Pulls into the Station

We’ve known for some time that Modelcollect was getting into the model train market, combining its expertise in military modeling with aspirations of becoming a major player in yet another hobby sector. Earlier today, the first two fully assembled items were unveiled – a pair of German flatcars circa 1943. While flatcars aren’t exactly going to set the world on fire, it does demonstrate that they have big plans ahead, likely offering armored trains in the not-too-distant future and perhaps other ancillary products aimed at building out the category. Both products have been listed on our web site in Modelcollect’s Railway Series sub category, along with a pair of two new tanks and some updated photos for several soon-to-be-released vehicles.

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Oxford Vertically Integrates with the Dragonfly

Oxford’s first ever 1:72 scale helicopter is going through a lengthy pre-flight checklist, and not expected to power up until the third quarter of 2019

Seems as if there are a number of diecast model makers trying their luck at the helicopter market. Earlier today, we learned that Oxford plans on testing the “choppy” waters with its first ever helicopter – a Royal Navy Westland Dragonfly HR.5 Utility Helicopter (WD001). Based upon the US Army’s Sikorsky S-51, the Dragonfly entered service with the Royal Navy in 1950, immediately employed in an air-sea rescue role. A number were also used by the Royal Air Force for casualty evacuation. It was replaced in British service by the Westland Whirlwind, another derivative of a Sikorsky design, in the late 1950s. Fifty-one civilian WS-51s were produced. Examples were used by Pest Control Ltd for crop spraying and others were flown as executive transports by Silver City Airways, Evening Standard Newspapers and Fairey Aviation. Exported aircraft operated in Japan, Belgian Congo, Mexico and Norway.

Interestingly, the Oxford model is not expected until the 3rd quarter of 2019, so if you intend on pre-ordering this item, understand that you may have to sit on your hands for at least a year before it materializes.

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Tom Cruise, Eat Your Heart Out

With Top Gun 2 still a year off, you may want to bone up on the flight characteristics of the legendary F/A-18 Hornet Strike aircraft now before you sign up for the Top Gun academy. Eagle Dynamics, long a player in the flight simulation world, has just released an incredible module for their award-winning massively multiplayer online simulation, DCS World Steam Edition, entitled F/A-18C. DCS, which stands for Digital Combat Simulator, has been around for quite a number of years, enabling gamers to get their feet wet, free-of-charge, in the online air combat simulation world. However, if you want to get the full experience, and gain access to several aircraft modules and specific scenery packs, then you have to pony up some cash and purchase an ever growing array of add-ons. F/A-18C, which was released earlier this month, offers a near photo-realistic experience of the Hornet aircraft from the inside out, showcasing its many strengths, capabilities and characteristics as a naval aircraft. You can take off and land on a carrier, embark upon real-world missions, take wing with the US Navy’s Blue Angels and much more. Check out the video below.

 

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Where For Art Thou Dragon Armor?

Dragon Models recently updated their web site and it now appears as if several 1:72 scale Dragon Armor pieces — that had been pushed back for several months running — are no longer any where to be found. It’s not clear if they have been cancelled, postponed or delayed due to poor sales performance of several previous Dragon Armor releases, but the fact remains that it certainly doesn’t bode well for the category in general or the items in particular.

The pieces in question include:

DRR60697 – German Sd. Kfz. 161 PzKpfw IV Ausf. F2 (G) Medium Tank – 13.Panzer Division, Northern Caucasus, Russia, 1942 (1:72 Scale)

DRR60698 – German Sd. Kfz. 161 PzKpfw IV Ausf. F2 (G) Medium Tank – Unidentified Unit, Eastern Front, 1943 (1:72 Scale)

DRR60399 – German Sd. Kfz. 182 PzKpfw VI King Tiger Ausf. B Heavy Tank – “313”, schwere Panzer Abteilung 501, Ardennes, 1944 (1:72 Scale)

DRR60400 – German Sd. Kfz. 182 PzKpfw VI King Tiger Ausf. B Heavy Tank – schwere Panzer Abteilung 509, Hungary, 1945 (1:72 Scale)

We asked Dragon about their removal from their sites several days ago and thus far have not gotten a definitive response. So, we will leave them up on our web site for a few more days until we receive a final answer. If history serves as any indication, then Dragon has posted a number of Dragon Armor pieces in the past that never came to fruition.

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Films in Focus: Top Gun 2 Gets Topped Off

Val Kilmer is back as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, Pete Mitchell’s chief competitor at the Top Gun academy. Still dangerous after all these years.

According to the Aviation Geek Club, Val Kilmer has signed on to lend his talents to Top Gun 2, thereby reprising his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky alongside Tom Cruise. Like Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Iceman will likely portray a fellow naval instructor at the Top Gun academy. The site also claims that Kenny Loggins will re-record Highway to the Danger Zone, the song that helped catapult the film into cinematic stardom. Presently, its not clear if any of the other former actors and actresses that appeared in the original film will be asked to rejoin the cast should the script permit and who will be added to the role call to portray a new class of naval aviators.

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