As we await the arrival of their 1:32 scale Sturmtiger assault mortar, Waltersons posted a short, low-light teaser for their inaugural Tiger I heavy tank. Created for their Japanese audience, the trailer makes use of the “Metal Proud” moniker Forces of Valor has developed over the course of the last couple of years as a means of demonstrating how much diecast material is actually being employed in the reworked series. As many collectors pointed out towards the end of the Unimax era — the original manufacturer of the Forces of Valor brand — the Company was using less and less metal in the composition of its 1:32 scale military vehicles, largely as a means of reducing costs. This, of course, didn’t sit well with the collecting community despite the manufacturer passing along repeated price hikes and seemingly offering more lackluster products that lacked the imagination the series aimed at recreating.
While the Waltersons’ version will carry a MAP of $124.99, which is substantially more than the last Tiger I produced in the late 2000s, it is, in effect, a completely different vehicle than its predecessors, boasting a removable engine, heavier content and a more realistic painting process that involves repeated over-spraying and various weathering effects. The manufacturer has acknowledged that at least 20 separate vehicles are slated to be re-produced over the course of the next few years, to say nothing of the Panzer Ace series hinted at some time ago, which will replicate some of the more famous tanks and their storied commanders that have become the stuff of legend since the end of the war.
In other news, Waltersons has posted three different videos for their soon-to-be-released trio of ROC AH-1W “Whiskey” attack helicopters. Each video showcases the differences between the three helicopters being portrayed, as well as the obligatory commonalities that have enabled the manufacturer to release three helicopters at once in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. Thus far, a pair of USMC attack helicopters are set to ship later in the year, so we expect videos and imagery to be unveiled in due course.
