In what appears to be an overt plan to compete with the current dominant modelmaker, Air Force 1 announced plans to build two new 1:72 scale aircraft, as well as a second pair of aircraft that puts them on a direct war footing with Hobby Master. Expected later this year are a 1:72 scale Sukhoi Su-35S multi-role fighter along with a Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter, two aircraft that should score well with aviation enthusiasts.

Interestingly, they also plan to offer a 1:72 scale rendition of the Northrop-Grumman E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft, although no firm price and release date has been declared. Also expected is a Lockheed-Martin F-22 Air Dominance Fighter, which makes them the third house to focus on this fifth generation aircraft. Frankly, we are not sure where this strategy will lead in the face of rising production costs, a tepid collector market and an economy still teetering on recovery. We’d prefer to see them tackle other subjects yet to be replicated, so this shot across the bow, if one can call it that, will inevitably lead to other instances where multiple models will be available per subject matter and hopefully create better scale models at the lowest possible prices.

Air Force 1 Model Company intends to honor the memory of the April 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo with a 1:72 scale replica of General Jimmy Doolittle’s North American B-25B bomber. What makes this announcement even more poignant is the fact that some will come with a nameplate signed by his co-pilot, Lt. Richard E. “Dick” Cole, one of the last surviving members of the low-level bombing raid designed to lift morale back at home. The replica is expected in May, which is almost 73 years to the day when they took off from the deck of the USS Hornet and flew into history. A commemorative such as this comes along very infrequently, so even if you have a passing interest in WWII aviation, you may want to consider putting this one on your wish list.