Convair B-58 Hustler

Calibre Wings Does the Hustle(r)

While we have temporarily discontinued stocking the Calibre Wings line of military aircraft, we thought it still made sense to cover them as if we did. Of late, the Company has come under fire from some of its most vocal critics, who delight in lambasting them on every conceivable issue, from quality control to licensing. While we are not going to agree or disagree with some of the online comments posted to their Facebook account, the point of this blog post isn’t to throw more fuel on the fire. Rather, it is designed to point out some of their positive achievements, which includes not only what they have brought to market thus far but what’s ahead from this rising star in the diecast community.

By now, most of you are no doubt aware that the Company has a MiG-31 “Foxhound” in the works, which can still be pre-ordered direct from the manufacturer and is currently listed as a 2023 release. What you may not know is that they are also working on their long-promised if oft delayed Convair B-58 Hustler, a supersonic bomber that saw yeoman service with the USAF during the Cold War. While the mold is still being finalized and pre-orders are not yet being taken by the manufacturer, they did take time out to cobble together this short video which discusses their labor-of-love. Enjoy and don’t forget to support your favorite manufacturers any way you can! BTW, Noel Lee, the owner of Calibre Wings, has hinted that the retail price of the B-58 could be as high as $300, although its likely he will offer it at a far lower price on Kickstarter, a crowdfunding site, for a limited time only. The Hustler is an iconic Cold War aircraft that helped to form the backbone of our so-called Triad nuclear response for several decades. As such while it may be expensive vis a vis other diecast aircraft, we feel confident that Calibre will do it justice and thus represent a worthwhile investment.

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Do the Hustle(r)!

Having spent much of my glory days in the seventies, I can tell you first hand that one of the most memorable songs of the period was “Do the Hustle.” While I’d prefer to forget about the Huckapoo shirts and platform shoes that helped me while away the weekend evenings, thank you very much, I can’t help but reflect on one of the most iconic aircraft of the era – the Convair B-58 Hustler, the first operational jet bomber capable of Mach 2 flight. Despite its place in the annals of aviation history and importance during the Cold War era, this iconic aircraft seems to have been overlooked from a diecast stand point, briefly offered in a 1:200 scale by Sky Defenders that never quite did the aircraft or the collecting community justice.

One of the reasons why diecast model makers seem loathe to offering a 1:72 scale replica of the Hustler was, as some claim, only a handful of variations are available to justify the costs associated with building a mold. This, however, is anything but the case, as shown by the accompanying infographic, which clearly shows five different variations and an equal number of paint schemes that could be easily adopted should a savvy manufacturer decide to take up our challenge.

So what say you collectors? Should a company such as Hobby Master pick up the gauntlet and take a shot at diecast immortality by building the Hustler or are you content with what you’ve gotten thus far? (Hint, nudge them with a quick jab to the abdomen so you too can add the B-58 to your diminutive collection)

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