Before everyone heads off to enjoy their Memorial Day Weekend, I just wanted to touch base one more time regarding the revamped Forces of Valor range, discussing their differing philosophies both then and now and how it once again needs to be explained in detail to keep everyone informed. Back in 2002, when Unimax first burst onto the scene with their initial line up of Forces of Valor vehicles, we were instrumental in helping put them on the hobby map, advertising the line heavily in certain magazines and talking up the range as best we could so that they could gain traction as quickly as possible. In fact, I fondly remember meeting with the principals at Panache Place — then the distributor for the Forces of Valor range — when the line first debuted at Toy Fair here in New York City. I remember walking into their private offices with my partner, throwing down my winter coat on an unoccupied chair and telling them that they had an out-an-out winner on their hands even if they themselves didn’t know it as yet.

Over the course of the next decade or so, Unimax, the maker of the Forces of Valor products, contracted with a number of factories in China to produce the range, which initially came in two flavors; one designed for the mass market audience and was readily available at several Big Box stores including Toys ‘R US and Target, and a second, nearly identical range designed for the purist at heart. When the “action” range, as it was called, was passed over by the mass merchandisers, Unimax was faced with a dilemma; end the line or continue to produce it in far fewer numbers so that it was still financially feasible to make. They chose the latter course of action, looking to appease the collector even in the face of rising labor costs and oftentimes being shunted from one factory to the next who were looking to make widgets in the tens of thousands rather than a few hundred Tiger tanks at a time. As costs rose, the manufacturer slowly diluted the product to keep it affordable, stripping away much of each vehicle’s metal content, removing various accessories and even thinning out the cardboard carton each vehicle came in to make it as light as possible. Despite all these cost-cutting moves, however, the line began to languish and the owner, who was now closing in on 70 years of age, decided it was time to call it a day and pursue other interests he had long been delaying.

Fast forward several years to the present day, with Waltersons, the new caretakers of the line, now in control. Waltersons was keenly aware of the problems faced by Unimax at the end of their tenure and was determined not to repeat these mistakes. For starters, all manufacturing was brought in-house so they could better control the quality of each item as well as lower their production costs. Second, they reviewed all of the existing molds, looking to improve each inside and out and bring them up to today’s standards. This process has taken a bit longer than was originally forecast, but as you can now see, their toils have been well worth the effort.

The problem, as I see it though, is that many collectors, familiar with the original line, are still expecting to hold the current manufacturer up to the same rigorous production schedule and lowered standards that satisfied their earlier appetite, something Waltersons is not prepared to do. Waltersons’ aim is to produce the very best replica possible, even if means keeping the collector at arm’s length for extended periods of time and dealing with grumbling collectors who sometimes don’t know when to leave things be. I just want to remind everyone that at the end of the day, these are still toys; they aren’t loaves of bread feeding the impoverished masses or medication designed to keep the ill alive. So, when you place your orders for items that may not be available for some time, please bear this in mind and try to remain as patient as possible. Complaining that such-and-such item still isn’t available does no one any good. If its that important to you, build a model or have someone make it for you. You may find that by doing so, you’ll recognize how tough it is to make a realistic model at an affordable price while facing the vagaries of international trade and social media abuse. Its tough to make it in today’s world and sometimes we need to be nudged and reminded of this fact even if we don’t like to hear it.

Stay safe and have a great weekend!

Earlier this week, we discussed how, beginning with their upcoming T-34/85 medium tank, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, has developed a method by which they can slightly alter the exterior color of a vehicle to reflect differing lighting conditions. As a result, we have begun making this option available to our customers when they order the vehicle in question. While we await manufacturer-supplied photos that demonstrate the differences between a vehicle operating under both day- and night time lighting conditions, we have enabled this option on the product’s ordering page. Please take a moment to review this change since it will affect other vehicles in the range that are produced going forward. We aren’t certain if these lighting effects will be applied to any upcoming artillery and anti-aircraft guns, so we have decided not to enable this option for them.

In other news, our distributor reports that they have finally received the 88mm FLaK gun. We should be receiving our shipment by the middle of next week.

Lastly, we do not have firm release dates for those items still showing as in the production queue by Waltersons. These dates are still notional at best and based upon conversations with our distributor and manufacturer. Item staging and run completion are two separate and unrelated milestones. Moreover, just because the manufacturer is indicating that an item has completed production does not mean it will be available in the North American market within weeks. Typically, distributors look to reduce their overseas shipping costs by waiting until they can fill a container, thereby making it more economical particularly if the proposed tariffs go into effect. So, they may wait until several items are available en masse, before signing off on a shipment bound for the US. That said, the next large shipment will likely occur some time this summer, after the Sherman Firefly, Jagdpanther and T-34/85 tanks are all completed and available for shipment at one time.

We’ve been having some interesting private discussions with the powers that be at Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand. From a production standpoint, they have a number of projects in the works that we have already touched upon in previous Forces of Valor updates so there is no sense in rehashing old conversations.

What we have learned is that beginning with their upcoming 1:32 scale T-34/85 medium tank, the Company plans to offer at least one pair of slightly differing paint schemes that portrays the vehicle in question under different lighting conditions. So, one tank might appear slightly lighter with gun metal grey tracks while another, still representing a vehicle from the same unit and battle, could appear a bit darker and with more muddied tracks, suggesting it may have seen action that day and has now been withdrawn during the early evening hours for rest and refit. We’re not sure if they plan to assign separate SKUs to each scheme, which would help to keep things straight from an ordering and inventory perspective, or include them in each master carton without any further fanfare. Once we have photos of the vehicles, thereby showing them side-by-side, we will have a better idea as to how they wish to proceed and offer them to the buying public at-large with more precise information. Earlier, we had suggested they think about including one “chase” vehicle in each master carton, which would differ slightly from the other vehicles and thereby command a somewhat higher price in the secondary market

On other fronts, the four original 1:24 scale radio controlled tanks should be in stock by the end of next week, barring any unforeseen issues. Some time towards the end of the summer, this assortment will be bolstered by a M26 Pershing tank as well as an M1A2 Abrams tank clad in a tri-color camouflage scheme. Years ago, a desert sand M1A1 Abrams was sold by Unimax, so this new version is not only painted differently but reflects a more updated main battle tank. Also in the offing is a MLRS, which will probably make it to market later in the year.

No new information was provided regarding their rotary- and fixed wing aircraft, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that work has come to a stand still. The Company does recognize, however, that their most popular lines continue to be their 1:32 and 1:16 scale military vehicles, so its entirely possible that their current efforts are being directed towards getting these into the market ahead of some of their other ancillary lines.

Spring seems to agree with Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor line, with two 1:32 scale vehicles now completed and under their belt and another pair scheduled to go into production the first week of May. According to the manufacturer, both the German Jagdpanther tank destroyer (#FOV801007A) and Russian T-34/85 medium tank (#FOV801013A) have been given the green light, and will likely make it to market towards the end of June or early July. This comes as good news to collectors, who will likely see the fruits of Walterson’s labors at the upcoming hobby show in Shizuoka, Japan, held on May 8th. Its entirely possibly other items, such as the Liaoning aircraft carrier (#FOV861010A), have moved past the prototyping stage with finished packaging and detailing now being shown for the first time.

While the Company is still lagging behind their original production schedule unveiled two years ago, its comforting to see that they are finally picking up speed and talking optimistically about the all-important fourth quarter. In other news, it would appear as if their radio controlled 1:16 scale T-72 main battle tank is moving along nicely, if you don’t mind the feeble pun, so we may re-open the pre-order window shortly once we feel more confident it has entered the production phase. Three different versions are reportedly in the works, each aimed at catering to three segments of the marketplace: the casual hobbyist, hard core user, and the extreme enthusiast.

With March just a day away, I sit here, yet again, having to explain why the eagerly awaited Forces of Valor 88mm FLaK gun has been further delayed. Back in early February, just before the start of Chinese New Year, we were told that our shipment of 88mm FLaK guns could be expected to ship out in late February after Chinese New Year had concluded. That meant we would see our merchandise in early to mid-March, barring any shipping or customs issues. Earlier today, we were told by our distributor that their shipment of FLaK guns was being delayed again and could now be expected sometime in May, two months beyond the original forecast date. Ordinarily, I hem and haw, but typically accept the news with a grain of salt since there isn’t all that much we can do, except tell our clientele that they must wait even longer to receive their order.

What I find troubling is that for the past few weeks the manufacturer has been selling the product online through Facebook while retailers and distributors are left wondering when they will be receiving the product. I’m not sure why this issue is playing out the way it is but it simply does not sit well with me nor should it sit well with everyone that pre-ordered the gun. Moreover, I’m not clear why the manufacturer has decided upon this course of action or can justify their decision to sell it to interested parties while their distribution network continues to wait.

Thus far, the new caretaker of the FOV brand has done a marvelous job of producing some fan favorites, taking existing tooling and tweaking them to bring them up to today’s standards. The problem is that they are promising the moon but delivering moon dust – continually changing the production schedule, delaying the release of certain items and generally not keeping up with requests for background information in any reasonable fashion. In years past, we heavily advertised the line in various enthusiast print publications and planned to do the same with the revamped range later this year. The problem is that putting together an ad campaign for FOV is akin to aiming at and attempting to hit a moving target, with information changing to the point where it becomes utterly useless. So, we’ve made the decision not to advertise the line at this time, which would have attracted even more buyers to the fold and likely would have led to even greater demand. We’ve also amended the timetable for previously announced FOV releases, pushing them out to the end of the year since no hard-and-fast information is still on the table.

Right now, its upsetting to have to share this information with you but I thought you ought to know where things stand. It’s frustrating to be sure, and we certainly hope that they get their act together soon before we throw in the towel. It wouldn’t be the first nor the last time we gave up on a line.