Forces of Valor

Forces of Valor: The June Update

While the bulk of the first wave of 1:32 scale vehicles are upgraded retreads from the Unimax series, the first new vehicle collectors can expect is a German Sturmtiger assault mortar. Blue areas on the vehicle indicate where metal is being used to replicate the vehicle rather than plastic, thereby returning the series to its earliest roots

Waltersons was gracious enough to post the current status of their 1:32 scale military vehicle line on Facebook. Rather than share snippets of information with our customers, we thought it made more sense to simply copy and paste their text verbatim, so you can draw your own conclusions as to when their first vehicles are expected:

Sorry for the late update everyone! It has been 4 months since we began the preparation of the battleships series, and all 8 ships are now in production line, started fulfilling all the export orders. Meanwhile our team has begun working on the 1/32 scale tank series and the 1/72 scale modern fighter aircrafts series, the first few 1/32 scale tanks rolling out will be the following:

1) 88mm Flak gun with 5 figurines (German grey)
2) 88mm Flak gun with 8 figurines including Desert Fox (Desert yellow)
3) Sherman Firefly Vc. with full engine details enhancement
4) Jagdpanther Early production with full engine details enhancement
5) JagdTiger w/ Henschel wheels with full engine details enhancement & couple open hatches
6) German Tiger I Late production w/ many new parts & engine details
7) German Tiger I Mid production w/ many new parts & engine details
8) Soviet T-34-85 w/ new hull, road wheels, tracks etc…
9) German Elefant w/ zimmerit, not so much changes except colour enhancement because the original Unimax version was well done.

See below pictures from our SturmTiger development, reference were taken from actual sturmtiger @ Munster Museum Germany. We are putting more machines & tool makers in shop floor to expedite the development. That being said, the SturmTiger should be available in 2017 Q4. We heard so much about FOV fans wanted, and we will go back to basic, areas highlighted in blue will be made by METAL!! Tons of metal, tons of steel, long live the FOV slogan 🙂

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Forces of Valor Rebuilds its Air Force

Among the many new 1:72 scale aircraft scheduled for inclusion in their 2017 program is the F-16 Flying Falcon, a model created by Unimax but never actually released to the public

While much has been made of Waltersons redesigning their 1:700 scale warship and 1:32 scale military vehicle lines, little has thus far been discussed concerning their sometimes maligned 1:72 scale aircraft range. When compared with other manufacturers’ products, the FOV aircraft have always suffered their bumps and bruises from a critics point of view, constantly lambasted for their lack of authenticity and detail. “Not so, anymore,” says, Vincent Tang, Managing Director for Waltersons’ entire Forces of Valor product portfolio. According to Tang, they are taking all of the old molds in their 1:72 scale military aircraft range and reintroducing them to the public as a “Budget” line, meaning they will be sold as is but can now be purchased for around $50-$60, making them more affordable as compared with the competition. But, in an effort to bring them up to speed and make them more appealing to hard-core hobbyists, a second upscale line will be offered, whereby each aircraft will be stripped down and reworked from the ground up so that they can be proudly set alongside a competing product by the likes of Hobby Master, Century Wings and Calibre Wings. In fact, the Company has gone out and hired several experts in the field for this very purpose, with a mandate to bring the series up to a higher standard. According to Tang, each “Enthusiast” version will come with an accessory, such as a section of aircraft carrier deck, to further heighten the experience and make them a bit more desirable in the eyes of the hobbyist.

Work has already begun on both sets of aircraft, with the hope of bringing them to market this October, right after the first batch of 1:32 scale vehicles has rolled out the door. The series will include the usual suspects: the F-14 Tomcat fleet defense fighter, F-15E Strike Eagle strike aircraft, F/A-18 Hornet Multirole strike fighter, F-22 Air Dominance Fighter, F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, as well as the General Dynamics F-16 Flying Falcon, a model that was supposed to be released by Unimax, the former owners of the brand, but never finalized before they closed their doors. New aircraft types will likely be delayed until next year, since the Company is forced to split up its current resources among many different areas just to get segments of the entire FOV range up and running.

In summation, Waltersons’ release schedule for the balance of 2017 is as follows: eight (8) warships, nine (9) 1:32 scale military vehicles, seven (7) 1:72 scale modern era military aircraft (available in either a budget or enthusiast version), one (1) 1:16 scale Extreme Metal mid production Tiger I tank, and finally seven (7) additional 1:32 scale military vehicles. We will likely see their 2018 release schedule at the upcoming Nuremberg Toy Fair held each February. We are also going to assume that the following segments of the Forces of Valor brand will be addressed in 2018: 1:32 scale modern era military vehicles, 1:32 scale dioramas, 1:72 scale military vehicles, 1:32 scale World War II era military aircraft, 1:72 scale World War II era aircraft, 1:72 and 1:48 scale military helicopters, 1:18 scale Bravo Team series and their multiple figure series. These will likely be integrated into the mix alongside any new molds Waltersons plan on introducing.

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Dissecting Diecast: Are Two Versions of the Same Item Better Than One?

Unimax’ Action Grade packaging was designed to appeal to younger collectors and get them interested in military-themed collectibles

We’ve heard through the grapevine that Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, may bring back the marketing duality of offering two versions of each upcoming aircraft. Unimax, the original makers of the brand, came up with this concept as a means of addressing how they planned to introduce the same merchandise into deep discount big box retailers as well as traditional hobby stores. They envisioned an “action grade” version for the Target, Walmart and Toys R Us chains of the world, which meant there was no weathering applied to the vehicle and the outer box had a somewhat mass market look to it, thereby appealing to kids as opposed to hard core collectors. The “enthusiast version”, on the other hand, gave each vehicle a more robust appearance, complete with weathering and some battle scarring, along with a more traditional collector designed outer box.

An enthusiast edition of the ubiquitous US GMC 2-1/2 ton truck, complete with some accessories and a collector focused outer box

According to a recent posting, Waltersons will likely offer a 1:72 scale aircraft in much the same look and manner as Unimax once crafted, pretty much a plain vanilla product priced well below the competition. They also indicated plans to sell an enthusiast version, which could, conceivably be painted slightly different than the standard version, and will be accompanied by carrier planking or some other appropriate accessory designed to make the product stand out a bit more. The enthusiast version could sell for as much as $99.99, which would make it a more premium offering and quite possibly come with a numbered certificate of authenticity, making it a more desirable product to obtain from a collector’s standpoint.

So, what say you? Does this marketing move make sense and are you willing to pay more for a more deluxe product that could conceivably appreciate at a quicker rate than a larger run item?

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Forces of Valor Continues to Look to the Future and Beyond

Vincent Tsang, Walterson’s Managing Director for the Forces of Valor brand, has conceded, on several occasions, that tackling the entire product portfolio is some what a daunting task, considering the depth and breath of the entire range produced under the auspices of Unimax. Thus far, they have managed to re-introduce a core quartet of 1:24 scale radio controlled vehicles to the world market, updating the components to bring them in line with today’s technology and helping to set the stage for what will likely occur in the near future. They have also completed the task of revamping the 1:700 warship line, again adding a number of improvements and other refinements that should make them much appealing to collectors of maritime memorabilia.

Currently, they are working on their next project: reworking the 1:32 scale military vehicle to bring them up to today’s standards and make them even more collectible by changing around some of their features and appearances. Looking beyond that, the Company next plans to re-introduce their 1:72 scale aircraft and helicopter line, no small task considering some of the criticisms the range faced when they were first offered to the public as well as the competition at-large, who have come to dominate several sectors of the marketplace with their own hi-fidelity replicas. For instance, the venerable F-14 Tomcat has been replicated by no less than five different manufacturers over the last two years, so offering a compelling, like-minded product is going to prove to be a daunting task indeed. And, if that weren’t enough, the Company still has its sights set on releasing a brand new 1:16 scale Tiger I tank by year’s end, one which will reinvigorate their Extreme Metal brand and likely help to increase the value of all of the previous 1:16 scale vehicles Unimax previously released.

That said, we’re going to assume that the next wave of new 1:32 scale military vehicles may put in an appearance towards year’s end, depending upon the manufacturer’s work load and speed with which they can bring product to market. Their new web site is scheduled to go live shortly, which will also give collectors a better sense of what to expect from this new player in the diecast military space.

BTW, Vincent routinely fields collector questions on their Facebook page, so if you have any concerns, suggestions or questions, we strongly urge you to voice your opinion there. It might take him a day or two to respond, but thus far Vincent has been doing a yeoman’s job of explaining their plans for the forseeable future and showcasing their line to-date.

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Forces of Valor Takes Aim at Two Theatres of War

Waltersons upcoming 88mm FLaK gun will come in two flavors, including an all-new DAK scheme

On their Facebook page, Waltersons acknowledged plans to release two different versions of their German 88mm Flak gun: one will likely be patterned off of an existing livery, likely an early war field grey or whitewashed version, while the second replica will be based on a gun used in North Africa by the Deutsches Afrika Korps. Interestingly, the second version will come with a complement of eight figures instead of the usual five, one being the Desert Fox himself, Erwin Rommel. The other additional figures are ammunition proximity fuse operators. Its also not clear if the DAK version will be priced the same as the early war version, seeing as it boasts three additional painted figures. So, for now, we’ve listed the DAK version on our site at the same price as the grey one, until we hear otherwise. We’re guessing that Waltersons will also produce two versions of the Sd Kfz. 7 prime mover, which was used to tow the guns, both in the same schemes as the 88mm FLaK guns. Time will tell if we are correct.

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Product Spotlight: DKM Bismarck

“Sink the Bismarck!”

– Prime Minister Winston Churchill, after learning of the demise of the battlecruiser HMS Hood, May 1941

Earlier this month, we began examining some of the reworked warships due out shortly from Forces of Valor. Many have been reworked, repainted and repackaged, all in an effort to bring the series up to speed and attract new collectors into the fold. Our second warship spotlight focuses on the German Kriegsmarines infamous battleship, DKM Bismarck, pride of the German fleet and one of its earliest victims in the Battle of the Atlantic (FOV861006A).

Operation Rheinubung (“Rhine Exercise”) was the sortie into the Atlantic by the new German battleship Bismarck and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen from May 18th-27th, 1941, during World War II. This operation culminated in the sinking of the Bismarck.

During both World Wars, the island of Britain was dependent upon huge numbers of merchant ships to bring in food and essential raw materials, and protecting this lifeline was one of the highest priorities for British forces. Likewise, Germany recognized that, if this lifeline could be severed, Britain would be defeated, regardless of any other factor.

Operation Rheinubung was the latest in a series of raids on Allied shipping carried out by surface units of the Kriegsmarine. It was preceded by Operation Berlin, a highly successful sortie by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau which ended in March 1941.

By May 1941, the Kriegsmarine warships, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Admiral Hipper were at Brest, on the western coast of France, posing a serious threat to the Atlantic convoys. Two new warships now became available to the Germans: the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, both initially stationed in the Baltic Sea.

The aim of the operation was for Bismarck and Prinz Eugen to break into the Atlantic and attack Allied shipping. Raeder’s orders to Lutjens were that “the objective of the Bismarck is not to defeat enemies of equal strength, but to tie them down in a delaying action, while preserving her combat capacity as much as possible, so as to allow Prinz Eugen to get at the merchant ships in the convoy” and “The primary target in this operation is the enemy’s merchant shipping; enemy warships will be engaged only when that objective makes it necessary and it can be done without excessive risk.”

To support and provide facilities for the capital ships to refuel and rearm, German Naval Command (OKM) established a network of tankers and supply ships in the Rheinubung operational area. 7 tankers and 2 supply ships were sent as far afield as Labrador in the west to Cape Verde islands in the south.

Lutjens had requested that Grand Admiral Erich Raeder delay Rheinubung long enough either for Scharnhorst to rendezvous at sea with Bismarck and Prinz Eugen or for Bismarck’s sister-ship Tirpitz to accompany them. Raeder had refused. The crew of the newly-completed Tirpitz was not yet fully trained, and Raeder cited the coming German invasion of Crete as a reason for disrupting Allied supply lines and diverting strength from the Mediterranean.

To meet the threat from German surface ships, the British had stationed at Scapa Flow the new battleships HMS King George V (sometimes referred to as KGV) and HMS Prince of Wales (PoW) as well as the elderly battlecruiser HMS Hood. Elsewhere, at Gibraltar, at Halifax, Nova Scotia and at sea in the Atlantic were the battleships Revenge, Rodney and Ramillies, the battlecruisers Repulse and Renown, and aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal and Victorious. Cruisers and air patrols provided the fleet’s ‘eyes’. At sea, or due to sail shortly, were 11 convoys, including a troop convoy.

OKM did not take into account the Royal Navy’s determination to destroy the German surface fleet. To make sure Bismarck was sunk, the Royal Navy would ruthlessly strip other theatres of action. This would include denuding valuable convoys of their escorts. The British would ultimately deploy six battleships, three battlecruisers, two aircraft carriers, 16 cruisers, 33 destroyers and eight submarines, along with patrol aircraft. It would become the largest naval force assigned to a single operation up to that point in the war.

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Manufacturer Interview: Forces of Valor

Every so often I get the bug to write about something, particularly if it happens to apply to a facet of the diecast industry at-large, or a specific company that we deal with. Recently, we conducted an interview with Noel Lee, the owner and operator of Calibre Wings, who gave us valuable insight into his operation. We’ve also been in contact with several other manufacturers, one being Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand. They have graciously agreed to sit down with us as well, which, in-and-of-itself, is important since the Forces of Valor brand means a lot of things to a lot of people. So, keep your eyes peeled for our next interview, which should appear some where around the end of this month and just prior to the release of their first static models.

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Forces of Valor V2.0: Consistency, Quality and Value

 

USS Enterprise (CVN-65), complete with its own embarked air wing and display plinth

Every so often, we speak with the manufacturer directly to get a sense of what collectors can expect in the coming months. We’ve been particularly keen on finding out how Walterson’s, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, plans to pick up where its former owner, Unimax, left off. We’ve already seen some evidence of where they are headed with the receipt of their four 1:24 scale radio controlled tanks, which will be augmented by several dozen new vehicles as we move further down the road.

IJN super battleship Yamato, flag ship of the post-Midway Japanese navy

In the case of their 1:32 static military vehicles and 1:700 scale warships, what some consider to be the cornerstone of their business, we’re starting to get a sense of how Walterson’s plans to proceed in 2017, and likely how they will handle themselves and each individual sub brand for the foreseeable future. Several legacy warships are expected this April, among them the USS Arizona, USS Missouri, USS Enterprise, and IJN Yamato, with several new molds not too far behind. In a previous blog post, we discussed how they have improved both the outer and inner packaging for each warship, thereby making it easier for the collector to remove and display their models, and take pride in their purchase. Yesterday, we received several images for each of the upcoming warships, demonstrating the newly-designed display plinth, name plate and repainted workmanship.

Iowa Class battleship USS Missouri (BB-63), currently berthed behind the USS Arizona Memorial, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

In regard to their 1:32 scale static vehicle line, many of the vehicles will not only feature better weathering, painting and, where needed, corrected improvements to bring them up to their correct historical standards, but will also come with more “useful” bonus pieces instead of the standard fare accoutrements that seemed to have no correlation and or redundancy with the vehicle in question. For instance, with their first Tiger I tank, the vehicle will come with a stand-alone Maybach engine, while the Sherman Firefly will be bundled with a Chrysler V-12 engine. Other vehicles might come with similarly conceived extras instead of “wine bottles, cats and road signs”, perhaps including transparent cutaways, vehicle crews or other more critical extras that should enhance the overall product and demonstrate they are listening to the consumer.

USN Pennsylvania Class USS Arizona (BB-39), decked out in its pre-war paint scheme and glory

Perhaps, most importantly, Walterson’s has moved into their own manufacturing facility, which reduces the overall cost for each product rather than having to subcontract each product to a third party manufacturer, which would build, assemble and paint their products with little in the way of quality assurance. Moreover, Walterson’s has a dedicated team of graphic designers and engineers devoted to each individual sub brand, thereby ensuring consistency across the entire spectrum of their product portfolio and guaranteeing a more uniform approach towards bringing new product to market. We expect big things from this Company and thus far they haven’t disappointed.

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Forces of Valor Radios Ahead for Further Reinforcements

Waltersons brand-new Forces of Valor 1:24 Scale Tiger I Heavy Tank which now boasts a 2.4GHz FHSS radio system

We are pleased to announce that the first quartet of 1:24 scale radio controlled military vehicles from Forces of Valor are now in stock and ready for immediate shipment. Unlike the previous set of vehicles released by Unimax several years ago, the all-new Waltersons lineup utilizes a 2.4GHz FHSS radio system with a minimum coverage of 60 meters, making them more reliable, feature-rich and capable against other vehicles. Moreover, the new system allows up to 16 players to go at it in battle mode, facing off in either head-to-head fashion or team-based play. We’ve uploaded .pdf files for each of the new vehicles as part of their product details, which discusses the merits of the system as well as some background information for each vehicle portrayed.

Keep in mind, Waltersons has big plans for the new series, largely due to their ties to the radio controlled business. According to a recent sales brochure, several dozen new vehicles are planned for the near future, which run the spectrum from a British A41 Main Battle Tank to a Japanese Chi-Nu Heavy Tank. Other plans are also being developed that should make their approach to the hobby more versatile, appealing and current with today’s advances in computer science. Stay tuned for more details in the months ahead.

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Forces of Valor Hits the Ground Running at Toy Fair

For several weeks, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, has been hinting at what they plan to release in 2017. From radio controlled military vehicles to warships, battle tanks to dioramas, the proud new caretakers of the multi-faceted Forces of Valor range is approaching things from a bride’s perspective, offering something old, borrowed and blue to whet the appetite of collectors world over.

In terms of old, several legacy molds were shown to the public at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, including a reworked 1:32 scale Tiger I heavy tank that “borrows” from its Extreme Metal range in that a separate tank engine will be included as an added bonus. As for blue, their highly coveted warships range now comes in handsome new packaging that makes the ship look as if its cutting through the surf to join up with its brethren.

While some of the old favorites were on display, it appears as if the PLAN Liaoning aircraft carrier was also in the booth, meaning it is likely just a month or so away from an actual launch. We hope to have final pricing concerning all of the new warships coming to market and will likely receive an update in May concerning the Company’s new 1:16 scale Extreme Metal Tiger tank, 1:72 scale military vehicles and multi-scaled fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

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