Forces of Valor

Forces of Valor Lays Out Their R/C Plans

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Since their success lies in the radio controlled business, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor marque, recently addressed how they plan to resurrect and improve upon the radio controlled military vehicles that once formed the cornerstone of the Forces of Valor brand.

“Forces of Valor (Unimax) first introduced the 1/24 scale radio controlled tank line back in early 2010, unfortunately this R/c line had been discontinued 36 months later due to electronic supplier issue. Ever since then, these 8 tank models have been sleeping quietly in their warehouse. And once the buyout of Forces of Valor had finally been completed, the first thing Waltersons did, was to bring the 1/24 scale R/c tanks back to life.

And after nearly 6 years since the introduction of this R/c line, are you thinking that Waltersons is just simply re-cooking the same dish? still 27MHz control system, complicated drive system, simple sound effect, average paint job and regular Infrared battle system?

Not at all!!!! We are about to re-define the standard of 1/24 scale R/c tanks, and check the following features list to see if there is anything you like 🙂

Exterior:
– CNC machined aluminum gun barrel
– Hobby grade painting
– Weathering effect
– Zimmerit pattern on Tiger I tank
– Natural casting surface effect on Sherman tank

Hardware:
– Coils suspension system
– Individual track links (Clipping type)
– Turret rotates 320 degrees
– Gun barrel elevates 25 degrees
– Drives forward, backward, left and right (Check our demo video later to see how good the handling is)
– Infrared shooting target board (Standard equipment)

Electronics:
– New 2.4GHz FHSS radio system with a minimum coverage of 60 meters
– ARM Based MCU architecture
– Remote control volume adjustment
– Remote control headlight
– Left & Right hand throttle interchangeable
– 12 steps throttle responsiveness control
– Auxiliary control mode -> can rotate turret, elevates gun barrel, fire machine guns and main gun
– Engine running mode -> drive tank forward, backward, left, right, battle with other tanks plus everything you can do in auxiliary power mode (** This feature was unseen in 1/24 scale R/c tanks in the past, and now we have brought this to you as a standard feature)

Sound:
– REAL sound recorded from museums + private tank collectors
– Maybach 231 engine sound for Tiger I, Continental V8 for Sherman M4A3 and V-2-34 for Soviet T34/85… every type of tank produce its unique engine note just like the real machine
– Class D amplifier
– 1W output speaker
– 4 Channels sound chip, can play up to 4 sound effects simultaneously
– 14 sound effect profiles
1. Engine ignition
2. Engine shut off
3. Engine idling
4. Acceleration
5. Maximum acceleration
6. Deceleration
7. Machine gun (recorded from real weapons)
8. Main gun – obtained from sound library, unfortunately many vehicles at the museum has disarmed the main gun feature 🙁
9. Turret rotation
10. Turret braking
11. Gun barrel elevation
12. Tank explosion (when you get hit by enemies)
13. Caught fire (after you are defeated)
14. Headlight switch on

Power:
– 4 x 1.5V Alkaline battery (Transmitter)
– 6 x 1.5V Alkaline battery (Tank on board)
– Optional Ni-MH rechargeable battery (Tank on board)

Battle system:
– Team A & B battle system, now support up to 16 players. You can form a team up to 15 players against 1 opponent player. Team combination can be 8:8, 7:5, 4:3 etc…
– Team N battle mode: last man standing (Fight everyone, no team)

Safety:
– Tank shut off reminder system
– Automatic power cut off after 4 minutes of idling

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We are working with our distributors now on packaging, we should be able to offer “Tank only” pack or complete Ready to run package. We have received a lot of emails from collectors saying that there is no need for them to keep 5 transmitters because they want to collect 5 tank models.”

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If it Doesn’t Fit, Force It!

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According to several sources, it appears as if the long dormant Forces of Valor range of military vehicles, aircraft, and warships will be resurfacing soon, courtesy of a new owner and resurgent look. Their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/fovhobbies/) already has a new cover photo and feel plus, if information posted on July 28th is correct, even their 1:24 scale radio controlled military vehicles will be making a return engagement.

We’re not sure when the the line will be formally introduced or which products will be tapped to from the nucleus of the product portfolio, but we’re nevertheless happy to see them back and with a vengeance. We will post further information just as soon as its passed along to us.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford CVN 78, is represented here in a combination model and live shot digital photo illustration. The ship is the first in a new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, for the US Navy under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), HMS Queen Elizabeth and PLAAN Liaoning, all likely candidates for model representation from the new Forces of Valor some time in 2017.
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Unimax Studies War No More?

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According to a post on the Diecast Hangar Pub forum, a prominent UK distributor is indicating that Unimax, the makers of the Forces of Valor range of military vehicles, aircraft and warships, are throwing in the towel and calling it quits, at least as far as military diecast is concerned. They claim that the manufacturer has cancelled all of their upcoming projects slated for 2015, instead of postponing them indefinitely as had been rumored. Recently, Unimax had closed their North American distribution arm and sold off all of their inventory to a US distributor.

If true, this marks a particularly sad state of affairs for collectors, who were expecting a number of key items for several months running. Moreover, the departure of another long time stalwart in the diecast military space represents a nod to some of the manufacturers who have gained market share either by offering untapped subject matter, cheaper items, other scales, or a combination of all three mitigating factors.

Please note that we have yet to confirm these findings with our North American distributor so the information provided could still be sketchy. For further information, please review this thread:

http://tdhp.fr.yuku.com/topic/19329/Re-FOV-items-Cancelled-totally?page=-1#.VLUoOXsYNM4

Update: In early January, our distributor informed us that the list of product originally slated for release was nixed by the manufacturer in favor of a new group of items. It is now February, with the Nuremberg Toy Fair behind us, and we are of the opinion that Unimax has withdrawn from the marketplace, perhaps permanently. We hope it isn’t true but at this point fear the worst.

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Enterprise Meets Einstein

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Forces of Valor has acknowledged that their second take on the USS Enterprise is about to make port in mid-September (#UNI86017). This particular version comes with a set of sailors that spell out “E=MC2 x 40”, which, in Einsteinian terms, signifies the 40th anniversary of the ship’s sailing under nuclear power.

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Collectors can stow the sailors in a safe place if they prefer not to display the phrase on the deck of their prized carrier.

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The Hornet Gets Ready to Leave its Dry Dock

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Imagery is finally starting to appear for Unimax upcoming rendition of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (#UNI86015). Slated to join the Forces of Valor fleet some time in September, the Hornet will feature Jimmy Doolittle’s squadron of B-25 bombers on its deck, just as it was configured prior to the Tokyo Raid of April 1942. The ship shown here is still devoid of its markings and insignia, as are the planes and display plinth.

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Unimax’ Tribute to the USS Arizona

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While we’ve had a photo of the upcoming USS Arizona on our web site for several weeks running, we’ve finally unearthed some detailed images of the ship’s superstructure and packaging.

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The images reveal some of the workmanship that has gone into this iconic warship which was sunk at the outset of the Second World War at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941. Among the important features is a floatplane attached to the rear of the warship, its catapult, the ship’s superstructure, and the multitude of guns bristling along the length of the deck. The Pennsylvania is scheduled to ship out some time in June.

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Unimax’ Osprey Sprouts Wings

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Unimax, the maker of the wildly popular Forces of Valor brand, shared new imagery for their upcoming MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (#UNI85121). The new pix clearly show some of the features built into this stunning warbird, which include a pilot figure, drop down rear ramp, rotatable engine nacelles and more.

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The MV-22 is slated for a June landing, and will no doubt be followed up with more new toolings, on the ground, at sea and in the air.

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Unimax Ships Out

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While we were horrified to learn that Unimax’ 1:700 scale replica of the USS Enterprise has already sold out, we were, nevertheless, thrilled to discover that a new version is already undergoing sea trials. Their second version, #86017, will include a set of diminutive sailors standing on board the deck of the carrier in dress whites spelling out “E=mc2 x 40”, which signifies the 40th anniversary of the ship’s sailing in 2002. For those of you who’d rather not commemorate the “Big E’s” historic voyage, you can dismiss the troops and have them hidden away below deck out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Look for the new carrier some time in July.

 

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Forces of Valor Straps on the Osprey

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Recent scuttlebutt on the forums regarding Unimax plans to offer a scale version of the V-22 Osprey can now be confirmed: the tiltrotor aircraft is indeed on the drawing board for 2014. Not expected before July, the MV-22 represents a unique choice for this prolific manufacturer, as it continues to branch out into new realms and markets. Its not clear which unit will serve as the basis for the replica or the extent to which the rotors can be tilted from the horizontal to the vertical position. Still, its nice to see at least one manufacturer thinking outside the box as they get set to announce some of their other wares for the new year.

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Enterprise Leaves its Mooring

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Unimax reports that their 1:700 sale replica of the aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (#UNI86012) is now shipping out to their dealer network. Barring any unforeseen issues, we expect to receive our shipment just before Thanksgiving, making it available for the extended Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. We anticipate strong sales for this item, which is likely the inaugural ship in Unimax modern era blue water navy.

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