Waltersons, the owners of the Forces of Valor brand, today indicated that a new shipment is leaving China in early December and, their words not ours, will hopefully arrive at their facility in late December. Frankly, we have our doubts that this shipment will make it to us before the holidays. We reach this decision based upon previous experience with this manufacturer together with logistical issues that will likely conspire to delay its arrival, perhaps into the New Year. We wish we had better news to pass along and, as you might imagine, we do not know if we will have to reroute this shipment so that it is sent to Florida instead of New York should further delays complicate things.

According to the manufacturer, the latest shipment will contain more of the initial Tiger I tank painted in a winter camouflage scheme along with their new Jumbo Sherman. Their Sherman with the Duplex Drive is not expected to be included in this shipment and instead will likely reach fruition in early 2023. This also applies to their soon-to-be-released trio of 1:72 scale P-40 fighters along with both the waterline and full draught versions of their Yamato battleship. I know this comes as disappointing news to a great many of you but here again we play no part in getting product made, shipped out of China or distributed here in North America. If you are looking to give any of these three items as a gift I would strongly suggest choosing a different product that is currently listed as being in stock. Keep in mind too that with our clearance sale kicking off on Monday, the 28th, our remaining stocks of Forces of Valor products will almost certainly sell out quickly.

Update: This email was received from the owner of Waltersons on December 3rd. “Our recent shipment has just been loaded on the vessel yesterday, and it was supposed to occur 5 days ago, however, our factory district got locked down for almost a week. Until 2 days ago, every lock down policy was dramatically lifted. With that said, I think the arrival date to the US will probably be after Xmas, so I think its better if we ship to the Florida facility.”

To borrow a catchphrase from HBO’s award-winning series, Game of Thrones, we finally received our opening allotment of Forces of Valor’s latest Tiger tank. Unfortunately, this new supplier could only send us a grand total of twelve pieces, which means we cannot even cover all of the pre-orders we’ve received to date, much less list the item for open sale in our store or any of our marketplace sites. We’ve placed a back up order with another distributor who will hopefully be able to fill our order for the holidays. If not, we will likely receive our next order after we have completed our relocation move to Florida. We apologize for not having more on hand but sometimes these issues are completely out of our control. On the plus side, we do have their 1:200 scale interlocking aircraft carrier set in stock, their inaugural 1:32 scale Tiger tank model kit, as well as a trio of 1:72 scale Spitfires. All have been listed as being available on both our site as well as on eBay. As I alluded to earlier, winter is coming, although it may be a tad late for their newest Tiger.

We’re still keeping our fingers crossed that both of their forthcoming Sherman tanks will be here for the holidays. Admittedly, it doesn’t help that we have to knock on the door of multiple distributors to see what news they can share about the Shermans’ fate. We’ve submitted our opening order with our more reliable source and await to news concerning when the ranks will show up.

Incoming items addressed, the manufacturer has started to hint at what’s ahead for 2023. Before they closed up shop several years ago, Unimax, the previous owner of the Forces of Valor brand, had been working on a 1:72 scale F-16 Viper. Waltersons picked up the gauntlet and has finished the mold, adding a few bells and whistles along the way to enable it to better compete with similar models produced by Hobby Master, Calibre Wings and JC Wings. For one the nose cone can be opened via a hinge, which exposes a fully fleshed out radar. Items such as a cockpit access ladder, differing engine nozzles, engine and instrumentation covers and a full complement of weaponry are apparently now standard, as is a section of paved runway. The maker claims that both a standard as well as deluxe version of the F-16 will be offered, although it isn’t clear what changes/additions will be made to the model to further enhance it.

While talk of a Japanese F-2 fighter has also begun — again designed to compete with an existing Hobby Master mold — so too has information slowly leaked out about an upcoming UH-60 Blackhawk, likely offered in multiple configurations, liveries and service markings. The Blackhawk should be a welcome addition to their stable of combat rotorcraft, although we’re not certain if its catering to the 1:72 or 1:48 scale markets.

Finally, Waltersons has disclosed that three versions of the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier are being worked on, one for each of the three distinct eras of the Cold War. Apart from some CAD drawings, no photos were provided, which leads us to believe they are still a way’s off and likely to be surged across a staggered schedule, most likely beginning with the 1960-1980 version, although the jury is out debating the release order. Obviously, each version will come with different types of embarked aircraft based upon when they saw service and in which operation the Kitty Hawk took part in.

Waltersons, the new caretaker of the Forces of Valor brand, has decided to share some insight as to their plans moving forward. In an effort to increase its exposure in the North American market, they have elected to partner up with a west coast distributor to import the entire line from model kits to the huge 1:16 scale Extreme Metal series they alluded to in a recent Facebook post. To further its reach, they plan to open a second distribution center in the middle of the country in early 2023. This can only be viewed as good news for collectors who have been asking for a more reliable and steady stream of product that they can pick and choose from. It isn’t clear as yet if this move will help to decrease prices for many of their most recent works, several of which are pegged at $130 or more in the retail landscape. Its certainly a tall order to both increase market share and maintain margins in what many currently see as a country headed into recession but one they feel they can adequately address.

The manufacturer also has a few tricks up its sleeve for 2023, such as re-launching their 1:72 scale military vehicle line as well as christening a new range of AFVs catering to the 1:64 scale enthusiasts. Instead of offering a hodgepodge of vehicles that cut across all eras and theatres, their goal, this time around, is to build out an expandable diorama setting much like their recently released 1:200 scale aircraft carrier set, whereby the collector can create a stylized vignette such as the invasion of Normandy or the Battle of the Bulge. So, you might have a Sherman tank clad in olive drab attempting to pierce the Norman bocage countryside which can then sit alongside a group of heavily laden trucks trying to haul supplies up to the front lines or perhaps an artillery battery blasting away at the enemy’s defenses. An Ardennes Forest scenario might depict a King Tiger navigating along a treacherous dirt road while an accompanying set might show some of the smaller vehicles following behind, perhaps a knocked out Sherman sitting off to one side.

In other news, the manufacturer has finally realized that they have an almost inexhaustible supply of 1:32 scale vehicles that needn’t be overhauled quite as dramatically as say their Sherman and Tiger tanks to get them into the hands of collectors more quickly. Vehicles such as their Panther and Sturmgeschutz may only need a fresh coat of paint and a few minor upgrades to make them worthy introductions to tread heads world over, who are desperate to fill out their armored ranks with vehicles that are no longer to be found at affordable prices. Best of all, some of these “legacy” releases will carry sticker prices that are far more affordable to the average fan, in some cases fetching between $69-$100.

We’re hoping to get a list of which vehicles will be tapped for front line service very soon, and, if possible, open the pre-order window well ahead of their debut. Stay tuned.

Lastly, while no final decision has been made as yet, it appears as if their upcoming 1:16 scale King Tiger heavy tank will bear the markings of SS-Oberscharfuhrer Kurt Sowa’s mount, which was attached to 2.Kompanie, schwere SS Panzerabteilung 501, Kampfgruppe Peiper, then deployed to the Ardennes Forest during December 1944. They enlisted the aid of several industry experts to come up with this choice, which will purportedly come with four riders from the 3.Fallschirmjager Division. Presently, its not clear what other features will be included, although they are making a concerted effort to reduce the pitting shown on the first two Unimax King Tigers as well as ensuring all of the parts fit as advertised without fear of breakage when being attached to the vehicle. It also looks as if the newest 1:16 entrant will fetch close to $1,000 and a smaller chunk of change to ship it within the lower 48 states. Better save up!

Panzers vorwarts!

Recently I had a short but poignant discussion with the owner of Waltersons, who produces the wildly popular Forces of Valor range of military products. While we pointed out a number of glaring errors in two of their recent releases, they took the observations in stride, perhaps acknowledging that they are oftentimes their biggest critic when they get things wrong. Its refreshing to see that they are at least willing to hear about any errors they may have caused, given the price tag many of their newest efforts are commanding.

What we did learn, however, is that they are amending their strategy slightly for 2023, perhaps in an effort to get more product into the hands of collectors who have regularly been asking for new items since taking over the line in 2016. While the Company will continue to overhaul existing molds to bring them up to today’s standards, they have finally recognized that they have a tremendous amount of exisiting tooling sitting on the sidelines that doesn’t need to be changed all that much. Although no vehicles were mentioned specifically by Waltersons, the upcoming “20th Anniversary of Forces of Valor” range will likely encompass perennial favorites such as their Sturmgeschutz assault gun and Panther medium tank, two stalwarts that never seemed to get criticized all that much by military buffs despite being released ad infinitum year after year. Its not clear if this new strategy will see the employment of additional metal parts to give them more heft or the proposed price tag for these off-the-shelf armored reinforcements. What is known is that new figures and accessories are almost certain to be included along with new paint schemes so that they aren’t confused with previous releases.

In other news, sold out items such as their Jagdpanther and best-selling MH-47 helicopter will almost certainly make a comeback at some point, perhaps three years down the road, once space has been made in their tight production schedule. The manufacturer has never categorically stated that these are limited edition collectibles, so keeping the door open by reintroducing certain fan favorites has always been a part of their overall strategy even if they have never gone on record to say so.

From a marketing perspective, we will likely not distinguish these re-released products from other products already produced and simply place them in our Forces of Valor Legacy products section. Frankly, I think its getting far too confusing at present with all of the marketing hype used to date. Monikers such as “Metal Proud”, “Engine Plus” and “Inside Out” are already bewildering to veteran and newcomers to the hobby, all of whom are simply looking to acquire a vehicle first without all of the bells and whistles marketing gurus can needlessly bolt on. Adding yet another new category will only help to keep the customer guessing, wondering which item is which when contemplating a purchase. Sometimes you don’t have to reinvent the wheel even if others are telling you it needs to be updated.

And the error? On the left hand portion of the transmission housing, the symbols indicate this vehicle is from the 3rd Armored Division, 10th Tank Battalion, when the manufacturer advertised it as a vehicle from the 5th Armored Division. Que sera, sera.