Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4A3(75) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – Training Vehicle, C Company, 10th Tank Battalion, 5th Armored Division, New York, 1943 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Looks as if Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, has begun showing off its second in a long line of M4 Sherman tanks, which are due out over the course of the next 12 months. Interestingly, Forces of Valor chose a training vehicle as the subject for its first M4A3(75) Sherman medium tank that features a VVSS suspension. The model is purportedly based upon a vehicle attached to C Company, 10th Tank Battalion, 5th Armored Division, which was still stateside here in New York during 1943 before being shipped overseas for the invasion of Europe in the summer of 1944. The 5th Armored did not see action until August 1944, two months after Operation Overlord, and took part in Operation Cobra, the Allies’ attempt to break through the stiff German defenses in and around Normandy, clear the Brittany countryside then sweep around the Germans’ flank in a wide enveloping move aimed at cutting off their retreat.
Its not clear when this Sherman will actually become available, based upon issues still plaguing the global supply chain, production schedules and whether or not our distributor is able to fill a container load to warrant higher than normal shipping costs. We’re guessing it will show up sometime at the beginning of the second quarter, seeing as how it took their first Sherman and inaugural Tiger I tank several months before they were fit for duty here in North America. There’s a good bet that a second Tiger tank is in the offing, so its possible that this Sherman may have to languish on the docks for a bit until the next Tiger is ready for combat.
Somewhere in this corrugated morass, are our September and October Hobby Master shipments, which will likely become the fate of our remaining shipments unless something is done to dramatically improve the situation
If you’re wondering why we and other retailers in North America haven’t been receiving the latest Hobby Master products for several weeks running, you may want to read this insightful article that recently appeared in the New York Times. Several months back, when our distributor for Hobby Master, Historic Sales out of Minnesota, was sold to Collectors Armory in Georgia, the Company re-routed each Hobby Master shipment away from Los Angeles to the port of Savannah, Georgia. This made sense because at the time both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the principal ports of entry for inbound freight from Asia, were deluged with shipments and unable to keep up with the logjam of ships and containers arriving on a daily basis. Recently, it was reported that there were at least 200,000 shipping containers either ready to be unloaded or parked in a holding area, waiting for their turn to be picked up by local truckers. While both ports are now operating on a 24-hour, around-the-clock basis, the problem is exacerbated due to the lack of truckers picking up their loads and ferrying them to their distribution centers.
It turns out that Savannah is faring no better than the west coasts ports, itself inundated in cargo bound for distributors and retailers around the US. According to this article, over 50,000 containers are either sitting idle or languishing off-shore in any number of cargo ships, thereby suffering much the same fate as other ports of entries around the country. So, while you may be seeing certain Hobby Master products appearing overseas, on Facebook or elsewhere, take heart and understand that these same items will eventually make it to Historic Sales of Georgia and in turn to us and every other retailer patiently waiting to take delivery of their orders.
Mind you this problem plagues every Forces of Valor shipment as well since Historic Sales has once again been appointed the official distributor of the line in North America. Likewise, Air Force 1 has been beset by the same problems, although we recently received a shipment from them, which will likely have to last well into the first quarter of 2022. No matter how you look at it, its going to be a very long holiday season that will certainly extend into the first half of the new year…
Update: Late on Tuesday, we were informed that the trucking company responsible for picking up Historic’s inbound containers has been notified that the September shipment of Hobby Master products has been offloaded, passed customs, and can be picked up in good order. Presently, they are attempting to take delivery of this shipment by week’s end and, if successful, we should be receiving our order sometime towards the end of the first week of November. With Thanksgiving looming, there is no way of knowing if the “October” Hobby Master shipment will arrive before the start of the holiday season. We will post further updates on both the “October” and “November” shipments, along with the Forces of Valor shipment still pegged for a late November arrival once information has been passed along to us.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4(75) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – 753rd Tank Battalion, Gustav Line, Italy, 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Waltersons, the new stewards of the Forces of Valor brand, was kind enough to post pictures for their upcoming M4(75) Sherman medium tank. This is the first of several US vehicles expected in 2021-2022, their British Sherman Firefly, released a couple of years ago, having sold out at virtually every level and now commanding premium prices.
According to the sales literature, this new Sherman is still pegged for a late November/early December arrival here in North America. If true, we’ll certainly burn the midnight oil and work overtime to get them out in time for the holiday season so as not to disappoint all you platoon commanders out there. Also expected is their second Sturmtiger assault mortar along with their eagerly awaited Tiger I heavy tank, something armor addicts have been requesting ever since it was announced a couple years back. While a separate set of metal tracks are expected in the same shipment as the Tiger, Sherman lovers may have to wait a few more months before they too can strip out the vinyl tracks that come with the vehicle for something a bit more realistic. We will make a formal announcement down-the-road regarding the tracks’ anticipated released date and open the pre-order window at that point. Keep in mind several different track sets are in the offing, so its not clear if only one or all of the different tracks will ship in one go.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale US M4(75) Sherman Medium Tank with VVSS Suspension – 753rd Tank Battalion, Gustav Line, Italy, 1944 [Bonus Ford GAA V-8 Engine]
Barely a week after we learned that Forces of Valor’s upcoming M4(75) Sherman tank is slated to arrive some time in the fourth quarter, Waltersons, the new owners of the brand, posted a 3-minute video that shows off many of the vehicle’s features, capabilities and accoutrements. While we have embedded the video within the item’s description, we thought it made sense to post it here as well. Again, we are keeping our fingers crossed that the vehicle will be available for holiday purchase but with loads of headwinds working against it and other late releases, we are not guaranteeing that we will be able to supply it in time for it to be placed under the tree. Please bear this in mind if this is your ultimate intent and would rather purchase something else we do have for immediate sale to avoid disappointment.
We woke up this morning with news that Forces of Valor will once again be distributed through our principal supplier, Historic Sales. Under ordinary circumstances this would come as welcome news, however, Waltersons, the owner of Forces of Valor brand, seems to be bouncing between US distributors, claiming they are working with one distributor one minute, then another and finally another. Now, in their defense, its not unusual for a major manufacturer to work with more than one distributor particularly in the key North American market, however, changing wholesaling sources only serves to confuse both the retailer and consumer alike, with no real hard-and-fast information to work off of to either plan advertisements, alert our customers or distill these changes in a meaningful way.
Be that as it may, the latest sales solicitation calls for certain products to arrive during the late November/early December time frame. If its true, this is certainly great to hear since it means we can sell and ship out a lot of product for the upcoming holiday season. Truth be told, with nagging supply chain issues still affecting the distribution network, COVID, slowdowns in mail delivery and finally FOV’s spotty track record of hitting their release dates, we have decided to sell their upcoming items with the proviso that they will likely not make it in time for the holiday season. Prudence being what it is, I just want to make this fact abundantly clear if you plan on ordering any of their fourth quarter releases and hope to have them in hand prior to December 24th. I honestly do not think they will be available for sale until after the holidays, perhaps as late as January given what we are seeing in the global supply chain. I’m not trying to play the part of a Debbie Downer by poo-pooing this latest announcement but the fact remains that there are simply too many headwinds conspiring against them to say for certain that they will be in stock for Santa’s sleigh to go skis up and hit the air ways.
Anyway, the product in question appears under our November 2021 Upcoming Releases section. Anything else FOV may have been discussing on Facebook or elsewhere are more than likely expected some time in 2022. It is certainly possible that several items could be shipped to us by other distributors but that’s neither here nor there as far as this announcement goes. Now I don’t know about you but I’m going back to bed.
Forces of Valor’s 1:48 scale USMC Bell AH-1W “Whiskey” Super Cobra Attack Helicopter – “Never Forget”, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, Camp Pendleton, March 2012
While the timing of the announcement has come under scrutiny on Facebook, Waltersons decided to use the 9/11 backdrop as a means of showing off their latest endeavor: a 1:48 scale USMC AH-1W “Whiskey” Helicopter. Flown by Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267, which was based at Camp Pendleton, California, during March 2012. The low-vis attack helicopter features artwork inspired by the events of 9/11 on the sides of the fuselage, which includes, among other things darkened images of the twin towers and its attendant New York skyline, along with what looks to be a viper coiled for striking, hence its sobriquet.
Forces of Valor 1:48 scale USMC Bell AH-1W “Whiskey” Super Cobra Attack Helicopter – “Final Flight of the Whiskey AH-1W”, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 “Warriors”, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, December 2012
According to the manufacturer, the USMC helicopter, along with a second chopper that was operated by Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 “Warriors”, are expected to be completed by the tail end of October, although with shipping delays still plaguing our ports, it could be another couple of months before they actually make it to market here in North America. Still, its nice to see the manufacturer is making a concerted effort to get product out the door and into the hands of collectors despite all of the issues facing the global supply chain.
Thirteen Sherman variants are scheduled to eventually come out, beginning with these four vehicles
Back in late 1864, General William T. Sherman famously marched his Union troops through Georgia in an attempt to cut the Confederate forces in two and, in so doing, sew terror in the South’s populace and devastate its’ logistical network. Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, is looking to achieve much the same results in the military diecast community with their first group of 1:32 scale M4 Sherman tanks. You may remember that Unimax, the previous owner of the FOV brand, released several M4A3 Sherman tanks several years ago, re-using a single mold over and over again for a variety of replicas. While this strategy certainly reduced manufacturing costs and sped up the release schedule, it was far from perfect, since it meant that collectors were essentially getting a “one-size-fits-all” medium tank that was both historically inaccurate and worse boasted less metal content with each ensuing release.
An M4 Sherman “Jumbo” tank boasting an elongated turret and more powerful main gun intended to go toe-to-toe with the German Army’s heavier battle tanks
Waltersons, well aware of the problems facing the original set of Unimax Shermans, have been hard at work revamping the original tooling — by not only increasing the vehicle’s metal content — but by making each of the many Sherman variants truer to form with their historical counterparts. To that end, the Company has made a number of different turrets, guns, adaptives and even suspension systems, all designed to give collectors what they have been politely demanding for almost twenty years. As can be seen in the accompanying photo, each model has been faithfully produced, including, but not limited to, travel locks for the main gun, entrenching utensils, hull and bow machine guns and even opening hatches just like the real things. Its not clear how many Shermans will make it to market by the close of the year given the current congestion issues still plaguing many of our nation’s ports, but suffice it to say that eventually these and other variants are in the works, meaning there will be no shortage of Allied armor set to storm our shores for the foreseeable future.
In other news, the Company has decided to split its 1:700 scale warship line into two segments: one designed to continue its legacy of making full hull capital ships while a separate segment is aimed at the wargaming community who are looking to recreate different naval engagements using waterline ships. Right now, several warships are slated to set sail in early 2022, including reworked versions of the USS Enterprise, the USS Missouri, IJN Yamato and the RN Invincible, and its a good bet that other previously released warships in the FOV armada will be similarly sent to the naval yards for a complete refit.
Finally, although the manufacturer did share with us some images of their 1:32 scale early production Tiger I tanks, they did ask us not to divulge them for now since they are still being worked on for technical accuracy, changes to the road wheels and other important facets of the vehicle endemic to its version. Suffice it to say we will pass along factory approved photos for all the world to see once the Company is satisfied that they have met all of their design goals and feel confident they can deliver a stunning replica that is both heavy in the hand and meticulously researched.
Hinted at for over two years, Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor brand, have finally revealed pre-production images for their upcoming Flight Deck Series. Unlike their 1:72 and 1:48 scale helicopter series or soon-to-street 1:72 scale WWII-era fighter aircraft series, the Flight Deck series is, as its name implies, aimed at portraying the entire flight deck of a Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in 1:200 scale.
Rather than offering the flight deck and its attendant aircraft models as one entire model, Waltersons developed the range so that collectors can acquire and build out the upper deck one section at a time, complete with different aircraft models. Even the carrier’s superstructure is attainable. All told, 12 sections or modules are being created, from the aft of the ship to its stern, which are then locked into place so that they do not come apart if being played upon. Thus far, we do not have a firm release date, so we’re keeping our fingers and arresting gear crossed that they make it under the tree for the upcoming holiday season.
In other news, we’ve learned that Forces of Valor’s first 1:72 scale warbird is expected to make landfall this August. As noted previously, each aircraft comes with a decorative base that resembles a section of an aircraft deck or forward air base. Each model comes with a highly detailed engine and seated pilot figure along with a posable display stand meant to give the illusion of flight.
Its a bittersweet moment when Waltersons, the new owners of the Forces of Valor line, begins to show off imagery of their newest products. That’s because it oftentimes takes them many months before we can actually put the product into the hands of the collector, who must anxiously wait an eternity to lay claim to the latest 1:32 scale FOV vehicle. Nevertheless, we thought you might like to see the first pix of their next vehicle in the conga line: a late production Sturmtiger assault mortar. Unlike the first vehicle, the second vehicle is clad in a tri-color camouflage scheme indicative of seeing combat towards the latter half of 1944. It also comes with three crewmen who are seen here loading the over-sized ammunition onto the vehicle.
While the manufacturer’s web site claims it will come out in 2021, it could indeed be some time before it makes it to our shores since the distributors responsible for stocking the line must bring in container loads of FOV product to help mitigate the increased cost of trans-oceanic shipping. Still, we thought you might like to see the fruits of their labors and we can only hope that additional imagery of both this vehicle and other long talked about products begin to materialize and hopefully make it under the tree this holiday season.
Forces of Valor’s 1:32 scale German Early Production Sd. Kfz. 181 PzKpfw VI Tiger I Ausf. E Heavy Tank – “100”, schwere Panzerabteilung 505, Kursk, Russia, July 1943 [Bonus Maybach HL 210 TRM P45 Engine]
Per the course, Waltersons seems to be falling behind schedule with their inaugural Tiger I tank, a model originally forecast for an April release that has now been pushed back until mid May. Nevertheless. the manufacturer did post a bevy of imagery for the vehicle, which “we” believe will hit the streets some time in July, given requisite load times, the ability to fill a shipping container and current congestion clogging virtually all of the west coast ports. Still, we’re looking at things from a “glass half full” viewpoint, pointing out many of the improvements the manufacturer has made to the existing mold and assurances that slowdowns in production times are finally being addressed with some measure of satisfaction.
