Looking to build out their product portfolio, Hobby Master debuted a line drawing of its next military subject, the Chengdu J-10 “Firebird” multirole aircraft. While not as sexy as some of the PLAAF’s sixth generation aircraft currently undergoing testing, the J-10 is nevertheless an important bridge to the future until their next generation warbirds move from the drawing board to serial production over the next few years. Due out in August, the first version of the J-10 represents an aircraft that is deployed to Zhuhai, China, during 2025, and would likely be employed in an aerial conflict that focused on the invasion and potential seizure of Taiwan.
A number of other models were also announced as part of the August release roster. These are currently being addressed as we speak with concrete pricing out by week’s end.
Recognizing that the Century Wings line of military aircraft still has legs, Hobby Master has purportedly acquired the molds to many of the Century Wings aircraft models. The list reportedly includes the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft, A-6 Intruder attack aircraft, A-7 Corsair II light attack aircraft and F-8 Crusader air superiority aircraft. Additionally, the purchase includes their entire range of 1:144 scale military aircraft, which includes their A-6, A-7 and F-14 replicas. Word on the street says that the purchase does not include CW’s 1:72 scale F-14 Fleet Defense Fighter largely because Hobby Master already makes a model of the Tomcat.
Hobby Master will reportedly thoroughly inspect each mold and make improvements where needed to keep them up-to-date and ensure they are capable of being used multiple times over the course of their reinvigorated lifespan. While no mention was made regarding which models will come out first, the announcement does claim that some models will start to show up towards the latter half of 2026. We are assuming that Hobby Master packaging will be used throughout so there is no confusion with previously released black-box Century Wings models. With its exacting attention to detail, its possible that the CW F-14 mold could end up with yet another manufacturer, although nothing firm has been indicated and several manufacturers, among them Calibre Wings and JC Wings, already possess their own F-14 molds.
The acquisitions solidifies Hobby Master’s position as the leading maker of diecast military aircraft models and rounds out their range of Cold War era subjects. Naturally, it would be nice to see models based upon some of the warbirds currently being developed and tested world over by a number of nations, among them several sixth generation fighters and other equally important aerial platforms. Likewise, it would be sweet to see them delve deeper into other sophisticated combat systems, most notably drones, collaborative combat aircraft, ground vehicles and even surface and sub-surface systems that comprise many of today’s military arsenals.
Takeaway: This is a great development for fans of both Hobby Master and Century Wings. While Hobby Master has slowed down its production of new aircraft types, the Century Wings acquisitions serves a dual purpose by completing Hobby Master’s pantheon of Cold War military aircraft and resurrecting the Century Wings molds many had thought were doomed after the manufacturer announced its closure this past December.
Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2b “Zero” Fighter – Lieutenant Junior Grade Tetsuzo Iwamoto, 253rd AG, Rabaul, January 1944 (1:48 Scale)
In a race to flood the market with diecast aircraft while other manufacturers sit back on their laurels, Hobby Master announced a bunch of new models for a June/July release. While no new toolings were unveiled, their most recent marketing literature did feature a number of favorites, including a pair of 1:48 scale Mitsubishi Zero fighters, demonstrating they are still supporting mid-twentieth century warfare platforms that seem to have fallen out of favor with other manufacturers. Here now the list of aircraft models we plan to bring in this coming summer:
Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2b “Zero” Fighter – 261st AG “Tiger Corps”, Kagoshima, Japan, February 1944 (1:48 Scale)
USAF North American F-100 Super Sabre Fighter – FW-871, The National Museum of the United States Air Force (1:72 Scale)
USAF North American F-100D Super Sabre Fighter – 55-2950, 81st Tactical Fighter Squadron “Panthers”, 50th Tactical Fighter Wing, Toul-Rosieres Air Base, France, 1958 (1:72 Scale)
USAF Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 22-5696, 176th Fighter Squadron “Badger Air Militia”, 115th Fighter Wing, Truax Field Air National Guard Base, Madison, Wisconsin, August 2004 (1:72 Scale)
US Navy Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 169034, VFA-125 “Rough Raiders”, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), 2022 [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
USAF Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II Ground Attack Aircraft -“Maryland Farewell”, 104th Fighter Squadron “The Fightin’ O’s”, Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Maryland, September 2015 (1:72 Scale)
French Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000N Multi-Role Fighter – 4-BJ, EC 2/4 “La Fayette”, Luxueil, France, July 1992 (1:72 Scale)
US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – 160658, VFA-124 “Gunfighters”, October 1978 (1:72 Scale)
USAF Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Air Dominance Fighter – “Blue 065”, 65th Aggressor Squadron, 57th Operations Group, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada [Notional Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
All of these new introductions have now been listed in our product portfolio and are available for pre-order.
US Army Air Force Douglas A-20G Havoc Medium Bomber – “Little Chief”, 321st Bomb Squadron, 1944 (1:72 Scale)
In a surprise announcement made late Friday, six new aircraft models were added to the Hobby Master air armada, all of which are tentatively scheduled to appear in May. Although no new toolings were shown, the roster did include a number of eagerly awaited warbirds by collectors world over, among them this handsome A-20G Havoc light attack bomber. So, without further ado or fanfare, here are the rest of the May introductions.
Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu J-7C Night Fighter – 69394, 2011 (1:72 Scale)
Czechoslovak Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-21MFN Fighter – “Black 2500”, 41st Fighter Squadron, Caslav AB, Czech Republic, October 2002 (1:72 Scale)
USMC Boeing Harrier II AV-8B+ Plus Jump Jet – 164569, VMA-223 “Bulldogs”, MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, 2025 (1:72 Scale)
Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy Sukhoi Su-30MKK “Flanker-G” Fighter – 20694, 2013 (1:72 Scale)
Footnote: Incidentally, Hobby Master recently released preliminary photos for HA2826 (shown above), their newest F-22 Raptor Air Dominance Fighter. As some have correctly pointed out, the model is far too bluish in color, particularly around the nose cone and surface edges, and we pointed this out to Hobby Master. They responded by stating that the blues will be significantly toned down and that the final production images will have a more traditional greyish quality about it. So, take heart and don’t let the pre-production photos get you down. Like the second YF-23, which had to be re-shot to show off its true dark grey colors, the next F-22 will be touched up, re-photographed and re-examined to gauge its accuracy.
USAF Northrop F-5N Tiger II Fighter – “Red 117”, VFC-111 “Sundowners”, Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, 2014 [Aggressor Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
Earlier this week, Hobby Master indicated that a slew of new aircraft were in the works for an April release. While the list was indeed long, there weren’t that many new models that caught our eye, the bulk having to do with foreign air force’s that typically don’t sell all that well in the North American marketplace. For instance, while a Royal Thai F-16 looks promising, three are in the offing, meaning we have to tie up big bucks watching them sit for months on the shelf until we have a buyer. While it would be nice to stock everything under consideration, the fact remains that we have to be judicious in deciding which models fit our overall product portfolio. That said, only six new warbirds will be added, all of which have now been listed on our web site under the April 2026 release section. So, without further ado, here now the military muscle we’ll be offering to our esteemed audience this spring:
Hobby Master’s US Army Air Force Douglas A-20G Havoc Medium Bomber – “The Hell’n Pelican II”, 90th Bombardment Squadron “Pair-O-Dice”, 3rd Bombardment Group, Gusap Airfield, Papua, New Guinea, 1944 (1:72 Scale)
Ordinarily, commerce raiding is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than engaging its combatants or enforcing a blockade against them. Privateering,, on the other hand, is a form of commerce raiding conducted by independent operators.
During World War II, elements of the United States Navy based in Brazil conducted operations in the Atlantic against German commerce raiders and blockade runners. In the Pacific, the U.S. Navy operated against Japanese merchant shipping, as well as engaging in offensive operations against ships of the Japanese Imperial Navy. The bulk of the Japanese merchant marine was sunk by American submarines. By the end of the war, only 12% of Japan’s pre-war merchant tonnage was still afloat.
The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Carrier Striking Task Force of the Japanese Navy from March 31st to April 10th, 1942, against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean. It was an early engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II.
The staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to send some raiders to Indian Ocean waters from December 12th, 1941 to July 12th, 1942. The Germans had already been operating in the area and conducted mutual aid with Japanese submarines, in the form of re-supply and military intelligence. The Indian Ocean was the largest operating area involving direct contact between the two Axis partners, in which their primary objective was to keep pressure on the shipping lanes. The Japanese Navy participated in some commerce raiding, but concentrated its efforts toward a “decisive battle” in the Pacific, which never took place.
While naval assets continued to play a pivotal role in World War II, commerce destroyers took on an added dimension with the introduction of military aircraft. One such aircraft that took on this task was the inimitable Douglas A-20 Havoc, an American light bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. The A-20G, as it came to be known, filled the role perfectly. Delivered from February 1943, would be the most produced A-20 variant, with 2,850 built. The glazed nose was replaced by a solid nose containing four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano cannon and two .50 in M2 Browning machine guns. After the first batch of 250, the less-accurate cannon were replaced by more machine guns. After 750 aircraft had been built, a power-driven gun turret fitted with two .50 in machine guns was fitted, with the fuselage 6 inches (15 cm) wider as a result, and the ventral tunnel gun changed from a .30 in to another .50 in Browning. The powerplants were two 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) R-2600-23. Many A-20Gs were delivered to the Soviet Union. Notably, U.S. A-20Gs were used on low-level sorties in the New Guinea campaign.
During World War II, the 90th Bombardment Squadron operated in the South Pacific, flying A-20 Havoc and B-25 Mitchell aircraft. Their main mission involved highly-dangerous skip bombings. In an effort to improve the effectiveness and protection of the 3rd Bombardment Group’s pilots, Major Paul ‘Pappy’ Gunn, 3rd Bombardment Group engineering officer, devised a modification to the B-25C. The modification replaced the forward bombardier with four forwards firing .50 caliber machine guns, supplemented with two twin .50 caliber gun packages side mounted on the fuselage. The lower turret was discarded. The A-20s received similar modifications. The modified aircraft were first employed by the 90th and proved exceptionally effective, receiving the nickname ‘commerce destroyers.’ During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, every aircraft in the 90th scored a hit on the Japanese convoy of 18 ships. It was the first sea-level attack by B-25 strafers in World War II and demonstrated that this tactic was extremely effective. The squadron also participated in the raids on Wewak, New Guinea, which were preemptive strikes that virtually ended the threat of enemy offensive air capabilities.
Expect Hobby Master’s newest A-20G to strafe the competition in late November.
Ever since Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, several neutral nations have petitioned to join NATO, seeing the alliance as a bulwark against Russian aggression. Sweden and Finland joined the alliance in 2023 and 2024 respectively, leaving little doubt that they could better fend off a Russian invasion by being backed up by the rest of Europe and the US.
Over in the Pacific, Japan has witnessed the PRC become ever more aggressive in recent years while North Korea has repeatedly fired intercontinental missiles over parts of the island chain. While they are a member of a Pacific-based alliance with Taiwan, South Korea, Australia and the US, they recognize that additional allies are always welcome should a shooting war erupt over Taiwan or the North Koreans decide to invade South Korea for a second time. Despite being hampered by its own constitution regarding military endeavors outside of its own borders, Japan recently conducted and concluded its first ever exercise with several European nations, embarking on what they have termed Operation Atlantic Eagles.
According to the Japan Times, “Japan completed its first-ever fighter jet deployment to Canada and Europe on Wednesday in an unprecedented display of support for NATO partner countries as well as a demonstration of the Air Self-Defense Force’s long-distance operational capabilities amid growing concerns over the international security situation.
Named “Atlantic Eagles,” the mission involved four F-15Js from Chitose Air Base, accompanied by two refueling and two transport aircraft from various bases across Japan. The contingent, which also included 180 personnel, first landed at the U.S. Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. From there, they proceeded to Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay in Canada, RAF Coningsby and RAF Brize Norton in England, and Laage Air Base in Germany.
The ASDF said the Sept. 14th to Oct. 1st deployment was meant to deepen cooperation and exchanges with fighter squadrons from partner countries in North America and Europe. But experts such as Sebastian Maslow, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo, go further, arguing that the move also highlights the growing momentum of Japan’s security cooperation with NATO partners as Tokyo appears increasingly willing to take on a more proactive role in international security affairs.
Atlantic Eagles comes as several NATO member states have increased their own deployments of military assets to Asia, including Japan, particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani highlighted this when talking to reporters ahead of the mission. “In recent years, European countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany have been steadily strengthening their engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, regularly dispatching fighter jets and naval vessels to areas surrounding Japan,” he said on Sept. 12th.
In this context, the ASDF deployment was meant to embody the “shared recognition that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions is inseparable and interrelated,” Nakatani added, as the ASDF gradually expands the scope of its overseas activities.
Japan, which earlier this year launched its first dedicated mission to NATO, already has one of the closest relationships with the Western military alliance among nonmember partner states.
But Japan has been aiming to take things a step further by boosting joint activities and increasing defense-industrial cooperation, with the latest development seen as symbolizing Tokyo’s commitment to strengthening ties with NATO.
The geostrategic rationale behind these steps is to “reinforce deterrence” against China and Russia while offsetting uncertainties over NATO cohesion and U.S.-led security alliances in Asia through the development of new security partnerships, Maslow said.
Another objective, he said, is to signal readiness and resolve as the scope of military cooperation continues to expand and a new security architecture emerges that increasingly connects the European and Indo-Pacific theaters.
The ASDF deployment took place after elements of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group 25, led by the Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, docked in Japan between Aug. 12th and Sept. 2nd.
The warships’ arrival in Japan had been preceded by naval exercises with the Maritime Self-Defense Force, some of which included the first landing and takeoff of a British F-35B fighter aircraft from a Japanese carrier — a move designed to enhance interoperability, flexibility and operational capacity between the partner navies.”
Look for this JASDF Boeing F-15DJ Eagle multirole fighter to land this December.
US Navy Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless Dive Bomber – 41-S-13, Lieutenant John M. DeVane, Jr., VS-41, USS Ranger (CV-4), November 1942 (1:32 Scale)
Another month passes by and even more models make it into the mix of Hobby Master military aircraft. For March, several scintillating models were tapped for production, including this 1:32 scale Douglas SBD-3 dive bomber shown here. We’ve culled the list of additions so as not to bring in some of their slower moving models and concentrate solely on the more popular models and liveries. The remainder tend to take up shelf space and oftentimes need to be price-adjusted to help get them airborne and into the collector jet stream.
Of note are several aircraft display bases that had been sold out for some time even though demand for them remained strong throughout the years.
Here now the list of models we plan to add to our ever-growing list of Hobby Master products.
USMC Lockheed-Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 170533, VMFA-533 “Hawks”, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, 2025 [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
Japanese Air Self-Defense Force Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 49-8759, 8th Squadron, Tsuiki Air Base, Japan [Notional Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
USMC Boeing F/A-18D Hornet Strike Fighter – 164874, VMFA-112 “Cowboys”, NASJRB Fort Worth, Texas, 2025 (1:72 Scale)
With the re-introduction of their aircraft base series, we plan to offer special bundles that combine a popular military aircraft with one of these highly sought after decks. The end goal is to create a separate value-added series that will help bring these aircraft to life and save you some money. Bear in mind that Forces of Valor will soon be offering a pair of 1:72 scale aircraft carrier deck handlers, that can be added to these bundles to both heighten the experience and give these models added realism.
USAF Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Air Dominance Fighter and Airfield Base Bundles (1:72 Scale)
Forces of Valor US Navy Aircraft Carrier Deck Crew [A] and [B} Figure Sets (1:72 Scale)
In a separate matter, our Hobby Master distributor has provided us with an updated list that shows the arrival dates for the balance of the year and into early 2026. Several models have been pushed back due to an Asian holiday as well as the adverse effects the tariffs have had on the production schedule for many of these models. We’ve updated our Hobby Master sections to reflect these changes. Our distributor also claims that after Chinese New Year — which typically plays out in early February — they should be back on track with monthly imports as opposed to combining shipments to best offset the effects of the recently introduced tariffs.
Years ago, actor/comedian Christoper Walken performed a sketch on Saturday Night Live, one in which he played a so-called sophisticate speaking to the camera as if there was a supposed woman in his apartment. Decked out in a smoking jacket and likely living in a simple and unremarkable one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, the performance struck a note with me. In fact, I oftentimes try to mimic his daffy performance for anyone who is willing to give me a moment of their time. Anyway, I’ve always been struck by that skit, both for its comedic value, his range as both an actor and comedian and its application in real-life.
USAF Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Air Dominance Fighter – 87-0781, Dave Maurice, “Gray Ghost”, PAV-2, 412th Test Wing, Edwards AFB, California, 1990 [Low-Vis Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
Which leads me to the point of this blog post. Last week, we finally got in our batch of Hobby Master 1:72 scale Northrop YF-23 air dominance fighters, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the shipment to reach our shores. When we put this item up for sale on both our web site and on eBay, I couldn’t believe how quickly it sold out, even when we nudged up the price a bit to throttle sales. As you might imagine, the first batch is now gone and we obviously under-anticipated demand for this model and its legacy as a potential aerial platform.
We’ve since placed a large re-order with our distributor, who claims more are expected in November. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we never see another piece as they get gobbled up by collectors worldwide. I know they made quite a few of these models and even with the tariffs imposed on product coming in from certain countries still managed to break our sales records with inquiries about its availability still filtering in.
USAF Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 Air Dominance Fighter – 87-0800, “Black Widow II”, PAV-2, 412th Test Wing, Edwards AFB, California, 1990 (1:72 Scale)
Anyway, we’re leaving this model up on our web site and are still accepting orders should they indeed materialize for the holiday rush. Just as importantly, however, is the second release of the YF-23, known rather surreptitiously as the “Black Widow II”. Painted in matte black, we believe this version will also sell like hotcakes, possibly even breaking the first model’s sell-through rate which, as I’ve already pointed out, may have been our fastest selling aircraft model in our 25-year history. Food for thought if you don’t mind waiting a bit, have space set aside for this beauty and have your heart set on what many believe should have been our nation’s fifth generation air dominance fighter.
Update: If sales are any judge of a model’s success, then I think we can safely assume that Hobby Master’s initial release of the YF-23 will be hailed as the 2025 model of the year, perhaps usurped by the dark grey/black follow-on release expected by year’s end. We don’t acknowledge runaway “runway” hits all that often but it certainly appears as if the YF-23 may indeed receive these honors when the year is out. We did mention to Hobby Master that a navalized version of the YF-23 was planned by the aircraft manufacturer back in the 90s, featuring, among other things, more robust landing gear, canards and other external improvements so there’s a possibility that they may examine its feasibility as a potential model come the new year. What follows is some information on the at-sea version, excerpted from, you guessed it, Wikipedia.
A proposed naval variant of the F-23, sometimes known unofficially as the NATF-23 (the proposed naval variants were never formally designated), was considered as an F-14 Tomcat replacement for the U.S. Navy. The original HSF configuration of the F-23 was first considered with the initial DP500 design but would have had issues with flight deck space (it was to be no longer than the F-14), handling, storage, landing, and catapult launching, thus necessitating a different design. By 1989, the design was narrowed down to two possible configurations: DP533 with four tails and DP527 with two V-tails and canards. DP527 was determined to be the best solution. The NATF-23 design was submitted along with the F-23 proposal for full-scale development, or engineering and manufacturing development (EMD), in December 1990. However, by late 1990 the Navy was already beginning to back out of the NATF program and fully abandoned it by FY 1992 due to escalating costs. A wind tunnel test model of DP527, tested for 14,000 hours, was donated (with canards removed) by Boeing St. Louis (formerly McDonnell Douglas) in 2001 to the Bellefontaine Neighbors Klein Park Veterans Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri.
Looking to build out their assemblage of diecast military aircraft, Hobby Master debuted their February 2026 list of military muscle. While no new toolings were among their latest introductions, several significant models were included in the mix, among them two new General Dynamics F-16 Vipers including “Play to Win”.
Here now the balance of the recently announced models we plan to stock:
USAF North American F-86F Sabre Jet Fighter – 25333, 461st Fighter-Day Squadron “Deadly Jesters”, Hahn Air Base, West Germany, 1955 (1:72 Scale)
USAF General Dynamics F-16A Viper Fighter – “Golden Bat Viper”, 185 Air Refueling Wing, Iowa Air National Guard, 2022 [Commemorative Scheme] (1:72 Scale)
US Navy Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter – 166817, VFA-136 “Knighthawks”, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), 2024 (1:72 Scale)
Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy Sukhoi Su-30MK2 “Flanker-G” Fighter – “Blue 08”, 2012 (1:72 Scale)
Admittedly, the prices of many of their newest introductions seem to be reaching stratospheric levels, in part due to the tariffs being applied to Bangladesh where the Hobby Master product range is currently manufactured. As a result, we are careful as to which of their newest introductions are included in our product mix, largely based upon past sales performance and the need to discount slow-moving items to improve turn. For instance, Typhoons and Red Arrows aerobatic aircraft seem to appeal more to European collectors than they do to home-grown collectors here in the US. Couple that with increasing international shipping costs and we end up being reluctant to carry these types of models in favor of what we feel would appeal to domestic collectors. We’re not happy about this situation but its one we have to abide by to prevent inventory build at our end and keep our stock levels to within reasonable limits.
