Just days after Calibre Wings announced their intent to model the famous Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft comes word that Hobby Master plans to bring the spy plane to market ahead of its wily competition. While we are still awaiting word concerning pricing, the street date for the initial release has been set for February. This announcement certainly serves as a clear shot across the bow of the Calibre Wings warship, and perhaps signals their designs for the diecast military aircraft space, stealing thunder away from other modelmakers to prevent them from gaining further traction in the widening marketplace.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II Ground Attack Aircraft – 66th Weapons Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, April 2005
Like a dead car battery waiting for a boost from a passerby, we’ve been lollygagging around our diecast garage for the past several weeks waiting for anything new to arrive. Well, I can happily report that the May shipment of Hobby Master products are now on their way to us, which includes, among other things, an F-16 painted in an adversarial “ghost scheme” designed to mimic some of the latest aircraft rolling off the Russian assembly line. Unfortunately, all of the “ghost scheme” F-16s have already been spoken for so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that Hobby Master gets around to releasing a second version of this popular scheme sometime in the not-too-distant future. Here now the list of aircraft expected to arrive by the end of this week:
Still no word as to when HA5008, a 1:72 scale US Navy Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler Electronic Warfare Aircraft – 160432, VMAQ-2 “Death Jesters”, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, is expected to arrive since its reportedly making the trek to our distributor via air mail as opposed to surface transport. Could be May or it could be delayed til June.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Republic F-105G Thunderchief Wild Weasel Aircraft – 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron “Wild Weasel”, Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 1972
Though it had been flying the Republic F-105 Thunderchief since February 1964, it took a further eight years of training and base changes before the 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron’s traded in its illustrious fighter-bomber for the more robust two-seat variant known as the F-105G Wild Weasel.
In April 1972, the squadron established Detachment 1 at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, and flew combat Wild Weasel missions. The detachment was discontinued in September, but crews and planes of the squadron continued to fly missions until late January 1973. The squadron was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with “V” Device and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm for this period. A plane from the 561st was the last F-105 shot down in the Vietnam War. It was hit by a surface-to-air-missile on November 16th, 1972; the crew was rescued. One of the surviving aircraft from the squadron is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force with the 561st Squadron’s markings.
On July 1st, 1973, the 561st moved to George Air Force Base and joined the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing. At George, the squadron mission was primarily the training of Wild Weasel crews. The squadron continued to fly the F-105G until 1980, when it began transitioning into the McDonnell F-4G Phantom II advanced Wild Weasel, completing the transition the following year. In August 1990, the Wild Weasels deployed to Sheikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain and during Operation Desert Storm flew over 2,400 sorties logging more than 8,000 combat hours. After the war, the squadron was inactivated on June 30th, 1992.
The squadron was activated at Nellis Air Force Base as part of the 57th Operations Group on 1 February 1993. the 561st soon deployed to Incirlik Air Base in support of Operation Provide Comfort and returned to Southwest Asia at Dhahran Air Base in Saudi Arabia, supporting Operation Southern Watch and Operation Vigilant Warrior. The 561st was also employed as an “Aggressor” squadron during RED FLAG exercises. In 1994, the 561st became the largest fighter squadron in the United States Air Force. It maintained a continuous deployment to the Middle East until inactivating in October 1996.
Look for Hobby Master’s first rendition of the F-105G Wild Weasel to grace collector’s shelves some time in October.
With most modelmakers struggling to get product out the door in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hobby Master saw an opportunity to up the ante and add yet another weapon to its aerial armada. According to Hobbymastercollector.com, the Company plans on offering a model of the Boeing F/A-18XT Advanced Super Hornet Strike Fighter, an aircraft that, for all intents and purposes, is still in the nascent stage of development that hasn’t gone into full production or been pegged to join any front line squadron.
Boeing and Northrop Grumman self-funded a prototype of the Advanced Super Hornet in the early 2010s. The prototype features a 50% reduction in frontal radar cross-section (RCS), conformal fuel tanks (CFT), and an enclosed weapons pod. Features could also be integrated onto the EA-18G Growler; using CFTs on the EA-18 fleet was speculated as useful to releasing underwing space and drag margin for the Next Generation Jammer. Flight tests of the Advanced Super Hornet began on August 5th, 2013, and continued for three weeks, testing the performance of CFTs, the enclosed weapons pod (EWP), and signature enhancements. The U.S. Navy was reportedly pleased with the Advanced Super Hornet’s flight test results, and hopes it will provide future procurement options.
In March 2013, the U.S. Navy was considering the widespread adoption of conformal fuel tanks, which would allow the Super Hornet to carry 3,500 lb (1,600 kg) of additional fuel. Budgetary pressures from theF-35C Lightning II and Pacific region operations were cited as reasons supporting the use of CFTs. Flight testing demonstrated CFTs could slightly reduce drag while expanding the combat range by 260 nautical miles (300 mi; 480 km). The prototype CFT weighed 1,500 lb (680 kg), while production CFTs are expected to weigh 870 lb (390 kg). Boeing stated that the CFTs do not add any cruise drag but acknowledged a negative impact imposed on transonic acceleration due to increased wave drag. General Electric’s enhanced performance engine (EPE), increasing the F414-GE-400’s power output from 22,000 to 26,400 lbf (98 to 117 kN) of thrust per engine, was suggested as a mitigating measure. In 2009, development commenced on several engine improvements, including greater resistance to foreign object damage, reduced fuel burn rate, and potentially increased thrust of up to 20%.
In 2014, Boeing revealed a Super Hornet hybrid concept, equipped with the EA-18G Growler’s electronic signal detection capabilities to allow for targets engagement using the receiver; the concept did not include the ALQ-99 jamming pod. Growth capabilities could include the addition of a long-range infrared search and track sensor and new air-to-air tracking modes.
In September 2014, Boeing readied plans to close its St. Louis production lines for the Super Hornet and F-15 in 2017. Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, told the Wall Street Journal that, although “we’re still solidly behind them,” the company could have decided by April 2015 whether to shut down both assembly lines and close the factory, but chose to keep the Super Hornet line going. Due to various Pentagon contracts, Boeing had enough orders to keep things running into 2017 to give Boeing the opportunity to firm up more international orders.
Early on in the Trump administration, the President liked the idea of bolstering its air defense lineup with cheaper to build F/A-18 aircraft that, while no where near as stealthy as say the F-22 or F-35, could still hold its own against many of today’s front line aircraft. Furthermore, the F/A-18XT is far cheaper to build than the F-35, meaning more aircraft can be added to either the USMC or USN arsenal without breaking the bank.
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet Strike Fighter – VFA-103 “Jolly Rogers”, 75th Anniversary Commemorative Scheme, USS Lincoln (CVN-72), 2017 [Anniversary Scheme]
Like clockwork, we’ve received the April shipment of Hobby Master products with just a few days to spare before May rolled in. It’s composed of a rather diverse set of collectibles, covering everything from ROC tanks to a sleek F/A-18F Super Hornet clad in a stunning anniversary scheme. Here’s the run down of what’s now in stock and ready for immediate departure:
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale German Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 Fighter – Erich “Bubi” Hartmann, 4./Jagdgeschwader 52, Hungary, 1944 (1:48 Scale)
Looking to maintain their lead as the most prolific maker of diecast military vehicles and aircraft, Hobby Master recently announced the latest group of products scheduled for an August showing. Of particular note is this Messerschmitt Bf-109G, the second variant produced by Hobby Master, and its pilot, top scoring ace Erich “Bubi” Hartmann. Here’s some of the other items on tap for the Dog Days of Summer:
Even as other manufacturers struggle with the repercussions caused by the Coronavirus, Hobby Master remains undeterred seemingly intent upon sticking to their production schedule come hell or high water. Interestingly, Hobby Master intends to offer a 1:72 scale rendition of the Panaxia Tornado IDS fighter-bomber, another aircraft Corgi has already produced for several years running and has three examples coming out in 2020. Here’s what’s on tap when the fireworks go off:
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi A6M2 “Zero” Fighter – 3-116, Saburo Sakai, Tainan Kokutai, Formosa, China, 1940-1941
Several months ago, we wrote how Corgi completely blew it with their soon-to-be-released 1:50 scale Tiger I heavy tank, which is supposed to portray an initial production vehicle that saw action in the Leningrad sector of the Russian Front during late 1942. Instead, they used a late model Tiger I and claimed it was historically accurate. And, lest we forget about the engine cowlings on the Air Force 1 B-17 Flying Fortresses, which are peeled back and exaggerated beyond all explanation. Well, it now appears as if Hobby Master will be facing much the same back lash with their soon to take wing 1:48 scale Mitsubishi Zero that was piloted by the famed IJN naval ace, Saburo Sakai.
While we don’t as yet have the aircraft in our possession, it appears as if the grey exterior paint scheme commonly associated with an IJN Zero has morphed into a sky blue overcoat, thereby giving the model a strange and somewhat eerie appearance that isn’t ugly but ahistorical nonetheless. During the war, its commonly believed that there was no single grey color used by the IJN to paint their aircraft. In fact, after Midway, when the IJN lost four front-line aircraft carriers, many aircraft were forced to deploy to land bases and were therefore repainted with a green top coat to help them blend in with their new surroundings. That said, it appears as if Sakai’s Zero, which was based at Formosa well before the disaster at Midway, falls somewhere in the middle, a failed attempt at getting his model to look like the real thing. A pity really.
We recognize that sometimes its a struggle to get a model painted in the correct colors and to date, Hobby Master usually posts pre-production photos on various forums so that collectors can give the products the once over before giving their nod of approval. In this case, it appears as if this never happened, and the model went into mass production well before anyone could critique it. Frankly, its not a bad model, and some collectors may decide to give it a Code 3 make over, meaning they’ll redress the model to make it more acceptable. Still, it would have been nice if Hobby Master had stuck to their tried-and-true process of letting collectors say yay or nay to the model before it was turned over to the production line thereby avoiding these types of mishaps.
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale German Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 Fighter – Walter Horten, Stab/Jagdgeschwader 26, France, Spring 1940 (1:48 Scale)
As news spreads concerning the receipt of their December shipment, Hobby Master announced their latest spate of military hardware being readied for battle. Here’s what you can look forward to claiming for your very own this June:
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC McDonnell F-4N Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – 15323, VMFA-531 “Grey Ghosts”, USS Coral Sea (CV-43)
Certainly one of the most prolific model makers of our time, Hobby Master has nonetheless kept one eye on the mill stone and one on the clock ever since they came into being back in 2006, releasing a steady diet of replicas month in and month out that have become the envy of aficionados world over. For April, collectors can expect to look forward to taking delivery on the following models:
