Hobby Master

Hobby Master Still Doesn’t Feel the Need for Speed

May is a rather intriguing month for both film goers and diecast collectors since it represents the debut of Top Gun: Maverick, the long awaited feature film that marks the return of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell to the silver screen. According to some overnight articles, the initial reaction to the film was quite favorable, and will no doubt serve as an ideal recruitment driver for both the US Navy and Air Force, particularly in the wake of the current Russo-Ukrainian Conflict.

Hobby Maser’s 1:72 scale USMC Boeing F/A-18D Hornet Strike Fighter – 165685, VMFA(AW)-242 “Bats”, Yokota AB, Tokyo, Japan, 2020

Thus far, we haven’t heard of any of the major diecast makers offering a replica of Maverick’s Hornet, nor any of the other aircraft portrayed in the film. While Corgi has produced a fit-to-box pairing of his F/A-18 and a P-51 Mustang, we thought that by now someone would’ve stepped forward with a model aimed at capturing the spirit of the sequel and potentially gain market share both in the short- as well as long term. No doubt the fee for Paramount’s highly coveted Top Gun license isn’t cheap, however, even if it hovers around 6%, I think it still make sense for a company such as Hobby Master to explore whether or not they may be passing up a golden opportunity to produce what will certainly become one of the most sought after pre-assembed models in recent years.

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale RAAF Boeing F-18A Hornet Strike Fighter – A21-18, “Magpie”, No.75 Squadron, RAAF Base Tindal, NSW, Australia, 2021 [Heritage Scheme]

In the meantime, Hobby Master released a bunch of final images for the balance of their May releases. According to our distributor, the next Hobby Master shipment is expected mid May, unless of course something occurs along the way to hamper its arrival. While you can now see the entire collection in our Upcoming May release section, we thought you might like to ogle some of the most recent images Hobby Master was gracious enough to provide.

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – VMFA-314 “Black Knights”, June 2019 [Low-Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy McDonnell F-4H-1 Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – 148390f, VF-74 “Bedevilers”, USS Forrestal (CVA-59), 1962

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy McDonnell F-4H Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – 148423h, Test Pilot CDR John Watts Young, Project High Jump, April 1962
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Hobby Master for 2023 Anyone?

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC M60A1 Patton Medium Tank with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) – “Beirut Payback”, 1st Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Kuwait, 1991

While several model makers still seem to be struggling to get out new product, Hobby Master shows no signs of abating, announcing their latest bevy of military items for an early 2023 roll out. Of note are two 1:72 scale M60A1 Patton tanks, both drawn from the epic Operation Desert Storm of 1991. Frankly, we had written off Hobby Master as far as military vehicles goes, since they hadn’t announced anything new for the better part of two years. Hopefully, this marks a new beginning for the company, who had been spending the better part of their time in the diecast aircraft realm, predominantly 1:72 scale jets. I’d like to also point out that they’ll be releasing a new 1:200 scale Space Shuttle, as well as a pair of 1:72 Huey helicopters, two sectors they seemed to have all but abandoned of late. Now if we could only convince them to look at other areas of the military diecast market, cough, 1:32/35 scale military vehicles, then we’d really be excited, but a guy can dream can’t he?

That said, lets get to the rest of the releases you can look forward to seeing this coming January.

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC M60A1 Patton Medium Tank with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) – “Wicked Bitch”, 3rd Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Kuwait, 1991
Hobby Master’s 1:200 NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise – Edwards AFB, California, 1977
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Army Bell UH-1C Huey Helicopter – “Easy Rider”, 174th Assault Helicopter Company “Dolphins and Sharks”, 1970s
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Army Bell UH-1B Huey Helicopter – 57th Medical Detachment, 1960s
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC Boeing Harrier II AV-8B Jump Jet – BuNo 165421, VMA-214 “Black Sheep”, Afghanistan, November 2009
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Israeli McDonnell F-4E Phantom II (“Kurnass”) Fighter-Bomber – 201 Squadron “The One”, Tel Nof Air Base, Israel, 1974
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX Fighter – Captain W. Duncan-Smith, 323 Wing, August 1944
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale RAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX Fighter – PT879, “Russian Spitfire”, Biggin Hill, England, 2020
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale USMC Chance-Vought F4U-4 Corsair Fighter – “White 18”, VMF-323 “Death Rattlers”, USS Sicily (CVE-118), 1951
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Chinese PLAAF Shenyang J-11BG “Flanker B+” Multirole Fighter – South China Sea, 2022
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter – 166608, VFA-143 “Pukin Dogs”, CAG, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), September 20th, 2014
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter – 166776, VFA-31 “Tomcatters”, USS USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), 2011
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-57E “Felon” Stealth Fighter – “Blue 054”, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, January 2013
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 168842, VX-9 “Vampires”, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, 2018 [Low-Vis Scheme]
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Product Spotlight: Hellcats of the Pacific

Hobby Master’s 1:32 scale USN Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat Fighter – “Paper Doll”, VF-27 “Kangaroos”, USS Princeton (CVL-23), October 1944

Established at NAS Norfolk,VA in April 1942 flying the Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat, VGF-27 became one of the most traveled Navy squadrons of the war. Following Operation Torch against French Morocco in November 1942, the squadron remained aboard the USS Suwannee as part of CVEG-27 through most of the next eight months. Upon re-designation as VF-27 in March 1943, the squadron operated their Wildcats ashore at Guadalcanal until July, except for a brief period at sea, again aboard the USS Suwannee, in June. Among the 12 victories credited during April through July, were the first for future standouts Cecil Harris, and Sam Silber.

After refitting with the Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat in the U.S. in early 1944, and intense training in Hawaii during March, and April 1944, VF-27 embarked aboard the USS Princeton CVL-23. This would prove to be one of the most spectacular Light Carrier cruises of the war. Under Lt. Cdr. Ernest Wood, the “Cat Mouthed” Hellcats flew warm-up missions against Saipan, and Tinian, on June 11th and 12th of 1944. Within a week the squadron participated in the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”, on June 19th. The Hellcats of VF-27 claimed 30 kills against Japanese aircraft attempting to strike Task Force 58. Squadron commander Lt. Cdr Wood was lost on this day however, his replacement was Lt. Cdr. Fred Bardshar. Future aces Bill Lamb, Dick Stambook, and Gordon Stanley splashed four enemy aircraft apiece during the operation. Lt. Cdr. Bardshar led VF-27 on a fighter sweep over Manila on Sept 21st, with VF-27 claiming 38 victories over IJN, and IJAAF aircraft. The days bag included 4.5 kills for Lt. John Rodgers, and 4 kills for Lt. Jim “Red” Shirley.

After strikes against Formosa in mid- October, the Princeton was back in the Leyte Gulf as part of Task Force 38.3 on October 24th. Near Pollilo Island in the eastern part of the gulf VF-27 wrecked havoc on the Japanese, destroying 36 enemy fighters that day. Four pilots emerged as “Aces in a Day” in this engagement. They were Lt’s Carl Brown, and Jim Shirley, plus Lt. (jg) Gene Townsend, and Ensign Tom Conroy.

However upon return to the fleet, “Sweet P”, the USS Princeton was found afire and sinking. At 9:38 that morning a lone Judy dive-bomber appeared suddenly out of thick clouds and dropped a single bomb on the Princeton’s flight deck. The bomb exploded amidst fueled and armed Grumman TBF Avengers on the hanger deck. The ship was rocked by multiple explosions, seven hours later gutted by fire the Princeton was scuttled by American torpedoes. VF-27’s 5 month war cruise was over. Of the 136 victories credited during the deployment, a staggering 104 occurred on three days. A record unbeaten by any other CVL fighter squadron during the war. Lcdr. Bardshar reformed the squadron in time to return to the Western Pacific aboard the carrier USS Independance. One more victory was scored before the war ended. VF-27 officially disbanded Nov 26th, 1945.

Like its counterpart “Minisi II”, Paper Doll is now available for immediate shipment.

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Product Spotlight: “The Fabled Fifteen”

Hobby Master’s 1:32 scale USN Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat Fighter – CDR. David McCampbell, “Minsi II,” Commander Air Group 15, USS Essex (CV-9), 1944

Captain David McCampbell (January 16th, 1910 – June 30th, 1996) was an American aviator, who became the US Navy’s all-time leading ace with 34 aerial victories during World War II.

Following service aboard a cruiser, 1935-37, McCampbell applied for flight training and was accepted. He received his “wings of gold” in 1938 and was assigned to Fighting Squadron Four on the East Coast. Subsequently he became a landing signal officer and survived the sinking of USS Wasp (CV-7) off Guadalcanal in September 1942.

From September 1943 to September 1944, McCampbell was commander of Air Group 15, in charge of fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers aboard the aircraft carrier USS Essex. From April to November 1944, his group saw six months of continuous combat and participated in two major air-sea battles, the First and Second Battles of the Philippine Sea. During the more than 20,000 hours of air combat operations before it returned to the United States for a rest period, Air Group 15 destroyed more enemy planes (315 airborne and 348 on the ground) and sank more enemy shipping than any other Air Group in the Pacific War. Air Group 15’s attacks on the Japanese in the Marianas and at Iwo Jima, Taiwan, and Okinawa were key to the success of the ‘island hopping’ campaign.

In addition to his duties as commander of the ‘Fabled Fifteen,’ then Commander McCampbell became the Navy’s ‘Ace of Aces’ during the missions he flew in 1944. In October 1944, he and his wing man attacked a Japanese force of 60 aircraft. During the mission, Captain McCampbell shot down nine enemy planes, setting a single mission aerial combat record. When he landed his Grumman F6F Hellcat, his six machine guns had two rounds remaining and the plane had only enough fuel to keep it aloft for 10 more minutes. Captain McCampbell received the Medal of Honor for that action, becoming the only fast carrier task force pilot to do so. During a similarly courageous mission in June 1944, Air Group 15’s planes routed a large enemy force and McCampbell earned seven kills.

For his brilliant record in command of Air Group 15, McCampbell was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, Legion of Merit with Combat ‘V’, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Gold Stars in lieu of the second and third awards, and the Air Medal.

McCampbell’s legendary F6F Hellcat, produced in a mega sized 1:32 scale, is now in stock and ready for immediate shipment.

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Hobby Master Continues to Fire Up the Kiln

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale French Dassault Rafale C Multirole Aircraft – 118 EF, “Arctic Tiger”, NATO Tiger Meet 2012

Showing no signs of abating, Hobby Master churned out yet another flock of warbirds all scheduled to take off this December. Among the new releases is their first ever french-built Dassault Rafale fighter, clad in a wintry white scheme indicative of taking part in a NATO led Tiger Meet competition conducted in the far north. Here now, the rest of the aircraft you can expect to see under the Christmas tree barring any logistical issues.

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Convair F-106A Delta Dart Interceptor – 90053, 87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron “Red Bulls”, Sawyer AFB, Michigan, 1970s
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale RAF Panavia GR. Mk. 1A Tornado IDS All-Weather Bomber – ZA592, No.13 Squadron, RAF Marham, England, 1995
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16C Viper Fighter – 86-0333, 119th Fighter Squadron, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, Atlantic City, New Jersey, 2016 [Low Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF General Dynamics F-16CG Block 40 Viper Fighter – 89-2035, Commander of the 555th Fighter Squadron, 2003-2004 [Low Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USN Boeing F/A-18C Hornet Strike Fighter – VFA-81 “Sunliners,” USS Saratoga (CV-60), January 1991 [Low Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Lockheed S-3B Viking Anti-Submarine Aircraft – 159390, CAG VS-30 “Diamondcutters”, USS George Washington (CVN-73), 2005
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Lockheed S-3B Viking Anti-Submarine Aircraft – “VS-21 “Fighting Redtails”, USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), January 2005 [Decommissioning Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Sukhoi Su-34 “Fullback” Strike Fighter – “Red 24”, Ukraine, March 2022
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale RAF North American Mustang Mk. III Fighter – Eugeniusz Horbaczewski, No.315 “City of Deblin” Squadron, Southwest England, 1944
Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale USAAF North American P-51B Mustang Fighter – Lt. Bill Overstreet, “Berlin Express”, 363rd Fighter Squadron, 353rd Fighter Group, Leiston, England, 1944
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More Warbirds Take Wing this November from Hobby Master

Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale German Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 “Gustav” Fighter – Heinrich Bartels, 11./Jagdgeschwader 27 “Afrika”, Greece, November 1943

Looking to beef up their holiday presence while simultaneously paying homage to some of the platforms taking part in the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict, Hobby Master, late last week, announced a wide array of new combat aircraft for the month of November. The list is quite impressive, adding a number of heavily requested items to what is already a daunting product portfolio. Here’s what you can expect to sit along side the turkey this coming Thanksgiving:

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USMC McDonnell F-4J Phantom II Fighter-Bomber – VMFA-232 “The Red Devils,” MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, 1977
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Boeing F/A-18C Hornet Strike Fighter – CAG Bird, “Chippy Ho,” VFA-195 “Dambusters,” 2010
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 495th Fighter Squadron “The Valkyries”, 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, England, December 2021 [Low-Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale RCAF Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Canada, 2010 [Low-Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale USAF Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II Ground Attack Aircraft – 75th Fighter Squadron “Tiger Sharks,” 23rd Wing, Moody AFB, Georgia, 2017
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-25M1 “Frogfoot” Ground Attack Aircraft – “Blue 08”, 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Nikolaev, Ukraine, 2022
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Ukrainian Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29C ‘Fulcrum-C’ Fighter – “Yellow 57,” “The Ghost of Kyiv”, Ukraine, 2022
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale German Panavia GR. Mk. 1 Tornado IDS All-Weather Bomber – Jagdbombergeschwader 32, Piacenza-San Damiano, Italy, 1999
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27 “Flanker-B” Multirole Fighter – “Blue 58”, 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, Mirgorod, Ukraine, 2022
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Russian Navy Sukhoi Su-33 “Flanker-D” Air Superiority Fighter – “Red 84”, 2nd Aviation Squadron, 2016
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat Fleet Defense Fighter – VF-84 “Jolly Rogers,” USS Nimitz, (CVN-68) July 1978
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Hobby Master Enters the Russo-Ukrainian Conflict

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Ukrainian Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29C ‘Fulcrum-C’ Fighter – “Yellow 57,” “The Ghost of Kyiv”, Ukraine, 2022

So, I’m officially exhausted. Between all of the new Forces of Valor arrivals, receipt of a huge Hobby Master shipment and, if I may, off-the-charts sales on both our website and marketplace channels, its likely going to take us a couple of days for me to fully recover. Frankly, its a good thing another snow storm is bearing down on our neck of the woods this weekend, which will give me time to take a shower, shave and take stock of everything that has gone on around us. At least that’s my plan.

Why do I bring this up? For starters, I just wanted to thank everyone for holding off sending us missives asking about the status of their Forces of Valor order. As I alluded to previously, its counterproductive for us to take time out and respond to everyone’s query. Because of this, we’ve gotten out all of the tank and aircraft shipments and are now down to a handful of metal track orders, all of which will go out on Saturday. Afterwards, once I’ve downed a few cups of coffee, taken my meds and fed the hound, I’ll begin posting another set of eBay listings for the rest of the products contained within the January/February Hobby Master shipment. Expect them to show up on the Bay by Monday morning.

Lastly, we just received the Hobby Master November release list, which, as we fully expected, contains a number of items directly connected to the current situation in Ukraine. The most notable is the so-called “Ghost of Kyiv” MiG-29 fighter, which is decked out in a handsome digitized winter camouflage scheme. This could well be the best selling aircraft model of 2022, so we’ll do our best to list it first, followed by a scintillating Ukrainian Su-25 “Frogfoot” ground attack aircraft, then address the rest of the new announcements in due course. These should all be up and available for pre-order by Saturday evening. I urge you to place your pre-orders as soon as possible, so we have a fairly good idea how many we need to order from our distributor.

If I have any further thoughts, I’ll update this post over the weekend, once I’ve had a good night’s sleep and gotten my bearings. In the meantime, many of you should be receiving their FOV orders and I certainly hope the product was worth the extended wait. While I may have some reservations about how they conduct business, they happen to make awesome replicas and that is what this hobby is all about.

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March Idioms and Metaphors

Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale USMC Chance-Vought F4U-1A Corsair Fighter – Major Greg Boyington, VMF-214 “Black Sheep”, Torokina Airfield, Bougainville, January 3rd, 1944

Lately you can apply at least a half dozen idioms and metaphors to our March arrivals section. Its feast or famine, when it rains it pours, etc. Anyway, I think you get the drift. We’re still digging out from our huge Forces of Valor tank shipment, attempting to get out all of our pre-orders out the door before they turn their guns on us. That said, we learned yesterday that both the January and February Hobby Master shipments arrived at our distributor, which means we have to kick it into high gear so we can make room for all these new items before we get socked in. We’ve already updated our Product in Transit section and will likely receive these new items by week’s end. There’s a number of key aircraft in the mix, many of which will almost certainly get snapped up once we make them available for general sale. So, we strongly urge that you review the in transit section as soon as possible, then place an order for those items that tickle your fancy. Its an eclectic mix, to be sure, that cuts across a wide array of scales, eras and weapons platforms. Enjoy!

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Hobby Master Bolsters its Air Force

Hobby Master’s 1:48 scale German Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4 Fighter – Rudolf Eisele, 8/Jagdgeschwader 2 “Richthofen”, Brest-Guipavas, France, January 1943

Looking to add more firepower across the entire spectrum of military conflicts, Hobby Master announced four more warbirds to its growing list of scale combat aircraft, all due out at varying intervals throughout 2022. By clicking on each line art image, you can then determine its price and estimated arrival date.

Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale RAF Harrier GR7A Jump Jet – ZD437, “Michelle”, 1 Squadron, Afghanistan, 2007
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale Soviet Air Defense Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25PD “Foxbat-E” Interceptor – “Blue 56”, 8th Air Defense Army, 1980s
Hobby Master’s 1:72 scale US Navy Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye AEW Aircraft – 165648, VAW-113 “Black Eagles”, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), June 2006
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Hobby Master Promises Loads of Treats for October

Hobby Master’s 1:72 USN Grumman TBF-1 Avenger Torpedo-Bomber – 8-T-1, VT-8, NAS Norfolk, Virginia, May 1942

Hobby Master is one of those companies that seems to enjoy soldiering on despite facing many of the same vexing issues that have plagued other model makers over the past year or so. Case in point. October 2022. While other manufacturers haven’t begun to look that far out yet, Hobby Master already has its ducks in a row with a bevy of new introductions ready to grace the harvest table. Of particular note are a pair of Dauntless dive-bombers commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, as well as a 1:72 scale reproduction of an Avenger torpedo plane. Here now what you can expect to lay out along side the pumpkin pie and apple cider later this year:

Hobby Master’s 1:72 USMC Douglas AD-3 Skyraider Attack Aircraft – 122743, VMA-121 “Green Knights”, K-6 Airfield, Pyongtaek, Republic of Korea, 1951
Hobby Master’s 1:72 Czechoslovak Air Force Sukhoi Su-25K “Frogfoot” Ground Attack Aircraft – 9013, 30th Combat Air Regiment, Zatec, Czechoslovakia, 1992
Soviet Sukhoi Su-25K “Frogfoot” Ground Attack Aircraft – “Red 03”, Lt. Colonel Alexander Rutskoy, 40th Army, Afghanistan, August 4th, 1988
Hobby Master’s 1:72 RAAF Boeing F-18B Hornet Strike Fighter – No.75 Squadron “Final Flight,” December 2021
Hobby Master’s 1:72 USMC Boeing F/A-18D ATARS Hornet Strike Fighter – VMFA(AW)-224 “Bengals,” MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, 2009
Hobby Master’s 1:72 USN Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter – 168843, NAWDC, July 2020 [Low-Vis Scheme]
Hobby Master’s 1:72 Polish Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29A ‘Fulcrum’ Fighter – “Grey 56”, 1 Eskadra Lotnictwa Taktycznego, Minsk Mazowiecki AB, Poland, 2016
Hobby Master’s 1:72 Polish Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29A ‘Fulcrum’ Fighter – “Red 4103”, 41st Eskadra Lotnictwa Taktycznego, Malbork, Poland, 2012
Hobby Master’s 1:32 USN Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless Dive-Bomber – Richard Fleming and Eugene Card, “White 2” VMSB-241, June 4th, 1942
Hobby Master’s 1:32 USN Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless Dive-Bomber – LCDR Howard Young, Commander Enterprise Group, USS Enterprise (CV-6), December 7th, 1941
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