Back when we started out in 2000, Solido was one of the dominant makers of military vehicles, producing an ever-expanding range of 1:43-1:50 scale tanks, artillery and soft-skinned vehicles. Over the years, they seem to have ebbed and flowed, producing a handful of vehicles one year then lying dormant for several years running. Hopefully, that may have changed as we ourselves learned recently, with nine new 1:48 scale diecast military vehicles slated for a summer release. Nine is a bit of a stretch, since four of the vehicles will be offered in both a woodland camouflage scheme as well as a desert motif. Still, this can only be seen as welcome news as we basically gave up on seeing anything new from them for the foreseeable future.

We’ve listed all nine vehicles in our revamped Solido military vehicle section and are accepting pre-orders as we speak.

According to a recent post by a member of the Model Hangar III forum, Solido plans on re-entering the military market, this time around with a range of 1:48 scale diecast military vehicles. Certainly welcome news, the scale, nevertheless, seems a bit odd for them since they started out years ago in the 1:43/1:50 scale regime and, in recent years, switched over to the more lucrative 1:72 scale category. If the accompanying illustration is correct, six modern era vehicles are expected, although dates of availability, like everything else these days, are still up in the air. As a guess, these will likely show up for the all-important fourth quarter although its not certain if our present Solido distributor will actually stock these vehicles or defer to another entity.

In related news, Solido plans on offering these vehicles as a bundle with a flat-bed rail car, thus catering to the model railroad enthusiast. Its not clear if these vehicles are produced in conjunction with War Master, who had previously supplied Solido with a wide range of 1:72 scale military vehicles, aircraft and helicopters. Its conceivable that War Master has now entered the larger scale military market since there hasn’t been any further indication that they are remaining a player in the 1:72 scale market. Time will tell when we get official word from whomever plans on offering these products in the North American market.

Long a player in the military aviation and armored fighting vehicle market, Solido announced that it was going to give the rotary wing market a go with its first ever model of a helicopter. Scheduled for a September lift off, their first foray portrays a Bell UH-1B Huey utility helicopter as it saw service in Vietnam in 1964 (SOL7200010). Also expected in September is a Lavochkin La-7 fighter, which was pressed into service by the Soviets during their WWII-era struggle with Germany (SOL7200008). Interestingly, no new vehicles were included in the showing, leading several to wonder if more combat vehicles are on the docket for the rest of 2018.

There seems to be some confusion of late whether to call the new 1:72 scale military range produced by War Master for french manufacturer Solido, War Master products or Solido, since both marques appear on the packaging. Be that as it may, we’ve caught wind of some of their newest models likely scheduled for a summer release, which continue to introduce a wide array of combatants and their weapons of war to the 1:72 scale regime. Among them are this German FAMO prime mover hauling a 88mm FLaK gun. Also expected is a German Wirbelwind Anti-Aircraft gun, a British Cromwell tank, a USMC LAV-25 Piranha light armored vehicle and French LeClerc T5 Main battle tank. In the air, look for a British De Havilland Mosquito and Grumman Martlet fighter.

Its now mid-March, a full month after the conclusion to the Nuremberg Toy Fair, and we are still in a quandary concerning french manufacturer, Solido. Last year, they made it public knowledge that they are working with War Master to produce a new range of 1:72 scale diecast military vehicles and, last month, showed off several larger 1:43 scale military vehicles within one of their Toy Fair booths, several of which we have never seen before.

Now, on their web site, they’ve added a new collage of War Master products to their home page, which includes a British Cromwell tank and a Martlet fighter, the British equivalent of the Eastern Aircraft FM-1 Wildcat. That said, no further details concerning either new  issue are contained within their military category page, so for now we assume they are nothing more than teasers with release dates much further out. Likewise, we still aren’t sure if the range will be made available in North America since no distributor has stepped forward yet to indicate they will supply the range. We aren’t sure what this means to collectors but will keep everyone abreast should anything change.