Lately, there seems to be several head-to-head battles within the diecast manufacturing community, the most notable arising with the E-2C Hawkeye, F-14 Tomcat Fleet Defender, and SR-71 blackbird camps. While we are currently out of any of the Century Wings SR-71s, we did just receive the latest replicas from Air Force 1, including the signature edition Major Terry Pappas version of the Blackbird. Frankly, the AF1 version is every bit as detailed as the ones produced by Century Wings, which typically cost much more and have been produced ad infinitum, covering almost every Blackbird ever to take flight.

On the downside, the AF1 version comes with a pilot that more closely resembles those found on PLAAF warplanes instead of US reconnaissance planes, a glaring oversight that someone needs to address since they are ahistorical and incorrect.

So, for now, we’re putting the SR-71 on the under card, while companies such as Century Wings, Hobby Master, Caliber Wings and TSM Model Wings duke it out for the F-14 crown.