The Forces of Valor Update: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

We’re happy to report that our latest shipment from Forces of Valor went off without a hitch. This shipment, as you likely know by now, included all of the newest products that had been originally earmarked for a late 2023 arrival but, for various reasons, was delayed until early February. Their newest M4 Sherman tank — Julia — has already sold out and we are currently awaiting a second delivery so that it can be re-stocked. Unfortunately, the advent of Chinese New Year will likely delay this follow-on shipment until the end of the month, perhaps longer if it takes Waltersons a few days to get back in the saddle after returning from “the Year of the Dragon.” We still have a few pieces left of the other items comprising this shipment but expect them to sell out too if the next shipment has to be delayed until early March.

Thus far we haven’t heard much about several of the newest projects that were hinted at by Waltersons a year or two ago and have now seemingly gone AWOL. I’m speaking about the 1:32 scale Elefant tank destroyer that was purportedly going to be the newest entrant in their Inside Out series. Likewise, the manufacturer briefly indicated that a King Tiger heavy was tank was in the works but little else was mentioned. A 1:32 scale Opel Blitz ambulance decked out in the Afrika Korps motif was supposed to come to fruition this year but seems to have been shunted to the back burner. Instead, the next cache of products — likely slated to arrive in April — looks to include the on-again off-again HMS Invincible aircraft carrier, a 1:72 scale AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter, two F/A-18 Hornets, a pair of F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers and some assorted accessories. Its a good bet that the acquisition of Greenlight Collectibles last year has affected Watersons’ release schedule for its Forces of Valor lines and, quite possibly, resulted in a reapportionment of resources as they grapple with both the FOV line and Greenlight’s own proprietary product lines. We thought that some new products would be shown at the 2024 Nuremberg Toy Fair but our hopes were dashed when we viewed a video of their booth which didn’t show anything new or unexpected.

We know this isn’t what you want to hear in light of all of the recent delays and issues that have cropped up in the wake of the Greenlight Collectibles acquisition and hope that our next installment of the Forces of Valor update will have more exciting news to share with you. Peace out.