True-to-form, Waltersons posted another update to their Facebook account discussing their upcoming 2019 release schedule and how they plan to address the market place. If you’re good at reading between the lines then that means you’re likely in for a rude awakening come the next twelve months, as more and more iterations of several fan favorites hit the street. In fact, you’ll likely need a score card to tell the “players” apart as more and more new introductions get added to the production schedule and the list of variations grows longer every day.
As it stands now, virtually every new item scheduled to come out will come in at least two flavors: a heavily weathered version and one sporting a more subdued look. Case in point, the upcoming PLAN Liaoning aircraft carrier. We were under the impression that one version was due out later this year, portraying the ship when it visited Hong Kong in 2017. Apparently, a second example is in the works as well, this time around sporting subtle weathering effects that include take off and landing scarring as it undertook sea trials in the South China Sea a year prior. A third version could also be in the offing, this time around featuring a reconfigured rear flight deck that is intended to make more room for the stowage of aircraft.
FOV also plans on reworking the turret for their 1:32 scale Tiger I tank so that it better reflects some of the changes the German Army incorporated into some of the latter models. Moreover, some vehicles will be slathered with Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste while others will not, pretty much covering every conceivable variant that took to the battlefield from its onset in late 1942 to the closing stages of the war. In a related matter, the Company intends to add diecast tracks to its vehicles beginning with the Tiger I tank. They claim that the tracks will be produced in-house but its not clear if the inclusion of metal tracks will have an appreciable impact on the cost of each vehicle. Moreover, its not certain if the tracks will appear shiny like those that are included on the Minichamps tanks series or come muddied and weathered as if they had seen extensive service. If we had to guess, the weathered vehicles will feature muddied tracks while the less distressed vehicles will sport shinier tracks. On the downside, metal tracks have a habit of locking up while being rolled, something vinyl tracks neatly overcome even if they don’t look quite as realistic. So, it will be interesting to see how FOV addresses this issue if they hope to promote the series as having smoothly rolling metal tracks.
FOV hinted that a number of photos are forthcoming and that we could see some of the new toolings as early as later this year. If that’s the case, plan on making lots of room under the Christmas tree this holiday seasons, as the Company continues to prime the pump on the land, air and sea.