Editorial
Good evening fellow modelers,
I have just returned from vacation and, as every month, my task is to introduce you to today's Info edition and provide you with information about our activities in the coming months. So I have a lot to do and will get straight to the point.
The June news has been available since the end of last week, so you are probably already familiar with it, but if not, you will find out today. In June, the P-40E Warhawk in Profipack arrived, which will certainly be appreciated by all those who do not want to spend money on large boxes with two sets of sprues. The kit offers six color schemes, four for the American P-40E, two for the Kittyhawk Mk.Ia, one aircraft is from the 112th Squadron RAF serving in Libya in the spring of 1942, the second is from the 15th sq RNZAF (New Zealand) on Espiritu Santo Island in 1943. Fans of 1/72 scale models now have a new Limited edition kit from us: Afrika. It comes in Dual Combo mode and is dedicated to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4, G-2, and G-4 in North Africa, roughly at the same time that the British Kittyhawk from the 1/48 P-40E kit was operating there. Compared to 1/48 scale Afrika, the composition of markings and moldings is different, because we have added the Bf 109 G-4 version to the 1/72 edition, which was not included in the quarter scale Afrika edition. The third item in June's offer is the MiG-21PFM on 1/48 scale Weekend. Among the kits, there is another re-released older item, a 1/72 scale base plate with a PSP surface, i.e. steel plates used by the Allies during World War II to quickly reinforce ground surfaces of advance airfields.
As for accessories, I would like to point out the brass cockpit and exhaust nozzle for the MiG-21 bis in 1/72, or the engines and superchargers for 1/48 B-24D from Hobby Boss. For the MiG-21 PFM in 1/48, we are re-releasing two versions of the cockpit, which is not printed but the original molded one. On the other hand, the new cockpit for the 1/48 P-40E Warhawk is printed, as is the new cockpit for the Fw 190A-2, also intended for our own 1/48 kit.
For those who purchase the 1/72 scale Afrika box, a decal sheet with green snakes sprayed on the sand camouflage of tropical Bf 109 G aircraft may be of interest. Among the etched sets, you will find a collection of sets for the new 1/72 TBM-3 Avenger from Hobby Boss, for the 1/48 scale UH-60A from ICM, and a relatively extensive collection of sets for the older but still beautiful 1/32 A6M2 Zero Model 21 from Tamiya. These sets, like the aforementioned MiG-21PFM cockpits, are part of our project to revive older discontinued sets and supplement sets for some older kits.
This week, we will close the pre-order window for the 1/48 scale P-40N Warhawk Royal Class. As of today, we have not yet shown all markings. The reason is that work is still ongoing on the design of the decal sheet and color schemes. It is not an easy task, especially the nose art for the selected markings is quite elaborate. However, if we are unable to publish all markings by the end of the pre-order window, we will extend it by one or two days. All orders will be shipped in the first half of July.
In the coming days, the Kamikaze Tokkôtai box, which was sold out in April, will be back on sale. Based on orders from retailers, we have prepared a small reissue of just under 1,000 pieces, which will be available for some time both in our webstore and from retailers.
June will also see the launch of a book by Jan Zdiarský about the 100th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force of the USAAF, dedicated not only to the B-17F aircraft and crews of this unit, which were featured in The Bloody Hundredth 1943 kit. The book will be available separately or together with the kit. The book and the kit with the book will be available in very limited quantities; we only have 300 books available in total.
In the second half of June, we will hold another Sweep sale, in which we will sell approximately 35 older items, mostly kits, at a discount. Information about the items will be available on our Facebook page during June, and those who subscribe to our e-mailing list will receive detailed information by e-mail.
The events in world politics over the past two months have been hectic and have significantly shaken up and continue to shake up our industry. I am referring primarily to the US tariffs, which have been continuously introduced, reduced, revoked, and then reinstated. I probably don't need to explain what this means for us. This chaos is not good for business, it creates uncertainty, and disrupts established processes. We are still preparing for the IPMS USA National Convention in August, but to be honest, we are not sure if we will actually go. We may end up staying at home. These are interesting times when we are unable to predict what tomorrow will bring, even more in two months from now.
In any case, we are preparing two new products for this event, and unless the situation worsens significantly, they will be on sale at the time of the event. Both of these kits will be in the Limited edition, as a Show Special for IMPS USA. The first will be a 1/48 P-40N in the 15,000th production scheme. This is the one with lots of insignia on the fuselage, wings, and tail. The second will be a 72nd scale E-2C Hawkeye with markings of aircraft that operated or operate from NAS Oceana and US Navy Atlantic Fleet aircraft carriers. This kit will include new plastic parts from Heller. Both items will be linked to this year's IMPS Nationals, and I believe they will be of interest not only to modelers in Virginia, but also to everyone who joins us at least in the form of our Afterparty.
For September, we are preparing a quarter scale F-18C, also in the Limited edition, which will include Kinetic plastic, a 1/48 Ki 115 Tsurugi in the Heavy Retro series, and a 1/32 Bf 108 Taifun in the Weekend edition.
The Czechoslovakian Limited Edition of the 1/48 MiG-21F-13 is also now confirmed. It will come with a book, will be purely Czechoslovakian, and will be sold in advance from August 22 to September 9. The kits will then be shipped at the beginning of October, and orders can also be picked up at E-day. The kits will also be available for sale at E-day, and we will supply them to retailers, but again, we will only produce a limited number based on the number of pre-orders. In November, the MiG-21F-13 will be included in the Profipack series, and this kit will be available for sale at E-day. The MiG-21F will not be the only new product at E-day; we have more in the pipeline, but I will tell you about that next time.
Happy modelling!
Vladimír Šulc