Metal Troops Tiger I with Interior Details and some other news

I mentioned the other day in April version of Model Graphix, there is a Tiger I from WTM quoted "C3 Special" and it looked like something will be released in the C3 show. The pictures I show here are not the one. They are from Metal Troops. It's not new but I only bought it recently. You may have seen it before or you may already have one.

Details are reasonably well sculpted and re-produced for a mass produced kit (I know it's hand built resin kit but I think they still qualified as mass production). The problem of this kit I think is the proportion of the kit. I tried to put all pieces back together and I found the kit is too tall. Somehow not in proportion. More pictures can be found here.

What about May version of Model Graphix? It shows a Tiger I, a King Tiger and a Panther with Zimmerit. After seeing these, I won't hold my breath for WTM10. Probably some remake from prior series again with some interior details, zimmerit,...etc. To me, Zimmerit is not something high tech. Dragon has done that in their early series such as King Tiger (Porsche turrent) or JagdTiger so nothing new about it. I'm very disappointed if Takara thought it would get us excited.

One last piece is Dragon has updated the Cando page with the new Jagdpanzer series. Check it out.

El basser's Dora

If you like big guns, check out this Dora from El basser's web. He has updated with another movie with the Dora running on a N scale setting. Very impressive. I wish I have his creativity and skills. Here is the link.

Yujin tanks 8-(

Very frustrated. Still don't know where to order this series. Any idea?

1/144 ATVOTOMS

Hi BD99, I think you like Sci-fi stuffs too so this one is for you. Even if you don't like robots but the choppers, tanks, transporters are all very nice. It's not bad to try something different, isn't it? Click the title for the link.

Japan Sinks! Operation D-2

I made a mistake the other day. The LCAC actually is included in the second set called Operation D-2, the one we talked about the other day was D-1. This set is scheduled to release on 8/14 and the first set is scheduled on 7/24. The interesting thing about this set is most of the items are in 1/144 scale. Sadly the LCAC is 1/700. I want a 1/144.

Updated: 04/15/2006

Here is the line-up
1. 1/144 Deep Sea Research Submarine - Shinkai 2000 (Type A)
2. 1/144 Deep Sea Research Submarine - Shinkai 2000 (Type B)
3. 1/144 JASDF Rescue Helicopter UH-60J
4. 1/144 CH47-J (JASDF)
5. 1/700 LCAC Landing Craft
6. 1/700 Deep Sea Research Vessel Chikyu
7. 1/144 JGSDF Type 73 Truck (old) and Type 73 Jeep (old)
8. 1/144 Type 73 Ambulance
9. 1/144 Crane (???)
10. Secret item

More info of the original ships can be found here.

Metal Troops - Steyr 1500

Steyr 1500 are one of the work horses of German in WWII. As WTM has only produced a handful of softskins (and none from Dragon), this Steyr is very attractive to me. In addition, you get a German soldier with the kit (not very nice but better than nothing.)

The only problem with this kit is the windshield is solid and then painted in silver. I prefer Metal Troops put a cover on it and then turn it down on top of the hood or simply made a hold so we can put a clear plate on it. Anyway, a nice kit. Recommended.

More pictures can be found here in my web.

You probaby know WTM09 is selling in Japan now but my vendor has not notified me yet. Any news from you guys?

More news on "Japan Sinks"

I was wondering what is a Observation Flying Boat the other day and the answer is the "LCAC Landing Craft". In addition, there is one Amphibious Assault Ship in 1/700. Although I'm not a collector of ships, this one looks interesting.

F-Toys WWII War Bird Collection & Japan Sinks

Couple items today: First, F-Toys has updated its web with the new WarBird Series, here is the link. Second, I have updated the "Japan Sinks" page with the line-up below. You can also see more pictures and background regarding these deep sea research submarines or investigation ships here.

Japan Sinks! Operation D-1

There is a sci-fi movie in Japan this summer called "Japan Sinks" or "Submersion of Japan". You can find the promo here. TakaraTomy is going to release a TMW series for this movies. Most items we have seen before from F-Toys or Takara itself such as the CH-47, the Super Puma or the deep sea submarines in 1/144. The only items I'm interested in are those 2 Type 73 trucks (one is a Jeep and one is a truck). They are good addition to my JGSDF collections.

Updated: 04/15/2006

Here is the line-up

1. 1/144 Deep Sea Research Submarine - Shinkai 6500 (Type A)

2. 1/144 Deep Sea Research Submarine - Shinkai 6500 (Type B)

3. 1/144 Fire Rescue Helicopter AS-332 Super Puma

4. 1/144 CH47-J (JASDF)

5. 1/700 Obervation Flying Boat (???)

6. 1/700 Ocean Investigation Ship Natsushima and Shinkai 2000

7. 1/144 JGSDF Type 73 Truck and Type 73 SUV

8. 1/144 CH47-J (JGSDF)

9. 1/700 Tugboat Arasakimaru & Sea Surface Diorama

10. Secret item

Easy Model = Trumpeter !

Here is a web site which sells Easy Model 1/72 planes and it said "Easy Models are imported by MRC and manufactured by Wasan (Trumpeter)" so my assumption probably is right. May be Trumpeter has made up its mind that all prebuilt models besides US will be marketing under the brand as "Easy Model". I like the 1/72 line a lot more such as the As-90 which BD99 pointed out and I also like the IS-3 or Pershing. They are good addition to your Dragon Armor Collections.

Dragon Panzer Korps - Jagdpanzer IV/Hetzer

Dragon US has a picture of the new Panzer Korps (unbuilt kits) - what a surprise, it's the Jagdpanzer IV/Hetzer series. The only tank not included in the Cando version is the Jagdpanzer IV L/70 (A) at the bottom right hand corner. Hmmm... may be I'll just pick up this one. Here is the line-up:

14029 Hetzer Early Production + Jagdpanzer IV A-0

14030 Hetzer Late Production + Jagdpanzer IV L/48

14031 Pz.Aufkl.38(t) w/7.5cm Kwk + Jagdpanzer IV L/70

14032 Flammpanzer 38(t) + Jagdpanzer IV L/70(A)

Easy Model = Trumpeter ?

Hobbylink has a couple of 1/144 items from a company called "Easy Model". There is a LCM 3 (see above) which I think it's very similar to the one from Trumpeter. It's kind of comfusing if they are coming from the same mold. As you may know, these trumpeter kits are distributed in the U.S. under the name of Museum Collection of Pegasus. In Japan, I think some 1/144 tanks were released under the Trumpeter brand. And now, there is another name "Easy Model" which is going to release same tanks from Trumpeter molds. Another reason I suspect these are amde by Trumpeter molds is the other 2 offers from Easy Model are the 60cm Ziu and Odin which have also been released by Trumpeter both in kit and pre-built form.

I can understand for business reasons, manufacturers like Trumpeter need to find some good partners to distribute the products in different region. But I think it's too confusing if the same line of products are distributed under different names. If you're not careful, you may buy unwanted duplicated items. ( Another reason I create this blog to save you $$$ :-) )

Preiser "N" scale figures

When I was looking for something in my garage during the weekend, I found these 2 "N" scale figure sets from Preiser. I totally forgot I had bought these many years ago before I moved to the U.S. as they were hidden in one of those carton boxes. I think I will try to put them together with the Cando or WTM and see how it feels. The first set above is an industrial worker set which I think can be changed to soldiers (or workers in a tank factory :-) ) easily.

Fleischmann "N" Scale Locomotives

Last time I bought a 1/130 Furuta locomotive but it was too small. As a result, I bought this Fleischmann N scale train couple days ago in order to see the difference between this n scale and the 1/144 from Dragon Cando.

As seen in the picture, you can see it's a little bit smaller than 1/144 and yes, it's about 1/10 smaller than Dragon Cando. However, if you don't put them side by side, I think the difference may not be so noticeable. To me, I'm satisfied with the result. Next target, a "N" steam loco with a reasonable price as I don't want to pay for $200 just for a diorama. More pictures can be found here.

I'll keep looking. A class 01 passenger loco or a class 38 will be nice.

sdkfz7.free.fr

I just found a web site from a France model builder who is detailing a Sd Kfz. 251/22. Very nice. Take a look.

1/150 Japanese Temple

Hello all, I'm back from hell work so hopefully I can update regularly. The above is a 1/150 Japanese Temple made by wood. Yen 39900. I won't buy it but it looks pretty nice. Talk to you again tomorrow as I need to tocuh up some pictures which I took recently. Better updates next time.

Arsenal 2 - 0 Juventus

Sorry for fewer updates this week as I work like a dog. One thing I'm still happy is my favorite team won again. Anyway, here is a piece of news. Cafereo has updated its web with a new page dedicated to miltary planes. Here is the link.

F-Toys JASDF Collection

F-Toys has updated its web site with the new JASDF series. Here is the link.

WTM Tiger I with interior details / C3 Special

I flipped thru the Model Graphix April 2006 issue today in a Japanese book shop looking for any 144 news (I didn't buy it so sorry no picture). If you bought one before, you may know there is a page of this magazine dedicated to the 1/144 trading kits every month. (Last month there was a misery Puma.) Anyway, this month shows a Tiger I with interior detail by WTM (similar to the one made by Metal Troops). In the index page, the title said "C3 Special". Any Japanese reader can confirm if this is the C3 ( a model show in Japan and this year will be on AUg 19 & 20 ) special Tiger I. According to my experience, I think Takara/Subarudo probably will issue this special in this C3 show (may be without color) and then it will be included in the next WTM release (WTM10). Interesting. I think the May issue should be out in these few days, hope someone can give us more news.

1/144 Gundam - Zaku Transporter

How about this 1/144 Zaku Transporter? I like it but I haven't bought too many Gundam stuffs lately after I moved my focus to 1/144 planes and tanks. But I may regret it if I don't get it as it's one of the EX series which is limited edition.

My very first Diorama

I know it's not really a diorama just putting some tanks of African Korps together. I did make the base by myself though. I have never made any base so it's kind of my 1st try so please bear with me if you're an expert. (Comments are very welcomed).

Dragon Expo 2006 or DX06

Dragon Expo 2006 or DX06 will be held in Anaheim from June 23 to June 25. Each year, some special items are sold exclusively in this event. Last year, there was a 1/72 Dragon Armor Jagdpanzer IV L/70. In 2004, there were a 1/72 Dragon Armor King Tiger and a special Cando Panzer III. I don't know what is the special this year but it seems to be a 1/72 Dragon Armor again. Since it's only around 5 hours drive from my home to Anaheim, I might try to get there if I could. (May be go to Disneyland with my son again.)

This event changes the location every year so if you live nearby, don't miss the chance.

Dragon Cando Maus & E-100 - Cyberhobby Specials

I have loaded pictures of these Dragon Cando Maus and E-100 pictures to my web.

These Maus and E-100 are Dragon Cando - Cyberhobby specials. I skipped the regular ones as I decided if I bought, it's already too much compared to the actual numbers of these experimental tanks. As you may know, Panzer Korps has released these items for a long time. There is no question these tanks are from the same mold. Instead of just a tank in a display box, you do get some bonuses from these specials. For example, one Maus is posed as shown in a tank museum. One is displayed in a plain field. One has an additional broken turrent (I think it is posed to be in a picture which the turrnet was captured by Russian),...etc. In addition, you get a numbered card which does give you a better value. If you haven't got one, please consider these as much better alternatives than regular Cando releases.

Brummbar from Toropo (Resin kit)

Here is a new Brummbar from Toropo in Japan. Brummbar is one of my favorite tanks as I like big guns. This one is the mid production. Initially, my first impression was the front plate of the superstructure was too steep. However, after comparing to the picture, I think it's reasonable.

Overall, this one looks nice but I think will be pricey. Since Yujin will come out with the same tank in 1/150, many of us may wait for the Yujin Brummbar.

Chatterbox off

It seems the chatter box did not work well. I took it off. Sorry if it bothered you in the last few days.

Dragon Cando F-117A

I saw the Doyusha F-117A has started selling in Japan. I'm wondering they may come from the same mold of these F-117A from Dragon Cando series. Does anyone know?

You may also know I add a chatter box to the right on the menu bar. If you just want to give me 1 or 2 sentences of comment, I think it's easier to do it in the chatter box. You can even just try it out and let me know how you feel about this function.

Tomorrow is Saturday. So nice.

F-Toys WWII War Bird Collection

More and bigger pictures can be found here. 1 big box contains 10 boxes. Yen 315 each. Total 4 different models and each has 2 different colors + 4 secrets (probably 1 for each model). Release date : Late May.

Tomytec Machinami Collection

Here are another update to my web - the Tomytec (Machinami Residential Buildings) Collection. I only bought series 2 & 3 as I missed the 1st and the 4th series. You can't find them anywhere now.

The second series are the buildings in a rural residentail area. Most are small buildings you can find anywhere in Japan. There are also a small hospital or clinic and small convinience stores around the corner.

The third series are a small street with all kind of shops such as fruit shop or coffee shop. There are a couple shop keepers and the coffee shop is very nice with glass windows and interior decorations.

The fourth series are buildings around the train station but I didn't pay attention last year then I missed that. The fifth version (to the right) is coming up in late March. Stay tuned.

Takara - Ships of the World

I normally don't collect ships as most of them are scales other than 1/144 such as 1/350 or 1/144. These "Ships of the World" series are the same. Most of the ships (in fact, most of them are submarines) are 1/700 so I decided to just picked up those in 1/144.

I have just loaded the pictures to my web. These deep-sea submarines are pretty big. I did compare it with a HMV from F-Toys. I think it will be a nice if you can put them in a diorama.

The blogger of Obake blog has just updated his site with a trip report of Tokyo. If you know Chinese, it's an interesting article. In summary, it talks about the Pro-hobby figures as well as the future releases of Preiser 1/144 figures. There is also a map of Akihabara indicating where you can find trading kits.

1/144 News

There is a picture in a Japanese magazine that next releases from Dragon's Panzer Korp are Stug III/IV, Jagdpanzer IV, Merkava & M113. I haven't found any pictures so far.

Second, there are some pictures of JASDF from F-Toys from Obake blog. Click here to access.

Dragon Wings - 1/144 B-29 Super Fortress "BOCKS CAR"

If you collect 1/144 planes and is expecting the Big Bird from Cafereo, you may be interested in this as well. The B-29 from Dragon in its Dragon Wings series. This is the second B-29 rfom Dragon Wings and you can find more in Dragon USA.

More updates to my home page

It was quiet these few days so I just spent my time updating my homepage with something I bought long time ago but had no time to update them to my site.

First, I created a new page for my Metal Troops Creation resin kits. These are expensive so I'm not going to collect them all. I do have a couples more I think is on the way so I think it worths to have their own page.

Second, more pictures were loaded for the Force of Valor T-72. I also have a M4, a Churchill and a Challenger. Will post them later.

Force of Valor - 1/72

No news on 1/144 so let's change the subject to 1/72. If you visit my blog regularly, you may know I also collect Dragon Armor (1/72). I used to build 1/72 kits from Hasegawa or Revell but I haven't done any thing since my son was born couple years ago. These pre-built and pre-painted kit from Dragon is a welcome as it's difficult for me to find time to build any more.

These Force of Valor tanks were issued late last year I think was due to the success of Dragon Armor so FOV wanted to share the profit with Dragon. Quality-wise is acceptable. They may not be sculpted or painted as good as Dragon's, but the good thing is you can get something different. For example, the T-72 as shown in the pictures as well as a M4 or a Churchill. I didn't buy them all as I found I have too many Tiger Is or King Tigers from Dragon already. The price of these I think it's around the same or lower than Dragon's so it's great and they are easily accessible too as you can find them in Walmart, Target as well as the local toy shop where I live.

FOV also releases some 1/72 figures but it's not recommended. You can read the review in Plastic Soldier Review.

el_basser's The wonderful world of 1/144 custom-made tanks

el_basserの「人生ぶらり旅　1/144カスタム戦車のすばらしき世界」- I have just added this link to my blog. You can find an AVI clip for a 1/144 Dora which was filmed running for a couple seconds on N scale tracks. I don't want to post any picture here as I don't know he likes it or not. Just follow that link and you can find the clip updated on 2/28/06.

Takara World Tank Museum (WTM) 9 Box Art

Here is the link. It looks like to be the official link and seems this latest one will be released by a company called Subarudo and it's part of the TakaraTomy Group.

Here is a link to the earlier post.

Question on Pro-Hobby new tanks

Does anyone know if these Leopard III and Improved Type 90 from Pro-hobby are real prototypes or just some kinds of fiction from the sculptor?

F-Toys Twin Engine Series / Hummvee

My Homepage Updates
I have loaded some pictures to my web recently. The first one is pretty nice, the F-Toys Twin Engine Series. I didn't buy all of them but I like this series very much. Especially the Mosquito shown in the picture and the HS-129 special.

The second series are the Hummvee from Dragon Armor and Cando. Both of them are 1/72. Yes, it's weird as Cando normally represents 1/144. I think both of these were from the same mold. The only difference is the one from Dragon Armor has a die cast body and the Cando one came with an plastic body. Quality-wise, I don't see much differences between these 2.

Where are my Stugs?

You may aware Dragon US has published the Jagdpanzer series to be released in the US in April. I found it's strange if that'd the case. I haven't seen any news in Japan about the release date in Japan. If I recall correctly, it will be the second time Dragon releases the Cando tank series in US earlier than in Japan. The other one is the M1 Abrams (and also some 1/144 jet planes). I also decided not to create too many pages for one single item so updates will be posted in the original post here.

Cafereo Bigbird - update 3 & Cando Hummvees

Sorry for no update yesterday as it was Mrs. blog's birthday so we went out to have a nice meal. There was not much news lately anyway may be except more pictures and info everywhere on the Cafereo's Big Bird this morning when I turn on my PC. I think you may have seen it so I'm not going to say much. 2 models with 3 different painting schemes + 1 special. Yen 600 each. One big box has 8 kits so hopefully you can get a complete set in one big box.

Robert K, I think you are asking these Cando Hummvees. They were released many months ago but I didn't see too many of them. I think they were sold out in the local shop here very soon. I think you can still find them available in the web. Let me know if you need any help.

Future Releases

Below is a summary on what will be released in coming months:

Release Date & Title
TBA - Doyusha 1/100 Wing Collection #8 Fw190A-5
TBA - Dragon 1/144 Cando Stug III Series
Aug 2006 - TakaraTomy - Japan Since - DX
8/12/2006 - TakaraTomy - Japan Sinks - Operation D-2
7/24/2006 - TakaraTomy - Japan Sinks - Operation D-1
6/19/2006 - Takara 1/144 Famous Planes of the World Series #3
5/29/2006 - Takara Ships of the World Series #5
5/29/2006 - F-toys 1/144 War Bird
4/26/2006 - Dragon 1/144 Cando Jadgpanzer Series in the US
Apr 2006 - Yujin 1/144 Combat Vehicles
Apr 2006 - Cafereo 1/144 Big Bird VOL.1
Apr 2006 - Tomytec 1/150 Bus Collection #8
4/24/2006 - Konami Discontinued Famous Car Collection - The BEST


Past Releases
4/17/2006 - Takara World Tank Museum #9
4/17/2006 - F-Toys JASDF Collection
Mar 2006 - 1/150 Nippon Express Set
Mar 2006 - Tomytec 1/150 The Railway Collection #2
3/28/2006 - Bandai 1/144 Wing Club Collection L4
3/14/2006 - Doyusha 1/144 Stealth F-117A NIGHT HAWK
3/30/2006 - Tomytec 1/150 The Machinami Collection #5
3/27/2006 - World Wing Museum Zero

Updated : 4/15/2006