Unimax Studies War No More?

According to a post on the Diecast Hangar Pub forum, a prominent UK distributor is indicating that Unimax, the makers of the Forces of Valor range of military vehicles, aircraft and warships, are throwing in the towel and calling it quits, at least as far as military diecast is concerned. They claim that the manufacturer has cancelled all of their upcoming projects slated for 2015, instead of postponing them indefinitely as had been rumored. Recently, Unimax had closed their North American distribution arm and sold off all of their inventory to a US distributor.

If true, this marks a particularly sad state of affairs for collectors, who were expecting a number of key items for several months running. Moreover, the departure of another long time stalwart in the diecast military space represents a nod to some of the manufacturers who have gained market share either by offering untapped subject matter, cheaper items, other scales, or a combination of all three mitigating factors.

Please note that we have yet to confirm these findings with our North American distributor so the information provided could still be sketchy. For further information, please review this thread:

http://tdhp.fr.yuku.com/topic/19329/Re-FOV-items-Cancelled-totally?page=-1#.VLUoOXsYNM4

Update: In early January, our distributor informed us that the list of product originally slated for release was nixed by the manufacturer in favor of a new group of items. It is now February, with the Nuremberg Toy Fair behind us, and we are of the opinion that Unimax has withdrawn from the marketplace, perhaps permanently. We hope it isn’t true but at this point fear the worst.

Enterprise Meets Einstein

Forces of Valor has acknowledged that their second take on the USS Enterprise is about to make port in mid-September (#UNI86017). This particular version comes with a set of sailors that spell out “E=MC2 x 40”, which, in Einsteinian terms, signifies the 40th anniversary of the ship’s sailing under nuclear power.

Collectors can stow the sailors in a safe place if they prefer not to display the phrase on the deck of their prized carrier.

The Hornet Gets Ready to Leave its Dry Dock

Imagery is finally starting to appear for Unimax upcoming rendition of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (#UNI86015). Slated to join the Forces of Valor fleet some time in September, the Hornet will feature Jimmy Doolittle’s squadron of B-25 bombers on its deck, just as it was configured prior to the Tokyo Raid of April 1942. The ship shown here is still devoid of its markings and insignia, as are the planes and display plinth.

Unimax’ Tribute to the USS Arizona

While we’ve had a photo of the upcoming USS Arizona on our web site for several weeks running, we’ve finally unearthed some detailed images of the ship’s superstructure and packaging.

The images reveal some of the workmanship that has gone into this iconic warship which was sunk at the outset of the Second World War at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941. Among the important features is a floatplane attached to the rear of the warship, its catapult, the ship’s superstructure, and the multitude of guns bristling along the length of the deck. The Pennsylvania is scheduled to ship out some time in June.

Unimax’ Osprey Sprouts Wings

Unimax, the maker of the wildly popular Forces of Valor brand, shared new imagery for their upcoming MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (#UNI85121). The new pix clearly show some of the features built into this stunning warbird, which include a pilot figure, drop down rear ramp, rotatable engine nacelles and more.

The MV-22 is slated for a June landing, and will no doubt be followed up with more new toolings, on the ground, at sea and in the air.

Unimax Ships Out

While we were horrified to learn that Unimax’ 1:700 scale replica of the USS Enterprise has already sold out, we were, nevertheless, thrilled to discover that a new version is already undergoing sea trials. Their second version, #86017, will include a set of diminutive sailors standing on board the deck of the carrier in dress whites spelling out “E=mc2 x 40”, which signifies the 40th anniversary of the ship’s sailing in 2002. For those of you who’d rather not commemorate the “Big E’s” historic voyage, you can dismiss the troops and have them hidden away below deck out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Look for the new carrier some time in July.

 

Forces of Valor Straps on the Osprey

Recent scuttlebutt on the forums regarding Unimax plans to offer a scale version of the V-22 Osprey can now be confirmed: the tiltrotor aircraft is indeed on the drawing board for 2014. Not expected before July, the MV-22 represents a unique choice for this prolific manufacturer, as it continues to branch out into new realms and markets. Its not clear which unit will serve as the basis for the replica or the extent to which the rotors can be tilted from the horizontal to the vertical position. Still, its nice to see at least one manufacturer thinking outside the box as they get set to announce some of their other wares for the new year.

Enterprise Leaves its Mooring

Unimax reports that their 1:700 sale replica of the aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (#UNI86012) is now shipping out to their dealer network. Barring any unforeseen issues, we expect to receive our shipment just before Thanksgiving, making it available for the extended Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. We anticipate strong sales for this item, which is likely the inaugural ship in Unimax modern era blue water navy.

Enterprise to Sail in November

According to a note found in a bottle that recently washed up on our shores, Unimax will be releasing their 1:700 scale replica of USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in late November (#UNI86012). The Enterprise is the latest capitol ship in their Combat Vessel series, and should make a wonderful gift this holiday season for collectors, veterans and historians alike.

When the Shermans Come Rolling Along!

To coincide with our print advertising campaign, we’ve drastically reduced the price of Unimax’ 1:16 scale M4A3 Sherman medium tank to an eye-popping $199.99 plus shipping (#UNI85007). That’s a whopping $300 off of our regular every day price. Remember, several of the previous vehicles in this series are easily fetching $1,000 or more in the after-market, and there’s no telling if this will be the last vehicle Unimax plans on offering as part of their over-sized Extreme Metal series. So, if price was always a consideration, it ain’t any longer, ’cause this is one deal that’s simply too good to pass up! Be advised, that we will not honor any further discounts for this item so please do not apply any current sales coupons to this item. Orders that do include this discount will be automatically cancelled.