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FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 9:42 am
by c44
The FOV FB page is being updated as I write this and includes a release schedule that we may or may not want to believe in...check it out...

https://www.facebook.com/fovhobbies/

FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!! (I think)

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 12:04 pm
by c44
I started this as a separate post back in the Spring when it appeared FOV was ready to announce multiple releases at any moment...was I ever wrong! I also anticipated a flurry of happy responses to this rebirth of 1/32...nope! Well, though no release dates are given, it now appears FOV is ready to show us the goods...

Check out their FB page, it shows some of the new & improved offerings, which seem to include a solution to the Firefly's too-tight treads...
I wonder if they have strengthened the landing gear to the 1/72 Chinook, which was easily sheared off when putting the helicopter on its stand...

In any case, things look good...

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 2:30 pm
by [CAT]CplSlade
I wonder how much of the market they can get back after all this time? Or will they stay a niche market and stay out of the big box stores?

As for me, I have gone too far down the 1/35 path to return:
Image

That's some collection there...!

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:20 pm
by c44
Holy Guacamole, CPL Slade! You got your own private hobby shop!

I also wonder how well they'll fare...it seems they are keeping the prices reasonable while offering significant upgrades to the older stuff...I don't see them showing up in Target or Wal-Mart, but what do I know...however, Walterson's seem to know their stuff, I'm optimistic, would like to see them at Hobby Lobby...

Of course, we all want to see a rapid fire release schedule, but I think it's better if they don't saturate the shelves, how much can anyone afford at once...but after a drought, a small flood looks good... :)

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:04 pm
by cnq
Fantastic collection . They look very very nice in boxes :mrgreen:

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:30 pm
by [CAT]CplSlade
Oh, don't worry. They're coming out of those boxes at a steady pace. Now that I am done with grad school even more so.

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2019 9:32 am
by tmanthegreat
According to FOV’s Facebook page, the 1/32 scale German DAK 88mm Flak guns are now shipping out to retailers. Here’s the link, which hopefully works: https://www.facebook.com/64001440283450 ... 125731855/

The model and new crew figures look fantastic, and I like the display base as well! I’ve already got a couple FOV 88mm guns, but this will be a nice addition.

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 8:22 pm
by ketelone
Looking good. It certainly will be interesting to see who carries them. It would be great if Hobby Lobby did carry them....

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 6:26 am
by normandy
Thats a very impressive piece! Seems like they put a lot of effort into this 88, nice detail on the figures and accessories as well.

Looks like they are trying to get this to who ever wants one.
"Given that some of you are from regions where no distributor of FOV is available, please leave us a private message if you are interested in ordering this product."

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 6:25 am
by dragon53

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:57 am
by tmanthegreat
That Sherman Firefly looks amazing and definitely atones for the lackluster effort on the original variant... I still need to track down their new DAK 88mm gun as well.

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 10:22 am
by Light.Inf.Scout
noticed most of the new releases that originally were coming out last year now say 2020....but the Firefly does look nice

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 4:45 pm
by dragon53
I was trying to suggest to FOV that they release a repaint of their M26 Pershing as the Pershing that knocked out the Panther in the famous tank duel in front of the cathedral in Cologne. It appears that Facebook is the only way to contact them, but I don't use Facebook.
FOV used to release models based on actual vehicles and appears to be continuing that policy, so the Cologne Pershing would be a great candidate considering its well-known history. There a lot of photos of the Cologne Pershing which show the serial number, etc.

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2019 6:11 pm
by dannyc
dragon53 wrote:I was trying to suggest to FOV that they release a repaint of their M26 Pershing as the Pershing that knocked out the Panther in the famous tank duel in front of the cathedral in Cologne. It appears that Facebook is the only way to contact them, but I don't use Facebook.
FOV used to release models based on actual vehicles and appears to be continuing that policy, so the Cologne Pershing would be a great candidate considering its well-known history. There a lot of photos of the Cologne Pershing which show the serial number, etc.
they could possibly even get the gunner to sign the base for a select number of tanks as a special edition

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 5:12 pm
by tmanthegreat
I just received the new FOV German 88mm gun from Flying Mule yesterday... It is very nice! I haven’t opened it yet but the gun itself is identical to the old Unimax FOV model. It has an excellent paint job with professional-looking weathering, like what the FOV models had over 15 years ago. The crew figures are the real highlight and it comes with the full complement of gunners and loaders as well as the range finder and officer. Accessories like the shells held by the loaders, rangefinder and officer’s binoculars, etc. are removable from the figures. In another nice touch, the plastic base makes a diorama base for the perfect way to display the model. If Walterstons FOV keeps up this type of effort on their armored vehicles, we will be in for a treat 8)

FOV lumbers along...

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 9:35 am
by c44
FOV's Facebook page has some new pics (and a short teaser video) of the Firefly worth checking out, it looks good! Just hope they get on the shelves before the trade war escalates...!

And the MotorPool blog has some interesting news on future FOV releases (including a puzzling item about FOV doing some identical new releases with slightly different paint jobs, if I retell the story I'll probably mangle it, best read firsthand)… http://blog.themotorpool.net/

And speaking of puzzling, riddle me this: FOV also posted on their FB page a slightly surreal video of what appears to be a toy show that features a 1:1 Panzer IV, a cute anime schoolgirl ammo loader, and some model armor that may or may not be FOV...sheesh! Sort of like a half dream, half train of thought you might experience after hitting the snooze alarm one morning... :)

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 2:43 pm
by [CAT]CplSlade
Were they possibly at the recent toy show in Japan? Apparently there was tons of stuff with the anime schoolgirls, especially having to do with Girls Und Panzers cartoon collectibles.

Looked more like a trade show for softcore porn.

Girls Gone Mild...

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 11:45 pm
by c44
Thanks for clearing that mystery up, Cpl Slade...I guess I don't get out enough, hadn't heard of Girls Und Panzers...maybe I was better off that way! :)

...and it does almost sound like a naughty video franchise... :?

Did FOV upload that video for comic relief, or do they have a branded G&P tank coming down the pike? I feel like I'm missing something, I guess time will tell...

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Sun May 26, 2019 3:16 am
by Lightning7000
Hi,
I think that what you have to remember is that Waltersons is catering to multiple markets across the globe. While the Girls und Panzers does seem strange, it apparently has caught on in Japan, a key market for them. Likewise, while we did a pass on the JGSDF Chinook helicopter, it probably is doing well in Japan, where collectors might prefer a localized scheme over an American one.

Keep in mind too that they purchased VS Tanks, a R/C tank maker, a couple of years ago and have major plans to offer many of the vehicles shown in the Girls und Panzer series as R/C tanks. Strip away the Girls und Panzer logos, and you also R/C tanks for all of the other markets they cater to. What makes sense in one market may seem odd in another.

Marc

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 11:58 pm
by Winterstar
It might be odd, but if memory serves the Girls Und Panzer anime thing resulted in a pretty sweet looking 1/12 scale Tiger...

I must have slept through the Girls und Panzer blitzkrieg...

Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 11:23 pm
by c44
Lightning7000, thanks for shedding further light on their master plan, I hope it does good things for their bottom line...but...

I hope their G&P line doesn't take resources away from FOV production...did anybody catch FOV's rant about a dealer who (among other transgressions) claimed FOV releases are typically late...not gonna choose sides in that pillow fight, but as the saying goes, sometimes the perception is the reality...


Winterstar, I googled 1/12 Tiger and came up empty-handed, if you see a listing for that let us know...could you be thinking 1/16...?
Other than that, I was surprised by all the Girls und Panzer stuff put there---Panthers, Kettenkrads, Shermans, & more...where was I when all this was happening? :)

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 6:47 am
by Lightning7000
I doubt the Girls und Panzer line will divert much of their attention away from their other lines. For openers, they are big on R/C, so everything you see in the G&P line is also being designed for their standard R/C line. Slap a different logo on the vehicle, change around the packaging, and voila, a standard fare R/C tank to appease the masses.

They are moving at their own pace. They are a private company, and are therefore not affected by corporate governance dictated by the suits on Wall Street. Now, whether their collecting base wants to wait an eternity for some products, that's a different ball of wax. Eventually, this stuff catches up with them and collectors move on. At least, that's how I see it and we've been doing this for almost 20 years now. Its great to say you're going to do this and plan on doing that, but eventually the rubber meets the road and you have to start to deliver or face mounting criticism. I've seen it countless times despite our offers of advice not to proceed down that road. Things are done differently all around the world and what may work in one geographical region gets scoffed at by another.

Yesterday, on June 6th, they announced plans to offer a 1:32 scale LCM-3 landing craft. Its a great marketing ploy that seizes on the worldwide publicity of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, but if it doesn't come out within a reasonable period of time, what's the point of creating all this attention only to disappoint for months on end? I've always said, that if you cannot get the product out within 6 months of announcing it, then you shouldn't even hint at it. People want things today, not a week from now, not a month from now, and certainly not a year from now. With Amazon soon offering same-day drone service within North America, all you're doing is fueling the fires of discontent.

Marc

Re: I must have slept through the Girls und Panzer blitzkrie

Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 2:33 pm
by [CAT]CplSlade
c44 wrote:Winterstar, I googled 1/12 Tiger and came up empty-handed, if you see a listing for that let us know...could you be thinking 1/16...?
I have only ever seen the 1/35 kits, where all they are doing is slapping a new decal set in another company's kit to cross-sell merchandise. These things obviously crazy good in Japan, where they tend to go smaller due to less roomy living situations than Westerners are used to.

I tried searching myself and can't find anything. Maybe it was a one-off somebody did to an RC Tiger to put their GuP figures on?

Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 9:56 pm
by tmanthegreat
I haven’t opened it yet, but I got the new FOV Sherman Firefly tank from The Flying Mule today... Its a beautiful model that looks on par with the classic FOV vehicles from around 15 years ago 8)

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Re: FOV rouses itself from slumber...!!!

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 7:26 am
by dragon53
FOV plans a lot more Shermans.

LINK: http://forcesofvalor.com/products.php?cid1=2&cid2=2