Small Scale Military Headquarters

TRU in Bloomington, Illinois has new 1/32 FOV planes, $29.99 each. They have 3 different schemes on a Spitfire. Normandy with invasion strpies, Holland 1945 and Italy 1944. Couldn't tell in the box if the landing gear work as they were in the flight position. Box said they are diecast and look pretty good. They have a motor, extra bombs etc. and two pilots. One pilot in the plane and the other standing. On the box there is shown two schemes of the P51 and two schemes of the Me109G.

Ray

rmoore456 wrote:TRU in Bloomington, Illinois has new 1/32 FOV planes, $29.99 each. They have 3 different schemes on a Spitfire. Normandy with invasion strpies, Holland 1945 and Italy 1944. Couldn't tell in the box if the landing gear work as they were in the flight position. Box said they are diecast and look pretty good. They have a motor, extra bombs etc. and two pilots. One pilot in the plane and the other standing. On the box there is shown two schemes of the P51 and two schemes of the Me109G.

Ray

I posted this the other day but I can't seem to find the post. This should give you a bit information on what and when to expect 1/32.
"The 1/32 Action series planes (available at Target etc.), again, hopefully will be available sometime this month, (Sept.) and here they are like FOV said:
90024 U.K. Spitfire MK IX No. 310 134th Wing
90224 U.K. Spitfire MK IX No. 132nd Wing
90324 U.K. Spitfire MK IX No. 21 Squadron
1/32 Action series:
sometime in Oct.
90223 U.S. P51D Mustang - 486th Fighter Squadron
1/32 Action series:
sometime in Nov., once again, these are not hard fast dates.
90023 U.S. P51D Mustang - 363rd Fighter Squadron"

And while I'm at it, here is some information on 1/32 FOV Enthusiast series, found in hobby shops, not for the mass market.
The 1/32 Enthusiast series planes are hopefully going to hit the shelves sometime in Nov. And they are:
80023 U.S. P51D Mustang - 363rd Fighter Squadron
80024 U.K. Spitfire MK IX No. 310 134th Wing
80225 German BF 109G-6 Eismmer

Here is a reply to an email I sent yesterday..




Hello Harry,

Thank you for your email.

The Action Series, which is sold exclusively at Toys R Us and Target Stores,
1:32 airplanes have already hit the
stores. The Enthusiast Series, which is more detailed and has more diecast
metal, is arriving late October.

Do you need assistance finding an Enthusiast dealer? If so, please provide
your state, area code and whether
or not you are open to ordering on-line.

Thanks,

Lisa

Customer Service Manager
Panache Place, Inc.
29883 Santa Margarita Parkway # 700
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688

So, it's off to TRU and Target for me!!!!

I found the new FOV 1:32 Spitfire MK IXs in California!!!

The TRU on west Shaw Ave. in Fresno, Ca. had about 10 of them. I got the No. 134 Squadron (Normandy 1944) variant, but the store also had the No. 241 Squadron (Italy 1944) and the No. 132 Squadron (Netherlands 1945) variants. The plane is amazing - rivaling the Corgi version as far as detail and functionality! The Corgi plane, however, contains more metal. It is a steal for the $29.99 price tag when compared to the Corgi version. The aircraft comes with the two pilots (standing & sitting), three bombs, and a display stand. The plane has the opening, detailed cockpit, opening and detailed engine, movable alerons, elevators and rudder, plus retractable landing gear.

My only beef is the exposed screws on the underside (If you have seen the 1:72 FOV planes, you may know what I mean.) When the plane is displayed on its stand or on its undercarriage they can't be seen, however.

The back of the box shows two P-51s (Yeager's and Preddy's) plus two schemes for the BF-109G (Red 29 from Normandy 1944 & Eismmer from Finland 1943). FOV is going to give 21c, Corgi, and Franklin Mint a run for their money!

Can't wait to hear what the rest of you think!

I saw these today at my TRU as well! They looked alright, but at 29.99 felt they too much. Cheap compared to Franklin Mint. But I like my 1:32 planes in the 15.00 to 20.00 range. I was shocked to see them!

They are expensive, but then come with the accessories, pilots, and the moving features and engine detail. Corgi and Franklin Mint have all those same features for alot more. Currently (unless 21c now does otherwise) FOV has the cheapest 1:32 Spitfire avaliable in non-kit form.

Still, I deffinitely agree with liking the planes in the $15-$20 range and thats the beauty of 21c. You get a great product (think the last few 32x aircraft releases) for a very good price.

T-man,

Right there with you man. Those were exactly my thoughts.

32X planes do not have many moving features other than landing gear. The Me 109 has ailerons but that's it. I would and will pay a little more for the extra moving flight surfaces. I have yet to see them in my AO.
Todd

None in San Antonio either Doc.

Mark

(Here is a review I posted on another forum)

I had a chance to see all three versions of the Spitfire tonight..
Needless to say, I was impressed.. NOT $29.99 impressed, but it was a nice piece..
The plane is nicely done and I would say it is not a bad start for FOV in its 1/32 A/C line, but it does need some serious help.. The two most glaring things being the SPOTLIGHT on top of the windscreen.. I am not sure who decided this thing belonged there, and on some obscure version that I am not aware of, it might be there, but it just looks WAY ODD on the Spit.. Luckily, this is something that can be easily fixed just by breaking it off..

The next thing, that is not so easily fixed, is the riveting, or, as someone else put it, "Shipyard rivets".. These rivets are pretty predominant and something that could be sanded off, but that would also result in a total repaint..
Now don't get me wrong, this is a nice plane, and it will probably be great for your 12 year old, but as an "Adult Collectible", this just doesn't quite hit it..
As I said before, this is nice, NOT $29.99 nice, more like $19.99 nice.. If it were that price, I probably would have walked out the door with atleast two of these, as it is, I left with none..

Honstly, I leave you to your own opinion, but I think I will wait on this one and see if the Bf-109Gs are any better..

Dear Hworth,

I haven't got these planes (yet) and know them only from the pictures on FoV site.

Don't you think, the "thing" over the windscreen is not the spotlight but the rear mirror, which really - I agree - seems to be too big.

I'm sad that the rivets were too big... Are they as big as ones on the 21st CT P-51D?

I wonder is it all right with versions and markings. On the FoV photo the 134 Wing "Mk IX" is really the Mk IIb or Mk Vb And the 132 Wing Spitfire is Mk IX, but the rudder belongs to the early version Mk IX; in this one it had to be bigger.

And what could you say about the painting? Is the camouflage right? How are the camo and the markings of the "third" Spitfire?

Regards
Wieslaw

Wieslaw,
I really wonder who FOV used to paint these.. The paint is decent, but the colors look off, but in all honesty, I think that is a universal problem with FOV, not just in their airplanes..
You are right and I agree that this "thing" should have been a rearview mirror, but it is REALLY big and sure does look like a spotlight. The rivet detail is REALLY prominent and I guess you should see one for yourself to know just what I am talking about..

Here is a link to the original thread I wrote which includes pics that I borrowed from Ebay..

http://www.modelhangar.com/forum/showth ... ge=1&pp=10

I thought the "spotlight" was the review mirror. Think of how the mirror on the 1:18 XD P-47 Razorback looked. I pulled mine off, turned it around, and reglued it. Now it looks better. My biggest beef is the exposed screw holes on the underside. As 21c has shown, these can be easily covered. Still, I thought it was a nice release and the movable features and opening engine are cool! Besides, unitl 21c makes a 1:32 version of their Spitfire, this gets us a 1:32 Spit with many of the same features - but not the cost - of the Corgi one.

Thanks, Hworth!

1. The "thing" is not only BIG, but it is FORWARD .
2. All the colors seem to be too light .
3. The canopy is too flat.
4. The adventage of the prominent rivets is that the plane won't fall out of the hands so easy .
5. But the general look is very attractive .
6. Maybe the enthusiast version will be better .
7. I know the canopy and the rivets will be the same .