Small Scale Military Headquarters

If anyone has already reported on this, Mea Culpa. There is a new playah in 1:48 diecast warbirds. The company is called "Carousel" (www.carouselone.com). They mainly make racing car models, but are now venturing into diecast aviation. Their products are currently exclusive to Apollo, Inc. (www.apolloinc.org). The first plane out of the chute is the Curtiss P-40C in AVG.Flying Tigers livery, then the P-40B in U.S. Army Air Corps Pearl Harbor livery, followed by other types of planes. The Apollo ordering Phone # is 1-888-332-5645. I saw the Apollo, Inc. ad for the P-40C in the Nov./Dec. Issue of Warbirds International, and this plane looks really nice. More accurate than Armour's P-40s (which are later-model P-40s). Check it out on the websites above or just call and order one!

If their planes are even half as good as their cars they will be an excellent model for anyone that's into 1/48. Before I retired, I had a small business and one of the model lines I sold was Carousel 1 cars. I saw everyone they made up until then and let me tell you they were terrific in all aspects. They were in such demand I couldn't keep them in stock.

From the packaging and such, it sure looks like a FranklinMint/Armour plane... Maybe these are "special" commissions???

It appears the landing gear can be displayed in an up or down configuration. This is diferent from Franklin Mint, all or whose plane's gear are in the down position.
oberstengel

Harry Worth:
When I spoke with a customer rep at Apollo, Inc., she assured me that these Carousel 1 warbirds were a totally new line. To my knowledge, Armour/Franklin Mint doesn't make a P-40B or C, just P-40 Es, Fs, Ls, and Ns, and their propeller hubs look kind of dorky. This new Carousel 1 bird looks real nice, kind of like the 1:43 Spec-Cast P-40B. I'll let y'all know when it shows up chez moi! Meanwhile, why not go ahead and order one? No guts, No glory!

I saw this at the ihobby show in LA. It looked good in the display case. I don't remember what the guy in the booth said for release date. He didn't seem to be thrilled to be there so I only spent a minute.

donnieboy wrote:Harry Worth:
When I spoke with a customer rep at Apollo, Inc., she assured me that these Carousel 1 warbirds were a totally new line. To my knowledge, Armour/Franklin Mint doesn't make a P-40B or C, just P-40 Es, Fs, Ls, and Ns, and their propeller hubs look kind of dorky. This new Carousel 1 bird looks real nice, kind of like the 1:43 Spec-Cast P-40B. I'll let y'all know when it shows up chez moi! Meanwhile, why not go ahead and order one? No guts, No glory!

Thanks Donnieboy, I was just going off the packaging which looked suspiciously like Franklin Mints.. But as Oberst pointed out with the retracting gear, and your comments, obviously these aren't FM, which is a good thing..

Attention all hands! I just got the new Carousel One P-40C from Apollo, Inc. (see above) and it is sweeet! This bird ain't no Franklin Mint/Armour Collection. This is a totally new line, alright. It's very similar to the 1:48 Eagles International P-51B, both in terms of quality and packaging. It requires some minor assembly-the landing gear flaps attach with magnets, and the gear snap in (wheels-up versions are included). It has a nice detachable canopy and a pilot figure. It is painted as Pappy Boyington's AVG bird from the "Adam and Eve " squadron. Very Nice! Way to go Carousel One! BTW, unlike the Spec-Cast P-40C, this model is true 1:48 scale. It looks good next to the Armour Collection later model P-40s. Go Carousel One! More! More!

Pics Please

Dear ogravl:
Sorry to disappoint, but being an old fart, I have neither a digital camera nor the expertise to post pictures with one. I suggest you go to the Apollo or Carousel One websites listed at the top of this thread, and check out the pictures there. Better yet, just go ahead and call Apollo, Inc. and order one. Trust me, this model is that good, IMHO. If I'm lyin', I'm dyin".
Meanwhile, guess I better go find a five- year-old to teach me how to post pictures on the Internet. Duh!

I have also heard good things about this plane, but, what I also heard though is that this plane doesn't come with a stand.. So the "wheels up" version would be pretty much useless unless you plan on hanging it from the ceiling or having it crash-landed...