iHobbyExpo 2007 Report

Background

The iHobbExpo 2007 was held 18-21 October 2007 in Rosemont (Chicago) IL and once again, we were there to see what's new. If you're wondering about the show name, this is the show that used be be the Radio Controlled Hobby and Trade Association (RCHTA) show that then started competing with the HobbyVisions show several years ago. iHobbyExpo is once again the sole hobby trade show in the US and it was fairly well represented this year.

Here is the news from the show, but sorry about the lack of photos - the digital camera 'went south' partway into the show. For a tabular summary of the next year's planned releases, check out our updated release tables here.

21st Century Toys

21st Century Toys had their usual impressive array of pre-finished 1/18 and 1/32 scale aircraft and armor subjects as well as their inexpensive 1/32 aircraft kits. The one new item (aside from new paint schemes on their existing lines) is the very nice looking 1/18 scale Me 262B-1a/U1 Nachtjager. This compliments the 1/18 scale Me 262A-1a released earlier this year.

Academy

See MRC/Academy

Airfix

It was good to see Airfix there, but nothing new to report. Their catalog acknowledges the 1/48 Canberra series and the 1/72 Nimrod series along with some crossover releases from Heller and some limited reissues of existing kits. No release dates at this point.

Hawk

Hawk had their 1/245 scale Graf Zeppelin on display last year and it hit store shelved earlier this year. On display this year was a bit of a surprise - a pair of 1/72 Japanese WWII submarines. The prototypes were very impressive to see. Also coming back will be the 1/32 PT-109 which will compliment Italeri's nice PT-596. Also on display were a number of other kit subjects that were present last year and are working their way through the production queue to a shelf near you.

• IJN C-1 class I-20 w/HA-20 Midget Submarine
• IJN C-3 class I-53 w/Kaiten 'kamikaze' Torpedoes

HobbyMaster

This was an interesting company that produces some VERY impressive die-cast aircraft and military vehicles. We've seen a variety of pre-finished plastic and die-cast products through the Cybermodeler Labs, but I haven't found anything in the smaller scales that looks as good as these! Each of the subjects come in a variety of finishes and these are definitely not 'toys'.

1/72 Aircraft

• A-4 Skyhawk series
• A-10 Thunderbolt II series
• F6F Hellcat series
• F-104 Starfighter series (including my favorite - 'Mount Olympus'
• Ju 87 Stuka series
• MiG-21 series
• Mirage 2000 series
• SBD Dauntless series
• TBF/TBM Avenger series
• T-6 Texan/SNJ Harvard series

1/72 Armor

• Cromwell/Centaur series
• KV-1/2 series

1/48 Aircraft

• F2A Buffalo series

1/48 Armor

• JS-2 Stalin series
• King Tiger series
• M4 Sherman series

Hobbycraft Canada

This company tended to be overlooked since they've not come to market with anything new - until this year. You'll recall their beautiful F9F Panthers that were developed in conjunction with Trumpeter and released early this year. Plus if you've been keeping up with our news, you've seen the test shots and even a build-up of their 1/32 Allison-powered Mustangs and more recently the test shots of their 1/32 Sea Fury. The quiet Canadian company is silent no more! Coming up the rest of this year and through 2008:

• GRB-36 FICON (1/144)
• Hawk 75 & Axis Hawk (1/48)
• P-59B Airacomet (1/48)
• F9F-6/8 Cougar (1/48)
• TF-9J/F9F-9T 'Twogar' (1/48)
• F2G Corsair (1/32 - limited edition)
• P-51/P-51A/A-36 Allison-powered Mustangs (1/32)
• Sea Fury (1/32)
• AT-6 Texan/SNJ Harvard (1/32)
• CAC Whirraway (1/32)

What is most impressive news here is that the Hobbycraft line of 1/32 scale kits will be kept around the $39.95 USD retail price (with the exception of the limited edition Super Corsair). More to come from these folks!

Italeri

MRC is importing the Italeri line and had several new subjects on display, though the new release news evidently didn't arrive to make this show.

1/35 Scale

• Bofors 40mm AA Gun
• Staghound Mk.I

Kinetic

Stevens International imports the Kinetic line and the recent 1/48 F-84F and 1/32 F-86F-30 kits were there. Next on their release list are a series of 1/48 F-16 Fighting Falcon variants:

• F-16AM (AMU)
• F-16A Block 20
• F-16C Block 40
• F-16C Block 50
• F-16BM (AMU)
• F-16D Block 50
• F-16D IDF
• F-16I Sufa
• F-16E Block 60
• F-16F Block 60

Lindberg

See Hawk above.

Merit International

Merit International is the importer for the AFV Club line of kits as well as an impressive line of BBI and Elite Force pre-finished plastic or die-cast subjects. The competition is still hot in the 1/18 scale market! On display was their ultimate F4U Corsair which was beautiful indeed. What really caught my eye was the 1/18 scale UH-60 Blackhawk that had all of the seamlines filled and removed, and a custom paint job applied. This is exactly what many modelers are doing with their own 1/18 replicas from a variety of companies and the results are stunning. The 118 F/A-18A Hornet Aggessor scheme was also quite beautiful! Merit also had their latest paint jobs on display for their equally impressive 1/24 scale P-51D Mustangs and Bf 109G-6 aircraft. Coming from AFV Club (all 1/35):

• M5A1 light tank (early)
• IDF Centurion SHOT Mk.5 (Six Day War) includes 20 pdr and 105mm barrels
• T-34/76 1942 Factory 112 w/super detailed interior
• M1130 TACP Stryker
• Sd.Kfz.251/17 Ausf.C Command Vehicle
• Hush Puppie Track for Centurion
• Mantlet cover for Centurion (Type A)
• Mantlet cover for Centurion (Type B)

Modelcraft Canada

Modelcraft was once again at the show with their current range of kits. No news at this time.

Moebius

Moebius Models has come online to pick up the legacy of Aurora and pick up where the now-shut-down Polar Lights left off. Among their scheduled releases:

• Voyager from Fantastic Voyage
• Submarine Seaview (large!) from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
• Chariot from TV Lost in Space
• Space Pod from Lost in Space
• Conan the Barbarian (figure)
• Invisible Man (figure)

MRC/Academy

MRC was present at show-center with their well-rounded hobby pavilion and a nice array of plastic models at one end. Academy's kit line well represented. Among the new releases coming:

1/35 Scale

• AH-1W Whiskey Cobra w/NTS Updates
• M4A3 Sherman 105mm w/Dozer Blade
• M7 Priest
• UH-1C Huey Gunship 'Nose Art'

1/72 Scale

• B-17 Flying Fortress 'Nose Art'
• Dragon Wagon tank transporter

Revell

You may recall from earlier hobby news here that Revell was purchased by Hobbico (owners of Tower Hobbies) and they were at the show in force. In the last several years, Revell's presence at the show (and its related news) had diminished significantly, but not this year! The pavilion was back and it was definitely full of cool news.

First off, I saw a bit of news somewhere online that contained the words "Revell" and "radio-controlled robot" in it. I figured that this must have been an error and moved on. No error. Revell has hit on a new way to capture the interest of young minds (even those in older bodies!). A radio-controlled robot with a controllable arm, remote video camera, and nice mobility. That's just the basic model. Then there are the 'optional upgrades'. What better way to get the new generations into modeling than a three-dimensional video game with a 'spy camera'?

To top that off, Revell has also produced a new line of RC cars that are very reasonably priced and have replaceable parts. Think of these new offerings as 1/24 RC slot cars without the slotted track.

On to the kit news:

Revell is picking up the Star Wars' product line from where AMT/ERTL left off after their kit lines shut down. Most of these Snap-Tite kits are pre-painted/weathered:

• Anakin's Jedi Starfighter
• Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter
• Droid Tri_Fighter
• Millenium Falcon
• AT-RT
• ARC-170 Clone Fighter
• X-Wing Fighter
• Darth Vader's TIE Fighter
• Imperial Shuttle
• Republic Star Destroyer (paint and glue required)

In the other kit subject areas:

1/24-1/25 Scale

• Cadillac Escalade
• '87 Buick Regal
• '87 Olds Cutlass
• '57 Chevy
• '70 Dodge Challenger R/T
• '07 Shelby GT500
• Subaru WRX STi
• '68 Mustang GT
• Audi R8
• Shelby GT350H
• '08 Dodge Challenger
• '69 Chevy Nova SS

1/48 Scale

• AC-47 Vietnam Gunship
• PBY-5A Catalina (reissue)

1/72 Scale

• RB-36H Peacemaker

Misc Scale (SSP)

• PT-212
• Nike-Hercules Missile
• Cessna 180

Squadron/MMD

Squadron had their pavilion set up to show off the growing range of product lines either produced or exclusively imported by Squadron. These include Czech Models kits, Roden kits, HobbyBoss, Aeromaster Decals, and Squadron/Signal Publications. While there wasn't much new in those categories announced at the show, they did show off their latest import line - Oryon figures from Italy. These figures will come pre-finished and are metal, not plastic or resin. There is a like of pilots figures in 1/35 as well as historical figures in 54mm (1/32).

Testors

Testors was present to highlight their updated Pactra paint line as well as the latest installments of their 1/24 Dodge Charger line. These relreases all feature die-cast and pre-painted bodies. These include:

• Police Cruiser
• Two Daytona R/T paint finishes
• Three Daytona R/T paint finishes

Trumpeter

Stevens International was on hand to show off some of the upcoming releases from this prolific manufacturer. According to the sheets and displays:

1/16 Scale

• M16 Halftrack GMC
• Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger

1/24 Scale

• Bf 109A6/8
• Hurricane Mk.IID/Trop (Feb)
• P-51B/C Mustang III

1/35 Scale

• BMP-3 IFV
• BMP-3M IFV
• German E-10 Tank Destroyer (Nov)
• German GW IVb (Grasshopper) LeFH18/1 L28 Tank
• K18 Field Howitzer
• LAV-C2 USMC (Dec)
• LAV-AT USMC
• MAZ-537 Tank Transporter
• MAZ-537G Tank Transporter (Feb)
• Panzerjagerwagen Variant II (Dec)
• PT-76 Model 1951 Ampibious Tank (Nov)
• PT-76B Light Ampibious Tank (Jan)
• Sfh18 Field Howitzer (Dec)
• T-62 MBT
• T-62M MBT

1/32 Scale

• A-4E Skyhawk
• A-6A Intruder
• A-6E Intruder
• AV-8B Harrier II (early)
• F6F-3 Hellcat
• F6F-3N Hellcat
• F8F-1 Bearcat
• F8F-1B Bearcat
• F8F-2 Bearcat
• F-100F Super Sabre
• Me 262B-1a/U1 Nachtjager (Dec)
• P-40E Kittyhawk
• P-40M Kittyhawk
• P-40N Kittyhawk
• P-51B Mustang (Jan)
• P-47D Bubbletop Thunderbolt (Nov)
• P-47D Thunderbolt (late)
• P-47N Thunderbolt
• Su-27UB Flanker C
• Su-30MKK
• TBD-1 Devastator

1/48 Scale

• AS365N2 Dauphin
• Be-6 Madge
• Seahawk Mk.100/101 (Dec)

1/72 Scale

• A-6A/E Intruder
• Be-6 Madge
• F-100D Super Sabre
• F-105G Thunderchief
• Fw 200C-3 Condor
• CH-47A Chinook
• CH-47D Chinook
• Chinese K-8 Karakorum Trainer Aircraft
• MiG-19 Farmer
• P-40B/C Warhawk (Nov)
• Su-15TM Flagon F
• Su-15UM Flagon G
• Su-27 Flanker B
• Wellington Mk.III
• Wellington Mk.X

• Jagdpanzer IV
• Jagdtiger
• King Tiger H
• King Tiger Porsche Turret
• KV-I Model 1942 (Jan)
• KV-2 Model 1940 (Jan)
• KV Big Turret (Jan)
• Panther Ausf.A
• Panther Ausf.D
• Sd.Ahl.16 Trailer (Nov)
• Sd.Kfz.9/1 FAMO (Nov)
• Strv.103B
• StuG III Ausf.B (Dec)
• StuG III Ausf.C/D (Dec)
• StuG III Ausf.E
• StuG III Ausf.F
• StuG III Ausf.G
• StuG IV

1/144 Scale

• JMSDF LCAC (Dec)
• Me 262A-1a
• Tu-160 Blackjack (Jan)

1/350 Scale

• USS Alabama BB 60 (Nov)
• USS San Francisco CA 38 1942 (Feb)

1/700 Scale

• SOC-3 Seagull (Jan)
• HMS Hood 1931
• HMS Hood 1941 (Nov)
• Jean Bart Battleship 1950 (Feb)
• Richelieu Battleship 1943 (Dec)
• USS New Orleans CA 32 1942 (Jan)

Vallejo

The Vallejo family was on-hand with their great line of acrylic paints. They just released two new sets in their line, one of authentic German WWII uniform and vehicle colors, the other for model railroad engines. The latter might escape interest unless you have Trumpeter's (or CMK's) 1/35 locomotive kits and want to apply authentic-looking weathering to them. This new set from Vallejo was targeted for the European model railroad market, but these are ideal for the 1/35 engines as well!

Vintage Fighters

Look what we found! Stephens International has picked up the Vintage Fighter line and had this nice resin mock-up of their upcoming 1/24 scale P-47D Thunderbolt.