One of my favorite phenomena related to collecting is the "what's next?" question that almost always follows the announcement of a new aircraft or tank.  The question goes something like this:  "I've waited all my life for a . . . P-53, now, what's coming after that?"

We've already had many customers ask us what will be the next paint scheme of the SBD.  The short answer is that it will most likely be a Midway bird.  The SBD is the hero of Midway, a battle that will go down in military history on equal terms as Hastings, Gettysburg, Spanish Armada or Trafalgar.  This second 1:18 SBD Dauntless should be ready to go later this year. 

The paint scheme has NOT been finalized so take what has been written by Internet diecast specialists on another site with a large grain of salt.  Their scant experience with the nuances unique to the 1:18 and 1:32 scale plastic aircraft and tank markets is leaving their readers misinformed.  1:18 scale collectors want to know exactly which specific aircraft livery they are getting and what the price will be in the end.  At this point, Merit has not disclosed (or possibly even chosen) the exact bird to model for the next version but it will probably NOT be the one shown in the picture to the right.  Exchange rates, factory charges, cost of raw material, and the cost of any needed tooling or production changes, may have an impact on the price of Version #2.  It is possible these costs will be higher making the plane more expensive than the Coral Sea version.  How much of an increase, if any, we don't have any way of knowing at this point.  Obviously, we'd like to see the highest quality aircraft at the lowest possible price.

Bad Cat will offer the Preorder on the S2 version of the SBD when we get a clarification on the exact plane that will be produced, a closer estimate on when it will be delivered, and how much it will cost.  It could be several months before we have all of this information, however.   Sometimes the posting and timing of Preorders can be problematic but these are great problems to have!! 

Merit International's 1:18 SBD Dauntless is being heartily supported by the WWII 1:18 community.  We'd like to thank all of our customers for supporting this project.  Here's some product notes and industry updates:

1.  After just a week of Preorders, we have sold a little over half of the total number of planes we requested from the manufacturer.  For an aircraft that is not due until April, this is excellent progress.  The new tooling has created a buzz and excitement we have not seen since about 2006.  Collectors calling-in are absolutely giddy, as are we!  The Bad Cat crew is more excited about this project as anything released in several years.  Since only 1000 units are planned in this first release, a sell-out on this piece is a certainty, probably long before the Preorder period ends.  If you decide to pass on this one, an S2 version should be available before the year's end.

2.  If sales are successful of the S1 and future S2 SBD, there WILL be additional toolings in the series.  Which one's I don't know at this point, but support of the SBD project as a whole will be crucial to the development of additional toolings from this producer.  So far I rate the "pop" as outstanding and time will tell if the tooling has "legs."  The 1:32 SBD release several years ago had excellent legs, much better than the companion F4F, so this bodes well for this larger version.

3.  The pictures shown are of the "paint master".  Full scale production always attempts to replicate the paint master.  The paint master is always made by a master modeler and is never exceeded on the production line.  The skill of the factory, the effectiveness of the factory's worker hiring and training program, and the talent of the individual line personnel will have a major impact on the quality of the finished product.   Hopefully the finished product will have a high degree of fidelity to the paint master . . . and no spots.

4.  The SBD will feature working perforated dive brakes which are highly desired by collectors.  Also, flaps, ailerons, rudder, and elevator all move.  The center bomb and trapeze also move from inflight to dropping position. The rear gun traverses, elevates, and retracts back into the cockpit.  The main landing gear is fully retractable, the prop spins, and the tail hook deploys for carrier landings.

5.  The aircraft comes with NO pilot or gunner.  We still have a few 21st Century new surplus Corsair pilots.  These will work well as an SBD pilot with the only modification needed being the painting over or erasing of "VF-17" on the Mae West.  The gunner is more problematic as the rear cockpit is going to be a really tight fit for a 1:18 figure.  To make a gunner, figure on breaking out the old belt sander, hacksaw, and brushing up on your Civil War surgeon skills.

Word late today from Merit International is that the first production sample has been completed and is shown here.  We are still getting information about the 1:18 prebuilt SBD-3 Dauntless and the features it will have.  The livery is from the Battle of the Coral Sea on this very first release.  No pilots will come with the aircraft and no news whether they will be available in the near future.  The aircraft is scheduled to begin production on February 1st in China.  Only 1000 pieces of this first S1 aircraft will be made for distribution.  Expect a sell out early in the Preorder Period which begins NOW.  Deliveries are expected in April.

Word from the horse's mouth is that this piece is the forerunner of many more projects should it be successful.  We hope the collecting community will get behind Merit and this project!!

Budget-minded collectors have come to appreciate the value Oxford builds into their diecast line.  While corners are cut on these pieces by permanently retracting the landing gear and non-spinning propellers, the solid focus on surface details make these pieces able to fit in nicely with more pricey members of one's collection.  And while I'd never trade an Oxford Diecast for something mainstream made by Corgi or Hobby Master, like an F4U, Oxford is quite capable of producing a nice piece whose subject is well off the beaten path.

Their latest releases fall squarely into the niche Oxford has built for themselves with the release of the He-162A and Arado 196.  The Heinkel 162 was the fastest of the first generation of Axis and Allied jets.  The plane was built for rapid and cheap production at the end of the war and, more importantly, was to be used by the Hitler Youth after minimal training.  The plane naturally proved too complicated for anything but the best, most experienced pilots to fly and it had a host of teething problems.  However, a number of these planes did see action in 1945.

The Arado 196 was loved by its pilots as it handled well both on the water and in the air.  It was used mostly as a coastal patrol aircraft.  The Germans and Fins used the aircraft to land on small lakes to resupply troops, too.  The Ar-196 is considered by most aviation experts as the best single engine seaplane produced during the war.

If you've ever been to Florida and seen the real Saturn V rocket up close, you know what a huge candle this baby was!  Dragon's 1:72 scale replica of this history-making rocket that carried Mission Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr. to the moon is ready to go!!  

This piece is guaranteed to cause jaws to drop and draw gasps of astonishment from passersby of your new space center (formally known as your house)! While the model makes use of the Command/Service Module (CSM) and Launch Escape System produced earlier, the rest of this monstrous 1/72 scale rocket comes from brand new toolings. All the relevant detail is carefully reproduced on the three rocket stages, and the completed model comes with accurate painting and markings. It comes with a stable circular base to allow it to be freestanding on the floor. This is no miniature model as the fully built-up model stands over 5 feet tall.

We are prepping ship tags in advance of each oversized box's arrival as we will be doing a same day turnaround on this most precious of cargos.  Pat yourself on the back if you Preordered one as they are completely sold out, none will be available for general sale.