Don't get me wrong. I think Corgi's Gladiator, Swordfish, and PBY models are great. Gemini's models are pretty cool too, and they show great promise for things to come. HobbyMaster has spiced things up with their SBDs and MiGs, but for me, the best thing in die-cast this year is something else...
For those of you unfamiliar with the product, Hasbro's Titanium Die-Cast are a series of small but detailed ships and figures from the Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Transformers universes. Available at most stores (specialty and department), these tiny gems are small enough to fit almost anywhere, and priced to fit almost any budget. With the smaller regular series averaging at about three inches and $4-$7, they are collectibles you can afford to buy, and find a place for.
My favorites so far have to be the Colonial Vipers from the hit Sci-Fi Channel effort Battlestar Galactica (the new one). The Mk.II features dead on detailing, an opening cockpit, and flip down landing skids, which is pretty remarkable considering the model's size. While the Mk.VII lacks these features, it is also a faithful rendering, and does have some weathering from heavy interstellar combat.
The latest release, as mentioned in another thread, is the "Classic" 70's version Viper from the original Battlestar Galctica series. Other ships from the new series include two Cylon Raiders, one in a regular scheme, and the other painted up as the dreaded Viper-killer "Scar". A Colonial Raptor, Colonial One (president Roslin's transport), and the famous Galactica herself round out the line. The Galactica is available in the smaller regular releases, and as an "Ultra" Titanium version, which is considerably larger and features moveable launch bays and a plastic display case to keep it dust free. A Titanium Cylon Centurion figure is planned to be available sometime in the first quarter of 2007.
A tip of the hat to DADoser and hworth18 for helping me out with my collection!