[tankenstein]

Diecast Direct lists many of the long awaited 1/72 Admiral items with a "coming 2nd quarter 2008". The Crusader III and German 88mm are both listed as limited editions with only 600 produced. The remaining items: PaK 40, Russian Su85 and Japanese Type 97 are listed, but with no other info.

I also checked out the Admiral site and although it mentions "Upcoming 1/72 Armor", the link doesn't display any new information.

Let's hope these dates are more reliable than what we experienced with the Panzer III M.

[Paladin18]

Did you see the price??? Admiral's new releases are going for US$45 each!!! Jeeezzzz!! That's more than twice the price of the Panzer IIIs!! That's pretty steep for 1:72 diecast!

[ChairmanMilo]

With a low production run for these new items, what do you expect?

I see a glut of the Panzer IIIs going for beans on eBay - maybe that's why they shortened the production run. The retailers have to profit somehow.

I personally don't mind paying a bit extra for a unique item like the Crusader.

[ZS-VAN]

I really fancy the 88 but that price is rather rude! From previous threads by Admiral here they also said that the metal content would be less if memory serves.

[Epapazian]

At one point, they said they were switching to plastic, however they seem to have backed off on that.

[Cruver Collecter]

Originally Posted by ZS-VAN

I really fancy the 88 but that price is rather rude! From previous threads by Admiral here they also said that the metal content would be less if memory serves.

PAK 40 seems a bit pricey too.

[Legio LXXII]

A problem I see is Admiral has waited quite a while between the time they initially announced their future releases and the still yet to be determined release date. A 1/72 pak 40 will be released this year by FOV, will include a previously unreleased halftrack and figures for about $15 at Target and Toys R Us! The same has already happened with the M-10 and Su-85, Hobby Master and Dragon already released them, both of which Admiral had talked about. The 1/72 88mm is an excellent idea, but Blawk Hawk has announced one too now (due out in a couple months) and it includes a diorama base with crew (pictured below, yes it's 1/72 scale). I love their ideas but other companies have been beating them to the punch unfortunately. There's more and more competition out there.

[Epapazian]

I don't see Admiral as a real player in the diecast tank/AFV market. I feel that they lack the resources to compete effectively in this volatile arena. However, I will buy the Type 97 and Crusader tanks since they are so rare.

[Gort]

Originally Posted by Paladin18

Did you see the price??? Admiral's new releases are going for US$45 each!!! Jeeezzzz!! That's more than twice the price of the Panzer IIIs!! That's pretty steep for 1:72 diecast!

Forty-five bucks for a 1/72 tank/AFV? Doesn't surprise me in the least. In fact, I'd say this portends more of the same from other diecast manufacturers: shorter runs, higher prices, less metal. Get used to it, boys. The old days are dead and gone.

[mikeb1958]

Originally Posted by Gort

Forty-five bucks for a 1/72 tank/AFV? Doesn't surprise me in the least. In fact, I'd say this portends more of the same from other diecast manufacturers: shorter runs, higher prices, less metal. Get used to it, boys. The old days are dead and gone.

...and $4.00 per gallon for regular unleaded gas is just around the corner. Blaim all this on the greedy oil companies for starters.