[Saeta]

2007 was the year when I expanded my 1:48 collection from just FM to add great new items from EI, C1 and HM.

Of those, the brand that really kept me excited was HM. Their models, although very nicely made, are not necessarily better than those of EI or C1, so I did wonder why I liked them so much. I though there would be tree or four reasons for this, but ended up finding eight reasons, that I want to share with you.
In no specific order :

1. Their models are of a very good quality. The moulds are excellent, the paint & decal jobs first class and the options / features they make available are nice.
2. Prices are kept reasonable. This not only means we can buy more of them, but I think it may also help to bring in new people into the hobbie.
3. They do not always go for the obvious models to produce, specially in 1:48. They have made imaginative choices and given us diecasts of the lesser known planes
4. Through Hawkonevodoo, they have have stablished a honest ( sometimes brutally honest... ) communication channel between producer and end customer through which we also get a voice. I do not know if by the end of the day that voice is big or small, but it is a voice. Thanks Hawkonevodoo !
5. Their rate of product launches is quick. They must have some solid financial backing, since the investment needed to do this is not negligible. In any case, it allows them to give us new interesting products with regularity, instead of keeping us waiting for ages for a new release while nothing happens.
6. They have developed a trully worldwide network of distributors. Hence I can go and buy my Buffalo or Spitfire in my local diecast shop instead of having to order it ( like I had to do with my C1 and EI models ) from half-way around the planet. I can thus see them first, compare, and if I buy them, I do not pay the freight costs or Import taxes which in my case, together, would double the price of the purchase.
7. When selecting their liveries / specific models, they focus on historical significance and accuracy, leaving the "politics" out of the picture. Many major brands like FM or Dragon in the past failed to do this. HM is the brand that gave us the Israeli A-4 and Saddam Hussein's Mig-21. Nazi planes all have svastikas in the tail, like the real ones did. I have very little doubt that when/if they release their F-4E, they will also produce an Iranian version.
8. Somehow related to point 7 above, but not exactly the same, I regard HM as having an "internationalist" approach to their releases. They produce their models in the colours of many airforces from all over the World, including those of small countries. In other words, if the 1:72 Skyhawk had been made by Century Wings instead of by HM, CW would have given us livery after livery after livery of USN and USMC aircraft but would have never bothered to issue an Argentinian or Australian Skyhawk. Same if the 1:48 Buffalo had been made by EI, we would have got 6 or 7 versions of it, all US Navy. Maybe at the end they would have issued a RAF one, but certainly not a Dutch one or would be considering a Finnish Buffalo. With HM we know we do not have this problem.

So, I wish HM well for 2008 and I hope thay make good money and have fun making their... sorry, our models.
But maybe not too much, since there is a real risk that if this trend continues they may take over the market in such a way as to deter other very good but smaller brands from continuing to do diecast aeroplanes. This would be to nobody's benefit : not the smaller companies, not the collectors and not HM, that would see itself in the same position as FM had for many years in 1:48 ( semi-monopolistic, so they could start to produce with less quality but charge much more for it ). Anyway, I very much hope this will never be the case... Eagles International & Carousel 1, you are also great brands !! Keep going at it !

Two threads have taken place recently where we have expressed our wishes / fantasies to HM for 2008 releases, so I will not repeat that here. I will just offer HM a suggestion for a possible new product line : judging by their releases so far, I though that HM favoured small diecasts ( ie. 1:72 or models in 1:48 of planes that were small, to keep the "lump of metal" not too big ). However, having seen the release of their Dauntless in a whopping 1:32 scale, now I think that they can produce in 1:48 bigger models that before I though they would not even consider. I am still talking about single-engined aircraft, but significantly bigger. The obvious line would be the WWII USN Torpedo and dive bombers ( Devastator, Avenger, Helldiver ). They have not been done before in that scale, the market is screaming for them, and their size in 1:48 would still be smaller than a 1:32 Dauntless, so why not ?

In any case, Happy New Year to everybody.

[Lakota Mech]

Well Put I can't wait for the New Metal. and add to my collection. I think we will see an F-4 and F-5 and I'm not so sure of what they may offer in Warbirds. A P-61 would be a nice surprise.

[Cavtanker]

I would like to commend HM on their decision to make a 1/72 Huey. Maybe they will continue a line of Vietnam-era helicopters. IMHO, the Huey is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Vietnam war. And many of the pilots/aircrews are still living, so there are greater opportunities for accuracy on liveries. I just wonder what type of stand will come with it and how it would be affixed to the fuselage.

[Migmauler]

I have only four HMs: the A-10, SNJ, A-4, and SBD and each of them is very well done. For the price, HM can't be beat. I've yet to have to "fix" any of them so their QC must be pretty good relative to other builders. HM has become my favorite manufacturer due to their quality and overall standard. Can't wait for the choppers!

[Elmer]

I enjoyed reading your thoughts, Saeta. Nicely stated. Thanks for posting.

[11SQNLDR]

I agree with all of your comments Saeta, well put. HM are fast establishing themselves & I have several of their models and a number on pre-order.
I'll support any manaufacturer that listens to its customers and gives us what we want - now bring on that F-5 & P-61 Hobbymaster!!

[Cruver Collecter]

Hobby Master does put out some nice looking models and at reasonable price. Their Brewster Buffalos are nicely detailed and have some great looking paint schemes.

[propellerhead]

Not to mention that they LISTEN to their customers and reply to their emails! Unlike others *cough* Cor *cough* gi.

When the propeller of my French Hellcat broke off I emailed them about the pros and cons of their packaging. The con being that the planes were too secured and that it was a pain to remove them from the package, which inadverently also caused me to break the propeller. They responded to my email and said they were working on new packaging. Also, per my request, they sent me an extra replacement propeller (although I still haven't figured out how I'm going to replace it) all the way from the factory in Hong Kong and they paid for shipping. That, my friends, is customer service!

[Epapazian]

I, too, wish HM well and now regard this company as the leader in the military diecast aircraft field. Although some of HM's decisions---such as the lack of crews/pilots and the open dive breaks on that SBD---raise issues in my mind, when I think back to some of the early efforts by Corgi, Armour and Dragon, it becomes obvious that all diecast contenders must undergo a trial and error weaning process which, in the long run, is probably a good thing. Although the pictures of the new BF-110Gs are disappointing, I feel confident that HM will work hard to make whatever corrections can be made at reasonable cost. Like others who have posted on this thread, I look forward to future HM products in 2008 and beyond. Bring on that TBM in an Atlantic scheme---and don't forget that F5-E you promised us, or the P-61, or the MC-202 ,or the I-16 or---------.

[tank nut]

I have two A 4's and want more, they make a fine diecast plane. I am going to paint the rockect pads one of these days as I hate them just white.