Tamiya unvieled quite a few new military kits at the Spielwarenmesse 2002 Nuremberg International Toy Fair. The full line of releases can be viewed here at Tamiya's Web site. In summary the new kits include a 1/16 RC M26 Pershing, a 1/35 RC Leopard 2A5, 1/35 German Panzer Recon Team, 1/35 German King Tiger (Ardennes Front), 1/16 German King Tiger Production Turret (Motorized), 1/48 Messerschmitt Me262 A-2a w/ Kettenkraftrad, 1/48 Nakajima A6M2(RUFE), 1/48 Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu Type 11, and a 1/700 German Heavy Cruizer Prinz Eugen.

You may have seen the banner on the front page for "The Library". Well it's not an advertisement for another site. It's our new bookstore module. The Library will be where you can look for books, magazines, games, and videos that would be of interest to the Armorama community.

Several hundred modeler's decended on Richmond this weekend for the 2002 IPMS Richmond "Old Dominion Open". The battle-lines were drawn. Tanks were laid down in neat lines facing off against F-14 Tomcats, Kubelwagens, and '57 Chevy's. And the winner was?...

Kencelot has put together another list of upcoming or recent releases. If you have any news of these (or other) kits please post the info below. Thanks Ken!

The Navy and Marines have a new AAAV (advanced amphibious assault vehicle) in the development phases. The project was started in 1988 and is now in the Development & Demonstration phase (as of 2001). This new vehicle has a distinct advantage over the older AAV7A1, that being about up to 19 knots more speed in the water (max 25 knots). The ground speed is roughly the same at 45mph.

This is kind of dated but the FineScale Modeler website has a list of models that will be released by Trumpeter in 2002-2003. The article says that all the kits are "new tool" unless otherwise noted.

Italeri has announced three new releases, all tanks. The first is the "Marines M4 Sherman", a PTO M4 with snorkel setup. The second is an "M1 A2 Abrams". And the third is an "M-60 Blazer" of Israeli origin. As far as I could find these kits/molds have not been previously released by Italeri. If anyone has any further info on these kits please comment below (read full story).

Ken Fortier has put together this list of new release armor kits. Some may already be available and others unreleased as of yet. We are planning to add a section to the site to track all new release kits (and perhaps all current releases as well - sort of a kit library).

We have added a new option here on the site. We will be sending out occasional (weekly or bi-weekly) emails outlining some of the recent additions to the site. It will come in the form of an eNewsLetter. The important news is that if you want to receive this eNewsLetter you will need to submit your email address (link is on the left side of the site). Registration to the site does not automatically sign you up for the eNewsLetter.

Ready to storm the beaches of Normandy and take on a Tiger tank? Electronic Arts is readying a new PC gaming experience called Medal of Honor - Allied Assault. You are Lt. Mike Powell, member of the famed 1st Ranger Battalion. Following your recruitment by the OSS, you’ll battle through over 20 challenging levels, based on historical military campaigns of World War II.


More info/Buy it Now at Amazon.com

I am working on several new additions to the site and wanted to let everyone know about some of what's been going on here since the site went up in mid-December.

The 2002 IPMS National show will be held in Virginia Beach, Virgina by the Tidewater IPMS and the Hampton Roads Scale Modelers. The event will be held July 31, 2002 through August 3rd at the Pavilion Convention Center. All the details of the event are still being worked out but you can find the latest info on the official Web site, 2002nats.tripod.com.

I was sent this email from "Aer Colectie", a model manufacturer in Moldova (formerly part of the USSR). They list their new releases in 1/72 Armor as well as a Kursk (1/400) submarine. You can view the entire e-mail, just follow the link below.

I got this rather cryptic email. I hadn't heard of this scale or these manufacturer's before, but I figured someone might find them of interest. I believe the site of origin is www.russianscalemodels.com. The email follows...

AMPS (The Armor Modeling and Preservation Society) will be holding it's eighth annual National Convention. It will be held at the same location as last year, the Havre de Grace Community Center, on April 19-20, 2002.

Tamiya will hold their annual model show and competition in Aliso Viejo, California on April 6th and 7th of 2002. The event takes place at the companies US headquarters near Los Angeles. 4 modelers will win all-expense paid trips to Japan, to visit the companies corporate HQ and the Shizuoka Hobby Show!

Tamiya's new 1/32 Scale Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Fighter (Zeke)
The masterfully designed 1/32 scale model of the A6M5 Zero shipboard fighter, with all its intricate detail and moveable parts has now been taken to the next level. Tamiya is proud to release a 1/32 scale model of the Mitsubishi A6M5 shipboard fighter that features realistic lights replicated with light emitting diodes, as well as propeller rotation coupled with synchronized engine sound.

Developed primarily for ground troop support, the 105mm equipped M4A3 was added to the Sherman series. Now, Tamiya presents a 1/35 scale replication accurate down to the casting of the round gun turret. The battle postures of 3 ground troop figures and the steady gaze of the tank commander convey a sense of tension felt during battle. The kit comes complete with heavy M2 machine gun and a variety of accessories. Pair this model up with the 75mm Gun Late Production version for creating the perfect diorama.