Hallmark 2016

[MichaelB]

Hallmark has announced that the Lockheed Vega will be their 2016 "Keepsake Ornament". It's the red one that Amelia Earhart flew, just like most Vega toys/models. The only other version has been the Winnie Mae, which Hallmark hasn't done in their series. With all the different choices for this famous airplane but...
I expect the scale will be in the 1/120 range.
If it looks familiar, it should. Corgi release a beautiful Vega as part of their "Century of Flight" series. It is also out of scale and was included in ALL those issues at the time. If you've forgotten, that was 2003.
Hallmark has also done the Vega before, this time in their "Heritage" series from the late '90s, this time in 1/72. It's a lovely piece any way you slice it.
I think the last time I saw the Winnie Mae as a "toy" was in the Cox/AHM "Showcase Miniature" series, but that issue is a whole 'nother kettle of fish from the Hallmark plane from 35 years later!
We should expect a second Hallmark plane sometime in October...this is the "surprise" issue. Last year it was a very nice P-38 that turned out to be very popular and hard to find!

[Tone]

I spotted a charcoal-gray F-16 in a Hallmark shop today alongside the Vega.

[MichaelB]

That must be their "bonus" issue for the year. Last year it was the P-38 and it sold out rapidly.
Thanks for the tip - I'll stop in and pick one up!

[MichaelB]

...and, that's exactly what I did. Today I picked up the "bonus" F-16 from Hallmark. It's packaged as a Keepsake Ornament like all the others. Here it is - I'm not impressed - I'm disappointed. It's metal with plastic parts, which is good but no clear parts or undercarriage. It's a F-16 A or C and it doesn't have any unit identifications - only the national insignia. It's about 1/130 scale and is slim on detail although the shapes look about right. It reminds me of the old Road Champs F-16; at least it had bogus undercarriage. Detail and edges are soft and minimal. At least Road Champs had the presence of mind to paint it in the Thunderbirds marks - this piece is just two shades of gray.
I'm really disappointed by this piece - especially after having spent $17 on it! Unless you are a dedicated Hallmark collector, this is the issue you may want to skip.
I suppose that Hallmark needs to take advantage of the what must be an expensive license from Lockheed so...we get this.