I got to ask Merit about some “wish list” items in the 1:18 scale as well. I asked why we have not received any modern Soviet Armor (T-72, T-90, etc), and they said that after the Gulf War in the early 1990’s, the demand for Soviet vehicles dropped completely “almost overnight”, according to Merit, and so most manufacturers do not want to bother releasing something that they feel is not going to sell. The distributors really have a good “finger on the pulse” as far as product goes, so I have no reason to argue with them.
Personally, I think that modern Soviet, or Chinese armor would sell, as there has been a large growth in the 1:18 scale collectors group, and many of us would love to buy some pieces for our M1A2’s to shoot at!
Anthony Chin, of Merit mentioned that he would love to see a United States Marines “AAVP7A1 Assault Amphibian Vehicle Personnel”. I would love to see one of these, and it would go great with the Forces of Valor: Bravo Team marines that were released last year.
The paint on the Corsair is worth the extra cash. Now I just need to find out what my wife did with my cash.