Well, I guess I should have waited one more day to make that post about some new models coming. Metal Earth has added a new variation of the Willys jeep to the coming soon. This ICONX model is titled Willys Overland, and appears very similar to the Willys MB Jeep. At the same time, some new photos have been added for the Space Shuttle Discovery. But first, let’s see how this new Willys compares to the existing one (I hope this plugin works!):


EDIT: As pointed out in the comments, it looks like the Willys MB Jeep is now in “Retired” status and the Humvee is in “Retiring”. I also noticed that the Black Panther model has joined the retiring section, too. I am sad.
So, as you can see, a lot of similarities there, but the proportions are a bit different (ignoring the different angles of the photos, of course), and a few little detail things have been added / removed / moved. Oh, and the giant gun is not there. There is that.
As for the Space Shuttle, I’m a bit more excited about that. The new photos finally reveal the front, which does look to have a smoother shaped nose section, but the big surprise is the extended landing gear! That’s a nice feature. I also went full-obsession and skimmed through the instructions to find out that this shuttle is not fixed to the stand, so it can easily be displayed as resting on those wheels. So yeah, I’m a bit excited about this one.
Sources: MetalEarth, MetalEarth
While you are updating, the Dr. Who K-9 is also retired.
Thank you! I thought I had marked that as retired in my checklist at some point, but I guess I hadn’t. I also decided that, with all the additions (sad face) to the retired/retiring status, I needed to update the styling of the checklist. Now it’s easier to tell what’s retired (also replaced the term discontinued with retired in the checklist) versus exclusive or coming soon. I know it’s color based, and some people are color blind, but at least there’s still the little badges, too.
I haven’t bought/built the Willys MB yet so I am not sure what the difference is other than the missing gun. Oh and the fact that the MB is now retired and the Humvee is on the retiring list. I am almost afraid to look at the Fascinations site anymore but it is nice they give you a heads up with the retiring soon list. I only started collecting in August so catching up on the retiree’s is getting expensive. I am up to 75 builds tho and no regrets. On a brighter note the Republic of Gamers Eye model popped up on Ebay Monday night and I was able to obtain it for <$9.
First, nice catch on the retiring status of the old. Also, that stinks. Also, yes, it’s nice that they give us a heads up. And finally, sweet! That ROG model is rare! And to get it for less than $9!
Anyways, I’m going to update the post with the news that the old Jeep is retiring.