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Revell Flying Saucer Model Recalled


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Couldn't the same principle apply to any WWII era German models?

 

From: https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/flying-saucer-toy-recalled-for-teaching-kids-that-nazis-1827096609

 

If you’ve ever watched the History Channel at 3AM, you know that the Nazis had a secret program during World War II to develop flying saucers. The Nazi’s UFO experiments never actually flew, but the model toy company Revell recently released a set in Germany that makes it look like one of the Nazi saucers actually worked.

 

And historians are pissed.

 

“At that time it was technologically impossible to build something like this,” historian Jens Wehner told Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper last week.

 

The toy company has pulled the 69-part set, known as the Haunebu II, from store shelves. But you can still find plenty of the toys available for sale online. The Nazi UFO is even seen on the box blasting Allied planes out of the sky—a disgusting image to promote, to say the least.

 

The real-life flying saucer project was started in 1934 and some conspiracy theorists believe that the Nazis actually did achieve flight with the vehicle in 1943. Some believe that the Nazis hid these UFOs in secret bases in places like Antartica, and the History Channel even devoted a 2009 episode of its show “UFO Hunters” to the Nazi plans for space travel. But there’s no real evidence that the Nazis achieved flight with these strange contraptions.

 

“Unfortunately, our product description does not adequately express this and we apologize for it,” Revell said in a statement.

 

Why pull the toy from shelves? Germany has strict laws against glorification of Nazis. And while the government didn’t demand it, historians pointed out that making a toy that imagined Nazis had achieved space travel might corrupt young minds. And they’re not wrong.

 

“Enthusiasts can use this as a strategy to cast doubt on what we know today about Nazism,” Wehner told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

 

Holocaust deniers like to promote the idea that the Nazis were actually the oppressed group and that we’d have an advanced high-tech society if the Third Reich had succeeded. Ideas like a working Nazi flying saucer help fuel myths about the Nazi regime and downplay the atrocities that they committed, like killing roughly 10 million people in a campaign to systematically exterminate Jews and other “undesirables.”

 

 

Edited by madmike
Political posturing.
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31 minutes ago, Whiskey said:

model toy company Revell recently released a set in Germany that makes it look like one of the Nazi saucers actually worked.

How come that complaint and not, 

 

movie toy company Disney recently released a film that makes it look like faster than light spacecraft actually work.

 

What a load of crap complaint.

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8 minutes ago, southwestforests said:

The real news story here isn't the toy's fictional history, it is the farcically poor job that adults have been doing for the last couple decades of teaching deductive reasoning skills to children/students.

👍👍👍

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Seems like a whole lot of overreacting and hand wringing for nothing in my opinion. Kit looks kind of neat actually. I like the B-36's too:thumbsup:.

 

Guess they better pull this one too... can't have a knocked out Sherman showing...

Image result for king tiger model kit

 

This with a P-40 going down will just not meet with approval...

Image result for Bf-109 model kit

Hope they don't find out about this one...poor burning ship ...

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Etc etc etc .......

 

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Nazi Germany had a group of engineers (who evidently weren’t technically Nazi members) design and build a rocket called the V-2.  At the end of the war both Allied and Axis powers grabbed up these engineers and many of the remaining rockets. The work continued and both the Soviet Union and the United States developed successful space (travel) programs.  Does that mean the ISS space staion  glorifies Nazis?  Is the STEM program really a Nazi plot???

 

The mind reels.....

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One really needs to understand and study the post war Germany atmosphere to understand this situation.  I had the pleasure to meet Anna Rosmus that the film "The Nasty Girl" was made about.  Listening to her talk  on set (we were shooting a documentary on authors) about the "head in the sand" attitude of Germany during the '80's was frightening knowing those that ignore history are the most likely to repeat it.

As ugly as history can be, you cannot erase it nor ignore it.  Knowing what I heard that day, I'm surprised even the German Govt. allowed these models on the shelves at all.

 

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22 hours ago, Whiskey said:

Couldn't the same principle apply to any WWII era German models?

 

No. For the very simple reason that all other kits regarding WWII-era German models are either based in fact (Tiger II, U-99, Bf 109, "History you can model"*) OR are clearly labelled and described as "projects" (previous Revell Luft #46 kits). In case of the stupid UFO, they made it look like it was real. Like the 109, like Tiger II.

 

This has eff-all to do with the legal situation in Germany. Revell didn't violate a single law. Revell was not forced to call-back the UFOs. They chose to recall them. Probably because they saw they made a stupid mistake. Good on Revell to step up to it and do the right thing.

 

*Frankly, I was never sure of the "History you can model" thing. If the historical annotations in your He 162 Volksjäger kit only mention how it was meant to be produced easily and flown by inexperienced pilots, but neglects that the construction facilities (intentionally) killed thousands of slave labourers by design, you're really just marketing a toy, not teaching history.

 

35 minutes ago, midnightprowler said:

Freaking pc over sensitive lets eliminate history bull#%¥£

 

Just NO! Recalling that damn UFO does NOT eliminate history. Keeping them on the shelves in their current form, making people believe these things actually existed and fuelling the Nazi Übermensch bullshit, THAT eliminates history.

 

Edited by ChernayaAkula
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Curious. So,  if Revell marketed the flying saucer in Germany without the German WWII markings and simply called it "Flying Saucer" it would be fine? People in Germany wouldn't think they actually existed if they didn't have the German WWII markings? What if the saucer had RAF or USAAC markings instead? Would people still think the RAF or USAAC actually had flying saucers in WWII  if they saw a model box top with said markings on them?

 

I wonder if Revell will have a sale on these models for those of us not living in Germany now that there's a few extra boxes available...:whistle:.

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No, that's not the problem. They can sell them in RAF/USAAC markings.They can even sell them in German markings (again, Revell did NOT violate any law!). If you want to build that, go knock yourself out! I don't judge! But Revell has to ensure that people know that they're looking at a model of something that isn't real. Something that is different from the 109s, Flying Fortresses and T-34s that are marketed with the claim of historical accuracy.

The sole problem is that the text on the box makes it seem like these things actually existed. Here's the text:

 

Quote

"Work began on this spherical aircraft in 1934. Its propulsion and the neutralisation of centrifugal forces inside the aircraft was achieved employing Vril energy fields. Airworthy prototypes of the Haunebu II with speeds of up to 6000 km/h first flew in mid-1943 but did not finish the flight test phase due to the effects war. - First space flight capable object in the world - Interior with instrument panels and seats - Decal set for a faithfully reproduced livery."

 

Not a hint that this is totally bogus.

This sits in toys on the shelves next to the "faithfully reproduced" Bf 109. Next to the "faithfully reproduced" Sherman. Next to the "authentic" 747. It's mostly bought by kids (Revell can stuff their "Level 4 - adults only" excuse). WE can tell the difference, but a sizeable portion of the market simply CAN'T!

 

It's not the same with Iron Sky. People who go see Iron Sky know it's satire. They know they're not watching some documentary. It's squarely aimed at adults.

 

And the number of kids who don't "believe" the facts is growing. Who will claim that what they're being taught about the Third Reich/WWII is simply Allied propaganda.

 

Then there are the nutcases. From conspiracy theorists to outright fascists. From chemtrailers and flat-earthers to people who actually buy into the Nazi Übermensch bullshit. People who do protest marches decrying the "bomb holocaust" perpetrated on Dresden by the Allies. People wanting to put an end to what they call a "guilt cult" regarding the Third Reich (claiming the  atrocities either didn't happen or where ages ago and therefore irrelevant today). Mix all this and at the end of the day, German Bundestag opposition leader ( thanks to having the largest party faction not part of the government) and head of the so-called "Alternative für Deutschland" can say that "the Nazi time was bird droppings on 1000 years of successful German history".

 

 

No, building a Revell Haunebu will not turn you a Nazi. But sorry for not being sorry that I think this is a very sensitive issue here in Germany. The right is on the rise again. They're poisoning people's minds yet again. And blood has already been spilt.

 

 

 

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They don't show enough History Channel "documentaries" in Germany it seems, for better or worse.

 

What a pity, only a couple of months after narrowly escaping liquidation, Revell has to pull out its own stuff from the shelves. On the bright side, they can at least still make money off of those elsewhere.

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23 minutes ago, kaz said:

They don't show enough History Channel "documentaries" in Germany it seems, for better or worse.

 

What a pity, only a couple of months after narrowly escaping liquidation, Revell has to pull out its own stuff from the shelves. On the bright side, they can at least still make money off of those elsewhere.

The History Channel that today teaches people that any and every technological, cultural and creative thing humans have done was directly or telepathically taught to us by Aliens. 😉

Edited by Inquisitor
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Seriously though, if some video game pulls off the same thing and doesn't get banned in Germany, I'm going to laugh. In fact, I can already think of a few games that have done so in the past.

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27 minutes ago, afspret said:

Nope, its just misunderstood technology. 😉

LOL :woot.gif:!

 

In regards picking one of these kits up, I looked around a bit and they aren't cheap!  But as far as I can tell its the same kit as the Squadron offering and it's affordable at around $60-$70. I'd love to get the Revell boxing but will probably spring for the Squadron kit to save coin. Haven't built a Sci-Fi kit in a while and this thread has my interest peaked.  Some good 1/72 diorama opportunities.

 

Some cool builds on YouTube:

 

 

 

This builder is adding lights... very neat:

 

PART 2:

I can't find part 3...:crying:

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Thank you for your comments @ChernayaAkula, it's informative. Basically in order for Revell to amend any issues arisen from this, they just need to put something on the box saying "fiction" or "never actually produced" or "Luftwaffe Project Design", etc.

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3 hours ago, Don said:

LOL :woot.gif:!

 

In regards picking one of these kits up, I looked around a bit and they aren't cheap!  But as far as I can tell its the same kit as the Squadron offering and it's affordable at around $60-$70. I'd love to get the Revell boxing but will probably spring for the Squadron kit to save coin. Haven't built a Sci-Fi kit in a while and this thread has my interest peaked.  Some good 1/72 diorama opportunities.

<snip> 

@Don, I thought the Squadron kit was the same as the Revell Germany kit but that is not the case.  Two completely different kits and the Squadron kit is about two to three times larger than the Revell Germany kit. 

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