KING & COUNTRY
“DISPATCHES”
“KUNG HEI FAT
CHOY!” Happy Chinese New Year and welcome to our second “DISPATCHES” of 2013.
As usual there might be a few items you were expecting…and a few you were
not! However we always hope there is something you’ll enjoy…seeing and
collecting!
1.
What’s
appearing this February!
A.
“The Desert Fox’s Reinforcements”
In January we resupplied Monty’s Eighth Army forces so we thought
it was only fair that there should some new additions to Rommel’s Afrika Korps…
AK092 “Sd.Kfz.222 Armoured Car”
This third (Afrika
Korps) version of a great little German Armoured Car is another of those models that has been much
requested by K&C collectors over the years…It has been a long time since we
released an last Afrika Korps
222
and here it is.
AK093 “Sd.Kfz.251 Halftrack”
Another
of those “iconic” German fighting vehicles that saw plenty of action on
all battle fronts the Wehrmacht were involved in.
This
battle-weary “251” has certainly seen more than its fair share of action as can
be seen by its paint-chipped appearance. Our AK version comes with a driver and
removable MG34 machine gun.
Special Note: At least two more variations will appear
later in 2013.
AK095 “2 cm. Flak 38 Gun Set”
This
little classic 2cm (or 20mm) Flak Gun on its firing mount
comes with a seated gunner and is ready for action. Perfect for
any desert airfield.
AK096 “Flak Gun Crew”
A
little 2-man “add-on” set for the Flak Gun… a loader and spotter, both Afrika Korps.
AVAILABLE : NOW!
B. “And now for a different kind of Axis
fighting soldier….Eritrean Askaris…..
As regular “Dispatches”
readers know once a year K&C release an Italian themed series of figures
and vehicles primarily (but not exclusively) aimed at our collectors in
Italy. Well, this year is no exception. However, we’ve cast our net
a wee bit wider to introduce a group of soldiers that some collectors may be
less well informed about… Mussolim’s native troops… However
to begin with let’s add just one more Carabinieri….
IF028 “Carabinieri
Motorcycle Set”
This Italian military policeman provides the mobile element to our previously
released Carabinieri figures.
IF030 “Italian Officer of Askaris”
Italy raised many
regiments and battalions of Native Troops to serve in Ethiopia, Somalia
and Libya… both before and during the early part of the Second World War…
All of them led by Italian officers. This officer is a typical example.
IF031 “Flagbearer
Sergeant”
Our bearded
Eritrean NCO with the 8th Battalion standard carries both rifle and
pistol.
IF032 “Charging #1”
IF033 “Charging #2”
IF034 “Crouching”
IF035 “Kneeling Firing”
IF036 “Sitting Firing”
IF037 “Lying Prone”
IF038 “Scouting For The Enemy”
One of the more unusual ways to get a better
view of the opposition… This NCO climbs onto the shoulders of one of his men to
seek out the enemy.
IF039 “Avanti!”
This corporal urges his men “Forward!”
IF040 “Standing Firing Rifle”
Special Note: The Italian Army made extensive use of
locally-recruited native troops in Italian East Africa… Almost 200,000
were recruited and comprised mostly infantry, some cavalry and a few light
artillery units.
They
are among the most respected and colorful of any in Mussolini’s army.
AVAILABLE : NOW!
C.
“The Perfect Backdrop”
No other company
produces such a diverse range of both 3 dimensional buildings or facades as
K&C. Here’s the latest…
SP054 “Café de Normandie”
More than a few years ago we produced an
earlier, less detailed (and smaller) version of this. We decided
it was time to revise and revisit this little piece of Normandy. The
newer, bigger and better “Café de Normandie”
can be used in a wide variety of settings and scenes both on its own and/or
with other facades and buildings.
AVAILABLE : Mid February
D.
“RETURN TO THE CRIMEA” (Part Two)
As promised in
December, here is the “Second Release” of our new Crimean War
British Infantry of the Line…
CR001 “Officer w/Pistol & Sword”
This
bearded officer stands ready with his sword and one of those new-fangled
American Colt revolvers!
CR002 “Subaltern w/The Queen’s Colour”
Still wearing the Regimental Shako this
young officer bravely advances carrying the “Union Jack.”
CR012 “The Rescue”
This soldier carries a wounded officer to
safety…
CR013 “The Bugler”
Bugle in one hand, short sword in the other
this bugler helps rally his comrades.
CR014 “The Regimental Standard Bearer”
Another Colt-carrying officer with the
Regimental Colour.
AVAILABLE : Mid February
2.
APPEARING
IN MARCH….
March looks like being a very “eclectic”
month for collectors especially when you look at the selection we’ve chosen to
release….
A. “On Parade in
Copenhagen”
To any visitor to
Denmark’s capitol city the soldier’s of the Royal Life Guards are an “iconic”
sight. Everyday they parade from their barracks in
central Copenhagen to the Royal Palace to perform Guard Duties protecting the
sovereign.
Usually they wear their dark blue dress uniforms…On very special royal and
state occasions they change to their red tunics.
CE010 “Marching Guardsman w/Rifle”
Our Guardsman steps smartly forward carrying his M1 Garand rifle with
fixed bayonet.
CE016-1, CE016-2, CE016-3 “Standing-At-Ease
Guardsman”
This at ease
figure is also armed with the M1 Garand and fixed bayonet. The
different codes
refers to the three red, white and blue tassels attached to the
sword/bayonets
denoting the three separate guard companies that make up the
Public Duties
battalion.
AVAILABLE : Early March
B.
“Battling
Johnny Turk!”
As K&C dealers
and collectors already know we have produced a large number of Australian
Light Horse figures as part of our depiction of the Battle of Beersheba
in 1917. With the great success of that range we’ve decided to expand and
develop more units that also fought in the campaigns in the Middle East during
the 1914/18 War. This first new release focuses on the British
infantry…
ME001 “Officer w/Pistol & Whistle”
Leading
his men forward this young British officer is armed with his .455 Webley service revolver…and a whistle!
ME002 “Kneeling Firing Rifle”
ME003 “Standing Firing Rifle”
ME004 “Charging”
ME005 “Attacking”
ME006 “Lying Prone Lewis Gunner”
Providing much needed fire-support is this Lewis Gunner.
Special Uniform Details: All of our new infantry figures belong to
the 8th.Btn Lancashire Fusiliers who fought in Egypt,
Gallipoli and Palestine during the war. They are all
wearing the tropical solar “topi” sun helment with the regimental flash on the left side.
The men
are wearing a mix of heavy wool tunics (more suitable for the Western
Front) and KD (khaki drill) shorts with long sox and puttees.
The
officer wears a complete set of KD (tunic and trousers) in contrast to
his men.
AVAILABLE : Early March
C.
“COMING
IN ON A WING AND A PRAYER!”
Our latest United
States Army Air Force figures, aircraft and vehicle make a contrast to
our soldiers of the Middle East and are a nice little bonus for our “Warbird” collectors…
AF019 “Flight Commander”
Wearing
his jaunty “50 mission” hat this veteran pilot prepares to brief his
pilots on their next mission.
AF020 “Pilot w/Map”
This
young “fighter-jock” checks his map coordinates.
AF021 “Synchronize Your Watches!”
It’s
important that everyone is “on the same page” and “at the same time”
for any mission to be successful.
AF022 “Kneeling Pilot”
This
kneeling pilot is listening intently to the briefing.
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN
The
story of the first all-African American pilots in the U.S. Army Air Force has
been told in books, documentaries and movies…Rarely, if at all, have they
appeared in miniature…Until now…K&C have produced four separate
items that pay tribute to the officers and men who had to overcome many
obstacles just to be allowed to fly and fight for their country during WW2.
AF023 “Capt. Lee ‘Buddy’ Archer”
AF028 “Colonel Benjamin O.Davis”
The
commander of the all-black 332nd Fighter Group.
AF029 “The ‘Follow-Me’ Jeep”
Partly
decorated with the black and white chequer board this
airfield “runaround” has an African-American driver and is in the
markings of the 332nd Fighter Group.
AF030 “ North American P.51D Mustang”
Of all the Mustangs that flew it was the “D” model that was the most
famous….and most numerous with over 8,100 built and flown.
Easily recognized by the bubble-top canopy it was the perfect escort fighter
for the USAAF’s B17’s and B24’s bombing Hitler’s Third Reich.
Our latest K&C warbird belongs to the all-black 332nd
Fighter Group, the famous “Red Tails” and is one of the 301st.
Fighter Squadron’s P51’s. Nicknamed “Creamer’s Dream” it’s in
typical late war natural metal finish except for the red nose and tail plus
yellow wing stripes.
Just 250 have been
produced.
“KEEP ‘EM
FLYING!”
Finally
we introduce Two more groundcrew figures that help
bring any aircraft or airfield display alive….
AF026 “Standing Mechanic”
Carrying
his box of tools in one hand and reaching out with the other this mechanic can
work on any of our “warbirds”.
AF027 “Sitting Mechanic”
This groundcrew figure perches neatly onto any of K&C’s
World War Two fighter planes….Please note the trestle platform is not included.
AVAILABLE : Mid March
D.
“WITH
LAWRENCE IN THE DESERT”
Following the
success of our first two “Lawrence” figures we are adding two more….
LoA003 “Sheik Auda
Abu Tayi”
During
the Arab revolt against the Turks in 1916-1918 one of Lawrence’s staunchest
Arab allies was the Bedouin Leader, Auda
Abu Tayi. Portrayed on film in
the 1962 epic by Anthony Quinn this dramatic figure sits astride his
captured Arab stallion with his revolver held aloft.
LoA004 “Arab Flagbearer”
Accompanying Auda is his personal flagbearer
carrying the tradional Islamic green flag emblazoned
with a verse from the Koran, “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah!”
AVAILABLE: Mid to Late March
E.
“Who’s Guarding The Home Guard?”
After the Fall of
France when Britain stood alone against the might of Hitler’s war machine a
body of men came forward to help defend the country in its greatest hour of
need.
They were
originally called the Local Defence Volunteers
and were recruited from those too old…or too young to join the regular army.
Soon however they
became better known as…”The Home Guard”
Here at K&C
we’ve always had a “soft-spot” for these young and old warriors who made
up in real fighting spirit what they may have lacked in actual fighting
abilities….
FOB077 “Standing Home Guard Major”
Second-in-Command
of the Home Guard Battalion our volunteers belong to
FOB081 “Marching Tommy”
When
the British Expeditionary Force were evacuated from France in June 1940 many of
its men came back with only their rifles and field kit.
Here,
our regular “Tommy” has arrived back at his regimental depot and is
undergoing some basic “square-bashing” i.e. foot and rifle drill.
FOB082 “The Captain”
Home
Guard Officers came from all walks of life…butchers, bakers…even bank
managers…but all eager and willing to defend their country against Adolf
and his Nazi hordes!
FOB083 “The Sergeant”
As we
all know the backbone of any military unit are the NCO’s (non commissioned
officers) and the Home Guard was no exception. However not all
sergeants have to be nasty and ‘orrible….Some can
be really quite nice and awfully pleasant.
FOB084 “The Scrounger”
In any
military there are always the soldier who knows all the angles and is very good
at cutting corners…and never getting caught out!
FOB085 “The Mummy’s Boy”
For
some the military comes as a great shock to the system…For others it’s a huge
adventure…For a few it’s a chance to play with a real gun!
FOB088 “The Old Soldier”
The
Home Guard attracted army veterans from the First World War and the Boer
War…Even some how had served with the great Lord
Kitchener in the Sudan!
VITAL TRANSPORT
Although
an army marches on its feet…it’s nice to get a lift now and then.
Here are two more new versions of our very
popular Morris CS8 15cwt. trucks.
FOB091 “Morris CS8 Truck (BEF)”
When
the British Expeditionary Force went to France it took thousands of these
15cwt. trucks with them…only a handful returned home after Dunkirk.
Our 3rd
Infantry Division Morris belongs to a Royal Artillery battery and
has the typical “Mickey Mouse” pattern camouflage. R.A. driver
included.
FOB097 “Bomb Disposal Morris CS8”
Our
second CS8 belongs to a Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal Unit-hence
the bright red mudguards. A Royal Engineer lance-corporal is behind the
wheel.
AVAILABLE: Late March
3.
Finally,
RETIREMENTS….
Quite a little (and varied) list…
AE007 Wrapping The Mummy
AE019 Cleopatra's Body Guard
AE021 Banquet Guests Set 1
AE022 Banquet Guests Set 2
AE023 Dancing Girls
AE024 Court Musicians
AE028 Nubian Slave Guard
AE030 Master of Ceremonies
AE031 The Drummer
AF006 Army Air Corps Mechanics
AF007 Lt.Dick Rabb
AF008 The New Boy
AF009 Capt.Nick
Magura
AF010 Pointing MP
AK050 Panzer III Tank
EA041 Universal Carrier
IC033 Chinese General Staff Set
LAH092 Seaman Presenting Arms
LAH094 Seaman Flagbearer
RTA027 Juan A. Badillo, TX - Kneeling Loading Rifle
And that, as I usually say, is that for yet another month. Here’s wishing
you all a happy, healthy Chinese New Year in this the “Year of the Snake”!
Best wishes!
Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder & Creative Director
King & Country