Dear Partners,
Greetings
from the ‘Pearl of The Orient’
and welcome once more to DISPATCHES and a collection of some very special
figures which, I hope, will find a place
in at least some of your own collections.
So, without
further ado, let’s see what King & Country has in store for you this month…
The discovery of the young
pharaoh’s tomb in the Valley
of the Kings in 1922 brought many visitors and spectators to the
site from far and wide and included some notable characters among them…
AE096 "Sir Harry Perry Robinson Adventurer
Extraordinaire"
Harry Perry Robinson’s life
story unfolds like a ‘Boy’s Own’ adventure novel from a bygone age.
Born in India in 1859, he was
sent off to boarding school in England before going on to Oxford and then
devoting most of his adult life to writing and journalism.
Along the way he sailed across
the Atlantic and travelled to the American West where he took part in the last
great ‘Gold Rush’ of the 1880s.
After that, he ventured into
the booming U.S. Railroad business and made himself wealthy before becoming
involved in American politics and helping to elect Republican contender William
McKinley into the White House.
During this same time he married, divorced, remarried and became, for a time,
a U.S. citizen. Throughout this entire period he
continued to write and his work appeared in leading journals and newspapers on
both sides of the Atlantic as well as elsewhere in the English-speaking world.
By 1900, he decided to return
to Britain and move into the book publishing business where he championed,
among others, the noted American writer, Jack London.
As before, Harry continued his
writing and was widely recognized for his reporting and his ‘ringside seat’ at
some of the most exciting and dramatic events of the late 19th and early 20th
centuries.
For most of his journalistic
life his most successful professional partnership was with The Times of London
which provided him with a roving commission to write about people, places and
events the world over.
During the First World War he
was the paper’s premier ‘War Correspondent’ and actually
spent more time at the Front than any of his fellow journalists.
For his wartime service he was
knighted by King George Ⅴ and
shortly thereafter was selected by The Times to report on Lord Carnarvon’s
Expedition to uncover Tutankhamun’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
Sir Harry was present at the excavation
site when Howard Carter, the famed archaeologist and Lord Carnarvon actually broke through into the almost intact burial chamber
of the young Egyptian pharaoh.
This newest ‘King Tut’- related
figure shows Sir Harry standing next to his camera and tripod as he photographs
some of the ancient treasures as they were recovered from the tomb following
the excavation.
AE097 "The Honourable
Celia Molestrangler"
Another of the spectators
observing the events surrounding the discovery of the Pharaoh’s tomb was this
young and pretty Englishwoman, the Hon. Celia Molestrangler,
the younger daughter of Viscount Nemesis Counterblast one of Lord Carnarvon’s
closest friends.
This pretty young member of the
Jazz Age’s ‘Bright Young Things’ shields her fair looks and features from the
fierce Egyptian sun under a pretty, purple parasol as she observes the events
unfolding.
AVAILABILITY: Early March
From the dry desert sands of
Ancient Egypt to the long dusty trail of King & Country’s ‘CATTLE DRIVE’ series
and… a few useful additions…
CD022 "The Town Sheriff"
As the wild and lawless ‘cowtowns’ of Kansas sprang up all along the main routes of
the great cattle drives during the 1870s and 1880s law and order became an
urgent necessity.
Helping to keep the peace as
well as enforcing the law was often a lonely and dangerous occupation and
demanded a special breed of lawmen who were as handy with their fists as they
were with a six-gun.
In those days there were mainly
two types of peace officer… One was a U.S. Marshal, normally appointed by a
State or Territory’s Attorney General.
The other, much more numerous,
was the Sheriff, commonly elected by a county’s residents or chosen by a local
town council.
Many of these same Sheriffs
received little or no pay but derived their income from a percentage of any
money collected in fines or bounties raised on the heads of any ‘wanted’
criminals and desperados found in their jurisdictions.
In addition to this kind of uncertain
income some Sheriffs also took a ‘second job’ or even held a financial interest
in certain establishments frequented by the cowboys who drove the great herds
passing through their towns. Saloons and bordellos being the most commercial…
and profitable.
Our new Sheriff looks both
well-dressed and well-armed with a fine shotgun in his hands and a Colt.45
‘Peacemaker’ on his hip.
CD023 "Jake Ketchum Riding Drag"
This is not, as some might
expect, a ‘cross-dressing’ cowboy but a young ‘cowpoke’ who rides at the rear
of the herd, always on the lookout for any ‘strays’ that might fall behind or
wander off the trail.
He wears his neckerchief
‘bandanna’ up over his nose and mouth to avoid the worst of the thick dust
stirred up by the hooves of thousands of ‘Texas Longhorns’.
CD024 "The Gunfighter"
Gunfighters, sometimes called
‘Gunslingers’ were men who in the American West of the late 19th and early 20th
countries gained a reputation for being dangerous and deadly with a gun.
They participated in all kinds
of gunfights and shoot-outs and often found themselves on the wrong side of the
law.
Although ‘quick-on-the-draw’ with
a pistol most of these gunmen were equally adept with a rifle or a shotgun.
Essentially gunfighters were
‘hired guns’ who made their living in the Old West thanks to their skills and
accuracy with all types of firearms.
Our K&C gunfighter might be
looking for a fight or maybe he’s just heading for the nearest saloon… you
decide.
CD025 "The Standing Pinto"
Although we’ve produced quite a
few ‘mounted’ cowboys in this series we’ve also had a number
of requests for single, ‘unmounted’ horses that could help populate any
‘Cattle Drive’ scene or accompany any of our ‘dismounted’ or ‘standing’ cowboy
figures.
Here is our brown and white
‘Pinto’ still saddled up and ready to go with whichever cowboy or Mexican
figure you choose.
CD026 "The Marlin Cowboy"
Marlin Firearms was founded
back in the 1870s and produced a large assortment of firearms including
lever-action rifles, pump-action shotguns and single-shot rifles.
For many years it was considered to be the main competitor of the more famous
Winchester.
At this time, Marlin produced a
series of full-colour advertisements portraying a
mounted cowboy with his own lever-action rifle in a ‘heroic’ pose. We thought
this would make a great figure to add to our range… and here he is!
CD027 "Guarding The
Herd"
Riding the range or patrolling the
perimeters of the herd through the night it pays to keep your rifle at the
ready.
One more mounted ‘cowpoke’ to
add to your crew.
AVAILABILITY: Mid March
Otto von Bismarck can easily lay claim to being one of the
greatest giants of history of the 19th Century.
As the mastermind of the
unification of Germany in 1871 he was to go on and dominate European affairs
for almost two decades before resigning in 1890.
TR010 "Count Otto von Bismarck"
Otto Edouard Leopold von
Bismarck was born in the year of Waterloo, 1815, as a member of the ruling
upper class of Prussian Junker landowners.
Always interested in politics
he rose rapidly through the ranks of government and held several of the most
senior positions including minister president and Prussia’s foreign minister.
Bismarck also provoked three
short, successful wars against Denmark, Austria and France which gained Prussia
additional territory and the impetus to finally gather all the minor German
states together under one leader with one aim… to be the leading power in
continental Europe.
As a personality, away from the
political sphere, Bismarck was strong-willed, outspoken and sometimes
overbearing but he could also be polite, charming and witty when the situation
demanded it.
MEMORIALS
Even during his lifetime von Bismarck
was widely recognized for his many achievements.
All over Germany during his
life many citizens began to praise him and throughout the country, monies were
donated to erect statues and monuments celebrating his work, some of which
survive to this day.
This latest TR release is
inspired by a statue of the great man which can still be seen in the Tiergarten Park in Berlin and depicts him in traditional
German military uniform.
AVAILABILITY: Mid March
A couple of months back we introduced
several new US Navy ‘Bluejackets’
including some in ‘parade poses’.
Well, now it’s time to add two more that help bring
more than a little extra colour to any parade…
USN030 "U.S. Navy Stars Stripes"
A marching ‘Bluejacket’ sailor
holding the 48-star national flag aloft.
USN033 "U.S. Navy Infantry Battalion Flagbearer"
The U.S. Navy Infantry
Battalion flag was for many decades, the actual flag of the U.S. Navy as a whole.
The flag design of a navy blue,
fouled anchor on a white diamond on top of a navy blue
field dates back to the mid-late 19th century.
Although it was superceded by a whole new design in 1959 this particular
flag was in common usage throughout the period our K&C ‘Bluejackets’ represent
i.e. the 1920s up until the late 1950s.
AVAILABILITY: Mid March
The Vietnam War is often known
as the “Helicopter War”
as it was the first time in human history large numbers of helicopters were
used in all kinds of combat roles and employing many different types and sizes
of helicopters.
Of all the different machines
operated during the war the vast majority were the several variations of the Bell UH-1 ‘Iriquois’
better known as the ‘Huey’.
In recent years K&C has
produced several different examples of these superb hand-carved, hand-painted
wooden ‘Hueys’
but until now no suitable figures to go with them.
Well here are the first
three…
VN162 "Helicopter Pilot & Copilot"
Two standing ‘Chopper’ pilots
looking over a flight plan. The more senior is shown wearing the famous Stetson
U.S. Cavalry hat and is obviously a member of the ‘AirCav’.
The other pilot is wearing his ‘bonedome’ and the standard flight suit complete with some body armour and a side arm.
Sidenote: At present K&C is also
hard-at-work on our own mass-production UH-1 ‘Huey’ which we hope to release
later in 2023 or early 2024.
VN164 "Maintenance Crew Chief"
Just as important as the
aircrew that flew the Hueys were the groundcrew guys
who serviced them and kept them in the air.
This Air Cav. Crew Chief is
going through a check list on the ground before a flight.
AVAILABILITY: Early March
And that
my friends is that for this month… apart from a few
retirements.
End-Of-The-Run
Remainders/Retired
IC055Attacking
w/Spear
IC056
Standing Ready w/Spear
IC057
Attacking w/Sword
IC058
Slashing w/Sword
IC059
Standing Firing Archer
IC060
Kneeling Firing Archer
IC061
Standing Ready Archer
IC062
Horseman Charging w/Sword
IC063
Horseman Sword Downwards
IC064
Standing Guard w/Spear
IC066
Marching Flagbearer
IC067Mounted
Officer
IC068
Kneeling Officer Reporting
IC069
Mounted Lancer
IC070
Standing Guard Reporting
Retirements
AE058 The
New Fan Bearer
IC049
Chinese Spearman
IC050
Chinese Officer w/Sword
IC065
Marching Guard w/Spear
NA376 95th
Rifles Officer with Telescope
RTA056
General Sam Houston
RTA059
Robert McKinney
RTA072
John McGregor
RTA089
Mexican Officer w/Pistol
RTA090
Mexican Drummer
RTA091
Mexican Flagbearer
Thanks once more for checking
in and hope you find a little something for your collection.
Andy C.
Neilson
Co-founder & Creative
Director
King & Country