MAY 2013
Hi Guys,
Welcome to a “DISPATCHES”
with a difference…From this month we’ve decided to limit “DISPATCHES” to
news of what will be appearing in just that particular month.
So no advance warning on what
will be available the following month…sorry! This way we hope to
keep collectors and dealers focused on what will actually be ready
and available for shipping over the next 30 days…plus why provide
competitors with additional info on what we’ve got in the pipeline!
Of course with all rules
there will be exceptions and from time to time, if and when we have something
unique, we will announce it in advance either with “DISPATCHES” or in a special
announcement at any time during the month.
And now let’s get back to May’s releases…Read
on…
1.
“Life
& Death On The Nile”
As you can
see from Gordon’s K&C Workshop diorama our “Ancient Egypt” series is
one of King & Country’s most extensive and colourful
ranges of figures, building and accessories…And now we’ve added a number of
papyrus boats to the scene!
As you know
the River Nile was the lifeblood of Ancient Egypt. On its
waters were hunters, fishermen and travelers going about their business.
On its banks merchants, market traders and peasants tilled the soil and walked
the streets of its villages and great cities. These latest releases are a
welcome addition to a lively and vibrant series…
AE048 “The Anubis Set”
“Anubis” was the jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the after life in ancient Egyptian religious
practices.
In this new set two Nubian
slaves carry a likeness of the canine god mounted on a golden casket.
This particular “Anubis’ statue is based on a similar effigy found in
the tomb of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun.
AE049 “The Papyrus Boat Set”
The first of our Papyrus water
craft portrays a boatman guiding his boat along the river accompanied by a
female passenger.
AE050
“The Fishermen”
As one man steers the boat the
other “spears” the fish…an almost full basket of fish is included.
AE051 “Hunting
The Hippo!”
Elsewhere on
the river other boatmen are seeking more dangerous prey the mighty, magnificent
Hippopotamus. As the huge beast rears its massive head out of the
water the Nubian hunter takes careful aim.
AE052 “Small
Papyrus Boat”
A single unmanned craft sits along the river’s edge.
SP059
“Baskets & Jars”
A
great and handy little addition…a collection of various sizes of stone jars
and fruit baskets. Perfect for a market place scene…or on board one of
our papyrus boats… or even just sitting next to the river…the choice is
yours!
AVAILABLE : NOW
2.
“From
Ancient Egypt…to Ancient Greece”
Still well into ancient times but to a decidedly more violent scene…
AG013 “Fighting
Hoplite”
AG015 “Crouching
Hoplite”
AVAILABLE : Mid May
Special Note : Later this year we hope to release the “enemy”
for our Greek warriors to fight…Look out for ‘em!
3.
“Vive
L’Empereur!”
From the sun-baked battlefields of Ancient Greece to the lush green fields of
northern Europe in the early nineteenth century…”The Age of Napoleon”.
By popular demand we have designed and produced SEVEN additional,
brand-new fighting Cuirassiers of the 7th. Regiment.
NA249 “New Cuirassier
Officer”
NA250 “Charging Flagbearer”
NA251 “Charging Bugler”
NA252 “Charging Trooper”
NA253 “Charging…Sword Down”
NA254 Charging…Sans Helmet!”
NA255 Charging…and Hacking!”
AVAILABLE : Mid May
4. “On The Harbour of
Old Hong Kong”
Earlier in this month’s “DISPATCHES” we were on the River Nile…now we’ve
ventured into the waters of Hong Kong’s world-famous harbour…
HK222 G/M “The Green Dragon
Boat”
A third contender to join our two previously released dragon boats…makes for
more of a competition…and a colourful spectacle.
This new team belongs to “The Victors”
5.
“ARNHEM…Four Days Into The Battle”
By
Wednesday 20 September 1944, Lieut.Colonel John
Frost and the men of 2 Para had held the northern end of the Arnhem
bridge for four long bloody days…
With no resupply of food, water or
ammunition and no reinforcements the already precarious military situation was
getting steadily worse…Still however the British paratroopers fought on…
This desperate 4-day struggle is
the point in the battle that King & Country has chosen to portray
with our first six “Pathfinder” releases. During a brief
lull in the fighting our tired but still defiant warriors take stock of their
situation…A young officer observes an enemy position…the Battalion’s
second-in-command sits and studies his map while in contact with one of his
units…Another para even brews up some hot tea.
All of these latest figures show the strain
and stress of battle in an authentic and realistic style that is typically
King & Country.
As many of you know today’s
collectors are constantly seeking more variety…better quality…and
ever more detail in their figures and fighting vehicles. At
K&C we want to meet those challenges and expectations by continuing to
innovate and introduce fresh new concepts across all of our many ranges…and at
differing price levels our collectors around the world can afford.
‘PATHFINDERS” is for
those collectors who want and appreciate an even higher level of detail in
their figures and are willing to pay the extra premium to obtain it.
PATHFINDER PARAS
Back in 1995 when K&C launched
their very first Arnhem ’44 series of British Paras
we were the original innovators…Matt-painted, 1:30 scale, Second World War
toy soldiers were the exception…not the rule. Those little
paratroopers crated a mini-revolution in the toy soldier world that still
continues to this day and our new “Pathfinders” opens up a whole
new chapter of that story.
It’s appropriate therefore that,
once more, the Paras lead the way!
MG033(P) “Lieut.Jack Grayburn V.C.”
John “Jack” Grayburn
was a 26 years old platoon
commander with 2 Para during the Battle of Arnhem.
His citation of his posthumous Victoria Cross reads, “For supreme
courage leadership and devotion to duty. Lieut. Grayburn
led an assault to capture the southern end of the Arnhem bridge. Although
attacking with great determination he and his men were forced to withdraw under
heavy enemy fire. Jack Grayburn was wounded in
the process. Throughout the next day and night him and his men occupied
one of the approaches to the northern side of the bridge and repulsed several
attacks on their position by enemy infantry, mortars and self-propelled guns.
On the 19th and 20th
September he took command of the remainder of his company and other elements
and fought off more German attacks. He even organized offensive fighting
patrols to harass and ambush the surrounding enemy in their own locations.
During
this period he was wounded a second time but still refused to be
evacuated. Finally as a German tank approached his position he organized
the safe withdrawal of his remaining men to a new defensive position.
Later
that same day, 20 September, 1944, he was killed.
This is our small tribute to a
great soldier…
MG034(P) “Major
Frederick Gough M.C.”
When Lieut.Colonel
John Frost of 2 Para was seriously wounded at the Arnhem bridge on
20 September 1944 he handed over command of his battalion to “Freddie”
Gough, the unit’s senior major. Major Gough was taken
prisoner with the rost of 2 Para when their
position was overrun but managed later to escape German captivity in April 1945
and join up with American forces in Bavaria.
After the war he became a
successful Member of Parliament and lived to see himself portrayed in
the movie epic of the Arnhem battle, “A Bridge Too Far”.
Our “Pathfinder” figure has
him seated with a map and field telephone.
MG035(P) “The
Airborne Cyclist”
This member of 2 Para has
somehow managed to bring his “Airborne Folding Bicycle” up to the bridge…Unfortunately
that’s where it will remain!
MG036(P) “A Cup
of Tea, Sir”
The British soldier, even in the worst of
situations, can usually make time for a quick brew-up. This paratrooper
offers up a “cuppa” to one of his officers.
MG041(P) “Walkie-Talkie”
At Arnhem,
because of its unique location, there was a serious problem with the British
radio communications. Fortunately the American made hand-held “walkie-talkies”,
although limited in range, were also available.
This Lee-Enfield
armed Para tries to get his message across.
MG043(P)
“Lieut. Denis Boiteux-Buchanan M.C.”
Known to his brother officers
as “Bucky” this officer had seen a fair bit of action before Arnhem
including being captured and successfully escaping from both the Germans and
the Italians!
He jumped
into Arnhem with the rest of 2 Para on 17 September, 1944 as Battalion
Intelligence Officer. He was often in the thick of the fighting with Lieut.Col.Frost and sadly was killed in the final
hours of the battle at the bridge on 20 September. He is buried at Oosterbeek War Cemetery in Arnhem.
Here we show
him kneeling studying the deteriorating situation.
Special Note: Another batch of “Pathfinder” paras, including one more Victoria Cross winner will
be released in the coming months. Look out for them!!
AVAILABLE : Mid May
6.
“ACHTUNG
BLITZKRIEG!”
During the
Polish Campaign of September 1939 and the Fall of France and the
Low Countries in May and June 1940 the German Army deployed their armored “blitzkrieg”
to great effect. Among the most effective tanks was one that was not even
designed or manufactured by themselves…The Czechoslovak 38T, originally
a pre war design, it was incorporated into the Wehrmacht’s
arsenal after its country of origin was annexed by Hitler in 1938.
Although
production ended in 1942 it also saw plenty of action during “Operation
Barbarossa”, the invasion of Russia in mid 1941.
K&C
are releasing three models in this first launch…
WS224-1
“Pz.Kpfw.38 (T)#201”
This first
model #201, painted in typical early-war field grey and dust-covered
comes with a 3/4 body tank commander and is perfect for any battles and
campaigns during 1940-1942…From Western Europe to the Eastern Front and all
points in between!
WS224-2
“Pz.Kpfw.38(T)#202”
A second
38T is also available for those that like to build up their armored column…No
tank commander but at a great price…and you can always add any of our
other K&C Panzer crewmen as you wish.
WS224-3
“Pz.Kpfw.38(T)#204”
If you
think how good two 38 T’s look…imagine a third option…Now you’re
talking! Again no commander but plenty of other options are available so
#204 will look great anyway you feature it in your collection.
AVAILABLE : Mid-Late May
7.
“The
Fuhrer’s Wheels”
It is said
that Adolf Hitler only really loved two things in his life…his dog and his
cars! That may be a slight exaggeration but not by much!!!
Over the
years K&C has produced several of the Fuhrer’s favorite limos…but never,
until now, this one – the Mercedes Benz 770K.
LAH170
“The Fuhrer’s 770K”
This new
model, in high gloss black and silver finish has the Fuhrer standing in the
front seat passenger position giving his familiar straight-arm salute to the “Party
Faithfull”. Based on several photographs taken in 1935 and 1936 he
still wears the simple brown shirt uniform with his gold party badge and Iron
Cross (First Class) on his breast.
Seated
next to him is his personal driver and close friend SS-Standartenfuhrer Julius Schrek
who also joined the Nazi Party in 1920, about the same time as Hitler
himself. The two developed a strong bond of friendship that continued
to grow throughout the Party’s ascent to power.
Schrek died
after a short illness in May 1936 and was given a state funeral.
This,
I believe, is the first car model by any company to feature Hitler and his
personal friend and driver together.
AVAILABLE : Mid-Late May
8.
“MEDICS
HELPING MEDICS”
These two
new sets of World War Two medics in action are part of the promotion for the
upcoming 2013 TEXAS TOY SOLDIER SHOW which is being held at the Menger Hotel San Antonio Tx.
over Memorial Day Weekend, 25 and 26 May 2013. One of
the special themes of this year’s event is to honor the U.S. Army’s Medics
who have served their country from the Civil War all the way up to more
recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
San
Antonio’s Fort Sam Houston is the Headquarters and principal training base
for all of the Army’s medics and is also the site of a superb museum that tells
the story of U.S. Army medicine since its earliest beginnings up until the
present day.
KINGS X and KING & COUNTRY have designed
and produced these very special 2-man sets to help raise funds
for “Operation Comfort” and “Help For Heroes”, two excellent
charities that assist wounded American and British servicemen from the Iraq and
Afghanistan conflicts.
These
first two sets will be released at the TEXAS SHOW and will also be
available to all K&C dealers and collectors around the world a few days
later.
It is our
hope that K&C will continue to produce, once a year, other “MEDIC”
sets covering different wars and campaigns that American and British forces
have been involved in during the last two centuries…Each of these first
two sets will only be available for one year until the next is released.
DD209 “The Rescue”
A lone
Medic assists a badly wounded G.I. off the battlefield and towards a nearby aid
station.
DD210 “Blood Transfusion”
Countless
lives were saved during WW2 by the speedy availability of fresh plasma that
could even be administered in the midst of a battle.
AVAILABLE : Late May
9.
“CUSTER
HAD IT COMING!”
In the few
months since their release our new “REAL WEST” cavalry figures
depicting the “Battle of the Little Bighorn,” better known as “Custer’s
Last Stand”, have proved to be a resounding success!
One
constant reminder has also been said and emailed to us frequently…”Where
are the Indians?”
Well, wait
no more, here are the first batch of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors
ready to wreak havoc on Custer and his “lost command”
This
initial release of 5 x mounted Indians plus 3 x fighting on foot includes
some very well-known names…
TRW034(P) “Buffalo Calf Road Woman”
Illustrates
one of the many females who took part in the battle. A Northern
Cheyenne she fought alongside her husband at the Little Bighorn and
is said to have knocked Custer himself off his horse during the
fight. Here she fires her revolver at a dismounted “Long Knife”…
TRW035(P) “Crazy
Horse”
Next to “Sitting
Bull”, probably the most famous of the Sioux war chiefs was Crazy Horse.
An Oglala Lakota he took up arms against the U.S. government because of their
many broken treaties and constant encroachment on Indian lands. A skilled
leader and a brave warrior, it is said that he led the attack that out-flanked
Custer and his men at the Little Bighorn and sealed their fate.
Our figure shows him carrying his Winchester repeating rifle and
charging his pony towards the battle.
TRW036(P) “Gall”
Chief
Gall was another Lakota
Sioux war chief who has been credited with being instrumental in the
Indians’ victory over Custer. He anticipated a typical Custer “two-pronged”
attack on the Indian village…First he helped repulse Major Reno’s assault
on the southeast of the Indian encampment… Then he moved his forces north
towards the center to halt Custer’s attack across the Little Bighorn
river.
Finally he
chased the cavalrymen back up and onto the bluffs where many made their last
stand. Gall is simply dressed and armed with tomahawk.
TRW037(P) “Rain-In-The-Face”
Another
of the great Lakota Sioux war chiefs and a close friend of “Sitting Bull”. In the spring
of 1876 he joined sitting Sitting Bull’s band and
traveled with them to the Little Bighorn River.
During the
battle itself it is said he shot several troopers with his Winchester repeating
rifle while riding in the saddle. It is also rumored that he personally
cut out the heart of Tom Custer, the general’s brother.
In
addition to his rifle Rain-In-The-Face also carries a Colt
revolver.
TRW039(P) “American Horse”
Not the
famous Oglala Sioux chief but a Northern Cheyenne who had his
favorite pony shot from under him and fought the rest of the battle on foot.
TRW042(P) “Beaver Heart”
A kneeling
Cheyenne with his carbine about to take aim.
TRW044(P) “Little Wolf”
This well
armed Cheyenne warrior carries both bow and arrows…and a captured U.S.
Army carbine.
TRW047(P) “Running Buffalo”
Proudly
wearing a buffalo head dress (complete with horns) this running Sioux
brave carries his war shield, club and…a U.S. Army revolver.
Special Note: Six additional Sioux and
Cheyenne warriors, both on foot and mounted are scheduled to be
released in June/July. Even more cavalry and other Indians will be
available later in 2013.
AVAILABLE : Late May
10. HEADING FOR THE HAPPY HUNTING
GROUNDS…OR…BEING RETIRED!
Quite a formidable list of retirements again this month… grab ‘em while you can!
|
AL013 |
Turkish Soldier Reaching
for Bayonet
|
|
AL020 |
Fighting
Duo |
|
AL022 |
Turkish
Casualty |
|
BBA041 |
Fire
Team |
|
BBA042 |
Kneeling
Officer w/ Bino |
|
BBA043 |
Teen-age
Prisoners |
|
BBA044 |
Kneeling
NCO w/ Tommy Gun |
|
BBG034 |
"Over There!" |
|
BBG036 |
Gun Commander |
|
BBG037 |
"Walking Forward" |
|
BBG044 |
Bastogne Signpost |
|
BBG045 |
Malmedy Signpost |
|
EA032 |
Saluting
Scottish Officer |
|
EA033 |
Presenting
Arms Scottish Soldier |
|
EA034 |
Saluting
Gurkha Officer |
|
EA035 |
Standing
at attention Gurkha Soldier |
|
EA036 |
Marching
Indian Army Officer |
|
EA037 |
Marching
Indian Soldier |
|
EA038 |
Guards Sergeant
|
|
EA039 |
Guardsman
Shoulder Arms |
|
FOB062 |
The
Refugee Cart |
|
FOB063 |
Old
Woman by the Road |
|
FOB064 |
The
Pram Sets |
|
FOB065 |
Father
& Son |
|
FOB066 |
The
Old Couple |
|
LAH090 |
SA
Chief-of-Staff Viktor Lutze |
|
LAH133 |
The
Bill Posters |
|
LAH134 |
Nazi
Billboard |
|
NA195 |
Cannon
Set |
|
NA196 |
Artillery
Commander Set |
|
NA197 |
Alternative
Gun Crew |
|
NA198 |
Howitzer
Cannon |
|
RAF001 |
Air
Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding |
|
RAF002 |
Squadron
Leader Douglas Bader |
And so, we
come to the end of another “DISPATCHES”…probably our biggest ever number of
monthly K&C releases. I hope there’s something (or a few things)
that will interest you and your customers.
Best wishes…Until
next month.
Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder & Creative Director
King & Country