King & Country
Dispatches
January 2003
First of all I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas and a great New
Year.
Although 2002 has been a tough and challenging year for all of us, I feel
very positive about 2003…rumours of war
notwithstanding. All of us at King
& Country will do our level best to keep you fully supplied with the very
best of products at the most competitive prices and on time.
(1) RECORD RESPONSE ON RECENT RELEASES!
1A. SANTA SETS
Our brand-new tradition of making a special annual Santa Claus figure has
been a big hit with dealers and collectors alike. My only regrets are
that
we did not manufacture them early enough or make enough of them! Don’t
worry we ‘re starting work now on 2003’s Santa.
We will release it in
early November this coming year. Plus we’re planning some very original
add-on sets to go with Santa. More details later…
1B. BLITZKRIEG BASHES THE OPPOSTION
The new German Infantry sets (WS38, WS39, WS40 and
WS42) seem to have
captured collectors’ attention with lightning speed. Already some dealers
have placed second orders to replenish their initial sales. Two
well-known
dealers, one in
time. General response is that the upgraded carving and painting is a
war-winner and the “classic German Infantry ”look of
the uniform is also
very different from our own previous Waffen SS
camouflage and that of our
copycat competitors. Guess who?
1C. DD35 BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Okay, so very occasionally we also get a few delays (nobody’s perfect).
DD35 the M16 Quad .05 Halftrack comes into that category. Originally we
had
hoped to release it in early November but a few production glitches had to
be overcome first. I’m happy to report that with these now fixed the
Halftracks have been rolling off the production line and into battle in
collections all over the States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
1D. AMERICAN REV REVS UP !
The recent release of the new “1776” Black Watch Highlanders and cannon
gun crews has also done very well for the dealers who carry this colourful
and exciting range. We have received many congratulatory comments on the
figures. At the same time we have also got a ton of great suggestions for
additional “add-ons” for the series. We are in the process of going
through these and hope to tell you of future releases based on same of these
suggestions in a few month’s time.
(2) NEW RELEASES THIS JANUARY
2A. WHEELS OF TERROR COMING YOUR WAY…
WS41 is the code for our all-new PANZER II Infantry Support Tank. This
early war model mounted a 2cm Cannon and an MG34 Machine Gun in the turret.
Painted in a dust-covered field g
half body figure PLUS 2 attacking “Cross-deutschland”
infantrymen running
along side it. As intended it looks great alongside the other 4
“Blitzkreg” sets of classic German infantry and is
perfect for “Fall of
France” or “Barbarossa” dioramas and displays.
WS43 Michel Wittman’s Last Tiger
Our fifth version of this fabled beast and the best yet! The new metal
and
polystone model represents the last mount of Legendary Germany Tank ace
Michel Wittman.
Hull Number “007” was Wittman’s Tiger when he led a
valiant counter
attack against British armour in
successfully destroying several enemy Shermans he in turn was ambushed from
several directions simultaneously. After receiving a number of direct
hits
Wittman’s tank blew up…there were no
survivors.
Our K&C model features a fully rotating turret with elevating gun…3 crew
figures…and a special commemorative plaque on the underside of the hull.
Our realistic battle worn paint finish adds that extra special touch.
2B. Streets of Colour
Our two latest “Streets of Old Hong Kong” releases are
now available…
HK106 “The Flute Players”
Five beautiful female musicians sit practicing their music on a range of
traditional Chinese wooden flutes. Each exquisitely detailed figure comes
complete with her own ceramic sitting stool. The
detail on these five
beauties has to be seen in person - no camera can do justice to their
quality.
HK107 “Lady Painting”
A Chinese lady sits contentedly at her table delicately hand painting a
decorative floral scroll.
(3) ITEMS BEING RETIRED
As usual to make more room for the new items some of the older ones have to
make way. Here’s this month’s retirees…
WS13 Hanomag Halftrack (Summer Camouflage &
Winter Version)
Both of these popular items have been available for several years now and
are on special offer. Grab them while you can.
IWJ07 “Amphibious Assault”
This LVT-2 Amtrack with a Marine Gunner has been
available since 1999. We
are already planning a newer and better replacement for release later this
year.
LAH “Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler”
As I write we are hard-at-work on the replacements for the existing
black-coated, black-hearted SS figures. We have very limited numbers of
the
existing ones left, however I know there are always collectors who want
“the first edition” and over the years have built up a collection of these
early figures. Please contact
ABOUT THE NEW LAH SERIES…
These newly sculpted Leibstrandarte figures are
sensational! Sculpted by
our top sculptor the new figures will feature such SS personalities as
“Sepp” Dietrich, Commander of the Leibstandarte from
its earliest days and
throughout most of the war; Joaquim Peiper, his SS Adjutant and one of the
Waffen SS foremost fighting leaders; Karl Wolff,
Himmler’s SS Chief of
Staff and…Reinhard Heydrich,
Himmler’s Deputy and chief of the dreaded SD
who was assassinated by Czech patriots in 1941.
Also featured will be a “new” Hitler Staff Car - the six-wheeled Mercedes
complete with an all-new standing, saluting Fuhrer…SS driver…SS Adjutant…
and no less than 3 SS bodyguards! PLUS the Leibstandarte’s
magnificent
white drum horse “Sigrure”. AND a 9 piece
marching SS fife and drum
corps. IN ADDITION brand-new sculpts of standing at attention…presenting
arms…marching officers, men and flag bearers.
We hope to re-launch in April 2003. What a collection.
Well on that cheerful note once again may I wish all of you from all of us -
Peace…Health…and Happiness…and Great Sales!
Andy C. Neilson
Founder & Managing Director