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DISPATCHES August
2018 Here
I am writing this month’s ‘DISPATCHES’ after just returning from quite
possibly the most successful and enjoyable ‘Three City Tour of Australia’
yet as part of K&C’s Annual OzFest Down Under
trip to meet’n’ greet King & Country Collectors
and Dealers in that great country. As
usual the visit began in Brisbane with our good friend Brett Williams
of The Toy Soldier Workshop before moving on to Sydney and meeting up
with Peter & Sven of Peter Nathan Toy Soldiers. The
final destination was Melbourne and the linkup with Howard Woods and
his Toy Soldier Experience. Each
dealer provided excellent venues and a host of great attractions in the shape
of dioramas... competitions... lucky draws... and special guests (including
yours truly) that drew ‘full houses’ at each event. Simultaneously,
I had the valuable opportunity to meet and talk with many individual Aussie
collectors on a one-to-one basis that as usual provided a wealth of great
ideas and original suggestions. The ‘Aussie’
hospitality and good humour throughout the entire
trip was well up to Australia’s legendary reputation and standard! Even
the ‘winter weather’ was generally beautiful, especially in Brisbane
and Sydney... Melbourne, not so much until a sunny last day! However,
it’s the people who make the place and Australia is a fantastic place to
visit... If you ever get the opportunity to make it ‘down under’ –
don’t miss it! And
so, back to the ‘salt-mines’ and here’s what is appearing in August... 1.
WHAT’S
NEW...? Coming in August A.
Napoleon
& Josephine Over the years K&C has
produced more than a few figures of Napoleon Bonaparte however this is
the first time we have designed and made a special 2-figure set that includes
one of the great loves of his life... Josephine de Beauharnais
(1763-1814). Her
marriage to Napoleon was her second, her first husband being guillotined
during the ‘Reign of Terror’ that followed the revolution of 1789. Already
the mother of two children before she met Napoleon in 1795 she was six years
older than him. Smitten by her charms and beauty they married just one
year later. Their
married life afterwards was far from perfect with both indulging in
extramarital affairs. Eventually, Napoleon chose to divorce Josephine
because of her inability to provide an heir. Both however retained a
great fondness for each other that survived their divorce in 1810 and lasted
until their deaths... Josephine in 1814 and Napoleon himself in 1821. NA414 “Napoleon &
Josephine” Here
we see Napoleon himself dressed in the uniform of a Colonel of Chasseurs
of the Imperial Guard. It was the Chasseurs of the Guard
who usually provided the personal escort to the Emperor and he often wore the
regiment’s uniform in recognition of their loyal service. Josephine
meanwhile is gracefully attired in a pale blue and delicately embroidered ‘classical-styled’
dress complete with a wine velvet ‘manteau’ edged with ermine and decorated with
gold, hand-sewn motifs. NA415
“Sapeur of the Grenadiers” This
figure is in ‘campaign dress’ complete with his traditional axe and a ‘Musket’
with fixed bayonet on his back. His
sleeve badge consists of the ‘crossed axes’. He is also armed
with a short sabre. AVAILABLE: Mid August B.
THE
ENEMIES OF ROME ATTACK! From a leader of the early 19th
Century we journey back in time to Barbarian Warriors of almost two millennia
before... Here, are the first five fighting warriors (there are more in
the pipeline) ready to do battle with the Legions of Rome... RnB010
“Fighting Chieftain” Carrying
a richly – decorated bronze shield this Chief is about to strike down one of
his Roman opponents... No mercy asked... No mercy given! RnB011
“Fighting Warrior” Before
coming to blows this barbarian warrior takes the time to look over his enemy. RnB012
“Charging Warrior” Wearing
a wolfskin over his chainmail armour
vest this warrior rushes forward to, he hopes, surprise his enemy. RnB016
“Throwing Spearman” RnB017
“Advancing Warrior” AVAILABLE:
Mid August C.
‘SOMEWHERE
IN NORMANDY 1944’ Once in a while it’s good to
revisit and in this particular case resculpt an old
favourite that has been much requested... DD371 “Dead & Wounded
GI’s” Three ‘Casualties of War’
in 3 x different poses that prove, once again, that the price of freedom is
never free! AVAILABLE:
Mid August D.
“THE REAL
WEST” Following the successful launch
our first set of ‘mounted’ John Ford Cavalry figures here are three
more to extend and expand your troop... TRW137 “Mounted Trooper A” This moustachioed
trooper sits confidently on his chestnut mare... Once more this figure has
the ‘moveable head’ which allows him to scan the horizon from left to
right and still keep an eye open for those dangerous Apaches! TRW138 “The Bugler Corporal” An essential part of any
cavalry troop, our bugler is mounted, by tradition, on a different colour of horse than his fellow soldiers... All the better for his officer to see him in a battle
situation. This particular figure’s head
is ‘fixed’ as he is blowing his bugle. TRW140 “Mounted Trooper B” The second of our mounted
Cavalry troopers, sits with his gloved hands folded over each other... Like ‘Trooper
A’ he has the moveable head feature. AVAILABLE:
Mid-Late August E.
‘VIETNAM
ARMOUR & AUSSIES’ The Vietnam War has featured
prominently these past few months with major releases of U.S. Marines
fighting their way into the old Vietnamese Imperial Capital of HUE during the
1968 TET Offensive... the pivotal point in America’s involvement in the
entire Vietnam conflict. First, we released the Marines
in combat, some of the finest and most realistic fighting figures King &
Country has ever produced. Now we are releasing one of their most
famous fighting vehicles and... The first infantry figures of one of their
most valiant and reliable allies in that war... Australia! VN015 “The USMC M50 A1 ONTOS” Officially known as ‘The
Rifle, Multiple 106mm, Self-propelled, M50 this U.S. light armoured, tracked, anti tank
vehicle became better known as ‘THE ONTOS’. Initially designed in the
1950’s as a fast tank-killer for airborne forces it won its battlefield
reputation during the Vietnam War. Its six 106mm
recoilless rifles comprised its main armament and could be fired in rapid
succession against single targets to guarantee a ‘kill’. Although originally designed
for the Army’s Airborne divisions it eventually ended up with the Marines
after the Army cancelled the project. The Marines however used the
‘ONTOS’ for direct fire support against enemy infantry operating in fixed
locations such as bunkers and houses. During the battle for Hue the
ONTOS was much in evidence and played a major role in helping the Marines retake
the old Imperial Capital. Our King & Country model is
in USMC markings and carries the nickname ‘SIX-GUN SUZIE’ on
one of its six 106mm barrels. The set also includes a vehicle commander
in the top open hatch firing his .30 cal. machine gun. VN016 “The Loader” The perfect ‘add-on’ to
VN015... This Marine man-handles one of the large 106mm rounds ready to
reload one of the ONTOS barrels. VN030 “Australian Patrol
Section” As stated earlier, Australia
was one of America’s staunchest allies throughout the Vietnam War and
contributed over 60,000 men to the conflict between 1962 and 1973. Here, we present a set of 4
‘Diggers’ from the Royal Australian Regiment as they would have
appeared on patrol during the 1967/68 period. As you can see their appearance
and some of their weapons are radically different from our US Marines in
Hue. The Aussies favoured ‘bush hats’ in
place of steel helmets and rarely wore flak jackets... Their uniform
and web equipment shows a mix of British, Australian and American
influences. As does their weaponry... Our 4-man set carries the
American M60 machine gun... the M79 Grenade Launcher and the
M16 Automatic Rifle... The standard military rifle most Aussies carried
was the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle, the same as the British Forces of
that time. This K&C set was previewed
to great acclaim during my recent ‘Aussie Trip’ and, going by pre
orders, is already a big hit! An additional 4-man patrol set
is already in development for release later this year. VN031 “Aussie Patrol
Commander” During our recent ‘Aussie Trip’
this particular figure was made available to collectors and is now available
worldwide... The standing ‘Patrol
Commander’ holds his military-issue binos in
one hand and his SLR in the other... A great ‘stand-alone’ figure...
Even better with his four mates! VN032 “The Vietnam Walls Set” K&C featured this 3 x
Section Walls Set in all of our promotion material for the new Vietnam
series... As you can see it’s very flexible and although specifically
designed for a Vietnam street scene it works equally well in other settings. AVAILABLE:
Mid to Late August F.
‘BLOOD
& GUTS IN THE PACIFIC’ From the streets and jungles of
Vietnam we move back a quarter of a century to the beaches and jungles of the
South Pacific with our latest reinforcements for our popular USMC in WW2... USMC042 “Marine w/Tommy Gun” A Marine Corps NCO (non commissioned officer) cautiously advances his
trusty ‘Thompson’ at the ready... USMC043 “Hold On Buddy...
We’re Almost There!” A Marine BAR Gunner
hoists a wounded Marine onto his shoulder and carries him back to safety. USMC044 “Navy Corpsman &
Wounded Marine” As a gravely-wounded Marine
awaits evacuation a Navy Corpsman gives him a sip of water. Navy Corpsman during WW2 were
enlisted medical specialists of the U.S. Navy who also served with U.S.
Marine Corps units. Their bravery under fire was
legendary and in WW2 alone they won no less than 7 Medals of Honor. USMC045 “Marine Machine
Gunner” A classic pose firing a classic
machine gun... The M1917 Browning Machine Gun. This
belt-fed, water-cooled weapon served alongside its lighter air-cooled Browning
M1919 ‘cousin’. Although seeing limited action
in WW1 the gun came into wide use in WW2 particularly in the ‘fixed
defense’ role and as a battalion and regimental support weapon. USMC046 “Kneeling Marine
w/Pistol” There must be a good reason
this Marine has taken out his M1911 single action,
semi-automatic .45 caliber pistol. Designed by John Browning,
the M1911 was adopted by the US Military in 1911... It went on to
provide long and service well into the late 1980’s before being replaced by
the Italian Beretta 92F. Even after more than 70 years
the M1911’s reputation for ‘stopping power’... reliability and sturdiness
remains undiminished. AVAILABLE:
Mid to Late August 2.
BEING
RETIRED... As the new items appear some
older ones, alas, have to disappear... DD234
Sten Gun with Silencer DD259
Major “Mad Jack” Churchill DD263-1
Standing Ready w/Tommy Gun (82nd.) DD263-2
Standing Ready w/Tommy Gun (101st.) DD264-1
Standing Paratrooper w/M1 Carbine (82nd.) DD264-2
Standing Paratrooper w/M1 Carbine(101st.) DD265-1
Walking Paras set (82nd.) DD265-2
Walking Paras set (101st.) DD266-1
Kneeling and Sitting Paratroopers (82nd.) DD266-2
Kneeling and Sitting Paratroopers (101st.) DD268-1
Final Check (82nd.) DD268-2
Final Check (101st.) DD270-1
Standing Paratrooper w/M1 Rifle (82nd. ) DD270-2
Standing Paratrooper w/M1 Rifle (101st.) DD273
‘The Sarge’ DD293
U.S. Army Medic Jeep DD299
The US Army Medical Tent WS272
Panther Ausf. G And
that, my friends is that for another 30 days or so... Best wishes and
happy collecting to one and all! All the best and happy
collecting & Great Sales! Andy C. Neilson Co-founder & Creative
Director King & Country Ltd. |