DISPATCHES
December 2021
WELCOME
to
my favourite month of the year when all of us are
looking forward to finding a little something special under the Christmas
tree... So, as I like to say, let’s get on with the show...
1.
BEING RELEASED IN DECEMBER
A.
... IN THE SANDS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
The tomb of the boy
King Tutankhamun is possibly the most famous because of its well-known
discovery by the British archaeologist, Howard Carter. The tomb
was doubly important because it let archaeologists record what an Egyptian
pharaoh’s tomb actually looked like thus allowing them
to learn much more about Ancient Egypt.
Unlike earlier tombs
belonging to other pharaohs Carter’s discovery had not been vandalized and
looted by grave robbers and private collectors.
This meant the tomb’s
vast hoard of artifacts and treasure, intended to accompany the young king into
the afterlife, revealed an astounding amount of detail about his all-too short
life and the society he lived in.
Tutankhamun ruled Egypt for just 10
years until his death at the age of 19, about 1324 B.C. He remained barely
known to the modern world until 1922, when Howard Carter chiseled his way
through a doorway and entered the royal tomb, which had remained intact for
over 3,200 years!
This coming year marks
the centenary of the tomb’s discovery and introduces another chapter in King
& Country’s ‘Ancient Egypt’ series...
AE086 ‘Discovering
Tutankhamun’
This unique little set
of 4 figures depicts four of the people very much associated with
the discovery of the boy pharaoh’s tomb...
Howard Carter (1874-1939) became world-famous
after discovering the virtually intact tomb of 18th Dynasty Pharaoh
Tutankhamun.
Carter had been
exploring several areas in Egypt seeking the tombs and other burial sites of
Ancient Egypt’s nobles and high court officials before beginning work at the
behest of his patron Lord Carnarvon in the Valley of the Kings in 1914
to search for the tomb of Tutankhamun. The outbreak of World War One in that
same year brought work to a temporary halt while Carter undertook other duties
on behalf of the British Government.
In
late 1917 he was allowed to return to his excavations.
It was however to take 5 long years until his efforts began to
yield results. Throughout this time his work was sponsored by his patron, Lord
Carnarvon (1866-1923).
George
Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon was an English Lord
and wealthy aristocrat with a passion for all things ‘Ancient Egyptian’.
After
his doctors advised that he ‘winter’ outside England he sailed for Egypt
to enjoy the warm weather and become an enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist
collecting all kinds of Egyptian antiques and relics.
It
was in Cairo that he first met Howard Carter who convinced the wealthy peer to
fund his search for the elusive tomb.
After
many years and much expense the noble Lord was just
about ready to withdraw his financial support when Carter telegraphed the
exciting news of his biggest discovery yet...
Lord
Carnarvon meanwhile had been visiting Monte Carlo and rushed by boat to
Alexandria and then by train to Cairo to see for himself exactly what Carter
had uncovered.
Travelling
with him was his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert (1901-1980).
Rushing with her father to the site of the newly-discovered
tomb Lady Evelyn was only the third person in modern times to enter the burial
chamber of Tutankhamun after Carter and Carnarvon.
50
years after the great event Lady Evelyn attended the opening of the ‘Treasures
of Tutankhamun’ exhibition at the British Museum in London where
she was presented to the Queen.
Accompanying
the three British figures is the single Egyptian figure of famed Egyptologist,
Dr. Selim Hassan (1886-1961) dressed in traditional Egyptian
garb. He also took part in several other major excavation works at other
ancient Egyptian burial sites and eventually became the senior Professor of
Egyptology at Cairo University.
This
particular set will be joined with other figures
closely associated with the search for the tomb in the coming months.
AE088
‘Tutankhamun’s Mummy’
The
welcome return of an Ancient Egyptian set complete with the bandaged
body of the young king and the beautifully painted and decorated outer coffins.
AVAILABLE:
Early December
WITH
OUR COMPLIMENTS...
To
enhance the display of any our Ancient Egypt series, especially
these two ‘Tutankhamun’ sets, King & Country has produced a
unique and useful, full-colour ‘backdrop’
accessory piece... FREE-OF-CHARGE!
Depicting
scenes from life in the time of the Pharohs the full colour card can be folded neatly into a rectangular, open
box-shape that represents a typical burial chamber of that era.
Any
of our Ancient Egyptian figures but especially the two sets depicting the
discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, will work in this attractive setting.
Adding some of our sturdy Egyptian Stone Blocks AE078 makes the
scene even better!
So,
remember each of these two ‘Tutankhamun’ sets will be accompanied
by one of these special ‘Tomb Backdrops’... with our
compliments!
B.
‘HOME ON THE RANGE’
From the dry, desert
sands of Ancient Egypt we move to the dry, dusty plains of North Texas as we
introduce a few more ‘cowpokes’ who have gotten down from their horses
and taken a well-earned break from trail driving and cattle-branding...
CD010 ‘Cattle Drive
Cookie’
On a cattle drive, the chuck
wagon and its cook were as important to the drive’s success as a good pair of
cowboy boots or a fine horse.
With a ‘Dutch-Oven’,
some sour dough, a side of beef and plenty of beans, a chuck wagon ‘cookie’
could feed an entire trail crew morning, noon and night. Beef, biscuits and
beans made up the majority of what cowboys were served
up with on a daily basis with an occasional pie dessert and plenty of hot
coffee.
On average cooks were
paid about 30-40 per cent more than the average ‘cowpoke’ but would also
administer some very basic medicine from time to time as needs required and
time permitted.
Our ‘Cookie’ bangs a
wrought-iron triangle to tell the crew ‘Grub’s Up!’
CD011 ‘The Original
Country & Western’
On most cattle drives
there was usually one or more cowboys who could sing, play a harmonica, strum a
banjo or even pick away at a guitar.
If time and
circumstances allowed it, at the end of the day, around the campfire after a
meal one of the ‘cowpokes’ might sit down and pick out a tune maybe an old
gospel hymn... or even a favourite civil war song
like ‘Dixie’ or ‘The Bonnie Blue Flag’... A little bit of
home-spun entertainment sure went a long way in those days!
CD012 ‘Winchester
Cowboy’
This cowboy is holding
his treasured ‘Winchester Model 1873 Lever-Action Rifle’. This is
the weapon that became known as ‘The Gun that won the West’ and it came
with two timeless features: reliability and firepower.
In an era when many
other rifles and pistols were fussy and unreliable the ’73 was
the weapon that would never let you down.
It could hold 15
rounds in a tubular magazine beneath the barrel and fired a .44/40 calibre round. This was further enhanced when Remington
and Colt began chambering their own revolvers to carry the same .44/40 rounds
meaning cowboys used the same ammunition for both rifle and pistol.
Among the famous
Western characters that carried the Winchester ’73 were Buffalo
Bill (William F. Cody), the outlaws Jesse and Frank
James and the Apache leader Geronimo. In addition modern ballistic experts have revealed that at
least 8 different Winchester ‘73s were used by Indians at
the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876!
CD013 ‘Are You
Talking To Me...?’
Cowboys were sometimes
known for their very short tempers... They did not suffer fools gladly and
might take offense at the simplest of casual remarks.
This ‘cowpoke’
might be joking or he might just be looking for
trouble. After a long, hard day on the trail it was not difficult to find
someone or something to argue with or about.
CD014 ‘A Good Cup Of Coffee’
On the other hand some ‘cowpokes’ just wanted to get off their horse, sit
on their bedroll, light up a smoke and enjoy a quite cup of coffee...
AVAILABLE:
Early December
C.
A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF HORSMAN
Now, we begin a journey
from that Cattle Drive Campfire to the busy, bustling streets of ‘Olde
London’ as we present our second magnificent drumhorse
form Her Majesty’s own Life Guards.
CE075 The Life Guards Drum Horse ‘HERCULES’
Each of the two
Household Cavalry regiments that contribute one sabre squadron to the Household
Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) have two magnificent drumhorses on their operational strength.
In October we released
‘HECTOR’, our first Life Guards Drumhorse. This month it is his companion, the equally
handsome chestnut brown, ‘HERCULES’.
Like his fellow drumhorse this animal is a ‘Clydesdale Cross’,
carefully selected and trained by the HCMR’s ‘Riding Master’ and
stands almost 16.5 hands high.
AVAILABLE:
Early December
D.
A COLLECTOR’S SUGGESTION
One of the things I
most enjoy about my job is corresponding and getting feedback and suggestions
from both dealers and especially... collectors!
This was one I received
a few months back from a collector in Germany... The Emperor Barbarossa.
And so...
MK219 ‘The Emperor
Barbarossa’
Friedrich
Barbarossa (1122-1190) was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death
during the Third Crusade in 1190.
Elected
‘King of Germany’ at Frankfurt in 1152 he went on to be
crowned ‘King of Italy’ in 1155 and finally ‘Emperor’
by the Pope in Rome that same year.
He
was named ‘Barbarossa’ or ‘Red Beard’ by the northern
Italian cities he ruled while his Germanic subjects called him ‘Kaiser Rotbart’ which translates as ‘King Red Beard’.
The ruler himself preferred his Italian nickname which perhaps reflected the
centrality of his campaigns in that country during his long reign.
THE THIRD CRUSADE
In
late 1187, ‘Barbarossa’ received urgent requests from the Crusader
states in the Near East urging him to come to their rescue as soon as
possible.
Some
months later he joined forces with King PhilipⅡ
of France and began the long and tortuous journey toward their first
objective Byzantium.
According
to many this particular ‘Crusade’ was ‘the best
planned and organized’ of all these ventures and numbered over 100,000
soldiers including 20,000 mounted knights.
It
was also the best-disciplined... The two previous crusades had often plundered
and pillaged the lands and peoples of the countries and states they passed
through on their way to The Holy Land – Jews in particular
suffered greatly.
‘Barbarossa’
issued an imperial edict protecting Jewish communities and threatened maiming
or death to anyone who attacked, stole or destroyed Jewish lives and property.
DEATH OF AN EMPEROR
On
June 1190, while crossing a river in southern Turkey, the Emperor Barbarossa
fell from his horse and was swept away and drowned.
This
unexpected event left the Crusader army under the joint command of bitter
rivals, Philip of France and Richard The Lionheart of England...
a sure recipe for disaster.
Many
historians consider Friedrich Barbarossa to be the greatest of
the Holy Roman Emperors. He appeared to be almost superhuman and combined many
great attributes... a skilled organizer... battlefield acumen... personal
bravery and chivalry... and wide political knowledge.
THE K & C
‘BARBAROSSA’
This
new ‘Barbarossa’ equestrian figure is directly inspired by a fine
monument that still stands today in Goslar, Lower Saxony in
Germany.
The
original statue was sculpted by Robert Tobernetz
(1849-1895) and erected in 1893 to stand alongside another equestrian
monument featuring Kaiser Wilhelm I which was unveiled a year
earlier.
This
King & Country Emperor stands proudly tall in the saddle displaying the
black imperial eagle on his golden yellow surcoat.
Friedrich Barbarossa
(1122-1190)
MK220 ‘Kneeling
Saracen Archer’
This is the first of no
less than 7 brand-new Saracen Archers that will be
released now and into 2022.
Originally we were only going to
produce two BUT when we saw how good-looking (and useful) they
came out we added 5 more designs.
However, here is the
first kneeling archer about to seek out his target.
MK221 ‘About-To-Fire
Saracen Archer’
Taking careful aim at
the enemy and about to ‘loose’ his arrow.
AVAILABLE:
Early December
E.
NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMOURED AGGESSION
By 1972 the withdrawal
of U.S. ground forces together with the continued unreliability of many, but
not all, ARVN troops seemed to offer a ‘window of opportunity’ for North
Vietnam. The decision was then made to launch a massive assault on the South
that would utilize, for the first time, entire units of Soviet and
Chinese-designed tanks as well as major, infantry, artillery and support units.
This was the first time
North Vietnam had committed so many main force units into the battle to defeat
their South Vietnam opponents.
It was also the first
occasion when their main battle tanks drove south to take on the ARVN’S own M48s
and M41s face to face.
Among these Communist
tanks were Chinese-made T59s (a copy of the Soviet T54/55) and
Soviet-Bloc manufactured T54/55s... Let battle begin!
VN143-1 ‘North Vietnamese
T-55A Main Battle Tank #312’
The T55 was a direct
development of the earlier T54 and virtually identical in outward appearance.
From the late 1950s it became the standard main battle tank for the Soviet
Army and other Warsaw Pact nations. It would go on to be involved in
many of the world’s armed conflicts in the latter half of the 20th
Century... including Vietnam.
The T54/55 series would
become the most produced tank in history with estimated production runs of
anywhere from 86,000 up to 100,000 vehicles.
China’s People’s
Liberation Army also manufactured their own exact copy called the T59
and built about 5,000 additional versions of the design.
Our first King &
Country model is numbered #312 and mounts the excellent 100mmm
Main Gun together with the 12.7 turret mounted DShK Heavy Machine Gun. A tank
commander figure is included and the model also has
the additional fuel drums mounted on the rear of the engine compartment.
VN143-2 ‘North
Vietnamese T-55A Main Battle Tank #313’
A second T55 for those
collectors who would like an additional tank for their display / diorama with a
separate hull number... In this case #313.
An additional note...
the commander’s turret hatch can also open and close.
AVAILABLE:
Early December
F.
SOUTH TO THE FALKLANDS!
In April 1982, Britain
was astonished to find itself at war with Argentina over a group of windswept,
sparsely populated islands thousands of miles away from the British mainland.
On 2 April 1982, an Argentinian
military force landed on this little group of islands and unilaterally declared
Britain’s rule to be over.
This was the first
invasion of a British territory since WW2 and the result would be a short but
bloody conflict that decided the political fate of both countries and their
leaders.
As we approach 2022
King & Country is proud to remember and celebrate the 40th
Anniversary of a remarkable military victory against great odds by the
soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces that won
the day and proved, yet again, when ‘The going gets tough... The tough
get going!’
We are delighted to
present our first, very special, introductory figure to this dramatic series...
TF001 ‘The
Flagbearer’
Probably the most
iconic image of the Falklands War on land is the photo taken by Petty
Officer Peter Holdgate, a Commando Forces
Photographer while accompanying British forces ‘yomping’ towards Port
Stanley during the war.
At one point on the
march one of the Royal Marines attached a small ‘Union Jack’ to
the radio antenna of another Marine’s field radio.
This simple, straight forward
image of a long line of British fighting men marching towards their objective
and ‘flying the flag’ seemed to represent the kind of grit, courage and
determination of Britain itself to recapture the Falklands and liberate its
small, captive population from a cruel, despotic south American dictatorship.
King & Country’s
initial offering is our portrayal in miniature of this lone Royal Marine ‘yomping’
towards eventual victory and defying all odds.
Additional Falklands
War Royal Marines will be released in early 2022 while others, including
the famous ‘Red Berets’ and some Argentinians are already ‘in
the works’.
AVAILABLE:
Early December
2.
BEING RETIRED THIS MONTH...
A relatively small ‘DISPOSAL’
list this month but some extra special items
among them. Grab’em while you can
...
**
Some of the following items are added in the ‘End of The Run Remainders‘.
Please see their updated prices below.
AE046 The Sphinx
BBA070 German Prisoner
#1
BBA071 German Prisoner
#2
BBA073 Prisoner in
Great Coat
SAF002 Standing Gurkha
Contingent Policeman
SAF003 Patrolling
Gurkha Contingent Police Officer
SP058 The Corner Flower
Shop
SP060 Deux Maisons
SP068 Bank of Heroes
VN033 The M42 DUSTER
VN042 Duster Add-on
Crew
VN057 Ammo Load For The Mule
Great Sales!
Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder &
Creative Director
King & Country Ltd.