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DISPATCHES July 2019 For anyone who follows the international news this past
month (June) has been a very eventful one here in Hong Kong to say the least.
At the same time I was fortunate
enough to get out of town for 10 days or so and head over to Europe and meet
up with some very enthusiastic collectors in Paris and show them a few of our
upcoming releases... And also get to hear a
wealth of great ideas and suggestions from French K&C dealers and
collectors alike... Lots to digest and ponder on. Meanwhile back at the ranch... Much was going on in “The
Land of the Pharaohs”... 1.
BEING RELEASED IN JULY... A “Building
The Pyramids” The recent relaunch and reinvigoration of K&C’s ‘ANCIENT
EGYPT’ series has received a very warm and appreciative welcome from AE
collectors all around the world. So, we decided to add some more... AE063 “The Architect & His Assistant” A young apprentice holds a piece of papyrus on which part
of the plan for a new pyramid has been drawn and painted. Studying the plan
is one of the principal architects. Is he happy with the progress so
far...? Is it all going to plan...? Now, you decide. AE066 “The Measurers” Checking all the angles, dimensions and positions of each and every stone block before it is finally maneuvered
into place is a daunting task... These two men ensure all that is... is as it
should be. AE068 “The Mud Brick Molders” In Ancient Egypt the absence of rain, the scarcity of wood
and an abundance of sunshine made ‘adobe’ the much-preferred building
material. Nile mud was mixed with straw and other materials to form a
surprisingly strong brick when molded and baked in the strong Egyptian sun. Well-tended mud brick walls could last for many
generations. Here, a team of two ‘molders’ set about their task. AE076 “Ethiopian Bread Carrier” This young girl brings two large baskets of freshly-baked bread out to the work-site for the builders’
mid day meal. AE078 “Egyptian Sandstone Block Set” A box of 10 sturdy, sandstone-coloured
blocks perfect to begin construction of a city wall, a temple facade or
even... your very own pyramid. AVAILABLE: Mid July B. “BACK TO THE BEACH” Following on from our initial June release of US Army
Rangers to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the D.Day Landings of June 6, 1944
here are some welcome reinforcements... DD320 “On The Beach” Two Rangers ‘hit
the deck’ as they come under heavy machine gun fire from the German
positions on the bluffs above Omaha Beach. One Ranger fires
his B.A.R. (Browning Automatic Rifle) while the other
gets ready with his M1 ‘Garand’ rifle. DD322 “Medic!” As all hell
breaks loose around this Ranger Medic he runs
forward to help a wounded buddy. DD323 “Demolition Man” Among the first
men onto Omaha Beach were these soldiers carrying 12 pound ‘pack charges’ fixed to the end of long
wooden poles. These were specifically designed to be shoved into a pillbox
opening. DD326 “Advancing
Under Fire” Two Ranger
riflemen making their way forward. DD329 “NORMANDY
’44 LCVP Landing Craft” A reissue of a
classic K&C model... This specially-marked LCVP (Landing
Craft Vehicle Personnel) commemorates the 75th Anniversary
of D.Day. Our LCVP or
‘Higgins Boat’ is a superb mixed-media model (white metal, polystone and resin) and comes with a moveable ramp,
a US Navy cox’n and two sailors manning their .30
cal. machine gun positions. Almost 24,000
were built during WW2 and they could carry a platoon of infantry or a jeep
and trailer. Typically
constructed from plywood, these shallow-draft, barge-like boats were usually
launched from larger troop transports. If you’re
interested in D.Day this
model is a ‘must’! AVAILABLE: Mid
July C.
“DEATH ON THE NILE” Back to Egypt
again...
not Ancient Egypt this time... but a murder mystery on a Nile river steamboat
that became one of author Agatha Christie’s most successful stories
and launched several very popular motion picture adaptations. Once again
Christie’s most famous Belgian detective, Hercule
Poirot, is at the very centre of the
murder, mystery and mayhem! WoD063 “Hercule Poirot”
M. Poirot is impeccably attired in a cream-coloured
Egyptian cotton suit and comes complete with a dapper straw hat, dark sun glasses, his ebony cane and... a very handy fly whisk
to chase away those very annoying local flies... and tourist guides! AVAILABLE: Mid July D. “CANTONESE
OPERA... AN ACQUIRED TASTE..?” While the joys
and pleasures of Cantonese Opera can, to the ears of most Western listeners,
be a shock to the ears at first no one can deny that it is still a colourful spectacle... HK288(G/M) “The
Opera Performers” Two of the most colourful and spectacular characters that can be seen
here feature a famous mythical Chinese General and his beautiful wife. In days gone by
many of the female parts were played by young men... that, however
is a different story for another time. HK289(G/M) “The
Opera Musicians Set” Back by popular
demand!
But with all-new costumes... If you are going to stage an Opera performance then you simply must have the musicians
playing their traditional Chinese instruments! Four great little
figures... One great little set. AVAILABLE: Mid
July E.
“Good Morning Vietnam!” King &
Country’s TWO ranges of Vietnam War figures and fighting
vehicles have become two of our most popular ranges ever! The more we produce
the bigger the collector base grows... especially among new collectors who
did not previously collect toy soldiers. Perhaps the
continuing popularity and availability of several excellent ‘Vietnam War
films’ has also played an important part in this growth of interest and
fascination with a war in South East Asia that was at its height 50 year ago. VN052 “Charlie
Don’t Surf!” These were the
immortal words spoken by Colonel Bill Kilgore, a battalion
commander in the 9th Air Cavalry Regiment in Francis
Ford Coppola’s Vietnam epic “Apocalypse Now”. Kilgore is a
surfing fanatic who loves war... and surfing. After successfully
leading a helicopter assault on a coastal Viet Cong village the Colonel is
delighted to find that the nearby beaches offer some excellent surfing
opportunities. When one of his
troopers questions the advisability of surfing near a Viet Cong stronghold
Kilgore assures him that he has nothing to worry about because... “Charlie
don’t surf!” A classic movie... a classic
line... and a great little figure of an Air Cav Colonel who loves
surfing. VN053 “Helping
The Wounded” A young Aussie
rifleman helps a Vietnamese girl wounded in the cross fire back to the
platoon medic. VN064 “Patrol
Leader” This Australian
officer is armed with the ‘Owen Gun’, an Aussie-designed weapon first
developed back in 1939. The ‘Owen
Machine Carbine’ was the only entirely Australian- designed and
constructed submachinegun of WW2. It came into service in 1942 and
continued until the mid 1960’s. It’s
unusual appearance included the top-mounted magazine and a side-mounted sight
however in combat the Owen proved reliable and sturdy. This particular figure is the ‘Show Special’ created for
the Annual K&C Oz Visit down to
Australia. A limited number of this figure are also available to
worldwide dealers and collectors. VN067 “One
Man & His Dog” Tracker dogs
have been an essential component of many armies for many years...
The Australian Army is no exception. Here our Aussie Dog Handler, SLR in one
hand... His dog rope in the other prepares to go out on patrol with his
black Labrador. AVAILABLE: Mid-Late
July F.
“BEFORE BATTLE COMMENCES...” Early morning, just
behind the frontlines men prepare for battle... For some it’s all about the plans and the strategies to
defeat the enemy. For others it’s the simple everyday actions of washing,
shaving and cooking breakfast... WS355 “Battlefield Conference” Three Panzer
commanders gather together to discuss today’s plan-of-action. During
the Battle of Normandy it was virtually impossible
for any German vehicle to appear on the roads during daylight. As the
morning dawn begins to break these three have already moved their tanks into
position during the previous hours of darkness... Now, they prepare for their
ambush of the approaching Allied armour. WS356 “Wash,
shave... and eat!” Three dismounted
tankers freshen up for breakfast, they know it’s going to be a busy day and a violent one too... who knows
when they’ll get another chance...? A great little
add-on set for all kinds of ‘behind-the-lines’ displays of German armour. AVAILABLE: Mid-Late
July 2.
And that’s the story for July except of course for the
retirals... Check these out... BEING RETIRED
THIS MONTH... IDF002
M51 ‘Super Sherman’ Israeli Tank LAH235
Tall Poster Column (Late War) NA257
Major General Pakenham NA258 Lieut. General Stapleton Cotton RA070 Victory At
Last RAF046 RAF Airfield Starter Cart Set SP062 The Wood Merchant’s House SP064 The European Farm
House WS334 Marder III Tank Destroyer 3.
‘Oz Visit 2019’ For our Aussie friends, don’t forget I’ll be ‘down under’
during the middle of this month. I’m really looking forward to Brisbane,
Sydney and Melbourne... and for some typical Aussie Winter
Weather!!! Happy
collecting, Andy C. Neilson Co-founder &
Creative Director King &
Country Ltd. |