“DISPATCHES”
June 2017
Hi Guys,
A
slightly abbreviated “DISPATCHES” this month that is being penned a few
days before I fly out to San Antonio and the 11th Annual
TEXAS TOY SOLDIER SHOW.
However, as you
will discover, there is no shortage of ‘variety’ in the figures being
released and the subjects covered in this particular summer month.
So, without further
ado... Let’s get started...
1.
BEING RELEASED IN
JUNE...
A.
WELCOME RETURN TO
MEDIEVAL TIMES
Our
”Crusaders &
Saracens” series has
enjoyed wide popularity with K&C collectors around the world for several
years now...
Here are two very
useful additions that can also work well with our newer “Robin
Hood” range...
MK163 “The
Swordsmith”
Producing top
quality ‘weapons of war’ for the Knights and Nobility was always the work
of a skilled metal-work craftsman.
This new figure is
hard-at-work at his anvil crafting a strong and sturdy blade while two other
examples of his work ‘cool off’ in a nearby pail of water.
This figure works
well in a Crusader Camp... Nottingham Castle... or even deep in Sherwood
Forest!
MK165 “Richard
the Lionheart”
“Richard I”... “Good King Richard”...
“Richard Coeur de Lion”, call him what you will, was King of England from 1189 until his
death in 1199. He was also Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony
and a host of other titles in France.
Apart from his
childhood in England most of his adult life was spent overseas in Aquitaine.
When he became King he led the Third Crusade to the Holy Land after the
departure of Philip II of France. Although winning many notable
victories over his Muslim opponent ‘Saladin’ he never managed to
recapture Jerusalem.
Fondly remembered
by his English subjects he in turn thought of them primarily as a useful source
of taxes and revenue to pay for his foreign adventures.
In legend, popular
books and movies “Richard the Lionheart” is usually portrayed as
a kind, wise and benevolent ruler as opposed to his evil brother Prince John
who acted as Regent throughout the King’s long and frequent absences.
Our standing figure
has him dressed in his Royal Red Livery with the symbols ‘Gules,
three Lions passant guardant’ on both his chest and shield.
First adopted by
England’s Plantagenet Kings in 1154, they have ever since come to symbolize the
nation of England.
Special Note: Another, brand-new mounted ‘Richard
Coeur de Lion’ will be released in a few month’s time.
AVAILABLE: Mid June
B. “NAPOLEONIC ACTION!”
No,
not the amorous adventures of Bonaparte and Josephine but some
excellent additions to our earlier releases of the 95th Rifles
and the ‘Old Guard at Waterloo.’
NA382 “95TH
Standing Firing”
One
more extremely useful green-clad 95th Rifleman.
NA383 “95TH
Chosen Man”
‘Chosen Men’
were the Napoleonic eras equivalent of today’s Lance
Corporals. Whilst one step below an NCO (Non Commissioned
Officer) they were selected to command a squad (6-10 men) for their
intelligence, bravery and military abilities.
The rank was
unofficial and used at the discretion of commanding officers.
Men selected to be ‘Chosen’ wore a single white armband on their upper
right arm. ‘Chosen Men’ often went
on to be promoted to NCO rank later.
Our ‘Chosen Man’
is kneeling, cocking his Baker Rifle.
NA384 “95TH
Rifles Sergeant”
Advancing forward,
this senior NCO wears his 3 white stripes on his right arm and a crimson red
and black sash around his waist. He gestures to the riflemen following
him
NA385 “95TH
Rifleman Kneeling Loading”
Using
his powder horn to prime the firing pan of his Baker Rifle.
NA386 “95TH
Rifles Officer w/Sabre”
Carrying his curved
sabre this young officer is exercising his command authority...
NA-S04 “Rifle
Reinforcement Set”
Combine all of the
above releases together and you have another great little “Value Added
Bonus Set”. 5 figures
NA388 “Fighting
General Cambronne”
Pierre Jacques
Etienne Cambronne was one of the French heroes of Waterloo.
He became a
Lieutenant General in Napoleon’s Imperial Guard and led his men into
action at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.
Towards the end of
the battle he was wounded as he stood in the midst of one of his battalion’s
squares. As the surrounding British called on him to surrender, Cambronne replied tersely, “Merde!”
Other more polite
sources say he responded with “The Guard dies it does not surrender!” In French of course.
This new K&C
figure portrays the defiant Cambronne, sword in hand
and with fierce anger in his eyes... Personally, I think he shouted, “Merde!”
AVAILABLE: Mid June
C.
“PIKE & MUSKET”
Journey
back almost 200 years to other battles and wars elsewhere in Europe with
another famous battlefield commander.
PnM074 “King Gustavus Adolphus
of Sweden”
Gustav II Adolf (1594-1632) more widely known as Gustavus Adolphus was King of Sweden from
1611-1632 and is credited in making Sweden a great ‘European Power’. He
led the country to military supremacy during the Thirty Years War
helping to determine the political as well as religious balance of power on
the continent at that time.
He was also
regarded as a great military innovator especially in the use of ‘combined
arms’... the fighting mix of cavalry, infantry and artillery and their
practical deployment on the battlefield.
Not only a great tactician
he was a brave and fearless soldier often leading his troops ‘from the
front’ in many a battle and skirmish.
He was killed at
the Battle of Lützen in 1632 leading a cavalry
charge.
Today, Gustavus Adolphus is memorialized in statues
in several major Swedish cities... Our K&C standing figure is closely
modelled on an actual statue in Gothenberg, Sweden.
AVAILABLE: Mid to Late June
D.
STILL IN EUROPE ... And
Off To Rome!
Four additional Roman
soldiers to supplement our other Legion figures.
ROM004 “Roman
Centurion”
At the launch of this current series we
presented our “Primum Pilus”,
literally “First Spear”... the top Centurion of a Roman Legion, the
equivalent (in British Army terms) to a Regimental Sergeant
Major.
Here now, is the regular Centurion.
Most of these men commanded a ‘Century’ of men, usually anywhere between
80-90 Legionaries.
Centurions were expected to ‘lead from
the front’ in battle and it naturally followed that the casualty rate was
correspondingly high leading to constant ‘vacancies’!
Centurions were also easily recognized by
the horse hair crest on their helmets usually worn ‘transverse’.
Our Centurion wears a chain mail vest as protection rather than the ‘Lorica Segmentata’ armour of his men.
ROM007 “Roman Signifer”
A ‘Signifer’
was the standard bearer of a Roman Legion. He carried the ‘Signum’ (standard) for a cohort or
century. As each century had its own Signifer that meant there were approximately 59 in a whole
Legion.
The ‘Signum’
had a number of disks or medallions along with other elements mounted on a long
pole. The pole itself would often be ‘topped’ with a hand-shaped ‘manus’ denoting the oath of loyalty taken by
soldiers when they first enlisted. A wreath of honour world usually surround the ‘manus’ (hand)
‘Signifers’
would also carry a small decorated round shield (a buckler) and wore a
wolf or bearskin on top of their helmets and body armour.
ROM009 “Roman Cornicen”
The ‘Cornu’ or ancient Roman brass instrument was used to
communicate orders and signals both in camp and on the battlefield during the
glory that was Rome.
In camp these musical commands might be
sounded by just on Cornicen however in battle several
or more Cornicens would join together, the better to
be heard above the din and destruction of war.
Our K&C ‘Cornicen’
once again carries the small round decorated shield and wears a grey wolf skin
atop his helmet and armour.
ROM013 “The Marching Legionary w/Marius Mule”
A ‘companion piece’
to our standing ‘Legionary w / Marius Mule’. This Roman soldier is probably going
out on a long patrol or march and once again is
carrying part of his personal kit and belongings on his shoulder.
AVAILABLE: Mid June
E.
“APACHES & BUFFALO
SOLDIERS”
Not long after K&C introduced our “Apache
Indians” series we decided that they required an enemy to fight... Of
course, they could easily go up against the KINGS X Exclusive “John
Ford’s Cavalry” however not every K&C collector or dealer had
access to those so we had to find an alternative that was available for all...
But first here are 2 x more Apaches.
TRW108 “Cochise”
Cochise was a leader of Chiricahua Apaches. Born in 1804 he was a
key war chief during the Apache Wars which began in 1861.
Along with his father-in-law, ‘Mangas Coloradas’, he waged a long and often brutal guerrilla
campaign against much larger U.S. Army forces all over the Southwest United
States.
Several movies have been made of his
exploits including “Broken Arrow” and “The Battle at Apache Pass”.
Our mounted K&C figure has Cochise
on one of his war ponies taking careful aim with his Winchester
repeating rifle.
TRW109 “Taza, Son of
Cochise”
Taza (1843-1876) succeeded his father as warchief of the Chiricahuas
when the latter died in 1874. A brave and resourceful warrior in his
own right... He was also a skilled ‘guerrilla leader’ and took part in
many successful raids during the Apache Wars.
The K&C standing figure has him holding
a cavalry carbine above his head and a cavalry pistol in his right hand.
INTRODUCTION:
As mentioned earlier K&C has decided to
produce an additional series of Indian – fighting Cavalry that can be available
to all K&C collectors and dealers around the world ... The
10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment.
These African American soldiers were
formed into a regiment in 1866 and saw almost continuous active service from
then until the final subjugation of the Apache and Comanche
tribes in the 1880’s Led by white officers the 10th
fought primarily in the Southwest states and territories of the Union at that
time.
Known to the Indians as “Buffalo
Soldiers” because of their strong, tightly-curled black hair (similar
in Indian eyes to the fur of the buffalo) these soldiers were tough and
loyal and earned a hard-won reputation for bravery, winning a large number of Medals
of Honor.
K& C are releasing 12x figures in 3x releases
in the first schedule... Here are 6 of them, plus a “Special Value
Added Bonus set”!
TRW116
“Buffalo
Soldier Sergeant w/Guidon”
A veteran 10th
NCO carries his pistol in one hand and a troop guidon
in the other.
TRW119
“Kneeling Corporal”
A junior NCO (Non
Commissioned Officer) wearing his cavalry ‘kepi’ takes careful aim.
TRW120
“Trooper Kneeling Ready”
Taking a momentary
rest but keeping an eye on any approaching Apaches...
TRW123
“Crouching Trooper”
TRW124
“Standing Firing”
TRW125 “Lying
Prone Firing”
TRW-S01
“Rally Round the Flag Boys!”
Combine ALL 6
of these great figures and we’ll make it even more affordable and great value for
collector and dealer alike!
AVAILABLE: Mid to Late June
F.
“FLEET
ADMIRAL”
USN024
“Commander-In-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet”
One of American’s greatest commanders of
WW2, or indeed any of the wars and conflicts the U.S. has fought in during its
history. Chester William Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg
Texas in 1885 and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1905.
When America entered WW2 in December 1941 he
was promoted to Commander In Chief, Pacific Fleet with the rank of
admiral.
Nimitz controlled the ‘Pacific
Ocean Areas’ while General Douglas MacArthur took over the land
campaign.
Admiral Nimitz was also present at the Japanese surrender
on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
Our figure shows Admiral Nimitz
dressed in ‘Khakis’, the everyday wear of U.S. Navy officers in the
Pacific Theatre of Operations during WW2.
AVAILABLE: Early June
G.
‘World of Dickens/
Streets of Olde London’
Street carts and traders abounded on the streets
of London among them a fore runner of “Starbucks”!
WoD047 “The Coffee Cart”
In Victorian
London coffee was almost, but not quite, as popular as Tea!
Here, a Street Coffee Merchant brews up some
fresh coffee for his customers. Look out for lots of great detail in this
charming little set... Figure of the coffee Merchant is included.
WoD048 “The Coffee Couple”
A gentleman and his
lady enjoy their morning cup.
WoD049 “The Extra Cup”
Customers were usually allowed a ‘second’
cup free of charge at these streetside coffee carts.
WoD-S01 “The Complete Coffee Collection”
All of the above at
an even tastier price!!!
AVAILABLE: Mid to Late June
H.
SOVIET T34’s IN GERMAN
HANDS
Captured
T34/76’s were designated as
Panzerkampfwagen T-34(r) by the
Germans. Large numbers of Soviet T34’s were captured intact and
pressed back into service... against their former
owners between 1941 and 1943.
Here is one such
example...
WS332 “Soviet Panzer”
Many hundreds of
these captured tanks were returned to service with German Crews after they had
undergone some major and minor adjustments. A huge range of colour schemes were utilized and adapted from existing
Wehrmacht approved camouflage markings.
Virtually all
models had large German crosses painted on the turrets and hulls to help avoid
‘blue on blue’ incidents and to aid battlefield recognition. Some
turret hatches were even painted with swastikas on them to help aircraft
recognition... Our model is one of them.
This Soviet Panzer
also has had German-style ‘side skirts’ added.
AVAILABLE: Early June
2.
BEING RETIRED:
FoB099 Refugee Mother & Son
MK123 The
Blue Tournament Knight
MK124 The
Yellow Tournament Knight
NA213 Wounded Highlander
TRW058 Taking
a Fall!
WH021 Pz.
Kpfw. III Ausf.N
WS311 Karl Otto’s Tiger 1
WS322 Tiger 113
WS323 Tiger 114
And that completes June... And now onto July.
Best wishes and happy collecting!
Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder & Creative Director
King & Country Hong Kong