DISPATCHES
May 2019
Hi Guys,
Welcome to
yet another diverse and I hope, interesting collection of figures and fighting vehicles
that stretch all the way from the sands of Ancient Egypt to the jungles of
South East Asia with one or two historical diversions along the way.
So,
without further ado, let’s begin our journey into the past with the ‘Land
of the Nile’...
1.
BEING
RELEASED THIS MAY
Whenever
most people think of Egypt one particular image
usually springs to mind... The Pyramids!
Over 5,000
years ago Egypt became a united nation and for 3,000 of those years it was
ruled over by its own kings. During that time there were three distinct
periods... the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. Now, see where
we’re beginning our story... It was in the ‘Old Kingdom’ that the
Egyptians began building huge stone tombs for their rulers called ‘pyramids’.
To these
Ancient Egyptians, the three most important things in their lives were their
King... the Next World and the River Nile.
Egypt is a
very arid country where it rarely rains. The Nile’s water provides life
for plants, animals and people.
The royal pyramids,
which housed the bodies and possessions of dead rulers were all built on the
west bank of the Nile.
To
construct these mighty monuments armies of labourers
hauled huge blocks of stone to the chosen sites. Once there
skilled craftsmen and stonemasons shaped and placed these massive blocks
according to the designs and plans of the architects and surveyors.
Painters,
metalworkers, carpenters and sculptors then added their skills and handiwork to
complete the gigantic structures.
This is
the initial theme of these welcome additions to one of King & Country’s
most original series of figures.
A.
ON
THE BANKS OF THE NILE...
AE064 “The
Stone Sled Team”
Although
animals were also used to help drag huge blocks of stone to and around the
pyramid’s building site most of the ‘heavy-hauling’ was undertaken by
manual labour.
Here a
team of six labourers haul a wooden sled on which a
large block of stone has been tied down to.
If on
level ground or sand, wooden logs could be placed under the sled to ease the
passage of the load. On ramps however, built at an angle leading up to
the various levels of the pyramid, brute strength was still the best, if
hardest, method used. Six figures... one wooden sled... and
one very large block of stone!
AE067 “The
Mud Mixers”
Two labourers toil away mixing ‘Mud Bricks’.
These were a compound of Nile mud, clay, sand mixed in with straw and even a
little animal dung! This was all mixed together with water to form a
malleable mass which was than pressed into wooden
molds to make the individual ‘bricks’.
As one labourer pours in some sand the other stirs up the mixture.
2-figures
and the mixing trough.
AE069 “The
Overseer”
Watching
over and instructing the various labouring tasks
would be an ‘overseer’ or ‘foreman’ such as this figure.
While many of the workers under his control were either slaves or foreign-born labourers most of the ‘Overseers’ were Egyptian
although some had ‘risen from the laboring ranks’.
AE070 “The
Stonemasons”
Skilled stonemasons
could be Egyptian but might also be talented slaves or foreign workers.
Because of
their skills and talents they received better
provisions and much improved living quarters compared to the largely unskilled
heavy labourers. A 3-figure set.
AE073 “The
Nubian Water Carrier”
Working
under the blazing Egyptian sun from early morning until last light demanded
copious amounts of water for ALL the workers constructing the Pyramid.
Teams of
girls and young women, many of Nubian origin, brought fresh water to the
workers throughout the working day.
After work
had ceased they were kept in their own separate camp
compounds to ensure their own safety as well as the likelihood that they might
‘tire-out’ the workforce with extra curricular
evening activities!
AE075 “Scaffolding
Platforms”
All over
the building site you would see large and small wooden scaffolding complete
with platforms where the expert craftsmen... sculptors, painters and other
decorators would work away high above the heavy labourers.
AE077 “Standing
Guard”
Although
most ‘overseers’ and ‘foremen’ carried protective weaponry a
strong force of the King’s soldiers would also be on hand to provide a kind of ‘military
police’ presence on the work site.
These
professional soldiers would also protect the prized possessions which would be
gathered at the Pyramid site ready to be interred along with the dead king when
the project was finally completed.
AVAILABLE:
Mid May
SPECIAL
NOTE: This is just
the beginning... there are already many more ‘Building The
Pyramid’ releases scheduled for release in the coming months and into
2020!
B.
“...
Next stop Berlin!”
From the
banks of The Nile to the streets of Berlin in the late 1930’s in one long
jump...
LAH252
“Miss Eva Braun”
Eva Anna
Paula Braun (1912-1945)
was the longtime
companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours in May 1945, his wife!
Eva first
met Hitler in 1929 in Munich where she was working as a photographer’s
assistant and part-time model. She began a relationship with
Hitler a few years later and, by 1936, was an established, if secret, part of
his private household at his mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden in the
Bavarian Alps.
She was a
key figure in his inner circle but completely unknown to the German general
public.
Towards
the end of WW2 she moved to Berlin and swore undying
loyalty to Hitler and met her suicidal end shortly after marrying Hitler in the
bomb-battered remains of the Reich Chancellery as the
Red Army closed ‘in for the kill’ in the Reich capital.
This is
the second K&C version of this particular ‘Eva’
figure... dressed perhaps for an earlier, happier occasion.
LAH253
“Adolf and Blondi”
It was
often said that Hitler loved animals more than people... perhaps there is more
than a shade of truth in that.
During the
First World War, “Corporal Hitler’s” best friend and most loyal
companion was a stray mongrel he adopted while serving in the trenches on the
Western Front.
‘Blondi’ was Hitler’s German Shepherd given as
a gift to the Fuhrer by his Chief of the Nazi Party Chancellery, Martin
Bormann in 1941.
The dog
stayed loyally by Hitler’s side for the remainder of the war and eventually
moved into the Berlin Fuhrerbunker located
under the garden of the Reich Chancellery in January 1945.
Hitler was
extremely fond of ‘Blondi’ and she featured in
many press photographs showing the Fuhrer as a dedicated and kind ‘animal
lover’.
The dog
also met the same fate as her master when, in order to test the special cyanide
capsules all top Nazis carried, Hitler ordered his doctor to test the potency
of a capsule on his pet dog. This was done and ‘Blondi’
died as a result.
Our ‘Adolf
& Blondi’ set shows dog and master in
other times... enjoying a walk in the Bavarian Alps near his mountain retreat.
LAH254
“Obergruppenfuhrer ‘Sepp’ Dietrich”
Josef
‘Sepp’ Dietrich (1892-1966)
joined Nazi Party in 1928 and was originally Hitler’s driver and personal
bodyguard. He won rapid promotion in the SS especially after his participation
in ‘The Night of the Long Knives’ in 1934.
He played
a key role in the formation of the “Leibstandarte
SS Adolf Hitler”, the premier armed bodyguard regiment of the Schutz Staffel and was its first and most famous commander.
Dietrich oversaw its expansion from a single battalion to an entire regiment
and finally into the most elite division-sized unit of the Waffen SS.
The
K&C figure shows him in the black, prewar SS parade uniform which went into
permanent storage after the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939.
LAH255
“LAHSS Officer at Attention”
This
standing at attention, sword drawn, SS officer is wearing the white, parade
dress accoutrements that clearly identify him as belonging to the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler regiment.
LAH-S02
“Leibstandarte On Parade #1”
This special
5-figure parade set features five Leibstandarte ‘rank
and file’ standing strictly to attention and ‘presenting arms’ for
inspection or providing a guard of honour for a
visiting dignitary.
LAH-S03
“Leibstandarte On Parade #2”
This
10-figure set comes in a special presentation box and includes one LAH officer
in command of nine LAH ‘presenting arms’
Special
Note: Both of the above releases are ‘Value Added’
packages that allow collectors to purchase multiples of these parade figures at
very affordable prices!
AVAILABLE:
Mid May
C.
‘BARBARIANS
AT THE GATES!’
Although
the Roman Army was highly successful in keeping its enemies at arms length occasionally a raiding party of Celts, Britons
or rebellious Gauls would break through the military
cordon to ravage and raid towns and villages just inside the Empire’s long and
extended borders...
RnB035
“Captor & Captive”
Here, a
forlorn and dejected young and attractive female captive is led away by a mounted
barbarian chieftain. What fate awaits her remains unknown however this
was a scene that was not unknown during the Empire’s long and often brutal
reign...
AVAILABLE:
Mid May
D.
‘FROM
ROME TO COPENHAGEN’
Here’s one
more of those little “diversions” I hinted at in the beginning of this
month’s ‘DISPATCHES’... perhaps one of the more unusual. Here’s the
background...
Both my
wife Liza and myself love the country of Denmark, its
people and its wonderful capital, Copenhagen. Last summer we spent our
annual vacation in Copenhagen and as usual among our favourite
places to visit was the Amalienborg Palace,
the ceremonial home of the Danish Royal Family. This classical palace can
be found in the heart of Copenhagen complete with its own large square and a monumental
equestrian statue of Amalienborg’s founder, King
Frederick Ⅴ.
Everyday and night Amalienborg
is guarded by Denmark’s own Royal Life Guards. As some of you may
know several years ago K&C produced our own version of these guardsmen in
their special ceremonial ‘scarlet’ tunics and bearskin caps (similar
to Britain’s own Royal Foot Guard Regiments).
On most
occasions however when the Guard parades at Amelienborg
they wear a different parade tunic... the Navy Blue double-breasted one...
That’s usually what most visitors see when the ‘Changing of the Guard’
ceremony takes place each day the monarch is in residence.
Earlier
this year my wife opened her own small events space here in Hong Kong called ‘La
Maison Rose’ that promotes and retails a very select range of hand-made
products that includes Denmark’s famous ‘Royal Copenhagen’
ceramics. Liza also wanted some special figures that reflects our
affection for and interest in Denmark.
And so, on
behalf of Liza’s company, ’La Maison Rose’, K&C has produced
some additional Royal Life Guards in their very unique Navy Blue parade uniforms. Although most of these
special figures will be sold through ‘La Maison Rose’ a limited number
are available from King & Country for interested collectors and dealers
worldwide.
MRDG001
“Standing Guard”
A very
familiar sight around Amelienborg Palace in both
summer and winter.
MRDG003
“Royal Life Guards Colour Party”
Two
blue-coated Guardsmen flank a senior NCO (non
commissioned officer) holding the Danish Queen’s Regimental
Standard.
AVAILABLE:
Early May
E.
“GOOD
MORNING VIETNAM!”
It’s a
long journey and a world away from the colourful and
historic streets and palaces of Copenhagen to the jungles of Vietnam in the
1960’s... but we’ll go there anyway.
VN061 “The
Aussie M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier”
As
Australia’s involvement in South Vietnam deepened the Army decided it must have
a modern armoured personnel carrier that could more
easily navigate through dense South East Asian jungles, paddy fields, rivers
and creeks.
After
exhaustive tests and trials in Australia’s own tropical rain forests the Army
selected the American-made M113.
In March
1965 the first M113 A1’s arrived in Australia and by June of that same
year some of these Aussie 113’s were deployed to South
Vietnam.
Our
K&C model is typical of these Australian APC’s that saw action at that time
and in the following years. ’22 Bravo’ mounts a .50 caliber Browning
machine gun on top of the commander’s hatch behind which sits the vehicle
commander himself. A second figure appears just popping out of the open
hatch of the driver’s position.
As you can
see in our pictures the vehicle can also accommodate additional Australia
infantrymen riding into battle.
VN062 “M113
Passengers Set”
Three
sitting Aussie ‘Grunts’ from the Royal Australian Regiment in various
seated poses... All armed with the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle... the
standard infantry rifle of the Vietnam period.
VN063 “Standing
Armoured Corps Officer”
A
‘stand-alone’, hands on hips, Aussie vehicle commander. This figure is
especially designed for collectors who may want one additional M113 (or even
more) to make up a troop of APC’s in action. Works equally well on this
vehicle and on the upcoming Centurion tanks.
VN066 “Sitting
Vehicle Commander with Binos”
A very
useful seated commander, complete with ‘bone-dome’ scanning the
surrounding countryside for any sight of ‘Victor Charlie’!
AVAILABLE:
Mid-Late May
F.
“Michael
Wittmann’s First Battlefield Tiger”
Michael
Wittmann
(1914-1944) is,
without doubt, the most famous tank commander of the Second World War.
Since the war Wittmann has become almost a ‘cult figure’ thanks to his
battlefield achievements as a ‘Panzer Ace’ particularly his actions at
Villers Bocage in Normandy during June 1944. It was there that,
single-handedly his Tiger tank and crew destroyed 14 British tanks, 2
anti tank guns and no less than 15 assorted
personnel carriers in less than a quarter of an hour! A singular
accomplishment for any armoured warrior of any army
at any time!
His
exploits commanding the formidable PanzerkampfwagenⅥ, better known as the ‘Tiger’
have ensured his fame all over the world ever since. Wittmann’s ‘Tiger’
adventures did not begin (and end) on the lush, green fields of Normandy
in 1944 they go back to April 1943 in Russia.
It was
there that Wittmann was given command of his first ‘Tiger’ tank, turret number ‘411’...
Just a few weeks later SS-Untersturmfuhrer
Wittmann’s unit was expanded and renumbered their tanks accordingly.
WS352 “Michael
Wittmann’s First Battlefield Tiger”
Michael
Wittmann’s own ‘Tiger’ was now given the new number ‘1331’... ‘13’
being the new, enlarged company, ‘3’ for the platoon and the
final ‘1’ for the position of platoon commander.
It was in
this particular vehicle that the young untersturmfuhrer would go into action with during the
biggest and fiercest tank battle of the Second World... KURSK.
This
K&C model represents Michael Wittmann’s first Battlefield Tiger as it
appeared on the opening day of the Kursk Offensive, 5th of
July 1943.
On that
day, despite driving over a Russian mine and one of his crew being injured
Wittmann’s ‘Tiger’ destroyed eight T34’s and no less than seven of the
much-feared Soviet anti tank guns.
As you can
see there are 2 figures in the open hatches of the turret... Untersturmfuhrer Wittmann in the commander’s
position and his gunner, Bobby Woll,
enjoying a brief breath of fresh air... as he scans the surrounding area for
fresh targets!
By the
time the Kursk Offensive ended on July 17th the 29
year old Panzer ace and his crew were totally exhausted. They had
however destroyed some 30 Soviet tanks and 28 anti tank
guns!
This
latest King & Country Tiger comes in a specially designed full-colour box with extra strong black foam insert.... All the
better to protect the model and figures inside!
AVAILABLE:
Mid to Late May
G.
‘EXTRA WEAPONS’
Finally,
we move back to Roman times with a useful little accessory set for all Roman
Army enthusiasts...
SP109 “Roman
Shields & Spears Set”
Three
separate Legionary shields, decorated with the symbols of K&C’s chosen
Legion, the XX Valeria Victrix (the Twentieth Victorious
Valeria Legion) together with three ‘Pilums’, the classic
Roman Army Throwing Spear.
Very
useful ‘extras’ for Roman Forts, encampments and... battlefields!
AVAILABLE:
Mid May
2.
BEING
RETIRED...
As per
usual as our latest releases are launched some of our older items are being
retired, As you can see, there is a ‘bumper bundle’
this month and some really excellent pieces. Grab ‘em
while you can!
AK092
Sd. Kfz. 222 Armoured Car (North Africa-Desert)
AK114
Afrika Korps Motorcycle
BBG092
Prone MG42 Gunner
BBG112
KLAUS
BBG113
ERICH
BBG115
Hauptmann Stossel
BBG116
FRIEDRICH
LAH172
Deputy Leader Rudolf Hess
LAH200
Count Galeazzo Ciano
LoJ031
Jesus
RA056
Steady, aim… Fire!
RA064
Raising the Red Flag
WS231
WH Demag Passenger
WS286
Pointing Officer
WS287
Kneeling Loading
WS288
Kneeling Grenadier
WS289
Kneeling w/Rifle
And that my friends is the story so far, all the very best and, as ever, happy
collecting!
Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder & Creative Director
King & Country Ltd.