The good old days (1 Viewer)

[damian]

I am in the process of packing a large collection back into the original boxes so that it can be mothballed whilst I try and either buy or build a new house. So it is a nostalgia inducing experienece. Thank goodness I have kept catalogues and pamphlets so I can tell exactly what figures belong with WS15 etc. I hope to have this process over by the end of the comming weekend. Once the men are in their boxes, I will pack the boxes into bigger boxes for transportation purposes.

It is interesting looking at these figures and noting how things have changed. You know the original Hitler staff car and the RTommel staff car were great sets for the time, but man were those scales wrong. I mean the little driver must have been a dwarf. Similarly the old 88 gun that officer with his teeth looks a bit like bugs bunny. No disrespect intended here guys but in this hobby all round things have improved over the last 10 years. The original Witmans tiger WS 15 is not nearly as detailed as the recent AK 39 Tiger. I also note to my saddness that on the base of my 88 som paint has flaked off where I had stuck the gunner down with a bit of removable putty. I will have to enlist some-one to repaint this little defect one of these days.

Britains really packed stuff well. The Premier sets are fine example sof how to pack toy soldiers so they won't get broken. Some of the Britains bands were also very well packed. Looking at the Trophy ZW stuff I am amazed once again at how fantastic those little sets were.

I have enjoyed getting all of these soldiers. K and C, Britains, Trophy, Conte they are all wonderful. Packing is a pain but I am enjoying looking at each of these figiures all over again. I will hopefully be able to unpack them soon and put them back on dispaly. In the meantime I am sure glad I kept all those boxes.
Regards
Damian

 

[Capitolron]

Damian

The good thing about packing up Toy Soldiers is one day you will get to unpack them and have that wonderful experience of setting them up all over again !

Ron

 

[gk5717]

I know what you mean about the quality.
I did some rearrainging and remembered how the early K&C pieces, the faces were all the same. Yet at the time K&C was still the best on the market.
Gary

 

[Louis Badolato]

I think this is an excellent example of how much the hobby (primarily driven by K&C, and, more recently, Figarti and Honour Bound) has improved since the launch of 1:30 scale matt figures with the K&C Arnhem release in September, 1995. I recall holding the figures from the first Arnhem sets in my hands, and thinking, "man these matt toy soldiers are cool, its a shame matt will never catch on in the hobby." I thought they were amazing at the time, but now they look rather ordinary, because over the years, the companies have kept getting better and better. Compare the new Arnhem ("MG" prefixed sets) figures to the original Arnhem ("AN" prefixed sets) figures, often in the same poses, and it looks like they were made by a totally different company, the improvements in sculpting and painting are so marked.

Its the same with the vehicles. Set one of the two original polystone vehicles, the IWJ13 Sherman, next to the newest Sherman, the DD93 Sherman, and again, it is hard to believe they are made of the same material, much less come from the same company.

Do the same thing with the early Figarti figures, compared to the ones that come with the V2 sets. Its amazing how far the hobby has come in less than 13 years!

 

[Capitolron]

I think this is an excellent example of how much the hobby (primarily driven by K&C, and, more recently, Figarti and Honour Bound) has improved since the launch of 1:30 scale matt figures with the K&C Arnhem release in September, 1995. I recall holding the figures from the first Arnhem sets in my hands, and thinking, "man these matt toy soldiers are cool, its a shame matt will never catch on in the hobby." I thought they were amazing at the time, but now they look rather ordinary, because over the years, the companies have kept getting better and better. Compare the new Arnhem ("MG" prefixed sets) figures to the original Arnhem ("AN" prefixed sets) figures, often in the same poses, and it looks like they were made by a totally different company, the improvements in sculpting and painting are so marked.

Its the same with the vehicles. Set one of the two original polystone vehicles, the IWJ13 Sherman, next to the newest Sherman, the DD93 Sherman, and again, it is hard to believe they are made of the same material, much less come from the same company.

Do the same thing with the early Figarti figures, compared to the ones that come with the V2 sets. Its amazing how far the hobby has come in less than 13 years!

Louis

I made the same point and got my knuckles whap by everyone.

Like it or not - King & Country is the one who changed the industry worldwide and did so in a mere 13 years - as Louis has stated.

Ron

 

[1879fanatic]

Damian,

Your mission and objective is written with a tinge of melancholy. I think it is the major life event of a pending new home. Good luck in your quest! Cheer up the boxing. It is long but fruitful work, and keeps you in touch with some of your long lost old figures. Mike

 

[Currahee Chris]

Louis

I made the same point and got my knuckles whap by everyone.

Like it or not - King & Country is the one who changed the industry worldwide and did so in a mere 13 years - as Louis has stated.

Ron

Just can't let it go can you?? Take a shot here, take a shot there, but in the end, just can't let it go.

It wasn't everyone- it was just me. Call it what it is Ron- it was me- I got no problem with you singling me out- call a spade a spade already.

And for what it's worth, at least Louis did point out that there were other manufacturers out there who have made some changes to their products- Figarti and HB I believe he mentioned.

What innovations has KC made to the 54-60mm plastic collections??

What innovations has KC made to 2 Dimensional Zinnie style figures??

What innovations has KC made to 4" plastic style figures??

How many 1:32nd scale ships has KC released??

This KC section is a living example of the Paretto Principle- 80% of the problems caused by 20% of the people. At times, I am just embarrassed to call myself a KC fan, it's like sitting at your favorite sporting event next to a couple of 300 pound shirtless guys who have long since passed their legal limit of alcohol consumption. Just embarrasing.

And no, if you go look at other companies threads here on this forum, you don't find guys touting their respective companies as "the best in 13 years" or "industry leaders"- for whatever reason, it seems to be a by product of this KC section.

To me, an "industry leader" can go to sleep at night and not loose any sleep wondering about what the competition is doing- Mr. Neilson doesn't give me that impression at all as KC is constantly revamping their lines, releasing new figures and taking risks that other companies are not willing to take.

The sad thing is, whenever I go to shows or place orders or whatever, I just get this read from dealers that they sell KC products not as a matter of pride in their product but more because it is the "hot item" and it makes them money to cover their cost. Each dealer I deal with, and yes, my dealer blackbook has included almost 20 different vendors over the last 10 years across the globe, has their pet companies that they enjoy and each year, fewer and fewer of them seem to be as excited about KC. It almost seems like it's a chore for some of them to sell the stuff.

Damian- I am deeply sorry for tearing up your thread and getting back into this nonsense- I wish I could have been a bigger man and just let it run down my back- guess I wasn't. I also apologize to all my friends here on the forum- it's become pretty clear as time has progressed that my comments are torquing a lot of people off and I don't want you to be associated with a "dirt torpedo". Not sure when I became so negative but I know I am no longer helping the karma of the forum like i used to.

CC out.

 

[Capitolron]

Chris

There are others out there - who are gutless to say what you have said in this forum for all to see - I wasnt talking about just you.

We have a difference of opinion - thats all. I will make no apologies for my strong beliefs about K&C !

Other individuals may play games with Andy and the K&C Crew - but, my friendship is proudly posted out in the open.

My belifes are my own - and I can't understand why people just can't accept that we wont agree on everything.

You are fine man Chris - but, we dont see eye to eye on this issue.

Ron

 

[jazzeum]

Chris,

Your post seems a wee bit of an over reaction to what Ron had to say, which was essentially agreeing with Louis and with which I agree.

 

[tdubel]

I see good points in a few posts here. I like K&C, have a ton of it, but it has not single handedly revolutionized Toy Soldiers FOR ME. I put that in Caps to let it be known this is an opinion!

I still actively chase down and buy glossy from Tommy Atkins, Fusilier, Steadfast, Britains, etc.

I think K&C has done alot of good things, but you have to remember that not all collectors (which drive this industry) are K&C ones. If I were a betting man, I think you (and I) would be surprised at the number of Britains et al collectors out there (include Hocker, Trophy, Tradition, etc in this boat). I think the number is staggering especially in Europe.

All companies have done a good job moving the industry.

Now, a point I would like to argue about is "price" as I think on some things, it is out to lunch. Save for another discussion.

Tom

 

[1879fanatic]

Damian,
I fear that all you did was wake some sleeping giants. By the way, who is K & C? Do they make toys? Mike

 

[HAWKEYE]

I Think Chris Is Under A Lot Of Strian With The Political Situation In Pa. I Think All The Negative Press The Dems Have Revved Up Has Gotten Into His Private Life. Kick Back And Enjoy The Hobby . Take This From Who Agrees With Louis But Who Also Loves His Trophy Figures