Russian Winter Congratulations (1 Viewer)

King & Country

Captain
Joined
May 23, 2005
Messages
5,103
Hi Guys,

ONE OF THE HILIGHTS of the recent December London Toy Soldier Show was this special ‘Winter-themed’ Russian diorama featuring King & Country’s newest (and best yet) TIGER 1 tank alongside two of our Russian Peasant Houses.

The snow-covered scene was designed by K&C and hand-made by David Marshall in the U.K. for display at the December show.
Populating the scene are some of our Russian peasants and the special “When Wittman Met Peiper” 6 x figure set.

Now back in Hong Kong the diorama is in the private collection of one of our top collectors here in Asia.

Best Festive Wishes & Happy Collecting!
Andy

1.jpg

2.jpg

3.jpg

4.JPG
 
Splendid village, specificaly the last picture with civilian only
The rest it's what lot or european and fighting american and allies would call : bad taste ; SS Nazi in Russia with civilian villagers ! Worst with the title ... Peiper ...
IMHO

SS Peiper killed more than 100 american prisoners and 120 civilian prisoners during the Ardennes and sued for that as war criminal


But again it's a talented realisation
 
Splendid village, specificaly the last picture with civilian only
The rest it's what lot or european and fighting american and allies would call : bad taste ; SS Nazi in Russia with civilian villagers ! Worst with the title ... Peiper ...
IMHO

SS Peiper killed more than 100 american prisoners and 120 civilian prisoners during the Ardennes and sued for that as war criminal


But again it's a talented realisation

Just my opinion of course...But WAR itself is in pretty bad taste...And it happens all the time!

Some folks even think that toy soldiers are in bad taste because they are miniature representations of soldiers and war...

If we had to remove everything that someone somewhere might think is in 'bad taste'...We would have very little left to show...or collect.
Best wishes,
Andy.
 
Just my opinion of course...But WAR itself is in pretty bad taste...And it happens all the time!

Some folks even think that toy soldiers are in bad taste because they are miniature representations of soldiers and war...

If we had to remove everything that someone somewhere might think is in 'bad taste'...We would have very little left to show...or collect.
Best wishes,
Andy.

Even here when I display my dioramas in my favourite toy soldier shop, the shop owner sometimes receives bad comments from customers about displaying German black uniforms and swastikas.
Some customers do not accept that these are only toy soldiers .We even had to display a written statement that we do not sympathize with the nazi philosophy.
guy:confused:
 
I think perhaps more with older collectors and their fellow countrymen who may be of an age to remember from Countries that were occupied by the Nazi's and the Japanese, and of course since ww2 as well around the World, there is still a rawness that will always be there of the brutality of things that happened especially in their own country during the war and quite understandable so.

Steve
 
I completely agree with Andy. Each one has his own sensibility and taste, and I don't find this dio shocking. If we follow this logic, a Hitler figure can be very shocking( for ex. I would ever buy neither a Hitler nor a Stalin figure because I would feel a disgust every time I look at them, but that is just me). What counts the most to me is the historical correctness, and this scene is ok, especially for Ukraine where the germans were welcomed as liberators, at least at the beginning.
Eventually, I find the dacias too rafinate for the 40ties Russia and the peasants not suitable for a snow dio, but I understand the dio is for advertising the new figures.
 
Last edited:
Morning gents,
I have the same reaction as Poppo, Steve and Guy and agree with their posts.
However, I can understand where Mirof is coming from.

As I have mentioned before, my father, uncles (and more family members) fought in the Pacific during WWII.

Growing up, we watched all the movies, TV shows and specials on WWII. When the subject was the ETO (Combat, 12 O'Clock High, Rat Patrol, ... etc) we all watched with interest and enjoyment.

But when a movie or TV show that portrayed the Pacific was showing, there was an OVERFLOW of emotion. (Sands of Iwo Jima, Victory at Sea, Halls of Montezuma ... etc) Anger and revenge seemed to be the most spoken theme. It even got to a point where my mom told me that she would accept any girl that I brought home .... EXCEPT IF SHE WAS JAPANESE :redface2:!

I don't ever remember having any item in the house that said "Made in Japan"

So, once again Andy and K&C have produced a fantastic diorama that 95% of the collecting community would love to have in their collection. The subject matter does not take away even a smidgen from the quality and crispness of the scene. Still, some would not have it in their house .... and I can truly understand that also!

--- LaRRy
 
Splendid village, specificaly the last picture with civilian only
The rest it's what lot or european and fighting american and allies would call : bad taste ; SS Nazi in Russia with civilian villagers ! Worst with the title ... Peiper ...
IMHO

SS Peiper killed more than 100 american prisoners and 120 civilian prisoners during the Ardennes and sued for that as war criminal


But again it's a talented realisation

I can see where you are coming from, but does that mean we do no figures which were involved in war crimes? There was also a lot of suppressed evidence of Allied troops, British, Canadians and Americans committing crimes against prisoners. Such as,
Any Russian troops in Berlin Offensive, as there was widespread murder and rape during the battle.
US troops - The execution of Waffen-SS troops in a coal yard in Dachau or the Biscari massacre. Major-General Raymond Hufft (US Army) gave instructions to his troops not to take prisoners when they crossed the Rhine in 1945. "After the war, when he reflected on the war crimes he authorized, he admitted, 'if the Germans had won, I would have been on trial at Nuremberg instead of them". Stephen Ambrose related: "I've interviewed well over 1000 combat veterans. Only one of them said he shot a prisoner ... Perhaps as many as one-third of the veterans ... however, related incidents in which they saw other GIs shooting unarmed German prisoners who had their hands up."

On Peiper you are correct, he was a war criminal, the last German war criminal released from the trials [except Hess], I have seen numbers in the Battle of the Bulge as high as 362 prisoners of war and 111 civilians. However Peiper was not in the locations when the actual massacres took place, but it can be argued these massacres took place on orders, but from whom these orders came from is the question? One thing that made it not so black and white was the treatment of American troops in La Gleize, they were not killed and treated, relative to the situation. In the aftermath of the Malmedy massacre, a written order from the HQ of the 328th US Army Infantry Regiment, dated 21 December 1944, stated: No SS troops or paratroopers will be taken prisoner but will be shot on sight.

For those interested in reading further I would recommend the following 3 books,

Bauserman. J.M. The Malmedy Massacre.
Schrijvers. P The Unknown Dead - Civilians in the Battle of the Bulge
George. D & Child. R The Lost Eleven

The Lost Eleven is a well written book about the Black troops murdered near Wereth from the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion by the SS. It is also a story of the time [post war] In 1949, a U.S. Senate subcommittee released an official report exhaustively detailing 12 similar massacres. Every last casualty was listed — but the Wereth 11, as they came to be known, were not mentioned. There is also the story of the Belgium's involved after the war to get a monument to the troops, with no help or support from the USA.
 
Hi everyone,

I've often wondered why I like collecting toy soldiers and making dioramas...Let me explain my point of view... Thank you all for taking that chance on me... maybe it would help me get to know myself better...:)
When I look at a toy soldier, I see an artistic object, a piece a fine art that tells a story. Sometimes, a tragic story full of death and violence. I can't and I shouldn't accept that at all...but it's an opportunity to really think and reflect on lots of things... The same has happened to me when I have looked at Guernica , a mural-sized oil painting on canvas by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (completed in June 1937): "Guernica has become a universal and powerful symbol warning humanity against the suffering and devastation of war. Moreover, the fact that there are no obvious references to the specific attack has contributed to making its message universal and timeless".

Anyway, it's just my opinion... :eek:

Best regards

Enrico

P.S.: Andy, I love that diorama!!! :smile2: As everyone knows, it's my favourite kind!:rolleyes2:


PicassoGuernica.jpgPicassoGuernica.jpg

(Oil on canvas, Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain)
 
Last edited:
As bad as these documented war time periods were, the worst for me is human kind is still doing the same horrible things today and possibly worse, we never seem to learn from history or do we? So I cannot comment on any particular war as they are all unacceptable, that's why I escape reality into my historic miniature world sometimes. Robin.
 
I can see where you are coming from, but does that mean we do no figures which were involved in war crimes? There was also a lot of suppressed evidence of Allied troops, British, Canadians and Americans committing crimes against prisoners. Such as,
Any Russian troops in Berlin Offensive, as there was widespread murder and rape during the battle.
US troops - The execution of Waffen-SS troops in a coal yard in Dachau or the Biscari massacre. Major-General Raymond Hufft (US Army) gave instructions to his troops not to take prisoners when they crossed the Rhine in 1945. "After the war, when he reflected on the war crimes he authorized, he admitted, 'if the Germans had won, I would have been on trial at Nuremberg instead of them". Stephen Ambrose related: "I've interviewed well over 1000 combat veterans. Only one of them said he shot a prisoner ... Perhaps as many as one-third of the veterans ... however, related incidents in which they saw other GIs shooting unarmed German prisoners who had their hands up."

On Peiper you are correct, he was a war criminal, the last German war criminal released from the trials [except Hess], I have seen numbers in the Battle of the Bulge as high as 362 prisoners of war and 111 civilians. However Peiper was not in the locations when the actual massacres took place, but it can be argued these massacres took place on orders, but from whom these orders came from is the question? One thing that made it not so black and white was the treatment of American troops in La Gleize, they were not killed and treated, relative to the situation. In the aftermath of the Malmedy massacre, a written order from the HQ of the 328th US Army Infantry Regiment, dated 21 December 1944, stated: No SS troops or paratroopers will be taken prisoner but will be shot on sight.

For those interested in reading further I would recommend the following 3 books,

Bauserman. J.M. The Malmedy Massacre.
Schrijvers. P The Unknown Dead - Civilians in the Battle of the Bulge
George. D & Child. R The Lost Eleven

The Lost Eleven is a well written book about the Black troops murdered near Wereth from the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion by the SS.
It is also a story of the time [post war] In 1949, a U.S. Senate subcommittee released an official report exhaustively detailing 12 similar massacres. Every last casualty was listed — but the Wereth 11, as they came to be known, were not mentioned. There is also the story of the Belgium's involved after the war to get a monument to the troops, with no help or support from the USA.

Here is a picture of the Wereth memorial. The text on the memorial is in German bacause it is located in the German speaking part of Belgium;
The US memorial Wereth was founded by private citizens all volunteers from the region . The two small stones on the left and the right give the text in French, Flemish , English and German ;
It's a must see when you are in the region, the Northern part of the BoB
guy:)
wereth.jpg

wereth memorial1.jpg
 
WoW one amazing diorama Andy.



Harrie🇳🇱



Many thanks Harrie!

And thanks to all the Guys for your thoughts and comments...

At the end of the day, these are still just 'toy soldiers' or 'military miniatures' to play with and display as each and everyone one of us sees fit. Any display we present can be interpreted as each individual viewer chooses...

What I hope for is to encourage other collectors to envisage and create their own 'scenarios' using perhaps some of the elements that have been utilised in this one.

Best Festive Wishes and Happy Collecting!
Andy.
 
Guy's, we've been down this well worn dusty road many, many times before and it always ends up in the same place......

This is a hobby, pure and simple, so lets keep it that way. Enjoy it for what it is and lets not complicate matters more than they deserve.

I'm just pleased companies like K&C produce the diverse ranges that they do and give us collectors the chance to buy what we want, when we want.

It's all about choice, nothing more.

Cheers.:salute::
 
Nice Tiger. Why are the headlights missing on the Tiger?


Hi 'JP',
Thanks for the question...I asked myself the same question during the development stage of this particular model. So after researching the issue I found out the following:

The original arrangement for the Bosch headlamps was one on each forward corner of the Tiger's hull.
From July 1943, only a single headlamp was mounted on the right corner pointing forward. This single light was subsequently moved to the centre of the front hull plate around December 1943.

Headlamps were often missing in wartime photographs of Tigers due to battle damage. Considering the amount of combat Michael Wittman, his tank and crew must have been involved in throughout this period on the Russian Front it is more than possible to assume that one or more of their tank's headlamps suffered the same fate as many others!

Merry Christmas and happy hunting,
Andy.
 
Hi Andy, Happy Holidays!

You guys are really pushing out some extra nice items and scenes this winter season.

This dio really demonstrates how the farm house can be turned either way for some added diversity. I like the new Winter Tiger and how you have included it in this scene with the new figure line-up (although they still reminds me of the Robert Shaw Brigade in Battle of the Bulge - please note that I mean that in a good way).{sm4})

This new scene also has me looking at those Russian farmer figures - nice!

Most excellent!
 
Morning gents,
I have the same reaction as Poppo, Steve and Guy and agree with their posts.
However, I can understand where Mirof is coming from.

As I have mentioned before, my father, uncles (and more family members) fought in the Pacific during WWII.

Growing up, we watched all the movies, TV shows and specials on WWII. When the subject was the ETO (Combat, 12 O'Clock High, Rat Patrol, ... etc) we all watched with interest and enjoyment.

But when a movie or TV show that portrayed the Pacific was showing, there was an OVERFLOW of emotion. (Sands of Iwo Jima, Victory at Sea, Halls of Montezuma ... etc) Anger and revenge seemed to be the most spoken theme. It even got to a point where my mom told me that she would accept any girl that I brought home .... EXCEPT IF SHE WAS JAPANESE :redface2:!

I don't ever remember having any item in the house that said "Made in Japan"

So, once again Andy and K&C have produced a fantastic diorama that 95% of the collecting community would love to have in their collection. The subject matter does not take away even a smidgen from the quality and crispness of the scene. Still, some would not have it in their house .... and I can truly understand that also!

--- LaRRy



I read a book one time entitled "The Right Kind of War". It was set in the Pacific and the main character was a Marine Raider (quite obviously the book was fictionalized recollections of its author). At some point in the novel, the characters were reflecting on the kind of enemy that they had in the Pacific, and they seemed contented with the fact the Japanese fought to the death, expected, and gave no quarter. Their rationalization was that their consciences were clean in NOT having to show mercy and clemency to an enemy that fought tenaciously and then surrendered to them---because it almost never occurred.

Likewise I had a Great Uncle that landed on Iwo Jima with the 5th Marine Division. The most anybody could ever get from him for years was "I was in The Corps...I was on Iwo" and never a kind word about Japanese. In 1992 when I first came home after completing US Army Ranger school, he took a look at me 29 lbs lighter and covered with bruises and sores, took two packs of Pall Mall cigarettes to the porch out back of his fish market and told me his life story from 1941 to 1945. He had total recall of things. When the last cigarette was smoked, the stories were over and we never spoke of them again. I was a family celebrity, but I kept his stories private and between us. I'd catch him looking at me at family events and he'd inevitably ask "Hey Paulie, you gettin' any?" The answer was always "All I can, Clare." and his reply was likewise always "Attaway, Kid!"
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top