I forgot to mention that I asked Andy in Chicago about this set. He said he would have liked to do it but the cost is prohibitive. He said to do it right you need you need five figures (Archduke and Duchess Sophie, Count Harrach, the driver and Princip) and together with the sedan, you're in the $300 range.
It's hard to disagree with him.
Hi,
Welcome to the club, I have spent the last three (3) years trying to convine Andy to do this set.
However, if you really want one there are three readily available alternatives: Peter Kovar in Vienna has a very good kit with all seven figures, still available (Zinnfiguren Kovar) Yeomanry Miniatures has an excellent kit with 6 figures available, and Bill Hocker has a great set with a total of 12-14 figures (which includes bystanders) available in gloss. If one searches hard enough it might still be possible to pick up the Kober/Wollner gloss set in 40mm.
I have both the Kovar and the Yeomanry sets, which I have painted myself. There are drawbacks with both. The Kovar set depicts the occupants of the "Graf und Stift Limo" before the first bomb was thrown (ie, on the way to the Town Hall) but also has Princip, complete with pistol, lurking about. The Yeomanry set depicts the instant that Princip attacked. There is some really good animation, but Graf Harrasch is depicted in Staff Officer's uniform. On the day he was wearing his Volunteer Automibile Corps uniform. Also, he, FM Poitereck and the Archduke are wearing the wierdest "Officer's sashes" I have ever seen (had to be completely made over)
Those minor beefs notwithstanding, I would recommend both kits.
I resist collecting gloss figures, so I can't say anything about the Hocker set. It, and the Yeomanry cars are both nicely made and look like the real one in the HGM in Vienna, except that neither are big enough to take six people, which is disappointing.
I keep telling Andy that he runs the risk of going down in history, with Russell Gammage, of Rose Miniatures, as the only major manufacturers of Toy Soldiers never to have made an "Austrian Figure"
Can we have a bit of a protest from the rest of you "Austrian" supporters out there?
Regards,
Bob
