Battle of the bulge series (2 Viewers)

[cement shoes]

Does anyone know how extensive the Bulge series will be as far as armys, vehicles, buildings, etc. Will it be as large as the D-Day series??
As a new collector, it would be nice to collect an entire series without having to track down retired sets and re-mortgage your house in order to pay for them. I,m sure theres a ton Andy could do with this series.

 

[Shannon Reuss]

A Reply from Andy Neilson!

Ask, and Andy will speak! Here's a note from Andy about the BBA line (as well as the upcoming paratroopers DD56):

[font=新細明體](1)(a) Overall length of the new paras from top of deployed 'chute to the feet of the paratrooper: approx. 20 inches.
[font=新細明體](b) Length of the 'chute lines from bottom of 'chute to attachment on paratrooper's shoulder straps: approx. 14 inches.[/font]
[font=新細明體](c) Can the lines be shortened? Technically, yes, you would cut the lines where they attach to the shoulder strap rings and then re-attach them at your own desired length.[/font]

[font=新細明體](2) Battle of the Bulge "Add-ons" -[/font]
[font=新細明體]In response to the query "How big will the BBA be?" I can only reply "pretty big". Here's why... This coming September, in time for the Chicago OTSN show, K&C hopes to release no less than 7 new German items for BBA. The September releases will include a German self-propelled artillery piece... an all-new tracked piece of armour... 4 sets of 4 fighting Germans and... a "personality" figure of Sepp Dietrich, commander of the 6th Panzer Army.[/font]

[font=新細明體]Later in the year, November to be exact, we will be adding on at least 6, possibly 7, new sets of American soldiers and fighting vehicles. We also have a very special "Christmas Santa" this year which has a Battle of the Bulge connection.[/font]

[font=新細明體]So, as you can see "Battle of the Bulge" has a very big and exciting future. I hope this will satisfy as well as encourage your forum enthusiasts.[/font]

[font=新細明體]Best personal wishes,[/font]
[font=新細明體]Andy[/font]
[/font]

 

[jazzeum]

Thank you Andy. This sounds pretty awesome, the German BBA. My son has been asking about these for awhile so I'm sure he (and I) will be very happy. The Deitrich figure sounds quite interesting as he turned out to be a very able commander. This is shaping up as a very expensive year.

Brad

 

[CannonFodder1971]

BBA Germans (or will they be described as BBG?) sound great. I have some WS/W Germans facing off the BBA and YA at present but they look so wrong. It'll be great to get some more Allied units too.
Just one thing: if there's to be a combat figure of Sepp Dietrich then there's likely to be one of Joachim Peiper too. As officers, both bear some responsibility for the massacre at Malmeady, and although Peiper was eventually assasinated in 1976, Dietrich got off comparitively lightly (released by 1956).
I'd just be worried that the inclusion of "personalities" could result in the Leibstandarte AH series moving out of its existing confines. Although I think it is important to portray the various monsters who roamed the battlefields as well as the parade grounds, I still wince a little at all the regalia as its currently portrayed and would worry that some people could start collecting the BB sets for all the wrong reasons. Hopefully Dietrich will be the only "personality" in the Ardennes.

 

[Shannon Reuss]

Battle of the bulge series and comments on DVD from Andy

This afternoon we begin work in earnest on the new Battle of the Bulge “GI” add-ons. We’ve already done both vehicles (I’m sorry I can’t tell you just yet, it’s classified). Now it’s the figures…and we’ve got some great ideas.

Yesterday was a public holiday in Hongkong so my little daughter Carrie and me went to the video store and picked up the newly released DVD of “The Battle of the Bulge”---the mid-60s Cinerama epic. After viewing it again after 20 odd years all I can say is any similarity with the actual event is purely coincidental!

As was the habit of Hollywood in those days the parts of German King Tigers and Tigers were played by Spanish Army M47 Pattons.


The Shermans were impersonated by M24 Chaffees (not too bad I admit) and the ubiquitous M3 Halftrack was liberally used for both sides halftracks. American mid 50’s jeeps with whole windscreens were much in evidence plus some very weird Spanish self propelled guns playing the parts of “Priests”.

The worst offence however was the so-called American artillery utilizing what looked like some kind of large wooden-wheeled WWI vintage cannons.

As far as uniforms were concerned there was not a single German camouflaged panzer grenadier to be seen anywhere or anyone wearing a “winter” snow suit. It never fails to amaze me how often Hollywood got it wrong in those days even though the war was just 20 years before!

When you compare the super reality and attention to detail in “Saving Pvt. Ryan” and “Band of Brothers” there really is no comparison.

Anyway back to work…best wishes and happy collecting to one and all,

Andy C. Neilson

King & Country

 

[binder001]

It's always nice to hear Andy's cmments - that's one of the things that makes this site special.

Trivia - in the movie "Battle of the Bulge", yes the Chaffees were portraying Shermans, but the first recorded combat of the M24 tank was actually in that campaign. The SP guns were US M37s, a postwar SP based on the Chaffee.

I'm really glad to hear that the Bulge series will continue and be expanded. There are a lot of uniform variations on both sides, and some interesting vehicles on both sides. The new "revised" Bulge figures are great. The GI's actually look "cold". I'll have to save some pennies and be sure to pick up the new sets later this year (he says , drooling already!)

 

[cement shoes]

I dont mean to exhaust this thread but if you read this Andy, do you have plans to do any buildings for the Bulge series?

 

[Louis Badolato]

At both Chicago and the N.Y. Symposium Andy mentioned a plan to make a french farmhouse to be used for both Napoleonic and WWII. This building might be useable for the Battle of the Bulge.