"First of the Few" (1 Viewer)

[Robboy2k]

Hello,

I am new to this forum, and have eventually stumbled across it.

I am looking to track down a rare set of King and Country toy soldiers. The set is to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain (1940-1990) and includes four individual all-metal, hand painted RAF pilots of the Battle of Britain and is entitles "The First of the Few".

As far as i can gather there were only roughly 1000 ever produced.

If anyone has any information on this set, possible prices and where i might be able to purchase it, it would be very much appreciated.

Many Thanks,

Andrew (andyrobertsony2k@hotmail.com)

 

[Njja]

Hi Andrew I had all of these sets but I sold them about a year ago. They were nice but kind of primitive. If you keep an eye on E-bay they should turn up. I got about $75 each for the different sets. I believe there were four or five different.

Njja

 

[jazzeum]

I believe you're talking about BB 1940. Because of the growing interest in K & C, if these show up on ebay, and they haven't shown up in 2005, you should expect to pay big money for them, primitive or not.

 

[CannonFodder1971]

Hamleys toys in the UK also commissioned a limited edition series to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. They were made by Great Britain and the Empire and were equally crude, and are sometimes passed off as the K&C figures, so always be wary. Personally I think Frontline probably has had the best series of this type thus far but I'm sure if Andy were to revisit the subject as as 6 or 7 set addition to the 'Fields of Battle' series I'd say that he'd leave everyone speechless.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Okay gentlemen, here's a sample from the book:

"In the 1989-1990 brochure, on the back cover, King & Country first addressed WWII, with the release of "The First of the Few" RAF pilots set (CE1), and the first Warbird, a Spitfire MK 1 . The release intentionally corresponded with the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a reflection of Andy Neilson’s early inkling that addressing World War II during this period could be a lucrative proposition.

Set CE1 included the following RAF pilots: A flight sergeant with his hands in his pocket wearing a blue flight suit, yellow life vest, brown fleece lined boots, a flight helmet and goggles. A flight officer holding a rolled up map, wearing a brown leather jacket and yellow life vest over a blue flight suit, brown fleece lined boots, a flight helmet and goggles. A second flight officer holding a black and white Jack Russel Terrier in his left arm and his helmet under his right arm, wearing a blue flight suit, yellow life vest, and brown fleece lined boots with a map tucked in the right boot. A third flight officer walking with his left hand on his hip, arm akimbo, and a knap sack over his right shoulder, wearing a blue flight suit, yellow life vest, brown fleece lined boots with a map tucked in the left boot, a flight helmet and goggles. The set originally retailed for $51."

I hope this provides the information you requested.