Peter Reuss
2nd Lieutenant
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2005
- Messages
- 3,775
OCTOBER 2009
DISPATCHES
I’m actually writing this month’s “DISPATCHES” on Thursday 17th.of September… Tomorrow afternoon we fly out (Helen, Patrick and me) to San Francisco and a weekend with the good folks at Sierra Toy Soldiers and their all-new store in the very heart of Los Gatos, California. Then on Monday and it’s off to Chicago where Gordon will join us on Tuesday.
So the next 3 1/2 weeks will be a bit of a whirlwind and I thought I better sit down and write “DISPATCHES” here in HK before, as they say, “going on the road”. So, here goes…
1. COMING IN OCTOBER…
A. THE RAF and THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The response to the announcement of this new series in last month’s “DISPATCHES” was simply awesome! We sold out of our first 400 Hawker Hurricanes in less than 24 hours!!!
And, it seems, most collectors who want a Hurricane also want the add-on “personality” pilots and ground crew as well. That’s wonderful news for K&C and just goes to show the potential popularity of Air Force themed subjects… And, before you ask there’s a lot more already in the pipeline… British (Spitfire and Typhoon), American (P51B and P47 Thunderbolt) and, of course, German (Me109, FW190 and JU87 “Stuka”) to name but a few plus assorted diorama accessories, vehicles and figures! And a few surprises…
For the moment though there are these great “start-up” sets and figures…
RAF001 “Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding”
The head of Fighter Command and the leading architect of the RAF’s victory over the Luftwaffe. K&C’s figure shows him in a typical pose paying a visit to one of his front line squadrons during the Battle.
RAF002 “Squadron Leader Douglas Bader”
A flying legend in the RAF. Bader lost both legs in a pre war flying accident but fought to return to operational flying at the outbreak of the war.
During the Battle he commanded 242 Squadron made up of mostly Canadian pilots. Bader had that fiercely competitive spirit that fills all fighter pilots. He shot down 22 enemy aircraft before being shot down himself in 1941. He spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war in the infamous Colditz Castle in eastern Germany.
RAF003 “Flying Officer “Moggy” Cattermole & Reilly”
One of the leading characters in author Derek Robinson’s “Piece of Cake” novel about the Fall of France and the Battle of Britain. “Moggy” is a “nasty piece of work” but a great fighter pilot! “Reilly” is the squadron mascot.
RAF004 “Sgt. Pilot Ginger Lacey”
James “Ginger” Lacey was one of the NCO pilots who made up a quarter of Fighter Command’s strength during the Battle. Just 23 years old he destroyed at least 15 German aircraft (probably more) in the summer of 1940 and survived the War.
RAF005 “Flight Lieutenant Sandy Johnstone”
Originally a civilian navigation instructor and part-time pilot with 602 (City of Glasgow) Auxiliary Squadron, Johnson flew Spitfires during the Battle first as a flight Lieutenant before becoming Squadron Leader in July 1940.
RAF006 “Waiting… and Ready!”
Two RAF pilots on readiness await that jangling phone call that will send them running for their aircraft. A very typical “1940” scene.
RAF007 “Hawker HURRICANE MK.1”
One of the two most famous British aircraft that won the Battle of Britain. Less famous than the more graceful Spitfire, the Hurricane carried eight .303 machine guns and could absorb an amazing amount of punishment.
Twice as many Hurricanes fought in the Battle than Spits and although slower than the enemy 109 it was still very popular with its pilots.
K&C’s model is in the markings of 501 (County of London) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force and has 3 “kills” to its credit. Each aircraft has fixed undercarriage… a detachable, sliding canopy and a seated pilot at the controls.
Special Note: Only 400 models of this particular Hurricane are planned for production.
RAF008 “RAF Ground Crew Set”
Without the invaluable help, effort and support of the RAF’s ground crew the Battle of Britain would easily have been lost!
Here, 3 Aircraftsmen make ready to get another Hurricane or Spitfire back into the air. Set includes a Corporal Armourer and 2 x Leading Aircraftsmen.
RAF009 “Flying Officer & Trophy”
“Keith Sutton”, a New Zealander, with a “souvenir” tail piece from a Me. 110 he shot down.
RAF010 “MG Sports Car Set”
Fighter pilots and fast sports cars seem to go well together. Here, a young, rakish Flight Lieutenant sits in his nifty little British racing-green MG Sports Car enjoying a well-earned break from shooting down all those “nasty huns!”
From the defensive tactics of Fighter Command in the summer of 1940 we move forward to 1943 and the offensive operations of the RAF’s mighty “Bomber Command”.
Here we present three of Bomber command’s best known pilots… All of whom flew with 617 Squadron and took part in the famous “DAMBUSTERS” raid on the great dams of Western Germany in May 1943.
RAF011 “Wing Commander Guy Gibson V.C.”
Accompanied by his faithful Black Labrador, Gibson led the raid and was one of Bomber Command’s most experienced pilots at just 24 years old! He was awarded the Victoria Cross for the exploit. Sadly, he was killed on operations over Holland later in the war flying a Mosquito.
RAF012 “Flight Lieutenant Les Munro”
One of Gibson’s best Flight Leaders and a New Zealander who volunteered to fly with the RAF. He is one of a handful of survivors still living who took part in the epic raid.
RAF013 “Flight Lieutenant Harold “Mickey” Martin”
A great Australian bomber pilot and another of Gibson’s key flight leaders. He survived the war and went on to a long and very successful career in the peactime RAF eventually becoming an Air Vice Marshal.
SPECIAL NOTE: These are just a few of the great RAF figures, aircraft and diorama accessories K&C has planned… look out for more in the coming months!
AVAILABILITY: RAF001-006, 008-013 NOW!
RAF007 -- Mid October
ACHTUNG!ACHTUNG!ACHTUNG!
B. From the skies of wartorn Europe in 1940 and 1943 to the winter landscape of the Ardennes Forest in December 1944… Every Autumn and Fall you can find K&C preparing to launch our own mini offensive with our latest offerings of German and American troops and fighting vehicles… First here are the enemy…
BBG022 “Sd.Kfz 251/22 “Pakwagen” Ausf. D” (Winter)
Boy what a mouthful!!!
After we made the first summer version we thought “this could look equally good as a Battle of the Bulge vehicle”. And so, we designed three new figures, made a few changes and did a completely different winter/snow paint scheme.
Available Now!
BBG021 “Jagdpanzer IV”
The Jagdpanzer IV was the final development of the tank destroyer on the chassis of a standard tank. Development of this vehicle was championed by General Heinz Guderian when he was Inspector General of Panzer Forces in 1942/43. It was intended to replace STUG III’s and IV’s and first appeared in late 1944. It was used extensively during “The Battle of The Bulge”. Our model is typical of one of those attached to the 116th. Panzer Division. A winter-clad tank commander is included.
BBG023 “Steyr 1500 FunkKraftwagen”
Another mouthful… but a great little vehicle… and useful too! Radio communications were and are vital to any modern army and in 1944 the German Army was no exception.
This great looking little truck was built on the well-proved Steyr 1500 chassis. Here in its original Wehrmacht/factory finish gray it’s got a light frosting of snow as well as a battle-worn dust and mud layer too. Seen inside the cab is a very, very cold driver!
BBG024 “Attack”
And doing just that are these 3 “Volksgrenadiers” making an attack on an American position. All are in heavy winter greatcoats with, in two cases, camouflage smocks on top.
BBG025 “Rifle Support”
An advancing “Volksgrenadier” shouts a warning as his mate fires a well-aimed round at some retreating GI’s.
BBG026 “Winter Rifleman”
A great little single figure character study of a “Volksgrenadier”… Rifle on one shoulder and Panzerfaust on the other… this soldier has seen his fill of war…
BBG027 “Advancing Rifleman”
War has to go on however and this other single rifleman is moving stealthily forward on an enemy location…
BBG028 “Covering Fire”
Lying on the frozen hard ground of the Ardennes this MG42 gunner provides back up fire support to some of his comrades moving ahead.
AVAILABILITY: Mid October
DISPATCHES
I’m actually writing this month’s “DISPATCHES” on Thursday 17th.of September… Tomorrow afternoon we fly out (Helen, Patrick and me) to San Francisco and a weekend with the good folks at Sierra Toy Soldiers and their all-new store in the very heart of Los Gatos, California. Then on Monday and it’s off to Chicago where Gordon will join us on Tuesday.
So the next 3 1/2 weeks will be a bit of a whirlwind and I thought I better sit down and write “DISPATCHES” here in HK before, as they say, “going on the road”. So, here goes…
1. COMING IN OCTOBER…
A. THE RAF and THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
The response to the announcement of this new series in last month’s “DISPATCHES” was simply awesome! We sold out of our first 400 Hawker Hurricanes in less than 24 hours!!!
And, it seems, most collectors who want a Hurricane also want the add-on “personality” pilots and ground crew as well. That’s wonderful news for K&C and just goes to show the potential popularity of Air Force themed subjects… And, before you ask there’s a lot more already in the pipeline… British (Spitfire and Typhoon), American (P51B and P47 Thunderbolt) and, of course, German (Me109, FW190 and JU87 “Stuka”) to name but a few plus assorted diorama accessories, vehicles and figures! And a few surprises…
For the moment though there are these great “start-up” sets and figures…
RAF001 “Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding”
The head of Fighter Command and the leading architect of the RAF’s victory over the Luftwaffe. K&C’s figure shows him in a typical pose paying a visit to one of his front line squadrons during the Battle.
RAF002 “Squadron Leader Douglas Bader”
A flying legend in the RAF. Bader lost both legs in a pre war flying accident but fought to return to operational flying at the outbreak of the war.
During the Battle he commanded 242 Squadron made up of mostly Canadian pilots. Bader had that fiercely competitive spirit that fills all fighter pilots. He shot down 22 enemy aircraft before being shot down himself in 1941. He spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war in the infamous Colditz Castle in eastern Germany.
RAF003 “Flying Officer “Moggy” Cattermole & Reilly”
One of the leading characters in author Derek Robinson’s “Piece of Cake” novel about the Fall of France and the Battle of Britain. “Moggy” is a “nasty piece of work” but a great fighter pilot! “Reilly” is the squadron mascot.
RAF004 “Sgt. Pilot Ginger Lacey”
James “Ginger” Lacey was one of the NCO pilots who made up a quarter of Fighter Command’s strength during the Battle. Just 23 years old he destroyed at least 15 German aircraft (probably more) in the summer of 1940 and survived the War.
RAF005 “Flight Lieutenant Sandy Johnstone”
Originally a civilian navigation instructor and part-time pilot with 602 (City of Glasgow) Auxiliary Squadron, Johnson flew Spitfires during the Battle first as a flight Lieutenant before becoming Squadron Leader in July 1940.
RAF006 “Waiting… and Ready!”
Two RAF pilots on readiness await that jangling phone call that will send them running for their aircraft. A very typical “1940” scene.
RAF007 “Hawker HURRICANE MK.1”
One of the two most famous British aircraft that won the Battle of Britain. Less famous than the more graceful Spitfire, the Hurricane carried eight .303 machine guns and could absorb an amazing amount of punishment.
Twice as many Hurricanes fought in the Battle than Spits and although slower than the enemy 109 it was still very popular with its pilots.
K&C’s model is in the markings of 501 (County of London) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force and has 3 “kills” to its credit. Each aircraft has fixed undercarriage… a detachable, sliding canopy and a seated pilot at the controls.
Special Note: Only 400 models of this particular Hurricane are planned for production.
RAF008 “RAF Ground Crew Set”
Without the invaluable help, effort and support of the RAF’s ground crew the Battle of Britain would easily have been lost!
Here, 3 Aircraftsmen make ready to get another Hurricane or Spitfire back into the air. Set includes a Corporal Armourer and 2 x Leading Aircraftsmen.
RAF009 “Flying Officer & Trophy”
“Keith Sutton”, a New Zealander, with a “souvenir” tail piece from a Me. 110 he shot down.
RAF010 “MG Sports Car Set”
Fighter pilots and fast sports cars seem to go well together. Here, a young, rakish Flight Lieutenant sits in his nifty little British racing-green MG Sports Car enjoying a well-earned break from shooting down all those “nasty huns!”
From the defensive tactics of Fighter Command in the summer of 1940 we move forward to 1943 and the offensive operations of the RAF’s mighty “Bomber Command”.
Here we present three of Bomber command’s best known pilots… All of whom flew with 617 Squadron and took part in the famous “DAMBUSTERS” raid on the great dams of Western Germany in May 1943.
RAF011 “Wing Commander Guy Gibson V.C.”
Accompanied by his faithful Black Labrador, Gibson led the raid and was one of Bomber Command’s most experienced pilots at just 24 years old! He was awarded the Victoria Cross for the exploit. Sadly, he was killed on operations over Holland later in the war flying a Mosquito.
RAF012 “Flight Lieutenant Les Munro”
One of Gibson’s best Flight Leaders and a New Zealander who volunteered to fly with the RAF. He is one of a handful of survivors still living who took part in the epic raid.
RAF013 “Flight Lieutenant Harold “Mickey” Martin”
A great Australian bomber pilot and another of Gibson’s key flight leaders. He survived the war and went on to a long and very successful career in the peactime RAF eventually becoming an Air Vice Marshal.
SPECIAL NOTE: These are just a few of the great RAF figures, aircraft and diorama accessories K&C has planned… look out for more in the coming months!
AVAILABILITY: RAF001-006, 008-013 NOW!
RAF007 -- Mid October
ACHTUNG!ACHTUNG!ACHTUNG!
B. From the skies of wartorn Europe in 1940 and 1943 to the winter landscape of the Ardennes Forest in December 1944… Every Autumn and Fall you can find K&C preparing to launch our own mini offensive with our latest offerings of German and American troops and fighting vehicles… First here are the enemy…
BBG022 “Sd.Kfz 251/22 “Pakwagen” Ausf. D” (Winter)
Boy what a mouthful!!!
After we made the first summer version we thought “this could look equally good as a Battle of the Bulge vehicle”. And so, we designed three new figures, made a few changes and did a completely different winter/snow paint scheme.
Available Now!
BBG021 “Jagdpanzer IV”
The Jagdpanzer IV was the final development of the tank destroyer on the chassis of a standard tank. Development of this vehicle was championed by General Heinz Guderian when he was Inspector General of Panzer Forces in 1942/43. It was intended to replace STUG III’s and IV’s and first appeared in late 1944. It was used extensively during “The Battle of The Bulge”. Our model is typical of one of those attached to the 116th. Panzer Division. A winter-clad tank commander is included.
BBG023 “Steyr 1500 FunkKraftwagen”
Another mouthful… but a great little vehicle… and useful too! Radio communications were and are vital to any modern army and in 1944 the German Army was no exception.
This great looking little truck was built on the well-proved Steyr 1500 chassis. Here in its original Wehrmacht/factory finish gray it’s got a light frosting of snow as well as a battle-worn dust and mud layer too. Seen inside the cab is a very, very cold driver!
BBG024 “Attack”
And doing just that are these 3 “Volksgrenadiers” making an attack on an American position. All are in heavy winter greatcoats with, in two cases, camouflage smocks on top.
BBG025 “Rifle Support”
An advancing “Volksgrenadier” shouts a warning as his mate fires a well-aimed round at some retreating GI’s.
BBG026 “Winter Rifleman”
A great little single figure character study of a “Volksgrenadier”… Rifle on one shoulder and Panzerfaust on the other… this soldier has seen his fill of war…
BBG027 “Advancing Rifleman”
War has to go on however and this other single rifleman is moving stealthily forward on an enemy location…
BBG028 “Covering Fire”
Lying on the frozen hard ground of the Ardennes this MG42 gunner provides back up fire support to some of his comrades moving ahead.
AVAILABILITY: Mid October
