King and Country "Style" (2 Viewers)

[Warrior]

Iv'e been a fan K & C's style since the very first time I saw their original Arnhem sets in Matt Murphy's Dad Bills old store (the terrific Excalibur Hobbies); Bill had them set up in a diorama in the rear of the store and they just leaped out at me as at the time, noone was doing matte finish, it was all gloss at the time, led by Britains and Imperial.

Had the chance later that year to see the spectacular Arnhem diorama K & C created for Chicago in person at the show and I was blown away.

The figures have continued to evolve since then; the latest batch of Bulge Gerrmans and Americans are just spectacular, in my opinion their best figures to date. That was what I said when I saw their WWII British, then the Canadians, then the Luftwaffe Field Division, then the..........well you get my point, each new release raises the bar.

Their vehicles continue to evolve as well; again, the latest Bulge vehicles are spectacular, their best effort to date, especially the US halftrack and the German tank.

The so called brightness of the paint jobs is the trademark of K & C, which is just fine by me. I don't like figures that are too "dull" as even though some find this look more realistic, I don't like it.....................

 

[lancer]

Well guys,all of us who've ever called them Toy Soldiers are apparently immature!

Rob

Immature? Me? That does it. I'm taking my toy soldiers and going home.

 

[nmrocks]

We are living in the " Golden Age " of Military Miniature collecting,K&C have become my main focus,for the moment,cant call them "Toy Soldiers",they are way too expensive to call them "Toys".It brings more credibility to collecting if we term them "Military Miniatures or "Military Figures"."Toys" to me are little crappie plastic objects children play with ,to call Figures that retail from £25 + and Vehicles that retail from £95+ "Toys" seems somewhat strange and immature.I take my hobby very serious and consider no item in my collection as a "Toy".I have only recently started to collect K&C pieces because they are beginning to look like serious colector pieces,rather than "toys",the recent releases are fantastic,a vast improvement from earlier releases that i have little interest in adding to my "Military Miniature" collection.K&C are clearly improving their product quality in line with the competetive market they find themslves in and i am sure will continue to strive to make further improvements.

I use the term "Toy Soldiers" simply because I don't have a better term to describe the "zone" of style K&C occupies. While there absolutely a military miniature, there style does not try to duplicate absolute proportion and as Warrior put it the duller more gritty realistic color and shading. It must be very gratifying for Andy to be able to have a unique artistic interpritation and be able to translate it thru a team of sculptors and painters.
I early on recognized, This is Art!

 

[Spitfrnd]

.....
The so called brightness of the paint jobs is the trademark of K & C, which is just fine by me. I don't like figures that are too "dull" as even though some find this look more realistic, I don't like it.....................

I know the brightness works for some, it is sometimes too much for me. In some cases, it is just not possible for cloth uniforms to have that degree of shine for example. Of course there are many degrees between bright and dull so there is much room for more realistic without bland. In the end, it is a matter of choice. Since I am pretty sure you don't dislike what I like, I think we are on the same page. I hope to see you next weekend BTW George.

 

[Warrior]

I know the brightness works for some, it is sometimes too much for me. In some cases, it is just not possible for cloth uniforms to have that degree of shine for example. Of course there are many degrees between bright and dull so there is much room for more realistic without bland. In the end, it is a matter of choice. Since I am pretty sure you don't dislike what I like, I think we are on the same page. I hope to see you next weekend BTW George.

That would be great if you can make it to Burlington Bill, let me know if you can or not as it will be good to see you there.

You are also correct in that in the end, it is a matter of choice; it's great to have so many choices these days, it truly is the golden age of collecting where the choices have never been greater.........

 

[Richard Tree]

This is right out of my heart. That's why I like K & C. I know there not exactly accurat but it feels good solo our in a display. It still gives me thrills when I look at my napoleon diorama. I reality it could never happen such a close mass of soldiers and horses, but it's a fine sight.

I have some AFV's. It took a long while before I bought one, because of the "is it like the real thing" problem, but in my BotB collection they fit in the overall picture and it thrills me also to look at it. There a beautifull made and I bought more, and more.

If I want accuracy, I built it in 1/35 plastic models. Those models are nearly accurate.

Thank you for this tread.

Richard

 

[MapleLeaf]

KC to me is military miniatures not toy soldiers

I don't play with them , in collector case only

KC figures are realistic in size

Matte finish is more to reality

the sculpting is amazing

John Jenkin has nice matte finish but they are too fat

I do collect gloss primary for ceremonial

Delhi Durbar and Highlanders bands

This is my point of view each is own Maple Leaf

 

[kilted vampire]

Let us face it. K&C is attractive! It is well done and has a lot going for it. No one has really been able to replicate them. There are other companies that are carving away their share of the market place. I buy some of their stuff too. It is all good and there is room for all.

In my opinion, K&C is the Benchmark. Andy gets better because everyone else gets better and Andy wants to stay on top.

 

[wwiibuff]

Sorry Rob, but when I am setting them up in dioramas, I am playing with them Just like when I was 8 years old. The difference now is they are not set up in dirt in the back yard having to survive a bombardment of pebbles and firecrackers.

Terry

Terry, I remember those days of having "war" with my Marx playsets or Airfix plastic figures...and great days they were! But today I feel like I'm doing the same thing only with expensive metal soldiers. What's the old saying? "The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys".

 

[Cyber Field Marshall]

As I'm taking the time to bother posting on a toy soldier forum on a thread dedicated to K&C I guess it follows I must prefer K&C's style.......and I certainly do! Most of my collection is K&C so I think that speaks for itself. IMHO I think K&C strike a nice balance between bright, glossy "toys" of old and the grittier, realistic "military miniatures" of today. Toy soldier, military miniature I really don't care what you call it, the hobby is just plain fun too me and I enjoy sharing it with anyone who'll indulge me.

Cheers
CFM

 

[pegasus44]

I was wondering if many of the K&C fans on the forum like me enjoy K&C because of a style that doesn't rely on absolute proportion and historical accuracy?
I'm having a bit of trouble expressing it exactly but, I kinda like K&C because of a, for lack of a better word, Toyish style?
The filled out figure proportions, the slightly brighter colors? I have bought the Newer, more historically accurate manufacturers figures and no slight to them, I really prefer the more filled out figures and vibrant colors.
Historical accuracy is really great and the ever increasing quality is a plus with all manufacturers, but for me it's not the end all, I thought when I bought the other brand it would kill my desire for K&C but, quite the opposite occured! which really suprised me!
Perhaps others could better express my views?
Ray

Can't really agree on their being "toyish". Can't explain it myself-I just like their style. Was looking at Collector's Showcase Arnhem pieces yesterday. They have some interesting poses (close combat with SS Panzergrenadiers for one) but their faces look wooden, like a puppets' As for historical accuracy, have to say I'm a purist (but will bend the rules if it's not too off the mark) as mine will be used for dioramas. (Have FOW LW Paras for gaming.
Speaking of which, can someone clear one thing up for me? Was looking at the American airborne pieces in the D-Day series and notice they're all wearing leggings. Are they supposed to be glidermen? I hear Ike ordered jump boots banned sometime in 1944 but the order was mostly ignored. Also one piece is an American glider pilot on patrol. As of June '44 I thought glider pilots were somehow to be sent back to "Blightly" after they landed as they weren't (like the British GPs) trained infantrymen. That became the case later on.

 

[Njja]

I liked King & Country the first time I saw them at Classic Toys in NYC. They

had a nice variety of items, and were a very nice value for the money. I

believe the first sets I purchased were 4 figures for $89. At that time you

could expect to pay that for a single figure at some shops I visited. Their

figures were well made (compaired to my childhood Britians) and to this day I

have never broken a King & Country figure. That is the kind of quality I like!

 

[lcdr1635]

To be honest -- the K&C "style" that you refer to (lack of attention to scale and historical accuracy, oversized weapons, too- bright and often just plain wrong colors) is the biggest problem I have had with K&C figures. |Perhaps it is because I came back to this hobby from plastic scale modelling -- where accuracy is EVERYTHING. A couple of times I have passed on a whole K&C range because of these issues and find that I am drifting away from K&C to other manufacturers.

 

[uksubs]

I was wondering if many of the K&C fans on the forum like me enjoy K&C because of a style that doesn't rely on absolute proportion and historical accuracy?
I'm having a bit of trouble expressing it exactly but, I kinda like K&C because of a, for lack of a better word, Toyish style?
The filled out figure proportions, the slightly brighter colors? I have bought the Newer, more historically accurate manufacturers figures and no slight to them, I really prefer the more filled out figures and vibrant colors.
Historical accuracy is really great and the ever increasing quality is a plus with all manufacturers, but for me it's not the end all, I thought when I bought the other brand it would kill my desire for K&C but, quite the opposite occured! which really suprised me!
Perhaps others could better express my views?
Ray

Got to say I like K&C new figures but like my soldiers to historical right but each to is own

 

[Major Major]

Wouldn't be here if I didn't like it. I hope they stay doing just what they're doing. Very few complaints. The only one I can remember is the Arnhem guy with the umbrella. His back, head, & neck are so straight it is as if he has the umbrella stuck up his rear end. Over the top on that one for me.

He has to be like that to peer over Arnhem Bridge to spot for Germans..!

 

[Rob]

I liked King & Country the first time I saw them at Classic Toys in NYC. They

had a nice variety of items, and were a very nice value for the money. I

believe the first sets I purchased were 4 figures for $89. At that time you

could expect to pay that for a single figure at some shops I visited. Their

figures were well made (compaired to my childhood Britians) and to this day I

have never broken a King & Country figure. That is the kind of quality I like!

Good point,I too have never had a broken figure.

Rob

 

[sammy719]

Every manufacturer has thier own style, sculpting, painting, etc..looking at all the aspects together I think of no other company has it together more then K&C, month in and month out there are awesome releases, and I agree the newer releases are better then ever, I just recieved a set of the new Luftwaffe sets and they look great!!! it all comes down on spending your dollar on what you like...Sammy

 

[Alexdakar]

I think K&C has the right combination of color and weathering. The color is a little bright to attract attention but not to bright that it looks like a toy. The weathering is there but again not too much that it makes the model look drab. Imagine a display cabinet with a bunch of drab models. I think realistic works on individual basis but not a whole display cabinet full of models.

 

[Spitfrnd]

Good point,I too have never had a broken figure.

Rob

I have found the Napoleonics are a tad more fragile, especially the swords.

 

[Canadian Samurai]

Good point,I too have never had a broken figure.

Rob

Come on, you must have had at least one or two broken rifle tips.