KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES -- April 2024 (1 Viewer)

[desk11desk12]

Yes, i do buy from Britains for WWII. However,i look forward every months to see what King & Country is releasing in WWII, and Vietnam War that I'll be buying.

Rick Wong of Figarti once told my Andy is still the King!

Carlos

 

[jazzeum]

18 months in 40 years is hardly an eternity!
And if a few WWII customers take their business elsewhere so be it…it’s still a mostly free world…and that’s up to them.

No one said it was an eternity; and it’s more like 23 or 24 years. 18 months in that span is quite a long time in a competitive environment where customers now have choice unlike those halcyon days of yesteryear.

I never heard of a company in any industry saying they don’t mind losing customers. First time for everything.

 

[Barkmann]

This thread is getting a bit heated........As collectors lets just be happy when something comes out we want, if there is nothing we want, then so be it and wait until the next dispatches and maybe there will be something there you do want.

K & C has a diverse range and i do not think the market could stand there being a monthly release from every range, never mind the resources and finance required to do that. Andy must sometime feel like Sisyphus rolling that ball up the hill, the release schedule is relentless, however, on the forum he must feel he is suffering like Prometheus.

Great to hear 2 new special vehicles for D-Day, i wonder would they be 'special' or 'funny'! Asking for a friend in Australia, he lives in Hobart.

 

[jazzeum]

I don’t think it’s heated at all. I merely expressed wonderment that there had been no releases of two important ranges in at least 18 months and Andy didn’t think that was a big deal. Ultimately, it’s up to K & C to decide what product they roll out and, of course, it’s up to collectors to decide where they spend their money.

It was merely an exchange of views.

 

[panda1gen]

Consider this…
K&C over the last 40 years has produced more Arnhem and D.Day figures, vehicles and landing craft than the rest of the metal toy soldier companies combined…

And much as I enjoyed doing all of them it was creatively and commercially good and healthy to take a break and explore other wars and other battles such as ‘Vietnam’…’The Middle East’ and ‘The Falklands’ to name but three.

At the same time, we have possibly the broadest range of series covering the widest span of many historical eras in the hobby and we try to design and produce items for those too so you will perhaps appreciate that it’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time…especially the relatively small number (including myself) who make the time and take the trouble to participate in forums such as this one.

Going forward, we already have ‘in the works’ more than a few figures and two special vehicles for D.Day and something else for Arnhem but I’ll leave that for later.

In The meantime…Adios for now,
Andy.

Andy

Thanks for the head's up, looking forward to new ww2 figures.

All the best

Kevin

 

[Desertkiwi]

I'm all for mixing things up and exploring new ranges and era's myself and kudos to Andy and the K&C team for doing so....

 

[Panzer ace]

Consider this…
K&C over the last 40 years has produced more Arnhem and D.Day figures, vehicles and landing craft than the rest of the metal toy soldier companies combined…

And much as I enjoyed doing all of them it was creatively and commercially good and healthy to take a break and explore other wars and other battles such as ‘Vietnam’…’The Middle East’ and ‘The Falklands’ to name but three.

At the same time, we have possibly the broadest range of series covering the widest span of many historical eras in the hobby and we try to design and produce items for those too so you will perhaps appreciate that it’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time…especially the relatively small number (including myself) who make the time and take the trouble to participate in forums such as this one.

Going forward, we already have ‘in the works’ more than a few figures and two special vehicles for D.Day and something else for Arnhem but I’ll leave that for later.

In The meantime…Adios for now,
Andy.

To each their own and while I too lament the lack of D-Day releases I equally celebrate the introduction and expansion of the modern Vietnam, Middle East and Falkland series.

 

[Francis]

I am very surprised that K&C is not present on the antique chariot market...
he had made a magnificent Pharaoh chariot... then nothing more...
This theme of the antique chariot has started again for 1 or 2 years, thanks to JJD and K&C is not moving...
especially since his foray into this theme more than 15 years ago was remarkable...
this market is proving to be very prolific since JJD is only just getting started...
Persians, Hittites, Assyrians, Phillistines, Romans, Celts, etc..., the list goes on!!
So K&C???

 

[jason foote]

Andy, you said it you can’t please everyone all the time, and you cant.
We all want to see the things we like but most of us know thats not going to happen every month. I am 54 and have collected toy soldiers my entire life and love it. I love the thrill of getting the latest parcel of figures and i take a few days to open them all up and see them live, so i can savour it….. maybe i open one or two a day and i put them on my mantel piece and wonder at the artistry of the sculpting and painting.
But another great joy is just awaiting the dispatch to see whats up for grabs next month. To me that is part of the excitement, to have that thrill of whats coming, its a bit like Christmas day when you were a kid and you just couldnt wait to rip the paper of your prezzies and see what was underneath the paper . So i say thank you for the great figures, thanks for the thrill of seeing whats coming every month and thanks for making so many great figures over the last 40 years.
And lastly, thanks for coming and chatting to us collectors. We love it, its amazing. I cant wait to see you in Sydney in June at Peter Nathans and then for the dinner. What a treat.
And like Barkman said if you made a whole heap of figures that i thought were must haves every month i couldnt keep up.
Thanks
Jas

 

[King & Country]

I am very surprised that K&C is not present on the antique chariot market...
he had made a magnificent Pharaoh chariot... then nothing more...
This theme of the antique chariot has started again for 1 or 2 years, thanks to JJD and K&C is not moving...
especially since his foray into this theme more than 15 years ago was remarkable...
this market is proving to be very prolific since JJD is only just getting started...
Persians, Hittites, Assyrians, Phillistines, Romans, Celts, etc..., the list goes on!!
So K&C???

So K&C???

So I suppose ‘Streets of Ancient Rome’ does’nt count in that case..?

 

[bridport]

I too feel disappointed when WW2 doesn’t make a despatches appearance…

But the recent AK, HJ SS and British Infantry have been excellent releases.

Still catching up on those.

For the sake of my bank balance, thank goodness for monthly variety!

Fingers still crossed for fighting Kriegsmarine at some point…

 

[Francis]

So K&C???

So I suppose ‘Streets of Ancient Rome’ does’nt count in that case..?

indeed, the (very successful) ''Streets of Ancient Rome'' trolley does not count... We are in civilian life...
an Assyrian or Egyptian war chariot, for example, cannot be compared to a trader's cart...
But, if you allow me, let's get back to my question...
Why, with the quality and experience that characterizes K&C, are you not present on the ancient war chariot? and I will go even further, it's the same incomprehension for war elephants?
it would be even a nice dose of additional innovation in your achievements...
on these two themes, if we look at the brands that are the most popular... apart from the one who currently excels in these areas, there is no serious competitor...
since the first releases of war chariots in recent months, there has been tremendous anticipation on this theme...
same for the elephants...
So K&C?
Thank you in advance for your answer.

 

[jazzeum]

My recollection is that some of the chariots, while impressive looking, didn’t always arrive in one piece. The person who fixes things for many on this forum, Mike De Marco (and for whom I act as agent) fixed a few of these. That may be a factor in not seeing more made.

 

[NZGary]

Goodness me. This is supposed to be a hobby to be enjoyed. Just be grateful we have some really good manufacturers who produce so many fantastic models and figures on a regular basis. The variety is wonderful and while Andy has had a mini hiatus on D Day and Market Garden there is so much else to enjoy. I have just got into the Roman civilian range. Just exquisite.

I have read the frustration on the Team Minuatures thread on how long it's taken to get the next batch of Winged Hussars out. We seem to becoming a very impatient bunch.

Enjoy what you already have on your shelves or in your cabinets and be thankful you can afford to indulge in a new purchase once in a while. Many could not contemplate spending money on such an expensive hobby. We are the lucky few.

Be grateful and patient my virtual friends.

Gary

 

[King & Country]

indeed, the (very successful) ''Streets of Ancient Rome'' trolley does not count... We are in civilian life...
an Assyrian or Egyptian war chariot, for example, cannot be compared to a trader's cart...
But, if you allow me, let's get back to my question...
Why, with the quality and experience that characterizes K&C, are you not present on the ancient war chariot? and I will go even further, it's the same incomprehension for war elephants?
it would be even a nice dose of additional innovation in your achievements...
on these two themes, if we look at the brands that are the most popular... apart from the one who currently excels in these areas, there is no serious competitor...
since the first releases of war chariots in recent months, there has been tremendous anticipation on this theme...
same for the elephants...
So K&C?
Thank you in advance for your answer.

Who says I HAVE to make a War Chariot or a War Elephant?
Perhaps I may even have other options and certainly other choices…
By the by, what exactly is an Ancient Roman trolley..?
Best wishes,
Andy.

 

[OzDigger]

Goodness me. This is supposed to be a hobby to be enjoyed. Just be grateful we have some really good manufacturers who produce so many fantastic models and figures on a regular basis. The variety is wonderful and while Andy has had a mini hiatus on D Day and Market Garden there is so much else to enjoy. I have just got into the Roman civilian range. Just exquisite.

I have read the frustration on the Team Minuatures thread on how long it's taken to get the next batch of Winged Hussars out. We seem to becoming a very impatient bunch.

Enjoy what you already have on your shelves or in your cabinets and be thankful you can afford to indulge in a new purchase once in a while. Many could not contemplate spending money on such an expensive hobby. We are the lucky few.

Be grateful and patient my virtual friends.

Gary

Sadly it's not a recent trend, almost every Dispatch over many years we see at least one collector complain that Andy is not releasing enough of the series 'they' collect, be it D-Day, Market-Garden, The Alamo or Whatever. I know these are 'Toy Soldiers' but surely they can try to be more mature and cease these immature and petulant complaints each month.

 

[King & Country]

Sadly it's not a recent trend, almost every Dispatch over many years we see at least one collector complain that Andy is not releasing enough of the series 'they' collect, be it D-Day, Market-Garden, The Alamo or Whatever. I know these are 'Toy Soldiers' but surely they can try to be more mature and cease these immature and petulant complaints each month.

Thankyou Matt.
All the best,
Andy.

 

[panda1gen]

After over 20 years collecting mainly K&C I have admired the different themes, ages and backgrounds.

I decided a long time ago (thinking of my wallet) to just concentrate on WW2 and even then have only been able to collect a tiny fraction of the full range of WW2 offerings.

I feel that my WW2 British are rather outnumbered, but I understand that Andy cannot grow and sustain his business without developing new lines and this niche of WW2 would not do it. I respect that.

However, I like to see the other lines and periods on this forum, even though I feel that I cannot buy any of them. As Matt and others have said, surely appreciating the diversity should be standard, although I understand it can be disappointing at times if you don't get products in your favourite niche.
This thread is surely about what Andy is offering the market, not what he isn't? ^&confuse

^&grin Now then, about the WW2 British halftrack, carriers, tanks, artillery, 17pdr, engineers, support troops etc etc etc ? :redface2: (Is this the right room for an argument?):wink2:

 

[The Military Workshop]

indeed, the (very successful) ''Streets of Ancient Rome'' trolley does not count... We are in civilian life...
an Assyrian or Egyptian war chariot, for example, cannot be compared to a trader's cart...
But, if you allow me, let's get back to my question...
Why, with the quality and experience that characterizes K&C, are you not present on the ancient war chariot? and I will go even further, it's the same incomprehension for war elephants?
it would be even a nice dose of additional innovation in your achievements...
on these two themes, if we look at the brands that are the most popular... apart from the one who currently excels in these areas, there is no serious competitor...
since the first releases of war chariots in recent months, there has been tremendous anticipation on this theme...
same for the elephants...
So K&C?
Thank you in advance for your answer.

Or you could go the other way and pop over to the John Jenkins thread and ask him where his WW2 Arnhem, Afrika Korps and 8th Army, Russians, US Rangers, Waffen SS, Ceremonials and Streets of Hong Kong Series etc etc are.
(Note to John : Not having a go at you !).

 

[damian]

Who says I HAVE to make a War Chariot or a War Elephant?
Perhaps I may even have other options and certainly other choices…
By the by, what exactly is an Ancient Roman trolley..?
Best wishes,
Andy.

I would buy all those in a heartbeat provided the price was right.