KING & COUNTRY Dispatches -- January 2022 (1 Viewer)

[King & Country]

KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES
January 2022​

Hi Guys,
A warm welcome to a brand-new year and a broad selection of brand-new figures as well as one or two colourful and dramatic revisions...
So, let’s get down to basics with a few introductions.

1. BEING RELEASED IN JANUARY
A. “Forward The 83rd!”


One of the Union Army’s most senior Generals, George B. McClellan himself described the 83rd Pennsylvania as “a first-class regiment with a fine proficiency on the drill field... and an even finer fighting reputation on the battlefield!”
Another senior officer remarked that the 83rd “encountered more fighting and suffered more casualties in action than any of its other Pennsylvania formations.”
He went on to state that the Regiment’s losses were not caused by military blunders or disastrous routs but its fallen lay with their faces towards the enemy! Praise indeed.

The 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment was made up solely of volunteers who participated in almost every major battle in the Eastern United States, including the ‘Seven Days Battle’... Antietam... Fredericksburg... Gettysburg... Petersburg and, eventually, all the way to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on 9 April 1865.

Another notable feature of the Regiment were its unique uniforms worn in the first two years of the war. These were in the style, cut and colours of typical French ‘Foot Chasseurs’ and had, in fact, been purchased in bulk from a military uniform contractor in Europe and then transported across the Atlantic.
These in turn were adapted and in some cases, copied to suit operational requirements on active service.

One of the 83rd’s most famous engagements was as one of the four regiments alongside the 20th Maine... 44th New York and 16th Michigan defending the hillock known as Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863.
During this fierce struggle the Regiment’s own Commanding Officer, Colonel Strong Vincent was mortally wounded.

As a side note, several years before in 2008, King & Country released its first batch of 83rd Pennsylvania soldiers in a broad range of defensive poses.
This time, we are going on the counter offensive as, over a few months, we are releasing almost TWO DOZEN brand-new fighting Union ‘Pennsylvanians’ taking the battle to the enemy.

Here is the first installment...

CW119 ‘Colonel John W. McLane’
This mounted figure of one of the regiment’s best known commanding officers, Col.John W. McLane encourages his men forward as they attack an enemy position.


CW121 ‘Sergeant w/Regimental Flag’
Bravely following his commanding officer this bearded sergeant charges forward with the Regiment’s own banner proudly held aloft.

 

[King & Country]

CW126 ’Infantryman Advancing (Hand on Rifle)’
As the mass of infantry surge forward this soldier ensures he has a firm, double-handed grip on his musket.


CW127 ’Infantryman Advancing (Rifle on shoulder)’
One more advancing, infantryman with his musket ‘shouldered’.


CW129 ’Infantryman Charging’
The ‘classic’ attacking pose... running towards the enemy... and danger!


CW131 ’Corporal Shouting’
As he moves forward, this non commissioned officer shouts back to the soldiers following him.


CW137 ’Infantryman Advancing’ (Rifle at Trail)
One more running soldier, face towards the enemy... rifle and bayonet by his side.


SPECIAL NOTE:
As you can see from these code numbers there are many more dynamic, fighting figures that will be appearing over the next few months including one of the heroes of ‘Little Round Top’ Colonel Strong Vincent... Look out for him!

AVAILABLE: Mid-Late January

 

[King & Country]

B. “Turning The Tables”
From the end of June 1940 until June 1944 France had to suffer the double ignominy of defeat and occupation by the armed might of Hitler’s Germany.
For four long brutal years the people of France had to contend with forced collaboration with the Germans and their ‘Vichy’ regime enforcers.
During this same period Vichy also sought to actively ‘scapegoat’ specific parts of the French population to blame for the nation’s defeat and disgrace... Jews, Communists, left-of-centre politicians, school teachers and even Freemasons fell victim to a long series of witch-hunts and persecution.
Resistance, both armed and passive to the Germans and the new reality began slowly but grew more rapidly as the enemy began to suffer military setbacks and retreats.
Following the D.Day Invasion of June 6, 1944 as the first towns and villages of France were liberated some of the once mighty and much-feared conquerors began to fall into French and Allied hands.

Now, the ‘tables had not only been turned... but turned over!’



DD370 ’Turning The Tables’
A pistol-carrying member of ‘The Resistance’ (‘Les Maquisards’) escorts a disarmed German prisoner-of-war.


WH101 ’Fallschirmjager... Hande Hoch!’
A captured Luftwaffe paratrooper, still wearing his camouflage jacket, keeps his arms up in the air as he walks into captivity.


WH102 ’For You Fritz, The War Is Over’
Another member of the Wehrmacht marches to the same destination.


WS361 ’Dazed, Bruised & Battered’
The few Waffen SS soldiers taken by the Resistance were very lucky if they only were beaten up... Most would have been shot immediately!


AVAILABLE: Early January

 

[King & Country]

C. ‘On The Little Bighorn’
68 years before the events in France in the summer and autumn of 1944 a very different kind of battle was being fought on the hills and valleys around the Little Bighorn River in Eastern Montana.
There, the last remnants of a proud U.S. Cavalry Regiment and its charismatic but quiotic commanding officer were down to their last few remaining revolver bullets and a few final carbine cartridges...




TRW180 ’Running Deer’
A dismounted Cheyenne warrior carefully approaches a 7th Cavalry casualty. In his hands he carries a war shield and a captured carbine.


TRW181 ’Dead Sergeant, Dead Horse’
Lying dead with two arrows in his chest this sergeant is next to his dead mount.


TRW182 ’The Plains Warrior’
Using his war pony for cover this bold Sioux warrior fires his weapon from under the pony’s neck.


AVAILABLE: Early January

 

[King & Country]

D. ‘COURAGE UNDER FIRE’
EIGHT all-new ‘Vietnam war’ additions combined into FOUR exciting ‘vignette’ scenes and sets.

 

[King & Country]

VN128 ‘Wounded!’
The inspiration for this dramatic little set was an actual photograph taken by the great photojournalist Don McCullin during the Battle of Hue following the TET Offensive of 1968.
McCullin spent weeks embedded with the U.S. Marines battling to retake the ancient Imperial city of HUE. His reportage and photos of that battle are among the very finest of any taken of any war at any time.
Now in his 80s the photographer has left all his wars behind him and now prefers the quiet, more peaceful pastoral landscapes of his native Britain and the occasional commissioned portrait. This is our ‘homage’ to a great and very brave photographer.



VN129 ‘Prisoner & Escort’
As the battle rages all around them a young Australian infantryman grabs hold of a Viet Cong suspect and rushes him back to a safe area for interrogation.


VN136 ‘Covering Fire Set’
As one Marine ‘GRUNT’ prepares to move to a new location his buddy gets ready to ‘open-up’ with his M16 and provide ‘covering fire’.


VN138 ‘Moving Forward’
Two more Marines, with fixed bayonets on their M16s rush forward onto an enemy position.


AVAILABLE: Mid-January

 

[King & Country]

BEING RETIRED
As per normal... as we welcome new items into the inventory we have to bid a fond farewell to some others.
Here’s this month’s list:

FOB154	Taking The Fight To The Enemy
FOB155	Bren Gun Team
IDF020	The Israeli Army M3 Halftrack
SA001	Horst Wessel
SA002	Marching Flagbearer
SA003	Marching SA Man
SA004	Marching w/Side Glance
USN024	Commander-In-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet
VN034	Saigon Embassy Trio
VN051	Aussies on Patrol

[/tr]

And that’s January for you.
All the very best to you and... Let’s all wish for a happy, healthy and peaceful 2022…

Happy Collecting!

Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder & Creative Director
King & Country Ltd. ​

 

[villagehorse]

Covering all bets with this mixed bag of goodies. Robin.

 

[Horus]

More than plenty here for me this month some must haves and a few for a later catch up month ! :salute::

Steve

 

[Poppo]

This is great{sm3}

 

[Barkmann]

I will add the WW2 figures to my list and purchase, but have quite a few pieces on my list, they do look very good. The US Civil war figures will please a lot of people, not my era of interest but they do look good as well.

 

[arnhem44mad]

Loving the recent amount of German Prisoners Andy! Roll on!

Scott

 

[jason foote]

This is amazing. Just having a rough count and seeing around 20 new sculpts for the ACW 83rd. Have already ordered all this months releases, excepted the mounted figure. At almost $200 AUD I can’t justify the price to myself. I have the mounted officer from the previous release so that will have to do for now.
Jas

 

[Lo1863]

Very nice surprise to see some ACW releases! Totally looking forward to seeing what's next!