King & Country Dispatches -- October 2024 (2 Viewers)

[King & Country]

KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES
October 2024​

Hi Guys,
By the time most of you read this myself, Tammi & Kristy from K&C Headquarters here in Hong Kong will be getting ready to fly out to America to take part in our very first ROUND TOP ANTIQUES FAIR which has been held at Round Top, Texas for more than 50 years!

Three times a year in Spring, Fall and Winter this huge event attracts over 100,000 visitors from all over North America (and elsewhere) to see (and buy) all kinds of antiques and collectibles of every shape, size and kind you can think of.

Well, we thought, why not introduce top quality toy soldiers and military miniatures into the mix. After all, a customer base at an event like this obviously contains a large number of folks who love history, celebrate heritage and perhaps appreciate hand-made, hand-painted, authentically researched military miniatures that tell some of the great stories from our past and even major conflicts from more recent times. ROUND TOP will give us a unique opportunity to introduce K&C to a whole new audience while at the same time promoting our own retail stores in Hong Kong and, of course, San Antonio, Texas.

All of us will be at Round Top from the 14-19 October and at Booth #333 in The BIG RED BARN from dawn to dusk each day! If you’re in the area come and stop by and say hello.

Now, that’s the introduction over let’s get down to business…

1. BEING RELEASED THIS MONTH
A.‘Black Hawk Down Transport’
By now most of you guys will know about our all-new ‘Modern War’ series based on the ‘Black Hawk Down’ story that follows the chaotic battle in Mogadishu, Somalia that infamously left 18 U.S. soldiers dead and 73 more wounded and injured on 3/4 October 1993.
K&C’s recent releases of fighting U.S. Army Rangers has been well and truly welcomed not only by U.S. collectors but others from all over the world with all of these guys eagerly looking forward to one of the very special ground vehicles that was at the heart of the whole operation – the American M1025 Armored Carrier, much better known as ‘The HUMVEE’.
These High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) were lightweight, highly mobile, diesel-powered, four-wheel drive tactical vehicles that utilized a common chassis to carry a wide variety of military hardware ranging from .50 cal. machine guns to tube - launched, optically tracked, wire- guided TOW anti tank missiles.
HUMVEES could operate in a wide range of environments from deserts to jungles for long sustained periods of time with minimal maintenance.
They were made to carry cargo and occupants in a degree of safety while dodging deadly instruments of war including bombs, bullets, mines and RPG’s (Rocket Propelled Grenades).
In addition, the HUMVEE had to be air-transportable and droppable and also capable of being sling – loaded under a helicopter.
Both of our K&C HUMVEES are based on the troop-carrying versions seen in action in the great Ridley Scott – directed ‘Black Hawk Down’ movie.
In real life, ‘Operation Gothic Serpent’, the plan to capture key Somali militia leaders loyal to local warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid involved a convoy of ground vehicles, mostly HUMVEES and manned by Rangers, extracting other Rangers who earlier had been inserted by helicopter and their prisoners back to safety at the U.S. base after the capture of the targets.
With the downing of two Black Hawk helicopters by enemy action the original plan began to unravel and it seemed the entire city erupted and engulfed the original convoy with Somali militia firing down on the HUMVEES from every rooftop and blocking routes and roads leading into and out of the city.
At this point it’s worth mentioning that one of the HUMVEE’s major weak points at this time was that although mounting a powerful .50 cal. machine gun there was no armour shield to protect either the gun or the gunner!
A second relief HUMVEE convoy, led by Lt. Col. Danny McKnight, also struggled to navigate the hostile streets of Mogadishu while suffering numerous ‘hits’ on their light weight aluminum doors, unarmored windshields and ranger personnel.
This was the perilous situation our new U.S. Army Rangers and their Humvees found themselves in…

BHD013 M1025 ‘HUMVEE’ (with Gunner cocking the .50 cal machine gun)
This fighting vehicle is painted in standard U.S. / NATO three-colour camouflage of that period. Each vehicle comes with two complete figures - driver and gunner.
In this vehicle the gunner is using his right hand to cock the heavy .50 Cal. while keeping a lookout for any of the local Somali militia.

BHD014 M1025 M1025 HUMVEE (with Gunner firing the .50 Cal. machine gun)
This second HUMVEE has a crouching gunner in the open roof hatch taking careful aim with this iconic heavy machine gun. A driver figure is also included.

BHD017 ‘Ranger Fire Team’
A three-man section including a Ranger NCO firing his Beretta M9 pistol. This semi automatic weapon replaced the venerable .45 M1911 pistol in 1985 and was widely carried by officers and senior enlisted ranks in addition to their M16A2 assault rifles. Our senior NCO (non commissioned officer) takes careful aim using the two-handed shooting style favoured by most police forces as well as many militaries around the world.
Backing up the NCO is a cautiously advancing Ranger with his M16A2 in the shoulder. A kneeling Ranger adjusts his helmet and is the third member of the team.
A very useful addition to the previously released Rangers!

AVAILABLE: Early October

 

[King & Country]

B. ‘THE BLACK DEVIL’

History has seen numerous outstanding aviators and specifically ‘ACE’ fighter pilots. None however, comes close to the exceptionally gifted (and deadly) Erich Hartmann (1922-1993) who served and flew mainly on the Eastern Front during WW2.
Hartmann was the top-scoring fighter pilot of all the many Allied and Axis aces of WW2. He flew a staggering 825 combat missions recording a grand total of 352 victories!
During the winter months of 1944 and into 1945 Hartmann flew a number of different Messerschmitt Bf.109 ‘Gustavs’ painted in the distinctive winter-colour scheme of snow white with faint grey colour camouflage. On the nose of each aircraft was Hartmann’s own ‘Black Tulip’ design which became the last symbol many unfortunate Soviet aviators would ever see. In addition Hartmann’s winter ‘Gustav’ would also carry a red heart under the cockpit on the port side bearing the name of his wife.
With Germany’s defeat, Erich Hartmann was handed over to the Russians and served 10 years in various brutal Soviet prison / labour camps before being freed and returning to Germany and his family.
Shortly afterwards he joined the new West German Bundeswehr air force rising to the rank of ‘Colonel’ and commanding the famous ‘Richtofen’ squadron which was then flying the deadly and dangerous U.S. made F104 ‘Starfighter’. He passed away in 1993.

LW091 Erich Hartmann’s Messerschmitt Bf. 109
His winter-camouflaged Bf. 109 ‘Gustav’ is a fitting companion to our long-retired FW190 in ‘winter colours’ (see photo).
This particular winter ‘Gustav’ was painted in these colours while flying with Jagdgeschwader 53. Each model comes in its own sturdy, full-colour, presentation box.

LW092 ‘Major Erich Hartmann’
A standing solo figure of Major Hartmann wearing a natural leather, tan flying jerkin with a fur collar on top of the loose-fitting trousers of the two-piece Luftwaffe flying suit and boots. On his head, a brown leather Luftwaffe flying helmet.

LW-S04 LW091 + LW092 Value Added set
Purchase both the aircraft and the figure together and you get a Special Price!

AVAILABLE: Mid to Late October

 

[King & Country]

C. ‘ON THE STREETS OF ANCIENT ROME’

Four additional sets of very useful Roman citizens to help collectors populate the streets of this Ancient city…

RnB044 ‘The Hard-Working Servants’
Most ordinary Roman citizens worked from dawn till dusk carrying out all kinds of menial tasks that kept this great metropolis running.
This pair of working men can be used in a number of different scenes and areas performing their daily duties on the streets, alleys and courtyards of wealthy merchants and or powerful and influential noble families.

RnB054 ‘The Noble Couple’
Talking of the nobility… Here are two members of Rome’s wealthier families strolling around the city enjoying the sights and sounds of the most powerful city of the Ancient World.

RnB058 ‘Young Roman Game Players’
Three young boys amuse themselves in a corner of the street playing a game of chance utilizing small stones and, perhaps, a few small Roman coins.

RnB063 ‘The Roman Orator’
'Oratory’ is the art of public speaking and in Ancient Rome society it was valued highly.
Trained to be eloquent and persuasive, orators used their skills and position in society to inform and influence public opinion, sway judges and, sometime denounce political figures.
Oratory in Rome, at that time, was very much a male arena. Some elite men trained to be public orators throughout their lives.
Our public ‘orator’ is making a particular point while standing on a marble plinth to address a crowd of onlookers. This was a very early form of mass communication.

AVAILABLE: Early October

 

[King & Country]

D. A DIFFERENT STREET… A DIFFERENT TIME

As ever with King & Country we move around the world, crossing continents and oceans and travelling through time to the ‘Wild West’ and the city limits of a small, but bustling ‘Cow Town’ of the 1880s…

CD041 ‘Welcome To Abilene’
Abilene was and is a small town in Kansas in the United States. It is also the home of The Dwight D. Eisenlower Presidential Library but that’s another story…
In 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railway Company (Union Pacific today) pushed westwards through Abilene where a local resident built a hotel and stockyards capable of holding up to 2,000 head of cattle and stables for cattle drive horses.
At the same time, the railroad constructed a ‘spur-line’ that enabled cattle cars to be rapidly loaded and sent on to various destinations in the Northern States. As business boomed the town grew quickly and became the first, great ‘Cow Town’ of the West.
Here you can see one of the cowboys who has just driven a large herd of cattle all the way up from Texas to the railhead here in Abilene. It’s not surprising that after many long weeks on the trail and in the saddle he rests against one of the local sign posts marking the cowtown’s city limits.

AVAILABLE: Mid to Late October

 

[King & Country]

E. ‘LOS BANDITOS’

Banditos were Mexican Bandits and outlaws who took part in every kind of criminality along the Texas / Mexico border during the Wild West era from the Mexican / American War in 1848 until the end of the Mexican Revolution in the 1920’s. During that time the border was very dangerous due to the political and economic turmoil in Mexico itself.
This caused thousands of peasants to become revolutionaries or bandits who occasionally made forays into Texas itself and other U.S. border states to steal cattle, rob banks and even attack small towns and lonely ranches and farms.
On the American side of the border, the U.S. Army as well as local law enforcement, such as the Texas Rangers and occasionally vigilantes took their revenge and sometimes ventured into Mexico themselves to exact punishment on the bandito gangs.
Many books and a plentiful supply of movies have featured these ‘banditos’ and so K&C wanted to add a few more of our own…

TRW205 ‘CALVERA, the Bandito Chief’
The classic 1960 ‘Western’, “The Magnificent seven” has always been a favourite of mine! Starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson and three others it will be featured in a special 7-figure upcoming K&C release.
Meanwhile however here is… The evil Bandito Chief himself ‘CALVERA’ played by the great Eli Wallach astride his horse and carrying his Winchester rifle.

TRW206 ‘Mounted Bandito #1’
Another of Calvera’s mounted henchman to back up the chief.

TRW207 ‘Winchester Bandito’
Looking relatively relaxed this well-armed bandito rests his Winchester on his shoulders.

TRW208 ‘Jesus Arriago ‘Chucho el Roto’
Arriago was a Mexican bandito (1858-1885) who liked to rob the rich and occasionally share a small portion of his newly-acquired wealth with a few of the peasants.
His legend also included his love of fine and colourful clothes and a reputation as a formidable gunfighter. He was seen by some as a kind of bandito ‘Robin Hood’ figure.

TRW209 ‘Mounted Bandito #2’
l liked this figure so much I wanted to produce an alternative colour version and here he is. As you can see he looks great alongside Calvera!

AVAILABLE: Mid to Late October

 

[King & Country]

F. FROM MEXICO TO THE MIDDLE AGES…

Two final additons to our recent collection of English archers in various poses. Two more alternatives…

MK237 ‘Ready To Fire Archer’ (Red Helmet)
This standing bowman has a quiver full of arrows together with three more planted next to him.

MK245 ‘Ready To Fire Archer’ (Iron Helmet)
As above with a few colour variations.

AVAILABLE: Early October

 

[Northwest Hussar]

Awesome! Maybe I detect a hint of a Hundred Years War range on the horizon, Andy?

 

[King & Country]

2. BEING RETIRED THIS MONTH…

Just 6 items being retired this October but among them are two exceptional WW2 vehicles, one British the other American…

FOB152 ‘The Bren Gun Carrier’
Over the years K&C has produced a number of different ‘Universal Carriers’, better known by British and Empire Forces simply as ‘The Bren Gun Carrier’.
These small, tracked carriers were a family of high armoured vehicles built by Vickers Armstrong and other licensed companies.
They entered service with the British Army in 1935 and were not finally withdrawn until 1960.
Although mostly armed with the ubiquitous .303 Bren Gun other weapons could be added. In this particular case, a heavy Vickers machine gun is mounted behind the driver.
An excellent addition to any K&C British WW2 collection!

DD318 ‘The Diamond ‘T’ Tank Transporter’
The M19 Tank Transporter was a heavy tank transporter system used during WW2 and for many years afterwards.
It comprised a 12-ton, 6x4 M20 Diamond T model 980 truck / tractor pulling a companion 12-wheel M9 trailer.
Almost 6,000 of these massive combinations were produced between 1941 and 1945 and supplied to all Allied armies fighting in all main ‘Theatres of War’.
If you collect 1:30 scale Allied Armour (or even captured Axis vehicles) this great looking model deserves to be in your collection too!
Please Note: The model comes in its own specially-designed box and contains a 4 page, full-colour leaflet complete with photos and background information.

Three sets of Texas Longhorns to form your very own cattle drive

CD006 2 x Texas Longhorns

CD008 2 x Texas Longhorns

CD009 2 x Texas Longhorns

FOB153 Scottish Sergeant
An NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) of the Arguli & Sutherland Highlanders.

And that is that, at least for another thirty days or so. Here’s hoping there’s something you like.
All the best, happy collecting and… Adios for now!

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

 

[villagehorse]

I am sure you will have a successful show in Texas. Your products are going to be eye catching to the patrons and hopefully translate to lots of new customers for the future. Safe travels Andy and staff. Robin.

 

[spartan71]

Outstanding, been dreaming about a K&C Humvee.. looks like I timed coming back to the U.S. perfectly..

 

[wayne556517]

Just watched the YouTube video the high lite of the month for me now and these all look great.

 

[Horus]

Some great looking sets out this month, quite like some of the Romans myself.
The Bren Gun Carrier being retired is a great little vehicle, wonder if a replacement one is in the pipeline ?

 

[Obee]

Nothing Napoleonic, so nothing for me

John

 

[Barkmann]

Will be getting the ME109 and pilot, to go with my winter FW190, also have a winter HS123 from Thomas Gunn, will make a great trio.

Hoping for some new groundcrew, been a while since we have had any Luftwaffe groundcrew.

 

[MLH13]

Another month of amazing releases! Well done, Andy!

Erich Hartman and his Bf109 will be landing into my collection soon.

Mark

 

[Barkmann]

i was hoping for some new Battle of the Bulge figures and vehicles. was September/October last year, I hope for something in November or December.

 

[Poppo]

E. ‘LOS BANDITOS’

Banditos were Mexican Bandits and outlaws who took part in every kind of criminality along the Texas / Mexico border during the Wild West era from the Mexican / American War in 1848 until the end of the Mexican Revolution in the 1920’s. During that time the border was very dangerous due to the political and economic turmoil in Mexico itself.
This caused thousands of peasants to become revolutionaries or bandits who occasionally made forays into Texas itself and other U.S. border states to steal cattle, rob banks and even attack small towns and lonely ranches and farms.
On the American side of the border, the U.S. Army as well as local law enforcement, such as the Texas Rangers and occasionally vigilantes took their revenge and sometimes ventured into Mexico themselves to exact punishment on the bandito gangs.
Many books and a plentiful supply of movies have featured these ‘banditos’ and so K&C wanted to add a few more of our own…

TRW205 ‘CALVERA, the Bandito Chief’
The classic 1960 ‘Western’, “The Magnificent seven” has always been a favourite of mine! Starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson and three others it will be featured in a special 7-figure upcoming K&C release.
Meanwhile however here is… The evil Bandito Chief himself ‘CALVERA’ played by the great Eli Wallach astride his horse and carrying his Winchester rifle.

TRW206 ‘Mounted Bandito #1’
Another of Calvera’s mounted henchman to back up the chief.

TRW207 ‘Winchester Bandito’
Looking relatively relaxed this well-armed bandito rests his Winchester on his shoulders.

TRW208 ‘Jesus Arriago ‘Chucho el Roto’
Arriago was a Mexican bandito (1858-1885) who liked to rob the rich and occasionally share a small portion of his newly-acquired wealth with a few of the peasants.
His legend also included his love of fine and colourful clothes and a reputation as a formidable gunfighter. He was seen by some as a kind of bandito ‘Robin Hood’ figure.

TRW209 ‘Mounted Bandito #2’
l liked this figure so much I wanted to produce an alternative colour version and here he is. As you can see he looks great alongside Calvera!

AVAILABLE: Mid to Late October

Los Bandidos.

 

[GI_Jigsaw]

BHD convoy ordered. Looking forward to the militia.

And some Delta Force. and Little Birds?

 

[Barkmann]

Do not collect this range, until now, but this figure looks exceptional, i downloaded the picture and enlarged it, the detail is incredible. **** you Andy, now you have made me dip into yet another range, may just start with figures that are good for a street dio, just the cowboys, will not go down the route of getting the Mexicans or the cattle drive, yet. But some of the mounted sets will be OK, I am thinking of the Standing Dun Horse standing behind him. I have also seen some decent 3D backdrop buildings which will make a great scene. This figure together with the Gunslinger will be my first purchse.

 

[Jock]

Yes, Great releases this month. I like the Roman figures.