KING & COUNTRY Dispatches -- September 2020 (1 Viewer)

Hi, yes clearly repaints, I didn't find that surprising, it just gives us more variety to choose from, for collectors doing a tropical/ Med diorama, or those doing a Normandy or Arnhem ( Western Europe anyway) display or set up.

Obviously the big and main difference here in these figures is the para trousers, tan for tropics/Med or dark green for Europe. The smock in the repaint has a darker different tone of colour to it also, in reality the splinter smock was the same colour used in Africa or Italy as it was in in Europe , there wasn't a tropical splinter camo smock in reality, the same splinter pattern and colour would be the same in Africa as in Normandy... ( I don't personally mind the artistic licence used by K&C in slightly changing the depth of colours for the different fronts... ) . I should qualify that , as there was a plain tan smock for tropical use, but it is very rare - no period photos of it in use , and only a handful in existence today, all in mint condition so perhaps rarely issued. In Africa they wore green smocks and also splinter smocks.
In Normandy they wore green, splinter and a third type was the Marsh smocks ( or aka - "tan & water "- a more blurred look to the camo scheme) . The Marsh camo smock was also worn in Italy later in the war, seemingly from mid 1944.

Hopefully though, as well as repaints we will see some extra new poses ?
 
One other point about the camo in the two regions, is on the FJ helmets. It's a shame the earlier figures of last year didn't have tan camo'd helmets, although it's still quite accurate that K&C didn't do that, as plenty of helmets in Italy were not camo'd in tan - I just think it would have been a nice, and more obvious distinction.
Normandy helmets were also camo'd quite often, one regiment ( FJRegiment 6 who fought around Carentan - you will all have seen the Band of Brothers episode) had a very distinctive camo scheme for the whole regiment, of tan/green and sawdust), and there were other units with green and brown camo schemes in use, but again the K&C helmet colour is still accurate, just a little bit blander perhaps. Still, I'm not complaining and very pleased to have the variety and I will be picking up some of my favourite poses in both paint schemes now - or coming up - on offer !

Here is that distinctive Regiment wide camo scheme of FJR6 in Normandy ...
https://virtualgrenadier.com/sale_item.php?iid=3838
 
Very impressive knowledge Rudi.

Thank you. Interesting and educational.

I know I’ve said it before, but I would prefer Fallschirmjager Toy soldiers to display the helmet Luftwaffe Eagle & uniform insignia.

I realise that all actual field operatives might not have had it, but for toy soldiers, it really does make all the difference
 
No problem. Yes, I do agree, it's a shame the flying eagle decal has been omitted from the figures without netting on their helmets - it would have been a very nice touch ! Plenty of the helmets did have it, right up well into 1944. It should be there really.

One of my favourite figures of these lovely releases is the kneeling soldier with the FG42, perfect for later on in Italy or Normandy, but not in use in Africa. The first use of it was seemingly in Sicily, at the fascinating battle of Primosole in July 1943, between FJs and British paras ( but superbly finished off by 8 Durham Light Infantry - great no nonsense troops!).
 
MP looks a bit out of scale anybody comment who has the figure please.
 
Lo1863 said:
So I was browsing the Treefrog store online and noticed that the new German Fallschirmjagers appear to be repaints from last year. I was wondering if there is indeed a variation in the camo as it appears to be? Anyone care to add some background on the camo variations for Nomandy verses other regions? Below are two pictures with the first figure from last year and second figure from the upcoming release.

View attachment 266113View attachment 266114
Click to expand...
The first one is the Luftwaffe Splittermuster 41 camo.(which is the Luftwaffe version of the Splittermuster31)
Production started about 1941 and ended in 1944. The second one is the Italian camo used by the Germans in late war ( due to the lack of material in Germany the German army, introduced Italian camo material for their own use)
Both figures are OK for Normandy
Guy:)
 
Guy said:
The first one is the Luftwaffe Splittermuster 41 camo.(which is the Luftwaffe version of the Splittermuster31)
Production started about 1941 and ended in 1944. The second one is the Italian camo used by the Germans in late war ( due to the lack of material in Germany the German army, introduced Italian camo material for their own use)
Both figures are OK for Normandy
Guy:)
Click to expand...

Hi Guy, they both clearly look like the German splinter pattern camo, not Italian camo at all, just a different shade used in the Normandy figures. Italian camo pattern was not angular and sharp as this is, it is far more rounded, and hardly at all did FJs wear Smocks of Italian Camo.
Tropical/tan trousers weren't worn in Normandy, they were in Sicily, and also quite a bit in Italy.
Cheers
 
Rudi Starnberg said:
Hi Guy, they both clearly look like the German splinter pattern camo, not Italian camo at all, just a different shade used in the Normandy figures. Italian camo pattern was not angular and sharp as this is, it is far more rounded, and hardly at all did FJs wear Smocks of Italian Camo.
Tropical/tan trousers weren't worn in Normandy, they were in Sicily, and also quite a bit in Italy.
Cheers
Click to expand...

Hi Rudi,
I was talking about the jump smocks not the trousers .
Found this picture of fallschirmjäger in France just before D-day. Look at the difference of jump smocks of these 4 men .
On the second K&C figure the overprint of rain straits is missing

View attachment 266133

the next picture shows fallschirmjäger wearing a jump smock made of Italian camo material
fallschirmjager_troops.jpg
 
Last edited:
I’m no expert in weapons or uniforms — far from it (I leave that to others) — but I like the look of these figures and they will be some of the first K & C WW II figures I’ve purchased in a long time.
 
lo1863 said:
so i was browsing the treefrog store online and noticed that the new german fallschirmjagers appear to be repaints from last year. I was wondering if there is indeed a variation in the camo as it appears to be? Anyone care to add some background on the camo variations for nomandy verses other regions? Below are two pictures with the first figure from last year and second figure from the upcoming release.

View attachment 266113View attachment 266114
Click to expand...
i have been asking andy for these fallschirmjager for 12 yrs. I am hoping the brownish red is not so red as having been to the museums in normandy the camo was more of a darker brown. We will have to see when the first figure arrives. If they are too red one would have to try to repaint them as they should be
 
Guy said:
Hi Rudi,
I was talking about the jump smocks not the trousers .
Found this picture of fallschirmjäger in France just before D-day. Look at the difference of jump smocks of these 4 men .
On the second K&C figure the overprint of rain straits is missing

View attachment 266133

the next picture shows fallschirmjäger wearing a jump smock made of Italian camo material
View attachment 266134
Click to expand...

hi Guy, the picture if the 4 men doesn't appear, please re post it. There ideally should also be "rain " specks as you say, but that is simply missing from the K&C smock, the angular straight camo they have painted remains splinter in type., Italian camo doesn't seem to feature in that bottom picture from what I can see, perhaps the guy on left ? But it's not a very clear picture, again it has the look of splinter - angular straight lines to the camo blocks on the two on the right. Italian isn't straight- angular lines or blocks. The bottom photo actually looks like it could be re enactors incidentally.

The below link shows Italian camo ( sorry couldn't find a smock, but you get the idea)
https://virtualgrenadier.com/sale_item.php?iid=4047

the link below takes you to an original FJ splinter pattern smock - note the angular blocks -
https://virtualgrenadier.com/sale_item.php?iid=3832

It's worth noting the FJs didn't wear Italian camo smocks in Normandy, although Italian camo was worn by 1st and 12th SS.
Hope this helps
cheers
 
HAWKEYE said:
i have been asking andy for these fallschirmjager for 12 yrs. I am hoping the brownish red is not so red as having been to the museums in normandy the camo was more of a darker brown. We will have to see when the first figure arrives. If they are too red one would have to try to repaint them as they should be
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry too much about it, there were a variety of manufacturers and also print dye runs were all a bit different, plus wear and tear faded smock colours too, indeed there was a great variety of colours particularly amongst the "hard edge" Marsh pattern ( sumpftarn) FJ smocks, which look similar and were worn in Italy and Normandy, so there was no definite colour due to all of the above, the mint one I posted in the link was the " ideal" looking mint splinter smock though.
 
One of the things I enjoy about the Toy Soldier Forum is learning about things I never really thought about and relating it to toy soldiers you can actually purchase. I didn't know there was so much knowledge out there regarding German camo. Party on!
 
HB120050 said:
One of the things I enjoy about the Toy Soldier Forum is learning about things I never really thought about and relating it to toy soldiers you can actually purchase. I didn't know there was so much knowledge out there regarding German camo. Party on!
Click to expand...

To add a bit more, this link below takes you to another very nice FJ smock, but made in a "hard edge" sumpftarn camo pattern, also worn in Normandy - so this was the pattern used after the splinter ( although splinter was still worn to the end of the war too) , and is similar...but different ...
https://virtualgrenadier.com/sale_item.php?iid=5375
 
Rudi Starnberg said:
To add a bit more, this link below takes you to another very nice FJ smock, but made in a "hard edge" sumpftarn camo pattern, also worn in Normandy - so this was the pattern used after the splinter ( although splinter was still worn to the end of the war too) , and is similar...but different ...
https://virtualgrenadier.com/sale_item.php?iid=5375
Click to expand...
i thought this new round of paras would be the same as the med ones with different color pants and darker but similar camo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Community platform by XenForo® © 2010-2024 XenForo Ltd.
Back
Top