KING & COUNTRY Dispatches -- September 2021 (1 Viewer)

[King & Country]

KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES
September 2021 ​

Hi Guys,
Welcome to this particular ‘DISPATCHES’ which is a slight departure from the norm... This month we’re actually ‘retiring’ more items than we are ‘releasing’.
A couple of reasons for this... the first is, of course, the problems and delays, caused by the pandemic which has meant sculpting and production continues to be much, much slower than before when myself, and our team were able to personally go into China to meet our sculptors and visit factories and conduct on-the-spot inspections.
That has not been possible for almost 18 months!
Secondly, somehow we have still managed to bring out new product and going forward put many exciting projects into development that we (and you) will see over the coming months. And that means as these come to fruition and completion they will make their way down to Hong Kong and into our own warehouse here.
As anyone who has visited the former British territory knows, HK is a very crowded space and land is at a premium.
So, even though we have our own 10,000 square foot storage and shipping facility it can get pretty crowded and congested.
That being said, we have to ‘make space’... hence certain items have to move over and move out to enable us to bring in the newer items we’ve been working on these past 18 months. And, believe me, there are whole host of figures and fighting vehicles currently ‘in the works’ and ‘in development’ that are demanding space.
And that’s the story so far... Meanwhile here’s what’s coming this month...

1. BEING RELEASED THIS SEPTEMBER...
A. ‘Hit The Beach!’
In a 1964 interview former President and Supreme Allied Commander of the Normandy invasion, Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke about one of the most important war-winning weapons of the Second World War... the humble ‘Higgins Boat’ and the man who designed it.

“Andrew Higgins is the man who won the war for us. He designed and built those Landing Craft that could put troops onto an open beach anywhere, anytime. Without these LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) the whole strategy of the war would have been very different... and much more difficult!”
That is just one of the many reasons why this particular landing craft is such an essential part of any D. DAY collection and forms the central element of King & Country’s latest selection of figures and fighting vehicles that depict the events of 6 June 1944 and the battle for Normandy that followed it...





DD335 ‘Royal Navy LCVP 1335’
Although the vast majority of the over 23,000 ‘Higgins Boats’ produced during WW2 went to the US Navy and Coastguard several hundred were also supplied to Britain’s Royal Navy which used them to supplement their own LCA’s (Landing Craft Assault).
Royal Navy LCVPS carried the same number of crew as their American counterparts (usually 3 or 4) and were painted in the distinctive RN camouflage colours of white and cold sea blue.
K&C’s LCVP carries a crew of 3 (1 x cox’n and 2 x gunners manning a pair of .30 cal. machine guns in armoured gun mounts). In addition, the ramp of the LCVP can be raised and lowered as the collector prefers.



DD336 ‘Royal Navy LCVP 1324’
As above but with a different hull number (for those collectors wanting two LCVP’s for their collection). The standing cox’n with raised right arm is also unique to this second version. DD336 has a cox’n gripping the steering wheel with both hands.
All crew on both LCVPs are wearing the American supplied and much preferred U.S. Navy-style inflatable Life Vests together with their British steel helmets and white anti flash hoods, more for warmth than as a fire retardant protection.
And now after the Landing Craft here are some more of the soldiers they carried onto ‘Sword Beach’ on that epic morning of 6 June 1944.

 

[King & Country]

DD342(B) ‘Lying Prone Bren Gunner’ w/Sand base
Here is the ‘classic’ fighting pose of the British Bren Gunner in action. For almost 50 years the Bren gave sterling service for the British Army since its introduction in 1938. It was so useful and popular that when the L1A1 Self Loading Rifle was brought into service in the late 1950’s the Bren was updated and upgraded to fire the same 7.62mm ammunition.



DD342(G) ‘Lying Prone Bren Gunner’ w/Grass base
The same figure as above but with a ‘grass’ base and very suitable for displays and dioramas depicting the battle for Normandy after the Allied troops moved away from the landing beaches and moved inland to capture towns, villages and other real estate.



DD343 ‘Crawling Forward’ w/No base
This British ‘Tommy’ edges cautiously forward with his Lee Enfield rifle. This figure rests on no base therefore can be used equally well in both ‘beach’ and ‘inland’ battle scenes.



DD344 ‘Crouching Rifleman’ w/No base
One more fighting ‘Tommy’ with no base so he can be easily positioned on a beach, in a field, on a tank or even inside a landing craft... very versatile!

 

[King & Country]

DD345(B) ‘Advancing Set’ w/Sand base
These two riflemen are taking the fight to the enemy as they move across the beach.



DD345(G) ‘Advancing Set’ w/Grass base
After successfully defeating the enemy on the beach this deadly duo move inland across the Normandy fields and countryside.



DD353 ‘Kneeling Ready’ w/No base
Similar to DD343 and 344 this ‘Tommy’ requires no base and can be used in a multitude of locations and positions.



DD354(B) ‘Standing Firing’ w/Sand base
Another essential action pose for any battle scene.



DD354(G) ‘Standing Firing’ w/Grass base
As above but suitable for a more rural setting.



AVAILABLE: Early-Mid September

 

[King & Country]

B. THE VISTULA LANCERS
Originally known as the ‘Vistula Uhlans’ , they were exceptionally well-trained Polish Lancers and first-class horsemen in the service of Napoleon and among his favourite regiments of light cavalry.
The regiment saw plenty of action during Napoleon’s campaign in Spain between 1808 and 1811. In 1812 they followed their Emperor into Russia and suffered accordingly. They also took part in his final ‘100 Days Campaign’ of 1815... Loyal to the end.
Here are the first three K&C ‘Vistula Lancers’ this month... with two more to follow.



NA470 ‘Charging Vistula Lancer’
With his lance couched forward under his arm this ‘Vistula’ spurs his mount into a charging gallop.



NA472 ‘Vistula Lancer About to Charge’
With lance held up and holding his horse in check this is the moment just prior to going into the ‘charge’.



NA474 ‘Charging Vistula Lancer Officer’
Officers of the regiment carried only sabres. This officer leads his men, galloping into battle.



AVAILABLE: Early September

 

[King & Country]

C. ‘THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES’
‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ is the third of the four crime novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and featuring the noted detective, Sherlock Holmes.
The story is set largely on lonely, desolate Dartmoor in Devon in England’s West Country and tells the tale of an attempted murder by a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin.
Mr. Sherlock Holmes and his intrepid companion, Dr. John Watson are dispatched to Devon to investigate the case.
As one of Sherlock Holmes most enduring mysteries the story has been translated into more than 20 films and television series all over the world including Britain, of course, America, Germany, India and even the former Soviet Union as well as Australia, Italy and the Ukraine.
It’s fair to say that this particular Baskerville Hound gets around the world with amazing ease!
And now it appears in the world of miniatures...



WoD070 ‘Sherlock Holmes & The Hound of the Baskervilles’
This unique little set features the three principal characters of the story... Mr. Sherlock Holmes wearing his trademark ‘deerstalker’ hat with ‘Inverness’ cape and coat stands four square his right arm extended and aiming his .44 caliber revolver at the approaching beast.
Supporting his friend is the sturdy figure of Dr. Watson , suitably clad in his sensible ‘Harris Tweed’ Norfolk hunting suit. In his hands the good Doctor carries his trusty ‘Elephant Gun’.
And finally we come to the beast itself... a large and ugly looking brute who none of us would like to meet on a dark night on Dartmoor... or anywhere else come to that!
Bright red glowing eyes sit above a gaping, snarling mouthful of sharp, vicious looking teeth sitting above a huge, werewolf-like body... a wild animal of nightmarish proportions!
However putting all that aside... a great little set and the perfect gift for any Sherlock Holmes enthusiast.

AVAILABLE: Mid September

ALSO AVAILABLE...



WOD068 ‘Sherlock Holmes 221b Baker St., Townhouse’
Back by popular demand... London’s most famous address (after ‘Buckingham Palace’ that is.)
This handsome 3-storey residence is typical of many 19th Century townhouses which can still be seen all over London today.
It is also the perfect backdrop for our Sherlock Holmes characters or any from the ‘World of Dickens’.



WOD069 ‘The London Townhouse’
As mentioned before, London is fortunate to still have many different variations of these styles of dwellings all over the capital.
This new version works well on its own or put alongside ‘221b Baker Street’ . Add a few more and you can create a whole street!



AVAILABLE: Mid September

 

[King & Country]

D. ‘SWEET HOME CHICAGO’
Back in normal times, just after the 2019 ‘Chicago Toy Soldier Show’ , I met up with show organizers, Roger & Jan Garfield to discuss designing and producing a ‘Special Commemorative Figure’ to mark the 40th Anniversary of this great toy soldier event.
I suggested, and they agreed, to design a G.I. figure that would fit in with K&C’s own very popular ‘VIETNAM’ series.
Together we decided portray a typical G.I. in a more relaxed ‘off-duty’ situation... perhaps enjoying one of the many USO shows that went to Vietnam to entertain the troops.



THE ‘CHICAGO’ CONNECTION
To connect the figure to Chicago I decided to make him from Woodfield Illinois, the location of the Chicago Toy Soldier Show.
Our G.I. is also a ‘Chicago Cubs’ fan, hence his baseball cap. And... we invited him up on stage, to meet a real, live ‘Playboy Playmate’ who also comes from Chicago.
Now, this gorgeous little ‘bunny’ knows she’s in a real, live combat zone which is why she’s wearing a specially-designed, ‘Tiger-Stripe’ camouflage bunny costume!
With a bit of luck our boy will get her to autograph his copy of ‘Playboy’, maybe even get a little kiss on the cheek and well... we’ll leave the rest to your imagination!

VN099 Many of these special 2-figure sets will be going to Chicago and will be available from these three great K&C Dealers attending the Show:
TREEFROG TREASURES
SIERRA TOY SOLDIERS
HOBBY BUNKER

A limited number will also be available direct from King & Country and other K&C Authorised Dealers AFTER THE SHOW.
Order yours now to avoid disappointment.





AVAILABLE: After Sunday 26 September 2021... Orders however can be placed NOW!

 

[King & Country]

And now... THE RETIREMENTS
No less than 32 different items across a broad area of K&C series. Check them out and grab’em while you can!

Battle of the Bulge
BBA079 Seriously Wounded Set
BBA085 Standing Military Policeman
BBG088 SS Obergruppenfuhrer Paul “Papa” Hausser

Age of Napoleon
NA410 The Hussar Hussie #1 ‘Monique’
NA411 Hussar Hussie #2 ‘Sophie’
NA413 A Girl of The Old Guard

English Civil War
PnM008 Oliver Cromwell
Pnm051 Le Comte De Rochefort

Royal Air Force
RAF072 Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park
RAF075 A Trio Of Aces

US Marine Corps
USMC020 Crouching Marine Firing Rifle
USMC026 Marine Sniper
USMC027 Crouching Marine
USMC030 Running w/BAR Marine
USMC039 Marine Casualty Set
USMC046 Kneeling Marine w/ Pistol
USMC047 Marine Casualties

Vietnam War
VN016 The Loader
VN017 The U.S.M.C. M274 “MULE”
VN052 Charlie Don’t Surf!
VN058 Viet Cong Prisoner
VN078 NVA/VC Assault Team Set #1

Classic Germans
WH024 Standing Engineer
WH025 Engineer w/Pickaxe
WH026 Engineer w/Land Mines
WH066 Propaganda Kompanien Kamerman
WH067 Bergepanther
WH069 Tank Repair Crew
WH081 Kneeling Panzer Grenadier
WH093 Hitler, His Generals & The Atlantic Wall
WS196 Rommel in France 1940
WS198 Feld Gendarmerie Dog Handler

All the best and happy collecting.

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

 

[villagehorse]

Well there is a couple of beaut figures to order, thanks Andy. Robin.

 

[Obee]

B. THE VISTULA LANCERS
Originally known as the ‘Vistula Uhlans’ , they were exceptionally well-trained Polish Lancers and first-class horsemen in the service of Napoleon and among his favourite regiments of light cavalry.
The regiment saw plenty of action during Napoleon’s campaign in Spain between 1808 and 1811. In 1812 they followed their Emperor into Russia and suffered accordingly. They also took part in his final ‘100 Days Campaign’ of 1815... Loyal to the end.
Here are the first three K&C ‘Vistula Lancers’ this month... with two more to follow.

View attachment 279406

Great to see more of Napoleon's Grand Armee coming our way.

I think these will be useful for the Peninsular Campaign because there hasn't been much for that recently.

Nice use of the Dutch Lancers from 2009 to make another national army

John

 

[Horus]

This months order is in and yes the USO Bunny set is a must for me !

Set reminds me of the Playmates scene in Apocalypse Now !

Now there's an idea ! :tongue:

Steve

 

[Barkmann]

Like the British Infantry, i think i will go for the Normandy [inland] version, started with the advancing sets, the 3 figure set last month and the 2 set this month, plus the sergeant with sten gun [have ordered]. I think the standing firing figure in the 3 set [341] is figure 354. Is it? Just checking, no problem as i have the set, but just wanted to check.

I see the numbers this month jump from 345 to 353, meaning [hopefully] there are at least 7 more sets coming. I am looking forward to seeing them and am particularly interested in any new British vehicles and/AFVs coming out. Possibly even a 6Llb AT gun or a PIAT team or mortar team.


I will be looking at dioramas of clearing the hedgerows and Normandy villages.

 

[jazzeum]

Nice idea on the Hound of the Baskervilles. Will be placing my order with

Minuteman Toy Soldiers

 

[Barkmann]

KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES
September 2021 ​

Hi Guys,
Welcome to this particular ‘DISPATCHES’ which is a slight departure from the norm... This month we’re actually ‘retiring’ more items than we are ‘releasing’.
A couple of reasons for this... the first is, of course, the problems and delays, caused by the pandemic which has meant sculpting and production continues to be much, much slower than before when myself, and our team were able to personally go into China to meet our sculptors and visit factories and conduct on-the-spot inspections.
That has not been possible for almost 18 months!
Secondly, somehow we have still managed to bring out new product and going forward put many exciting projects into development that we (and you) will see over the coming months. And that means as these come to fruition and completion they will make their way down to Hong Kong and into our own warehouse here.
As anyone who has visited the former British territory knows, HK is a very crowded space and land is at a premium.
So, even though we have our own 10,000 square foot storage and shipping facility it can get pretty crowded and congested.

Thanks for the update Andy, space must be an issue for you and ofcourse space is cost. Your continued releasing month after month is excellent and your office/warehouse must be a constant influx and departure for figures/sets [bit like a busy airport].

Will those retirement sets be seen in future remainder stock sales? Is the remainder stock sale still on as i have noticed the downloadable Pdf is not on the website or has been updated [we normally get a message about it being updated].

Cheers, stay safe

 

[Normandy1944]

This months order is in and yes the USO Bunny set is a must for me !

Set reminds me of the Playmates scene in Apocalypse Now !

Now there's an idea ! :tongue:

Steve

yes Mate!
I have pre-ordered one from my K&C supplier here in Holland.

Harry

 

[Combat]

The hound! Like it. I just recently watched the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce version.

 

[Barkmann]

KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES
September 2021 ​

Hi Guys,
Welcome to this particular ‘DISPATCHES’ which is a slight departure from the norm... This month we’re actually ‘retiring’ more items than we are ‘releasing’.
A couple of reasons for this... the first is, of course, the problems and delays, caused by the pandemic which has meant sculpting and production continues to be much, much slower than before when myself, and our team were able to personally go into China to meet our sculptors and visit factories and conduct on-the-spot inspections.
That has not been possible for almost 18 months!
Secondly, somehow we have still managed to bring out new product and going forward put many exciting projects into development that we (and you) will see over the coming months. And that means as these come to fruition and completion they will make their way down to Hong Kong and into our own warehouse here.
As anyone who has visited the former British territory knows, HK is a very crowded space and land is at a premium.
So, even though we have our own 10,000 square foot storage and shipping facility it can get pretty crowded and congested.

Thanks for the update Andy, space must be an issue for you and ofcourse space is cost. Your continued releasing month after month is excellent and your office/warehouse must be a constant influx and departure for figures/sets [bit like a busy airport].

Will those retirement sets be seen in future remainder stock sales? Is the remainder stock sale still on as i have noticed the downloadable Pdf is not on the website or has been updated [we normally get a message about it being updated].

Cheers, stay safe

Just seen new End of Remainers on the website......... good it is on there, bad for my bnk balance as will be buying some stuff.

 

[Horus]

Agreed a great looking little set and will no doubt feature in many a collectors diorama !
Always liked the old Hammer film version myself.

Steve

 

[jazzeum]

Andy, you made Eliza Doolittle sometime back. Any plans to maybe make Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering or did the Eliza sales not justify additional figures. My Fair Lady is one of my top five favorite movies.

 

[paxtoysoldier]

C. ‘THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES’
‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ is the third of the four crime novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and featuring the noted detective, Sherlock Holmes.
The story is set largely on lonely, desolate Dartmoor in Devon in England’s West Country and tells the tale of an attempted murder by a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin.
Mr. Sherlock Holmes and his intrepid companion, Dr. John Watson are dispatched to Devon to investigate the case.
As one of Sherlock Holmes most enduring mysteries the story has been translated into more than 20 films and television series all over the world including Britain, of course, America, Germany, India and even the former Soviet Union as well as Australia, Italy and the Ukraine.
It’s fair to say that this particular Baskerville Hound gets around the world with amazing ease!
And now it appears in the world of miniatures...

View attachment 279410

WoD070 ‘Sherlock Holmes & The Hound of the Baskervilles’
This unique little set features the three principal characters of the story... Mr. Sherlock Holmes wearing his trademark ‘deerstalker’ hat with ‘Inverness’ cape and coat stands four square his right arm extended and aiming his .44 caliber revolver at the approaching beast.
Supporting his friend is the sturdy figure of Dr. Watson , suitably clad in his sensible ‘Harris Tweed’ Norfolk hunting suit. In his hands the good Doctor carries his trusty ‘Elephant Gun’.
And finally we come to the beast itself... a large and ugly looking brute who none of us would like to meet on a dark night on Dartmoor... or anywhere else come to that!
Bright red glowing eyes sit above a gaping, snarling mouthful of sharp, vicious looking teeth sitting above a huge, werewolf-like body... a wild animal of nightmarish proportions!
However putting all that aside... a great little set and the perfect gift for any Sherlock Holmes enthusiast.

AVAILABLE: Mid September

ALSO AVAILABLE...

View attachment 279411

WOD068 ‘Sherlock Holmes 221b Baker St., Townhouse’
Back by popular demand... London’s most famous address (after ‘Buckingham Palace’ that is.)
This handsome 3-storey residence is typical of many 19th Century townhouses which can still be seen all over London today.
It is also the perfect backdrop for our Sherlock Holmes characters or any from the ‘World of Dickens’.

View attachment 279412

WOD069 ‘The London Townhouse’
As mentioned before, London is fortunate to still have many different variations of these styles of dwellings all over the capital.
This new version works well on its own or put alongside ‘221b Baker Street’ . Add a few more and you can create a whole street!

View attachment 279413

AVAILABLE: Mid September

Definately my favorite release this month! Great!
Paddy

 

[marco55]

Agreed a great looking little set and will no doubt feature in many a collectors diorama !
Always liked the old Hammer film version myself.

Steve

I always thoughr Basil Rathbone was the best Sherlock Holmes and were the best movies.
Mark