KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES -- September 2023 (1 Viewer)

[King & Country]

KING & COUNTRY DISPATCHES
September 2023​

Hi Guys,
Welcome to September’s ‘DISPATCHES’ . As I write this I’m already preparing for my next overseas trip… This time to the U.S. of A. and a return to the Windly City’ in the shape of the all-new ‘CHICAGOLAND’ Toy Soldier Show. Organized by my good friend (and K&C Dealer) Matt Murphy of Hobby Bunker fame.
After the sad demise of the much-loved and frequently-attended ‘CHICAGO TOY SOLDIER SHOW’ at the Hyatt Hotel in Schaumburg, Matt has picked up the gauntlet and has set up his own Show at the Schaumburg Marriott on Sunday 24, 2023. Prior to that Show date all kinds of dealers and collectors will arrive at the venue and, I’m sure, take part in some serious ‘room-trading’ similar to what always went on at the previous ‘CHICAGO SHOW’ .
I am personally attending this new ‘CHICAGOLAND’ Show as an observer this year and not taking any of our displays or setting up as K&C always did in past years.
Among my reasons are the huge increase in costs of air-shipping a large number of dioramas plus the figures, fighting vehicles and all kinds of accessories that go along with them.
And as stated, I want to get the ‘feel’ of the hotel and the Show itself. So, this time around I get to have no responsibilities, no headaches but still get to meet up with lots of old friends and enjoy the show as a very interested ‘spectator’ !
For the record, I will arrive in Chicago from Hong Kong via Tokyo and San Francisco on the afternoon of Thursday 21, September and will stay through till late afternoon of Sunday 24th.
After that I will be heading down to San Antonio and our ‘King & Country Texas’ store for a little ‘Special Event’ there a few days later.
However, before all of that there is all of this…

1. Available in September…
A. ‘THE BATTERING RAM’
The M48 ‘Patton’ was an American first-generation main battle tank which first appeared in 1952 and was designed to replace the WW2 and Korean War era M26, M4 Sherman and post war M47 and M41s.
Armed with a powerful 90mm main gun it was produced to meet the battlefield requirements of both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marines.
Eventually almost 12,000 M48s were built and a series of continual improvements were made to ensure better performance and reliability.
Beginning in 1959 most of the original M48 A1s and A2s were upgraded and modified to the M48A3 model, which is what King & Country has produced.

IN COMBAT​

Numerous examples of the M48 saw active service in various Arab / Israeli conflicts as well as the war in South East Asia throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. The M48A3 was to go on to see widespread service with both the United States and many of its NATO partners in Europe until it was superseded by the newer M60 Main Battle Tank.
Even today though the M48 remains in service in large quantities with Turkey (750), Taiwan (500) and Greece (390).
However, King & Country is focusing on the M48A3 in combat in Vietnam with two great examples…





VN159-1 “The M48A3 ‘Patton’ Main Battle Tank” ‘Witch *****’
At the beginning of the 1968 Tet Offensive Communist forces overran the ancient imperial capital of Hue in South Vietnam. U.S. Marines stationed at Phu Bai airbase south of Hue were ordered to lead the assault to retake the city.
Backed up by M48A3s , crewed by fellow Marines, the ‘Grunts’ fought their way back into the city and street-by-street, house-by-house slowly but steadily gained the upper hand.
During much of the battle foul weather hampered the use of close air support and thus the firepower of the M48A3s 90mm gun was essential.
The sheer bulk of an M48 also allowed the Marines to advance behind the armour of the tank as together they eliminated the enemy.
This particular USMC 48A3, ‘Charlie Four-One’ is nicknamed ‘Witch *****’ and comes complete with a full body Marine Tank Commander armed with CAR15 carbine and a “head ‘n’ shoulders” Tank Driver figure.
Each model comes in its own sturdy, full colour, presentation box.


VN159-2 “The M48A3 ‘Patton’ Main Battle Tank” ‘Mad Dogs’
Our second M48A3 is nicknamed ‘Mad Dogs’ and has the hull tag ‘Charlie Four-Four’. Like the previous model it comes complete with its two crew figures and same high quality, first-class packaging.


Special Note: Just 200 of each of these USMC M48A3s are being produced. And so if you’re serious about your ‘Vietnam’ collection one or both of these great tank models will provide your ‘Grunts’ with some very valuable fire support!

VN160 ‘Sitting VC Female Soldier’
From a pair of mighty American tanks to a slim, slip of a young Vietnamese woman sitting holding her captured U.S. made M2 Carbine.
Many of these weapons were given to the South Vietnamese forces because they were lighter to carry and easier to use than the heavier, more cumbersome M1 ‘Garand’ rifles that the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) had originally been issued with prior to the introduction of the M16.
A number of these carbines inevitably fell into Viet Cong hands and were often distributed to female members who found them simpler to operate and lighter to carry.
This young VC woman is holding a Korean War era carbine complete with a 30 x round curved magazine.


AVAILABILITY: Mid September

 

[King & Country]

B. ‘EASTERN FRONT SUMMER OF ‘43’





By July 1943 there was a massive build-up of huge armies on either side of the Eastern Front around Kursk in preparation for a German assault to destroy the Soviet salient that had formed in the area.
Among the German forces preparing to assault the Russian positions were no less that three of Hitler’s most elite Waffen SS Panzergrenadier Divisions . The 1st SS ‘Leibstandarte’ . The 2nd SS ‘Das Reich’ … and The 3rd SS ‘Totenkopf’ plus one more SS division kept in reserve, The 5th SS ‘Viking’ .
Each of these Panazergrenadier divisions was on paper, organized and equipped in the same manner as a regular German Army armoured division however the SS Divisions had a substantially larger number of tanks and other armoured vehicles.
In addition each of these Waffen SS formations had two entire regiments of Panzergrenadier Infantry supported by the division’s own artillery regiment and separate battalions of anti aircraft troops, reconnaissance units and pioneers.
These 2nd Generation Waffen SS soldaten are dressed in the
representative uniforms of the mid war period complete with their distinctive camouflage smocks and helmet covers which the Waffen SS pioneered.

WS385 ‘Watching & Waiting’
These two troopers stand waiting for the signal to advance. Note how one is carrying a captured PPSh-41 submachine gun while his comrade has the standard K98 rifle.

 

[King & Country]

WS390 ‘Rifleman In Action’ (2 Figs)
Standing and kneeling with K98s ready.


WS391 ‘Over There’ (2 Figs)
One trooper indicates something in the distance to his comrade.


WS392 ‘Open Fire!’ (3 Figs)
This 3x figure set armed with an assortment of personal weapons open fire on the enemy.


WS393 ‘MG34 Gun Team’ (3x figs)
Under the command of on SS-Rottenfuhrer (SS-Squad leader) this 3-man gun team goes into action.


WS394 ‘Waffen SS Officer’ (1)
Even in the midst of battle this officer moves among his men… calm and determined.


AVAILABILITY: Mid September

 

[King & Country]

C. ‘FROM SUMMER TO WINTER’
Three small but useful additions to our recent ‘Battle of The Bulge’ Germans.


BBG129 ‘The Scout’
Moving stealthily ahead of his comrades this soldier moves through the winter snow seeking out the enemy frontline.


BBG130 ‘Winter Tank Crew’
Two dismounted SS Panzer crewmen enjoy a smoke and share a hot cup of captured American coffee…?


AVAILABILITY: Mid-Late September

 

[King & Country]

D. ‘AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!’

​

HONG KONG is not only the ‘home’ of King & Country it’s also one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities in the world and now a Special Administrative Region of the PRC (People’s Republic of China) with a population of almost 7.5million residents of various nationalities all packed into a relatively small territory.
Originally established as a colony of the British Empire it has weathered and overcome many a storm, violent upheavals, all kind of typhoons and other natural and man-made disasters, wars and crisis.
Through it all this small, densely-packed city with its hard-working inhabitants have created one of the wonders of the world and a major financial and trading hub on the southern coast of China.
During its existence Hong Kong has grown dramatically from a small, sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages into the city and region I know today.
Perhaps its greatest time of growth was following the end of World War Two and the victory of Mao Tse Tung and his Communist Party in China in 1949.
Many skilled emigrants and refugees crossed over the border into what was then the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong and even in the often most difficult of circumstances sought a better life for themselves and their families.
That resulted in Hong Kong becoming the first of the Four Asian Tiger economies during the 1950s.
Nevertheless life could still be hard for the majority of its inhabitants even as many improvements were made and opportunities were seized in this busy, bustling and very crowded metropolis.

ABOUT ‘ALL OUR YESTERDAYS’ ​

One of K&C’s most popular and colourful series has been and still is ‘Streets of Old Hong Kong’ . Our look back at Colonial Hong Kong circa 1897, a period when traditional Chinese dress and costumes were still worn by most citizens on the streets of this thriving port city.
Several months ago I went to an exhibition of miniature Hong Kong buildings that were created by a team of very skilled and knowledgeable diorama builders.
Most of the exhibits on display were approximately 1:24 in scale and were depictions of typical three and four storey Chinese-style Shop Houses and sections of streets that were once familiar sights all over Hong Kong but are now few and far between. Victims of the growth, development and prosperity of this amazing city and its hard-working people.
Looking at these exquisite reminders of a time not long past it struck me that the only thing missing was a lack of miniature figures to help populate the scenes as well as provide a truer, more authentic picture of this day before yesterday in the life and times of Hong Kong.
And so, here are our first offerings that give perhaps, a little portrait of some of the people who helped build and shape this amazing city during the tumultuous 1960s and the sensational 70s.

THE ‘VIETNAM’ CONNECTION​

As I worked on this project I was also reminded that many of the Asian countries around Hong Kong also have large communities of ethnic Chinese families living and working in them… especially in their towns and cities.
Vietnam is one such example where there was a sizeable section of the population that was of Chinese origin particularly in what was then called Saigon. Whole sections of major South Vietnamese urban centres such as Hue and Da Nang also had ‘Chinatowns’ in their midst.
For many ‘VIETNAM’ street displays and dioramas this new range of additional figures is both are useful and additional touch of authenticity

HKY001 ‘The Coolie’
The dictionary defines ‘COOLIE’ as an unskilled native labourer usually found in Asian countries particularly India, China and South East Asia.
In Hong Kong these hard-working individuals were often seen pushing trolleys full of all types of merchandise or using a long wooden pole from which were suspended large rattan baskets full of fruit, vegetables or other items of every description.


HKY002 ‘The Newspaper Reader’
Hong Kong has always published a large number of Chinese language newspapers and, back in the 1960s, there were even more!
Here one elderly gentleman stands reading his favourite newspaper… A sight rarely seen today as everyone appears to get their news from their mobile phone…


HKY003 ‘The Spectator’
Everywhere around the globe, Hong Kong included, has people who just seem to… Not do or say anything… just watch the world go by.


HKY004 ‘Morning Relaxation’
Another Hong Kong resident just sitting and reading about yesterday’s events.

 

[King & Country]

HKY006 ‘The Girl in The Blue & White Dress’
Back in the 1960s Hong Kong many young women still wore the modern, form-fitting version of the traditional Chinese ‘Cheong Saam’. It was both flattering to the wearer and brought a splash of colour onto the city streets.


HKY011 ‘The Smoker’
Back in those days smoking was not seen as the ‘unhealthy vice’ it is today. Going by photographs of the time a majority of Hong Kong’s adult male population were addicted to the deadly habit.


HKY012 ‘Everything’s For Sale’
Along many streets throughout Hong Kong in those days could be found ‘Street Hawkers’ selling everything to everyone at virtually all hours of the day and night.
Some would be selling brand-new items, others second-hand goods of all shapes, sizes and descriptions… and a few that fell off the back of a truck!
To ‘set up shop’ hawkers simply put down a mat, laid-out their goods and hopefully wait for the customers to arrive.


HKY013 ‘Another Newspaper Reader’
A second avid devourer of the news. This time he’s much younger, dressed differently and reading a different Chinese newspaper.


AVAILABILITY: Mid-Late September

 

[King & Country]

BEING RETIRED...

BBG119	Winter Jagdpanzer IV
JN028	Advancing Japanese Soldier
JN029	Advancing Firing Rifle
JN045	The Japanese Light Howitzer & Crew
NA426	The Duke of Wellington
RAF077	Squadron Leader 'Skipper'
TRW092	Reloading, The Apaches
TRW093	Taking Aim, The Apaches
TRW103	He’s Dead!, The Apaches
TRW131	Kneeling Plains Indian w/Carbine
TRW156	Brave Bear
USMC018	Marine Reloading
USMC042	Marine w/ Tommy Gun
VN013	Covering Firing
VN045	Kneeling LAW Gunner
VN098	The ARVN Military Policeman

And so that’s our story for this month, here’s hoping you find something that pleases you here.
In the meantime all the best and... happy collecting!

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

 

[villagehorse]

Interesting those HK civilians will fit into a number of settings, so well done Andy. Robin.

 

[jazzeum]

Nice Hong Kong figures Andy. I was wondering why you designated them HKY, instead of the usual HK.

Brad

 

[King & Country]

Interesting those HK civilians will fit into a number of settings, so well done Andy. Robin.

Thankyou Robin…Always appreciated!
All the best,
Andy.

 

[King & Country]

Nice Hong Kong figures Andy. I was wondering why you designated them HKY, instead of the usual HK.

Brad

Many thanks Brad…The initials stand for ‘Hong Kong Yesterday’ …
Hope this helps and best wishes,
Andy.

 

[jazzeum]

Many thanks Brad…The initials stand for ‘Hong Kong Yesterday’ …
Hope this helps and best wishes,
Andy.

Thanks Andy. Now I get it. A little slow sometimes.

Hope you are well.

Brad

 

[Northgate Woods]

Andy mate,

Great to see the release of the M48A3. Outstanding model. My order is in with Kristy. Also the new Female VC will fit in nicely with my new NAM Tunnel Dio and Junk display. The new HKY figures are also a welcome addition which I will add to my NAM street scene display. A budget breaker this month.{sm4}{sm4}

Cheers Howard

 

[King & Country]

Andy mate,

Great to see the release of the M48A3. Outstanding model. My order is in with Kristy. Also the new Female VC will fit in nicely with my new NAM Tunnel Dio and Junk display. The new HKY figures are also a welcome addition which I will add to my NAM street scene display. A budget breaker this month.{sm4}{sm4}

Cheers Howard

Thanks Howard,
It’s great to have the vital fire support of those new M48 Pattons’ in your dioramas.
Check out a terrific documentary on YouTube called:
’How Did American Tanks Fair In Vietnam’ part of Greatest Tank Battles on Timeline.
Well worth a watch!
All the best,
Andy.

 

[villagehorse]

My order is in for this new series to bolster civilians in any one of my displays. All should fit nicely. Robin.

 

[Desertkiwi]

I like the idea of the 2nd generation figures especially given the silly prices they sometimes go for. Those early SS are some of K&Cs finest, I particularly like the single officer and bloke with the bino's.

Great to see some further winter German tank crew and the scout will work well with Andy's other BOB Germans.

The US Vietnam tank looks amazing.

 

[Horus]

Yes some of these new releases will be coming my way. The New HK 1960's figures look great and will as Andy says fit into many a Saigon etc scene.

 

[jazzeum]

My order is in for this new series to bolster civilians in any one of my displays. All should fit nicely. Robin.

Wonderful display Robin.

 

[Barkmann]

I like the idea of the 2nd generation figures especially given the silly prices they sometimes go for. Those early SS are some of K&Cs finest, I particularly like the single officer and bloke with the bino's.

Great to see some further winter German tank crew and the scout will work well with Andy's other BOB Germans.

The US Vietnam tank looks amazing.

Agree with you on the 2nd Gen WW2 Germans, think the 1st Gen of these figures are some of the finest K & C figures, i have nearly all of them and they have really stood up to the test of time. Re-sale values are high. Have a couple of 2nd Gen already and they are excellent. The new ones will be go 'the list', but the new BotB will be jumping straight to the top and i will be ordering them later this month, the two figure set even 'looks cold'.

 

[bridport]

Those 2nd generation SS look excellent! I like the camouflage paint job.

A bit of a match for my Russian Naval Infantry.