I've taken another look at these proposed releases and, notwithstanding what I previously said, I'm concerned. As Gary and Joe (CannonFodder) have mentioned the New Model Army castings appear to be very close to King and Country. A case in point is the eight wheeled vehicle. It bears a very strong and close similarity to WS 32. Also some of the camo of the soldiers bear a very strong similarity to King and Country. They appear to have been copied from King and Country. While imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, if I can buy the original, why should I buy a copy?
I've alluded to a conversation I had with Gary about buying products from new competitors only if they're good as King and Country. I don't think these are as good as King and Country. While I'm not saying these are knock offs, there is close similarity and it should be cause for concern especially if the pricing strategy is to offer them at a cheaper price than King and Country. In other spheres, this could be a case for intellectual property infringement. I don't know if there is such a thing in the toy soldier world however, not being an intellectual property attorney.
Another cause for concern is that it devalues our collections if something similar to a WS 32 comes to the market. Those who may not know any better may just decide to buy the cheaper version. It's sort of like generic competition. A generic competitor rides upon the coattails of the original inventor and doesn't have to spend the research and time needed to make a successful product. This could only lead to other items similar to King and Country retired items being produced.
On the other hand, the new Honey from Figarti and the Panthers from Honour Bound appear as if they could be something that will make the 60 mm world competitive and will only enhance both the toy soldier world and our collections. But mere copying does not.
Look, we all have limited resources and when you're deciding where to put your money and unless some company comes along that just blows me away with the quality of the product, I'll be buying King and Country, a product that just keeps getting better and better.
Again, why would I want the copy when I can have the original. This is a very important point to keep in mind. As you can guess, unless I see some originality, I will be staying with King and Country.