Gotterdammerung!

Well, it's early April and that can only mean one thing, the publication of King and Country's latest Dispatches, detailing upcoming releases and retirements, and what an announcement it is! For full details I suggest you follow the links and dash over to their main website. I'm fairly certain you won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't

As usual, I have chosen to focus on those figures that are of particular interest to me and that I have added, immediately, to my ever growing wish list. This time round it's more of those resolute Germans who elected to fight a desperate defensive action inside their own borders, whilst the "Thousand Year Reich" collapsed around their ears!

These figures have been designed to stand alongside the other Volksturm and SS fighters released earlier in the year and as such they are the perfect complement to the 'Fall of Berlin' series of figures released a few years ago. I plan to have them displayed as part of a diorama together with the crumbling Berlin tenement building, but that will take a while to complete. Here are some piccies!

A war weary SS soldier gestures to the oncoming tide to 'Halt!' Somehow, I don't think the Russians will be taking any notice!

A young Hitlerjugend defender with rifle at the ready

This fine looking gent is marked up on the K+C site as a Waffen SS inspecting general. Unless I'm very much mistaken, he is dressed as a Wehrmacht officer!

A naive HJ gunner being shown the ropes by an experienced Luftwaffe instructor

When all else fails, 'on your bike'!

I'm sure you'll agree these would make very fine additions to any 'Fall of Berlin' or other similarly themed diorama or display, and if you were wondering where Andy and the team might have got their inspiration from, then take a look at these

They do say necessity is the mother of invention!

If you'd like to take a look at a few more pictures like the ones above then go to the website referred to underneath the last image showing, incidentally, a 16 year old Volksturm volunteer. There's plenty more where that one came from. Something which couldn't be said for the Volksturm volunteers!

If, like me, you make a point of purchasing sets as they are being retired, so as to whittle away at your ever growing wants list and leaving the newer outpourings until 'later', then you may be pleased, or otherwise shocked, to hear that K+C are retiring over 30 sets this month. Yes, that wasn't a typo, you read it correctly. Over 30 sets! For me, it hasn't worked out too badly as I only collect the 'Fall of Berlin', 'Berlin 38' and 'Normandy' ranges, and within each of those I concentrate on SS figures. Consequently, the only set I want from this mammoth list is the Normandy Panzer III! You mightn't be so lucky. Happy collecting