Figarti: 'Eavy Metal

Another little gem from Figarti, those masters of the weird and wonderful, for you to cast your eager eyes over, this time in the shape of this very effectively winterised ISU-152

EFR-021

If, like me, you get somewhat tired of seeing the same old fare offered up by the major miniature manufacturers, then vehicles like this are sure to get the heart beating just that little bit faster

Nicknamed the 'Zveroby', or 'Animal Killer', by Soviet tank crews the ISU-152, with its 95lb shell, was one of the few vehicles capable of blowing apart Panthers, Tigers and Elefants and helped give the Russians a fighting chance as the formidable German war machine continued its seemingly relentless roll eastwards

ISU-152: Some vital statistics!

As we have come to expect from a company that has built its reputation on the quality of its machinery this is a detailed and very well made model and comes with a soldier wearing the baggy and poorly fitting Russian winter smock and mittens, and with a price tag of just £210. What's more, it's a limited edition piece

That about wraps it up for this evening but I reckon this one's got to be a contender for any truly serious Eastern Front or Soviet specialist collector. Imagine how great it would look as a centrepiece for a winter diorama, alongside an immobilised Tiger and a troop of panic-stricken panzer grenadiers trying desperately to keep the hell out of its way!

Happy [German tank] hunting!

JOB Done

Whilst reading an article in the latest issue of Toy Soldier Collector the other day I came across a passing reference to a toy soldier newsletter published by one John O'Brien. To my shame, perhaps, it was the first I'd heard of it but the article's author certainly prompted to be investigate further

I duly logged on to the internet, searched for John O'Brien's toy soldier newsletter and was rewarded with a link to his wonderful website. Once there, and having taken a few moments to look around, finding the latest newsletter was a simple matter of clicking on a fairly obvious and clearly highlighted hyperlink

The newsletter is a simple, straightforward, no nonsense affair delivering a dose of interesting and informative news about some of the latest offerings in the toy soldier world and a recommended read for any collector or enthusiast. I have taken the liberty of including screen shots of the latest issue below

John's website is well worth a look, jam packed as it is with pictures of his fabulous collection as well as many of the figures he has painted for fellow collectors all over the world. The screen shots below will give you a flavour and for further information simply follow this LINK or click on the permanent image link on the sidebar. Happy viewing!

TGM: The One That Got away!

Sounds like a strange title for a post about toy soldiers perhaps, and I know I've only very recently posted about the latest releases from TGM, but I was leafing through the pages of the current edition of Toy Soldier Collector when I came across a full page ad featuring, amongst other things, a vehicle I couldn't remember seeing in any of the more recent TGM newsletters

As I am with many of the company's offerings, I was quite taken with the 'cuteness', if that's in any way an appropriate word to describe it, and the 'out of the ordinariness' of it. Like Figarti, TGM are doing quite a bit of this lately and I for one am all in favour of it, ie the production of slightly quirky, more unusual vehicle variants

You may already have seen it, you may already have one in your collection, but if you haven't then see what you think of it, and if you have then you will probably agree that TGM deserve another pat on the back for giving us another great little vehicle to add to our Normandy convoys

The SdKfz 140 Aufklarungspanzer Reconnaissance Tank

Following a Heer requirement for a new armoured reconnaissance vehicle that could make use of the outdated 38T chassis, the SdKfz 140/1 was born. Just over 100 were made in 1944 before production was ceased in favour of the SdKfz 234 Puma series

Armed with a 2cm KwK 38 L55 cannon, the SdKfz 140/1 was well liked by its crews. As the tide of war turned against the Germans, the need for such light tanks was soon becoming obsolete. However as with all vehicles left in the German inventory, these tanks were used right up until the end of the war

TGM has produced 200 of this beautiful looking vehicle in their usual Normandy and Winter versions, and at a very attractive price of £79!

 
I thought I'd finish up with a couple of photos of the 'real steel' vehicle. You may be able to find out lots more about this interesting little vehicle by clicking on the following link and investigating some of the featured sites: LINK!

Happy hunting!

King and Country: Dispatches

Cast your eyes over the goodies on offer this month from Andy and the team over at K&C. As always, further details are available on the company website and the images come straight from my inbox courtesy of Toy Soldiers Club

Heading for the hills this month, all of the following

FW001 The Kaiser

FW007 Officer w/Flag

FW009 Marching Rifleman

FW010 Standing Rifleman

FW011 Standing Officer

FW012 Private Hitler

FW014 Standing Firing Rifleman

FW015 Kneeling Firing Rifleman

FW016 Charging w/ Rifle & Bayonet

FW018 Officer w/ Pistol

FW019 German Machine Gun Set

FW022 Standing Loading Rifle

FW023 Kneeling Loading Rifle

LW008 Marching Officer w/ sword

LW009 Marching Officer w/ Flag

LW010 Marching Airman w/ Rifle

LW011 Standing Airman presenting arms

LW012 Standing Officer Saluting

LW013 Standing Airman w/ Rifle

LW014 Walking Officer

LW015 Standing at Attention

LW016 Luftwaffe General

LW017 Major Gunther Rall

LW018 Section Leader

LW019 Machine Gun Team

LW020 Panzerschrek Team

LW021 Kneeling Officer

LW022 Attack Set
LW023 Advancing Set
LW024 Lying Firing Rifleman
LW037 Luftwaffe Ground Crew
LW042 Galland’s Crew Chief
WS176 Hitlerjugend Panther Ausf. A

That just about wraps it up for yet another month. The only item on my list is the HJ Panther. Happy hunting one and all, until next month!

Figarti: New Releases

Feast your eyes on the latest offerings from Figarti. As always, all the following items will be available in the UK from Grey Goose Collectibles

Happy hunting!

Airsoft News: Magpul 'Pulling Out'

My first post for August and I'm afraid it's a bit of a downer

I took a trip down to my local site on Friday to chuck in a couple of guns I'm looking to sell and have a look at one or two other shiny things I'm thinking of buying, only to be met with the surprising 'news' [to me at least] that Magpul have pulled the plug on their official licensing agreement with PTS

The upshot of this, according to the site owner, is that officially licensed and branded Magpul products made specifically for the airsoft market have been discontinued and will no longer be available in the future. So, once UK stockists have run out of product, that's it. You won't be able to get hold of any more

When I got home, I looked up what I could find on the web and sure enough, there's quite a lot of discussion about it on various forums and, just in case you are reading or hearing about this for the first time, I have included one or two links to said discussions below

http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/16980-magpul-pts-full-product-line-to-be-discontinued/

http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/210433-pts-closing-down/

Much is being made of the fact that there we are still awaiting 'official' confirmation of this from either PTS or Magpul. I guess, only time will tell but I for one will be very disappointed if it turns out to be true. Watch this space, and if you're currently in the market for some PTS Magpul gear then you may well have to get your skates on. Happy hunting!