Latest Additions 3: Leuthen

Quite a few posts ago I made a passing reference to the fact that I hadn't written a latest additions post in a while and that I was going to be writing three in a row. Well, the third one never came, or at least not on time! Here it is, quite a lot later than originally scheduled. The subject matter of said post is the Battle of Leuthen diorama range produced by John Jenkins Designs

I've been debating whether to buy pieces from this range for some time. Up until the time when I finally decided to take the plunge and do so, I had just one piece from JJD, a WW1 German armoured car from his Knights of the Skies series. So pleased was I with this purchase I made an effort to look a little more closely at some of his other productions and I'm very glad I did

The images included here show the diorama pieces for the display together with some of the Prussian figures needed to occupy the impressions cast in to the base. As a consequence of my particular collecting whims I haven't [yet] bought any Austrians to man the walls of the besieged church and at the time of posting I have bought just one box of all of the Prussian sets. In order to complete the Prussian side of the diorama you need to buy a number of duplicates and I will say more about that later

For those who might not know, John's diorama series has been based on a painting showing one of the main episodes in the battle

The battle itself was fought during the Seven Years' War between the forces of Prussia, under Frederick the Great, and Austrian forces under the leadership of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and is counted amongst Frederick's greatest victories over a force many times greater than his own. The following images provide some basic factual details as well as a brief summary of the sequence of events leading to the Prussian victory

Frederick the Great

An interesting and far more detailed take on the battle can be found here

http://obscurebattles.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/leuthen-1757.html

And so to the images of the display currently sitting on a shelf in the hobbies room, aka Dad's Den. I've taken the liberty of adding a few scenic items from John Gittin's range, partly to reflect the painting and partly to add a little bit more visual interest to the scene

The overall vista showing quite clearly I trust the winter birch, winter shrubs and 'plastic' snow that I've added. The snow has been added for the fairly obvious reason of wanting to disguise, nay hide, the gap between the bottom of the structural features and the diorama base that they are standing on

I'm sure you will all agree, John's take on the painting shown at the top of the post is first rate and his portrayal of the Prussian grenadiers absolutely first class. His figures are dynamic, well painted and extremely good value for money

As I said earlier, in order to complete the Prussian element of the diorama, should you be interested in doing so for yourself, you will need to purchase duplicates of certain sets. With John's kind help, here is a complete list of the sets you will need and a photo that will help with placing the figures correctly

LEUT-01  x  2

LEUT-02  x 2

LEUT-03  x  2

LEUT-04  x 1

LEUT-05 x 1

LEUT-06 x 3

LEUT-07  x 2

LEUT-08 x 1

LEUT-09  x  1

LEUT-11 x 1   NCO

LEUT-12 x 1   Officer

LEUT 10, 10A and 10B are the two wall sections and the entrance. The base is LEUT 100

One word of warning, John's website is currently showing low stock for a number of the above sets and LEUT 12 is SOLD OUT! You may still be able to get hold of it via your local dealer, and if you are in the UK then the sole dealer for John's fabulous figures is Grey Goose Collectables

I have just ordered the duplicate sets that I need and am very much looking forward to taking receipt of them next week

And finally, you might be interested in taking a look at this AV clip detailing the main events of the battle, courtesy of The Art of Battle

    

Happy Hunting!

Thomas Gunn Miniatures: New Germans

Three new Germans for May from TGM! Nice and simple. Enjoy!

http://www.tomgunn.co.uk/

CLUB 20 features Hans Phillip, a Luftwaffe ace and Knights Cross recipient
with over 200 victories mainly on the Eastern Front. Phillip's plane was hit
by a B17 gunner in October 1943, there is also speculation he was hit by a
P47 Thunderbolt flown by Robert Johnson. As Phillip tried to nurse his plane
back to his airfield he was forced to bail out at 50 metres where his
parachute failed to open.
He was buried with full military honours on 14th October 1943.
This figure of Phillip with one of his units mascots, a tame fox, is free to
all Club members who spend $150 or more thru our can be purchased separately
on our website for the normal RRP of $40.

FJ017B The B version of our very popular running FJ but this time with some
snow added to his base so he can now be incorporated in a Russian winter
setting or a BOB dio. Limited to 100 in number and priced at $40 per figure.

GW054 German Ground Crew/Mechanic with toolbox. A great little figure
smoking a pipe that will look suitable in any airfield diorama or maybe next
to our A7 tank carrying out some repairs? Non smoking sign also included
with this set!
Limited to 100 in number and priced at $43.50/£32

Happy Hunting!

John Jenkins Designs: New Germans

A couple of new WW1 Germans from John, and links to a couple of websites should you want a bit more info, or a full listing of all his new releases

http://www.johnjenkinsdesigns.com/

http://www.toysoldiersclub.com/2015-06-JJ-EN.html

http://www.grey-goose.co.uk/Welcome-to-Grey-Goose-Collectables-Ltd/1/

Happy Hunting! 

King and Country: May Dispatches

So, in accordance with the new format, here are the recently released Germans from K&C, and there are quite a few I can tell you, together with the hyperlinks to the TSC and K&C websites where you can find out more information including and a complete breakdown of all the new releases. Plenty to enjoy!

http://www.toysoldiersclub.com/2015-05-KC-EN.html

http://www.kingandcountry.com/dispatches/may-2015/

To begin with, here are a couple of 'holdovers' from April that are now available for sale

Happy Hunting!

For When It Really Matters: New Terrain

Need a little something to lay those newly acquired lumps of loveliness down on? Then look no further. John Gittins and the team at Build A Rama have some new mats about to hit the shelves [pun intended] and if they're anything like as good as their existing offerings then you'll be chuffed to get your hands on some of them

http://www.jgminiatures.com/category.php

Both of John's offerings measure 30" x 13" but can be made larger on request, up to 3' x 4'. The first mat is £30 and the one with the tank tracks on it is £36

Build A Rama have a number of new pieces up for grabs. Take a look and see which you prefer

Build A Rama Terrain Mats

• Brama364A -- 1:32 Diorama Mat 24" x 30" - Rough Turf
• Brama364B -- 1:32 Diorama Mat 24" x 24" - Rough Turf
• Brama364C -- 1:32 Diorama Mat 12" x 12" - Rough Turf
• Brama365 -- 1:32 Deluxe Terrain Diorama Mat 4' x 2' Grass Clearing with Road
• Brama366 -- 1:32 Deluxe Terrain Diorama Mat 4' x 2' Deep Beach
• Brama369A -- 1:32 Cobble Stone Diorama Mat 6" x 24"- Road Section
• Brama369B -- 1:32 Cobble Stone Diorama Mat 12" x 12"- Vignette Mat
• Brama369C -- 1:32 Cobble Stone Diorama Mat 12" x 24"- Shelf Mat
• Brama369D -- 1:32 Cobble Stone Diorama Mat 30" x 24"- Tabletop Mat

Build A Rama Terrain Mats

Happy Hunting!

First Legion: New German Armour

Two new, and incredibly beautiful, German Panzers for the Stalingrad series. I defy anyone not to love them, and if you don't, then you have no soul!

http://www.toysoldiersclub.com/2015-05-FL-EN.html

http://www.firstlegionltd.com/stalingradvehicles.aspx 

Happy Hunting!

John Jenkins Designs: Sad News

This news arrived in my inbox nearly a month ago now, so apologies if you have already heard it. Nevertheless, I thought I'd share it here just in case it had slipped under your radar. It concerns JJDUK who have been the sole dealers for John's figures here in the UK for some time. Read on.....

Whilst you will still find us at www.jjduk.co.uk ready and waiting to dispatch your order, it is with much regret we announce that due to personal commitments and the development of both our other individual businesses we are unable to give JJD UK the time and commitment it deserves and will no longer be acting as the sole and exclusive UK dealer for John Jenkins Designs.

The April releases mark the final set of new releases listed for sale via JJD UK. As of immediate effect JJD UK will no longer list new releases for Pre-Order and will be unable to order in any historic sets. We do however have our current stock to sell and this may be the last chance to pick up those sets you've been putting off.

We have enjoyed immeasurably bringing burgundy bundles of joy to you all. We have made many great new friends and enjoyed meeting each and every one of you at the shows, and our shared passion for John's amazing work.

Thank you: for the warm welcome we received from the Toy Soldier community, for always making our day, for the book, film, documentary and war-game recommendations, for your letters, emails and postcards full of thanks and joy and for making it possible for us to turn our passion for John's figures into something special. Without you, none of this would have been possible. We appreciate you all.

When we took on the UK dealership as the sole and exclusive UK dealer, we were able to concentrate all our energies toward it. Our circumstances have changed considerably in the last few years and we are now unable to give it the focus it deserves.

We are open for business as usual and still have good stocks of many historic lines. We’d recommend you check out our Retired But Still Available sets, so please visit the JJD UK website and watch this space for news regarding opportunities to acquire some of the custom display boards we made to showcase John’s incredible ranges at the Toy Soldier shows.

If you have Pre-Ordered a collector’s club set, don’t panic, we are discussing with John all pre-orders of collector’s club sets that are yet to be shipped. We will be in touch individually as soon as we understand our position regarding these sets.

Happy collecting

James and Adam

JJD UK

On a happier note, the new UK dealers are husband and wife team, Sue and Clive, over at Grey Goose Collectables, although on their website they only have the newly released stuff currently displayed

Happy Hunting! 

The Collectors Showcase: New Horsch!

Plain and simple, a much awaited re-working of a classic little vehicle from the Texans at TCS! I've got one of the original ones already and could well be in the market for another

http://thecollectorsshowcase.com/toy-soldiers-store/Item/Horch-car-normandy

2 figs (destroyed option set and casualty fig. included)

Happy Hunting!

Thomas Gunn Miniatures: April Germans

The latest German troopers from TGM

http://www.tomgunn.co.uk/

WWII German forces

• FJ019 -- "The Breakfast Club" #2 - Two more of our popular FJ's in a relaxed mode to add to the first Breakfast Club recently issued. One FJ stands smoking a cigarette with his MG42 propped up in front of him whilst the other adopts a more casual pose resting his foot on an ammo box, note the captured Sten gun as his weapon of choice! A pan of fried egg makes a neat touch to this set. Please note that both these figures have no base and can be used as tank riders if so desired.

WWII German forces

World War One

• GW050B - Maxim Machine Gunner with Gas Mask

World War One

Happy Hunting!

King and Country: April Dispatches

Very late in the day admittedly, but just like a bus, better late than never. Links to the latest releases from K&C together with images of some of the German stuff. Enjoy!

http://www.toysoldiersclub.com/2015-04-KC-EN.html

http://www.kingandcountry.com/dispatches/april-2015-part-one

http://www.kingandcountry.com/dispatches/april-2015-part-two/

Well, that's all the new stuff right there, and apart from that there's just one retirement I'm interested in this month, and it's this LAH officer standing easy whilst watching the parade go by

Happy Hunting!