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

Keep 'Em Coming, K and C

Well, February is here and so is the latest King and Country Dispatches, the regular monthly newsletter detailing future releases and newly retired pieces. For more details, click on the link in the news section of the blog, but here is a taster

Being released in February or March are more reinforcements for Monty's beleaguered forces in Africa, some First World War Germans, a handful of Crusaders, Saracens on camels, Ancient Egyptian civilians going about their work, a Spitfire, various Volksturm defending the crumbling Reich in 1945 and at the other extreme, yet more additions to the hugely popular, and expansive, Berlin '38 range. Oh, and one or two scenic items. Phew. I don't know how they do it. Time for some pictures. Here are the ones I'll be adding to my 'wants list'

In a desperate attempt to hold off the Allied Armies even this grandfather has been drafted into the "Volksturm".
Still wearing civilian clothes only his army 'ski cap', armband and weapons mark him down as a 'soldier'

Another 'old-timer' marches off... but at least he has a helmet, backpack and a uniform greatcoat!

This veteran infantryman carries a bundle of deadly "Panzerfausts" (the cheap but effective German Rocket Propelled Grenade). His job is to help instruct and lead the "odds 'n' sods" of the Volksturm

The young and the old... a teenager "Hitlerjugend" member takes aim while his much older comrade gingerly "follows suit"

Set to accompany these 'die hards' into battle is this little beauty, K and C's largest and heaviest armoured vehicle to date, the Jagdtiger tank destroyer which will be limited to a run of 750 pieces. One of them will be mine! Weighing over 70 tons this "behemoth" of a tank-killer was one of the last gasps of the once mighty German armaments industry. Mounting a massive 128mm gun less than 100 of these heavy metal monsters were actually produced. This battle-worn version comes in a realistic two-colour, late war camouflage and is one of the "Henschel Production" models. It comes with 3 partial crew figures

Four views of this stunning looking new model. Reinforced shelving not supplied!!

Even at this late, desperate stage of the war there were some Germans who still believed in the Fuhrer... another Volksturm "volunteer", still wearing his SA uniform, salutes with one hand while clutching his Panzerfaust in the other

Three individual HJ boys ranging from 13 to 17 years of age... the elder being the "youth leader" of the group

Two teenage girls from the "League of German Maidens"... the female equivalent of the "Hitlerjugend"

Four sections of sand bags, and a selection of oil drums. Three extremely versatile display items that will help bring any WW2 diorama to life

That just about brings this little round up to a close, save to say that I might just splash out on this over the next day or two, a late war Normandy set that I initially discounted and is now being retired, and I have since decided to reconsider, purely and simply because of its sheer quirkiness