Figarti: Recent Releases

Just thought I'd post a few images of some recent releases from Figarti. I'm really looking forward to Sunday 23rd October when I will be collecting my very first Figarti model from Grey Goose Collectables at the Birmingham Toy Soldier Show

Figarti are renown for their large, and somewhat leftfield, pieces and if you like that sort of thing then you'll probably fall in love with this Fries Gantry Crane immediately

The Gantry Crane, minus V2 rocket and Tiger tank of course, is available from GGC and priced at £195

I don't really have the display space for such an item, nor a suitable diorama to place it in, but I could certainly make room for both of the following pieces

A Tri-Camo Flak 88mm with three crew figures, priced at £235

Three images of their Flak 88mm fixed to a Panzer IV chasis. This particular monster is crewed by a lone Hitler Youth during the last, desperate days of the Reich. It would sit very nicely alongside my K+C Fall of Berlin figures! Priced at £195

While we're on the subject of big guns, how about this little beauty? The Collectors Showcase have recently released a Normandy Wespe and I'd like to think this would compliment it very well. However, I'm not so sure it would as the latest range of TCS vehicles have been sculpted 'oversize', that is to say they are closer to 1/28 scale than they are 1/30! Annoying, but true, as anyone who owns both of their Tiger 1s will be able to testify. Their latest version, the 007 numbered tank, is markedly bigger than the previous version, the 222!

Figarti's Normandy Nashorn, yours for a very reasonable £210

Below is a picture of the kind of vehicle that most manufacturers simply don't make, and yet it's the sort of thing that, in my opinion, would breathe life into any diorama. A logistics vehicle, by no means the most dramatic item to find room for but, without which any army would be unable to function and, given the problems the German army were having keeping their armour supplied with fuel towards the end of the war, important from a 'storytelling' point of view and well worth having as part of your collection

Tri-camo Normandy Opel Blitz fuel truck, priced at a £125

Finally, but by no means least, this is the vehicle I will be picking up later in October. The plan is to have it nestling behind my Collectors Showcase 222 numbered Tiger 1 as part of a Michael Wittmann diorama still in the process of completion

Tri-camo Normandy Panzer IV, marked up as part of the Panzer Lehr Division, one of which accompanied Wittmann and his Tiger 1 during the initial assault on the Allied armour in Villers Boccage. Available from GGC and priced at £200

Happy hunting!

King and Country Dispatches

It's October 6th and a few days ago K+C announced their latest round of new releases and retirements

Available now and later in October are their new Ancient Greeks, a collection of American infantry and vehicles for Bastogne, the Eisenhower staff car set, some Napoleonic highlanders and a seriously bomb damaged building for Normandy, all featured in last month's post

As far as new releases available in November are concerned, here are some images of their new Germans, destined to fight the Americans somewhere in the Ardennes

BBG040 "Take Some!"

An SS Panzergrenadier offers to share some of his captured U.S. "C Rations" with a Volksturm rifleman. This is one of a pair of two figure sets in this release

BBG048 "Sd.Kfz. 234/1 Schwerer Panzerspahwagen"

A mighty beast of a reconnaissance vehicle, this 8-wheeled behemoth has been "snow-camouflaged" and comes with a seated, full-body vehicle commander in the turret which mounts a 20mm cannon as well as an MG42 Machine Gun... A great winter add-on!

BBG042 "Jochen Peiper"

A very well-known Waffen SS officer who was once a military adjutant to Adolf Hitler. His division is, of course, the "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler"... the premier SS Division.

BBG052 "Suspicious Trooper"

This soldier is carrying the brand-new German Assault Weapon... Only a few thousand were available for front-line troops fighting in the Ardennes. Our model looks like he's just heard something and is about to investigate.

BBG049 "Stug. III Ausf. G"

One of Nazi Germany's best and most produced self-propelled guns. This is K&C's first brand-new STUG for several years and is camouflaged in a typical, late-war 2-tone camouflage. As you can see not all "BULGE" fighting vehicles were "snow-camouflaged". Set includes the 1/2 body tank commander.

Altogether, 9 sets will be available and due for release sometime in November. I haven't been collecting the Battle of the Bulge series, and don't intend to start now, however I am rather taken by the new Stug which, since it isn't in any way 'winterised', would look perfectly lovely alongside all the other Normandy bits and pieces I've got. Hmmm. Nice!

Talking of Normandy bits and pieces, this month is going to be expensive! As I write I am already waiting on some recently retired K+C motor cycle combos from their Berlin '38 range, I've plans afoot to purchase a Figarti Panzer IV at the upcoming Birmingham Toy Soldier Show, and lo and behold K+C have just decided to retire no less than seven Waffen SS sets!

Fortunately, one of them is the massive King Tiger which, although lovely, is technically part of the BB range which I don't collect, another is the set of winter camouflaged tank riders to go with it, and yet another is a single marching SS trooper in summer camo which I already own. Not quite so bad, then. These four sets, however, I don't yet own so, sad to say, I will be forced, kicking and screaming, to buy them! 

 

I can hardly wait! Happy hunting!

Warfare Magazine

Issue number three of this relatively new, and very interesting, online magazine is now available for viewing online, or downloading in part or in full as a PDF file

Full of really informative and thought provoking articles, it's well worth a read so take a look. The publishers will soon be launching an app for all you i-pad and i-phone users, so get ready for that

Happy reading!

Announcements

Hi there. It's October, and the blog is nearly one year old, or new, or 'of age', and I'd just like to say thank you to anyone and everyone who has taken the trouble to read it

Last month was a quiet one for me as far as blogging goes. I was snowed under with a few other things and couldn't devote the usual amount of time to this. With any luck, this month should be a bit different

I've decided to kick off this month with a couple of 'dates for your diary' type announcements. Firstly, the next installment of the AAF is very nearly upon us. Since its inception this event has been growing in popularity and next week's show promises to be a good one, with more retailers and site owners attending and spread over two days rather than one, giving more people the opportunity to see what it has to offer

As you can see from the flyer, the show looks like it's going to be well attended so get in quick and book your tickets before they all go!

The second thing I wanted to draw your attention to is the 21st Birmingham Model and Toy Soldier Show which is taking place on Sunday 23rd October at The Clarendon Suite, 2 Stirling Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B16 9SB

You don't need to book or pre-order tickets, doors open to the public at 10.30am and it will cost you just £4 to enter. There will be approximately 90 traders there selling everything from hollow-cast, lead, tinplate, pewter, composition and plastic figures as well as all manner of kits, diorama pieces, books etc. etc.

More information about the show can be obtained from the organiser, David McKenna, who can be reached via email at patanddave76@yahoo.co.uk or by phone on 0121 628 1397

Happy hunting!

The Collectors Showcase: New German Releases

Yummy, yummy, yummy. Having had a bit of a break from blogging, I feel refreshed and rearing to go and the release of figures like these from TCS makes me all the more eager to get going again

This company really has come on leaps and bounds in recent times and they are releasing some fabulous stuff. So far, I have only bought their vehicles because I think their foot figures look a little too different to blend in well alongside my K+C infantry. Such silliness stops right here, right now! There are figures in this recent batch of releases I simply must have!!

The first two of my 'must have' figures. I don't have any of their Berlin '38 figure sets at the moment but I reckon these two gents would look pretty cool standing at the steps of my Nuremberg podium! These will be selling in the UK for around £50 a pair

The rest of the Berlin '38 foot figures, none of which I'm particularly hankering after, but I have to say they look very smart and at around £25 a pop, very good value for money. On the subject of good VFM.....

.....how about these? Two more additions to my 'must have' list, I like these very much. K+C produce the MC combo, and the SS biker resting his foot on the floor, both now retired pieces, but here we have single MC riders in full flight! Does £70 each sound reasonable? Yes please! I can see them now, leading a small motorcade out through the gates of the barracks!

Still they come! Following hot on the heels of a very similar vehicle recently released by another well known manufacturer, is this little gem which comes complete with accessory pack, and a removable canopy and driver

The Raupenschlepper comes in a winterized version, too, as is customary with TCS, and will be retailing at around £120

You may have noticed the little gun being towed behind the Normandy version of the Raup. Needless to say, this isn't included in the price but comes as an additional set together with three crew figures, an ammo basket and some spent shell cases, all for around £125 in the UK. Gorgeous!

Normandy and winterised versions of the Pak 75 AT gun

Finally, here are a couple more £50 foot figure sets depicting some of those hard pressed Waffen SS panzer-grenadiers enjoying a moment or two of respite. I simply love the way these figures have been posed and sculpted

 

These are most definitely on my hit list. Woof, woof! Happy hunting!

King and Country Dispatches

What can I say, the demands of being back at work have meant that I've been persuaded to let one or two things slide, including the blog

K+C announced their latest batch of releases and retirements some time ago, just over a fortnight ago to be precise, so this is somewhat overdue. So overdue in fact that you've almost certainly seen it all already

Nevertheless, here we go again. Finally out and on the shelves so to speak, the Hawker Typhoon and accompanying ground crew, the AK commandeered Morris 15cwt truck, a handful of D-Day military police and general staff figures and the Luftwaffe conference set. Available later in the month, the Eisenhower staff car set and all the Berlin '38 figures featured in last month's post

Coming in October, 7 figures and an architectural feature heralding the arrival of a brand new series entitled 'Ancient Greece', 9 new figure and vehicle sets for their 'Back to Bastogne' series including a charming little vignette featuring a GI 'chef' knocking up a well deserved pot of stew, a second version of the Morris truck this time painted in a more traditional RAF livery,  a handful of reinforcements for the recent Gordon Highlanders range and a second bomb damaged building to go alongside the French cafe already released. Enough there to tickle most peoples' taste buds I shouldn't wonder!

Hoplite officer with sword

Hoplite advancing with spear at 45 degrees

Ancient Greek entranceway

The ubiquitous jeep, but probably one you've never seen before! Armour plate protects the front of the engine as well as three sides of the driver/ passenger area. A 30 cal. machine gun is mounted on a pole next to the driver.
 The vehicle has also been "snow" camouflaged with a rough coat of whitewash.
 Note the "snow chains" on the wheels... a nice little extra touch

Sitting by the cooker this GI prepares a hot meal for the rest of his platoon. He's taking no chances though... he still carries his MI over his shoulder. Is that because of the Germans... or is he worried his buddies won't like his cooking!!!

A great little vignette of a French Cuirassier capturing the Regimental Flag from a wounded officer, while a guardsman wheels around to attack the Cuirassier (or his horse)

This is the second release of the new Normandy Village buildings and, as you can see, this is taller than the SHOP HOUSE and has endured considerably more battle damage.
 These pieces are full of great detail and can be used in a variety of displays and settings for both First and Second World War figures and fighting vehicles

Finally, but by no means least for collectors like me who tend to prioritise these pieces, heading for the hills this month are the Eighth Army band, half a dozen Crusader figures, the Texan artillery set, a Napoleonic vignette and a couple of foot figures, the AK Panzer IV, a couple of ACW figure sets, as well as three HK sets, General Foch, and this little beauty, the motorcycle and side car combo from the Berlin '38 series

Three of these should be winging their way to me all the way from Canada within days of this being posted. Once here they will take pride of place at the forefront of my 'Nuremberg podium' shelf display!

That's about it, folks. Happy hunting!