Thomas Gunn: Recent Releases

Information on the latest releases from Tom and the gang landed in my in tray a few days ago and many of you may already have seen them first hand at the London show. For those of you that didn't, here are some pictures and accompanying details on the sets being released in December and a few more due for release the following month. Enjoy

December 2012 Releases

SS027 8cm Mortar Team. A 2 man SS mortar team in action somewhere in Europe.
Both crew members look away as another round leaves the tube heading in the direction of the Allies!

The A version is suitable for a Battle of the Bulge diorama and the B version is suitable for Normandy or Germany 1945. Not sure if there are many German winter mortar teams around so hopefully a pretty unique set for all of you into winter.
Limited to 200 sets in the A version and 120 sets in the B version and priced at $69 for a great all action set! Available now!

SS029 The Mine Clearers Part 1.
A 2 man mine clearing team with an NCO recording his comrade's work in the minefield but at a safe distance! The other soldier seems to have found something and has stopped moving for the time being, just to be sure! The mine detector pole is detachable to avoid breakages during transit

Priced at $64 for the pair, limited to 200 sets in the Normandy version and 120 sets in the DAK version. Available now!

SS030 The Mine Clearers Part 2.
Comprises a 2 man squad gingerly clearing Allied mines in preparation for the German counter attack. One man moves forward searching for hidden mines equipped with a standard issue mine detector. His comrade in arms lifts a once hidden mine with his bayonet. To highlight the shortages faced by the Germans we have ‘dressed’ one of the figures in a Wehrmacht jacket in addition to his SS issue trousers and helmet! Limited to 200 sets in the Normandy SS version and 120 in the DAK version and priced at a competitive $64 for the pair

SS034 Battle Group Part 4. Designed to go with the Mine Clearer sets these 2 infantry figures start their way through the cleared minefield. An NCO waves a nervous Private forward as the path opens up for them

Limited to 200 sets in the SS version and 120 sets in the DAK version and priced at $64 per set

Tom and the gang have recently begun work on two new ranges and in January will be releasing a number of figures for them

Starting off their new WW1 range is a British icon who in some ways sums up the typical eccentric British academic of the period, drafted into the army – T.E Lawrence! In this set, Lawrence takes the surrender of a Turkish soldier in the A version and a German officer in the B version. The scene was inspired by the battle of Tafas where in the 1962 film Lawrence shouts ‘No prisoners’ as his Arab troops move forward to attack a retreating Turkish column. The Turkish force had recently butchered the inhabitants of Tafas and were beating a hasty retreat before the Arabs arrived. The only Axis troops to escape the following battle were 3 cars containing German/Austrian machine gunners. All the other German and Turkish combatants were massacred including 250 troops who surrendered but were put to the sword by the Arabs

Limited to 200 pieces in the A version and 100 pieces in the B version this will be available in January 2012 and priced at $95

Great War 001 (GW001) would surely have been a very worrying sight for any Allied soldier on the front line in France 1918. The Germans pioneered the flamethrower during WW1 and used it to terrifying effect, the flamethrower teams often moving forward with other assault troops to clear the way for the main attacking German force

The A version comes with the figure wearing a gas mask and the B version with no gas mask. Both troops are dressed in ‘Storm Trooper’ outfits and will be priced at $32. More of these superb looking troops will follow in 2012. Both versions will be limited to 150 sets each

LOA002/GW002 comprises a dismounted British cavalry team manning a Hotchkiss machine gun. All British cavalry Regiments were equipped with 2 or more French Hotchkiss machine guns due to the lack of a suitable British light machine gun. These guns provided the extra firepower needed by these lightly armed troops, who were often far out in advance of the main force in a reconnaissance role

The LOA (Lawrence of Arabia) version comes with Pith helmeted figures and the ‘Great War’ version, suitable for the Western Font, comes with our boys wearing soft caps. Both versions limited to 150 sets, priced at $69 and available in January 2012

They are also embarking on a new Napoleonic range and the inaugural offering will be this rather delightful set of RHA troopers manning a rocket launcher!

NAPS001. RHA crew with rocket launcher. As you know here at TGM we love rockets and I wanted to create a unique piece for our first 1/30th scale Napoleonic release! These beautifully detailed soldiers are in the process of loading up their Congreve rocket launcher. Not the most accurate of artillery pieces but they could wreak havoc if scoring a direct hit on an enemy troop concentration. The set comes with 2 troopers and a 2 piece metal rocket launcher and will be priced at $72

So, plenty to look forward to from TGM in the New Year. Happy hunting!

Warfare Magazine: Issue 4

The latest issue of Warfare magazine is out now

 

Go to the Warfare website, subscribe for free, verify your email address and away you go. You can read the magazine online or download selected pages, even the entire issue, as PDF files. Couldn't be simpler

Happy reading!

Airsoft: Arms and Accessories

It's a long time, or it certainly feels like it, since I posted about anything to do with airsoft. For this post, I've chosen to highlight two things. These two things have one thing in common, they are both pieces of kit, but in virtually every other respect they are poles apart

The first is a set of knee pads, made by Warrior and available from UK Tactical. They look like this

Slightly smaller than the average pad, they are designed to sit in just the right place on the knee

They come with a securely fixed, rigid contoured cap

The inside of the pad is cupped and well padded

The HWI Next Generation knee pads are designed to decrease weight and drag while maintaining excellent protection. Our innovative knee pad system is designed to absorb impact force. The NGK100 is a compact solution for all tactical situations where knee protection is essential. The HWI Clip system allows the pads to be removed at speed and each tab is fully adjustable for a perfect fit. This is one of the most comfortable and well designed knee pads on the market

Well, that's the advertising blurb right there but if they're anything like the Hatch knee pads, which look virtually identical, and fasten in a virtually identical manner with quick release D-clips and Velcro adjustable elasticated straps, then they probably will be very comfortable and do everything they're supposed to for a very affordable £22 a pair. What's more, they currently come in three colour varieties, namely tan, black and the lovely Multi-cam

So, the first item I have chosen to post about is a) practical, and b) easily affordable, which is much more than can be said for the next item



Weighing in at a fairly hefty $635 this is not a cheap gun, nor is it practical for skirmishing unless you can guarantee being stuck in one place for any length of time, and you don't object to the idea of having to pick up goodness knows how many plastic, brass coloured, imitation shell casings before hoofing it off to your next location

There is an excellent review of this gun in AI, Volume 7 Issue 4, and they rate it very highly, scoring it four out of five for build quality in respect of both its external and internal parts. Rate of fire is around 740rpm, similar to the real-deal weapon, and velocity was clocked at an average of around 260fps, so no problems there. Accuracy was also pleasing, with a 10 round grouping of 13.9cm, in the reviewers own words, '.....the best shell-operated airsoft gun we've ever played with.....'

In short, utterly useless as a skirmishing tool but with 'fun factor' off the scale! It's '.....immensely entertaining to use.....an airsoft gun that will put a big smile on your face every time you use it.' So, if your bank balance can take the hit, it would make a very lovely collectible






See you again soon!

First Legion Workbench

Nothing to report in the way of new releases from First Legion this month but I thought you might like a bit of a heads up regarding a number of figures they have in the pipeline. I took a quick look at their Workbench page the other day and thought I'd share the following with you

In 2011 we focused primarily on the enemies of Napoleon, releasing lots of Waterloo British and the first of our Austrians for Aspern-Essling. In early 2012 we'll shift our focus back to the Grande Armee with exciting new releases of French and French Allies for Aspern-Essling, Borodino, and Waterloo.  To that end, we are very pleased to provide the first look at our upcoming French 18th Regiment of the Line and a new nationality with the Grand Duchy of Warsaw's 1st Polish Line Infantry Regiment. We sincerely hope you enjoy them!

We are very pleased to share with you the next releases for our American Revolution figure range. We have the British 22nd Foot in firing line and to lead them, General Cornwallis who is accompanied by his dogs. We hope you enjoy!

More than any other question about our Stalingrad range, we are asked "When will you produce some Russian Armor?" Well, the answer is "soon." Here is a preview of the first piece of Russian Armor to be made available for the Stalingrad figure range, the T-34 76 STZ (Stalingrad Tractor Factory) with Welded Turret

In addition to the tank, they will also be releasing a Maxim MG to provide some much needed heavy supporting fire for the beleaguered Russian infantry and these two figures to add to the German forces

I can't wait for the sniper! Happy hunting!

King and Country Dispatches

Here we are in December, the month of Christmas for many of us, and a time when thoughts turn to present buying and the giving and receiving of gifts. I wonder if any of the delights on offer this month from K+C will be appearing on your Christmas list?

First up, all the figure sets referred to in last month's post will be available for sale this month including the new Ludhiana Sikhs, Philip II of France and his retainers, the military bell tent, Australian light horsemen, the Luftwaffe aces and Werner Molder's Bf109

Coming in January, six all-new French infantry-of-the-line to add extra colour, depth and excitement to K+C's Napoleonic Forces, including these fine fellows

From Napoleon to North Africa, "The Desert War", fought between 1940 and 1943 in the harsh, unyielding environment of North Africa, is one of K+C's most collected ranges. These latest add-ons are sure to please quite a few of the "Desert-Diehards"

 
Australians abound in this release but they are by no means the only force represented. In addition to the dead AK figure they are also releasing a few more FL figures on parade and a couple of British vehicles

EA058 "The M7 Priest"

Ninety of these 105mm-armed assault guns were dispatched to North Africa early in 1942... many of these were modified by the British with side skirts... some were not... this is one of the latter. The vehicle includes a commander figure

EA062 "Morris CS8 British 15cwt. Truck"

A familiar sight to all British and Empire forces this little truck is in 6th Australian Infantry Division markings and comes with an Aussie driver.

Special Note: This little 15cwt truck is a "Series 250" release

Also due in January, a Luftwaffe release with a difference, this time in the form of a crash landed German fighter plane and a handful of British figures attending the scene

This photo shows all of the figures in this particular release, apart form the ambulance which is already available

 

A unique version of the Me.109 this crash landed plane belongs to Franz Von Werra, the only German pilot to successfully escape from Allied captivity and finally make it back to Germany in early 1941. Von Werra made a successful "wheels-up" landing in Kent during the Battle of Britain in 1940. After several failed escape attempts he was transported to Canada where he finally escaped into the U.S. before heading to Mexico then to Brazil and across the Atlantic to Spain before eventually making it back home to his beloved Germany. His exploits were filmed in "The One That Got Away" starring Hardy Kruger

That just about wraps it up for the new releases, so what's being retired this month? Well, a handful of middle eastern buildings, quite a few cavalry figures and a dead German! Here's the complete list

CW040 “Mounted Confederate Officer w/Pistol”

CW041 “Mounted Bugler”

CW042 “Cavalry Flagbearer”

CW045 “Firing Carbine”

CW046 “Holding Carbine”

CW047 “Loading Carbine”

CW049 “Battlefield Surgeon”

CW050 “Carried off”

DD122 “US 101^st Airborne, Jumping Screaming Eagles”

DD123 “US 82^nd Airborne, Jumping All Americans”

NA083 “Scots Grey Standard Bearer”

NA084 “Scots Grey Bugler”

NA085 “Scots Grey Charging”

NA089 “Rearing Horse”

NA090 “Charging Sword Down”

NA096 “RHA Mounted Officer”

NA097 “RHA Sergeant with telescope”

SP038 “Desert Palm Trees (triple Tree Set)”

SP043 “Desert Village Temple/ Mosque”

SP044 “Temple Mosque Minaret”

SP046 “Desert Village Square”

WS170 “Dead Hitlerjugend Grendier”

 

 

Until next month, happy hunting!

Latest Additions

My second 'latest additions' post of the day. Strictly speaking, of the last two days but the first one was posted only a few hours ago so definitely the second in the last 24 hours

This one is just a quickie and concerns another purchase from those great guys and gals in Canada, The Toy Soldiers Club. On this occasion I bought three recently retired LAH motorcycle combinations from King and Country, one to add to my Lichterfelde Barracks display and the other two to lead the march past under the podium as part of my smaller Nuremberg display. Here they all are in situ

If all goes to plan I will be adding the LAH band to this display as well as the new CS Hitler staff car set and a couple of motorcycle escorts, and a few other odds and sods!

Plans for this display include the eagle bearing pillars from K+C as well as three LAH horses, some more personalities and a couple of trumpeters for the podium, and a few guards to line the perimeter. I haven't yet decided what to put behind the horses!

More 'latest additions' info and images soon. Until then, happy hunting!

Latest Additions

Roughly a month ago I attended the Birmingham Toy Soldier Show and bought a few goodies. Since then I have been a bit lazy and haven't got round to publishing a post about them. Finally, here it is

I thought I'd start with the four First Legion German infantry pictured below. I've already got a few of these and I was lucky enough to be able to pick these up at a bargain price from Dave Marshall at TM Terrain who, as most readers will probably already know, has sadly decided to give up selling toy soldiers. Even when heavily discounted they cost more than some manufacturers individual figure sets, but they're well worth it

All four figures have found a home in my Stalingrad diorama, very much a work in progress at the moment. The backdrop has been made with posters from John Gittins and the terrain was created by Dave Marshall

 
As well as adding to my small, but growing, collection of First Legion figures I finally took the plunge and bought my very first pieces from Thomas Gunn and Figarti

The Figarti purchase came in the form of this rather smart Panzer IV, badged up as part of the Panzer Lehr Division and painted in a typical, and very nicely rendered, tri-camo colour scheme, just ready for the late war Normandy campaign

My Figarti Panzer IV was picked up from Grey Goose Collectibles

You don't get any additional opening hatches or blown up tank tracks with this model but what you do get is a very well put together tank made from a combination of resin, plastic and metal, and the way the wheel and track assembly has been rendered is far superior to the way King and Country are currently doing it, in my opinion. This model has been bought to sit behind my CS Tiger 1, number 222, as part of my Michael Wittmann diorama. Dave tells me the bases ought to be ready early in the New Year

And so to the Thomas Gunn figures I purchased from Ken at Maison Militaire. When I made my way over to their stand I saw a number of figures I really liked the look of, including the recently released machine gun team which I featured in a previous post, and a couple of infantry gun sets which look very smart indeed, and the new medical Kubelwagens, perfectly complimented with additional sets of a fallen soldier in the midst of being 'patched up'

I couldn't afford the KW to go with this set at the time, so I will have to take a chance on being able to get hold of one later. This set is being added to a 'stricken armoured convoy' diorama spread across two shelves

What really caught my eye though was the collection of Waffen SS cavalry, also featured in a previous post, which I had already convinced myself I would not be able to purchase in its entirety. TG make all their sets in limited runs of between 100 and 200 pieces, and they are selling very well at the moment. If I'm perfectly honest, that's the main reason I hadn't bought any before. As soon as I found out they had still got a complete set of the cavalry, summer version, I simply had to have them. I bought one to take away with me and put a deposit on the rest. I will have the remaining five by Christmas. At £55 a throw these mounted figures are simply delightful. Weighty, well painted with plenty of detail, and the sculpting is full of character. The horses, in particular, are tremendous. Plenty of bang for your buck!

Finally, I leave you with another purchase I made from Maison Militaire, two dead tankers from Collectors Showcase. They have been added to my CS Panther tank, the lead vehicle in my stricken armoured convoy display

Until next time, happy hunting!