King and Country: Dispatches

Here I go again, it's the third week in March and I've only just got round to putting this post together 

Ancient Persia versus Ancient Greece

At last our Ancient Greeks have an enemy to fight...

• AG016 -- "The Army of Darius Officer" - This fierce looking warrior wears typical layered armour of the period and a gold-embossed helmet.
• AG017 -- Persian Standard Bearer - Carrying a richly-decorated banner, similar to the ones later adopted by the Roman Army, this axe-wielding standard bearer is also ready to do battle.
• AG018 -- Persian Warrior with Axe 
• AG019 -- Persian Archer Ready 
• AG020 -- Persian Archer Firing 
• AG021 -- Persian Warrior with Spear 
• AG022 -- Persian Warrior with Sword 
• AG023 -- "Persian Spearman Throwing" 
• AG024 -- "Persian Spearman Standing Ready" 
• AG025 -- "Persian Fighting Swordsman" 

Ancient Greece

Saracen's

Three brand-new fighting Saracens are led by their most famous leader...

• MK109 -- Fighting Saladin - The Saracen general believed in "Leading from the front"...Here with scimitar held aloft he charges into battle.
• MK114 -- "Mounted Bodyguard" - Saladin may have been brave but he was not foolhardy! A troop of mounted bodyguards always rode with him.
• MK115 -- Saracen Flagbearer - Accompanying Saladin was his personal standard bearer with a richly decorated triangular religious banner complete with a verse from the Koran.

Medieval Collection

Remember the Alamo

• RTA071 -- "Lieutenant Colonel Jose Enrique de la Pena" - Colonel de la Pena was one of the most interesting "personalities" of the Battle of the Alamo because he took part in the battle and wrote a record of it. Contained in his record was the first report of the execution of the few survivors of the siege (which may have included Davy Crockett). Much controversy surrounds the authenticity of de la Pena's book however the majority of Alamo experts are convinced that it is genuine.
  Our figure shows de la Pena in the uniform of an officer of the Toluca Battalion making notes in his journal as he observes the besieged mission.
• RTA072 -- "John McGregor" - This is the second figure of this Scottish Alamo defender K&C have made and the "first" to show him playing the bag pipes. McGregor born in Scotland in 1808, was living in Texas in 1836 when the Texians rebelled against Santa Anna's dictatorship. It is said that during the siege McGregor engaged in "musical duels" with the fiddle-playing Davy Crockett to entertain their fellow defenders. Alas, his ultimate fate was the same as all the rest...

Remember the Alamo

German Field Hospital

• WS275 -- "Ambulance Driver" - This Opel Blitz Ambulance driver is enjoying a well-earned smoke and a bottle of beer before returning to the front...and more casualties!
• WS276 -- The Strecher Set - A German medic assisted by another Wehrmacht soldier carry one of the wounded to safety.
• WS277 -- "Smoking General" - This senior officer listens as one of his subordinates briefs him on the current battlefield situation.
• WS278 -- Officer with map - A steel-helmeted officer gives that briefing to the General.
• WS279 -- "Aide de Camp with Binos" - As the officer briefs the general his ADC has a closer look at the enemy position.
• WS280 -- "NCO Bodyguard" - Also holding a pair of binoculars is this battle-dusted NCO who has accompanies the young officer giving the report.

German Field Hospital

WWII - German Forces

• WS259 -- "The Panzer 35(T)" - In March 1939 when the Nazis took over all of Czechoslovakia one of their most important prizes was the Czech arms industry. Among the weapons of most use to the Wehrmacht were the Czech-made tanks...notably the Panzer 38(T) and its earlier stable-mate the 35(T).
  As K&C collectors and dealers know we've already released the 38(T) to much acclaim so we thought it only fair to produce the 35(T) and here it is...
  The Germans seized 434 of this light tank and it saw extensive service during the invasion of Poland, the attack in the West on Holland, Belgium and France and "Operation Barbarossa", the invasion of the USSR.
  Although by 1942 it was obsolete it's still a great addition for our "feld grau" collectors who like early-battles and campaigns. Our new model comes with the tank commander and a removable aircraft-recognition Nazi flag.

WWII - German Forces

Royal Airforce

• RAF066 -- "MKI/II 602 Squadron Spitfire" (Planned Production: 250) - This time we selected one of the most famous Royal Auxiliary Air Force Spitfires to portray - a Spit belonging to No.602 "City of Glasgow" R. Aux. A.F. flown by Squadron Leader "Sandy" Johnstone, who became an "ace" during the battle and went on to have a very distinguished air force career in the remainder of the war and afterwards.
  We also chose "602" and "Sandy" Johnstone for personal reasons...Many moons ago - 1962 to be exact, both Gordon and myself lived right next to Royal Naval Air Station "Sanderling". Today it's now Glasgow's international airport.
  Back then it was a military air-field and every year they held a NAVY DAY AIR SHOW. In 1962 the Guest of Honor was Air Vice-Marshall "Sandy" Johnstone and we two small boys actually met him and got his autograph!!!
  K&C is proud to honor this great pilot and the aircraft he flew to help protect our country during its darkest days.
  Special Note: Just 250 of this special "Sandy" Johnstone, 602 Squadron Spitfire have been produced.

Royal Airforce

Streets of Old Hong Kong

A young mother sings a soothing folk song to her son while the child rests contentedly in his rattan basket. Available in both matt and gloss finishes.

• HK225M -- Lullaby (Matt) 
• HK225G -- Lullaby (Gloss) 

Orient

Heading for the Hills

Happy Hunting! 

JJD: April Releases

The latest releases from John Jenkins Designs

Happy Hunting!

Beau Geste Digest: New DD Releases

Following hot on the heels of the latest WW1 releases from BG are these tremendous new elephants and spectators for their flagship range of figures celebrating the magnificent Delhi Durbar of 1903

There are four elephants in all, each representing the mounts ridden by various ADCs at the head of the procession

378-379-380-381 - Elephants of the Aides-de-camps, in front of the Main Procession, Delhi Durbar, 1903

378 - Elephant of the Aides-de-camps of the Viceroy, Capt. Baker-Karr - Capt. Wigram, Delhi Durbar, 1903

382 - Occidental Ladies Spectators, Delhi Durbar 1903

383 - Occidental Ladies Spectators, Delhi Durbar 1903

384 - Occidental Gentlemen Spectators, Delhi Durbar 1903

"I have more spectators on the make, almost ready, but I didn't want to hold the releases any longer. There will be one more set of occidental gentlemen, three sets of local spectators, and one box with photographers. I will be updating the elephants pages when they are all ready, and will send the usual brief background then. But in the meantime, here are the images that inspired the four elephants of the main procession."

"There were six elephants in total, with the Aides-de-camps, before the elephants of the Viceroy and the Duke, in front of both columns of the Main Procession. I will make the other two within the next two years. Their howdahs were quite different from the other four and, mainly, I didn't want to release six elephants at once :) Here is a photo showing the six of them."

Happy hunting!

Beau Geste Digest: New WW1 Release

New from BG, a lovely set of British Camel Corps figures representing Imperial troops stationed in Egypt in 1916

A brief background. The Imperial Camel Corps Brigade (ICCB) was a camel-mounted infantry brigade that the British Empire raised in December 1916 during the First World War for service in the Middle East.

From a small beginning the brigade eventually grew to four battalions, one battalion each from Great Britain and New Zealand and two battalions from Australia. Support troops included a mountain artillery battery, a machine gun squadron, Royal Engineers, a field ambulance, and an administrative train.

The ICC became part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) and fought in several battles and engagements, in the Senussi Campaign, the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and in the Arab Revolt. The brigade suffered 246 men killed. The ICC was disbanded after the end of the war in May 1919.

The advantages of camels in a desert environment are well known, and the British Army had raised the Somaliland Camel Corps in 1912. However the British Army forces serving in Egypt at the start of the First World War did not possess their own camel formation.

 
The first units of what became the Imperial Camel Corps were four company-sized formations that conducted long-range patrols around the Suez Canal and the Sinai Desert. The companies were raised in Egypt in January 1916, from Australians returning from the failed Gallipoli Campaign.

The Indian princely state of Bikaner supplied the first camels as the Bikaner Camel Corps already used camels. These camels were later only used as draught animals and the lighter Egyptian camel became the mount chosen for carrying troops. The camels could cover an average distance of 3 miles (4.8 km) an hour, or 6 miles (9.7 km) an hour trotting, while carrying a soldier, his equipment and supplies.

 
The camel companies consisted of a small headquarters and four sections, each of seven groups of four men.

The four companies were expected to operate as independent units that travelled by camel but then dismounted to fight as infantrymen. Following the practice of cavalry and mounted infantry units, one man of each group of four held the camels when the team was in action, which reduced a team's firepower by a quarter.

However it was soon discovered that camels were not as nervous as horses when faced with artillery and rifle fire, and one man would look after twelve to sixteen camels once the troopers had dismounted.

 Happy hunting!