DISPATCHES
January 2026

 

Hi Guys,
     Welcome to this first ‘DISPATCHES’ of the New Year and a nice little batch of new releases from three very different ranges and… from three very different historical periods.
     Let’s begin with a long journey down through the bitterly frigid waters of the South Atlantic to a cold, little group of lonely, windswept islands that Argentina rashly decided to invade in April 1982.
     That action was to trigger a short, sharp military conflict that lasted just ten bloody weeks and forced Britain to undertake a military campaign that was to become the country’s greatest military effort since World War Two.
     Over ten weeks the whole world watched as a British Task Force sailed 8,000 miles (about 13,000 km) carrying just two reinforced Infantry Brigades alongwith limited air, armour and artillery support.  Their mission was to land, engage and defeat the enemy while at the same time liberate the islands and free its inhabitants.
     Among those ground forces that landed on San Carlos Bay on 21 May 1982, was a small force of armoured reconnaissance vehicles divided into two troops and comprising 4 x ‘Scorpion’ and 4 x ‘Scimitar’ Light Tanks, backed up by one ‘Samson’ Armoured Recovery Vehicle.  All nine of these vehicles were ‘crewed’ by just 28 officers and men from The Blues and Royals.
     Throughout the land campaign in the Falklands these vehicles and their crews provided invaluable assistance to the infantry.  Among their many tasks were ferrying all kinds of ammunition and other vital supplies forward as well as carrying ‘friendly’ wounded and captured prisoners of war out of harm’s way.  All of this while still performing their primary role of fire support for the British troops.

 

1. BEING RELEASED IN JANUARY…

A. The FV107 Scimitar was an armoured tracked reconnaissance vehicle (often classed as a light tank) and part of a unique series of vehicles designed and produced by the Alvis Company of Coventry in the U.K. during the early to mid 1970s.

Similar in appearance to its ‘stablemate’ the FV101 ‘Scorpion’ the ‘Scimitar’ mounted a 30mm ‘Rarden’ cannon.  During its time in service with the British Army it was supplied to the Royal Armoured Corps armoured regiments in the reconnaissance role.
Each regiment originally had a close reconnaissance squadron of five troops, each containing a total of eight FV107 ‘Scimitars’.

 FIGHTING ROLE

           Although best known for its role in the Falklands Conflict this vehicle and the ‘Scorpion’ saw extensive e active service in the 1990 Gulf War… Bosnia… Kosovo… the 2023 Iraq War… the war in Afghanistan and much more recently during the ongoing Russia / Ukraine invasion.
           Our K&C ‘Scimitar’ is in the British Army camouflage scheme of olive drab and black, typical of the 1980s and comes complete with a head ‘n’ shoulders driver figure as well as a three quarters vehicle commander in the open turret hatch.
            If you already have the K&C ‘Falklands Scorpion’ this new FV107 ‘Scimitar’ makes the perfect accompaniment!

TF020   FV107 The ‘Scimitar’ Light Tank This is the second of The Blues and Royals Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicles that took part in the Falklands Conflict.      Our first was, of course, the ‘SCORPION’, released in 2023 and long sold-out however you might be lucky and still find a rare one on Ebay or the secondary market!

AVAILABLE: Early January
 

B.“A Town Called Tombstone”     

The often blurred line between the law and the lawless came to a head in probably the most famous (and infamous) gunfight in the history of the American West… “The Gunfight at The Ok Corral’.
      On one side was the ‘Earp’ brothers, Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt alongside their friend, Dr. John H. Holliday, better known as ‘Doc’ to allies and enemies alike.They were the law in Tombstone, Arizona.
On the other side was the ‘Clanton Gang’ which included ‘Ike’ Clanton, his brother ‘Billy’ Clanton, another pair of brothers, Tom and Frank McLaury and a young friend Billy Claibourne.
For many reasons there was a good deal of ‘bad blood’ between the two rival factions and as Tombstone was a relatively small town with a great number of drinking and gambling establishments it was inevitable that the two sides would come into murderous conflict sooner rather than later.
The gunfight itself happened on October 21, 1881 when the Earp brothers who represented the local law went up against a loosely organized band of cattle rustlers and horse thieves that included the Clanton brothers, the McLaury brothers and their pal, Billy Claibourne.
While lasting less than a minute in reality, this gunfight has been the subject of many books and several films well into the 21^st Century!
The gunfight itself was the result of a long simmering feud the lawmen brothers and the ‘outlaw cowboys’.
The ‘trigger’ for this deadly event was a local ordinance that forbade the open carrying of weapons within the town’s limits.  To enforce this law, the ‘Earp’ brothers would have to disarm the ‘Cowboys’ who were frequent visitors to the town and its many saloons and other establishments.
At the time of the confrontation and perhaps as an addition to their numbers the Earp brothers enlisted their friend ‘Doc’ Holliday as an unofficial deputy.
Even shortly after the gunfight there were conflicting stories about who fired the first shot – no two accounts seem to tell the same story however what is not in dispute is who died and who lived.
After the fight was over, it had lasted a mere 30 seconds… three men were dead, all ‘cowboys’… Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and his brother Frank.
Among the lawmen, Morgan and Virgil Earp were wounded while Wyatt and ‘Doc’ were still standing.The gunfight was perhaps over but the legend of the shootout that became ‘The Gunfight at The OK Corral’ was just beginning…

 

TRW211   ‘The Clanton Gang’ Set #1 Just seconds after the bullets begin to fly two of the ‘cowboys’ slump to the ground, mortally wounded.      Billy Clanton and Tom McLaury have both been hit while Frank McLaury steps forward, pistol arm extended, soon he too will be a fatal casualty. Meanwhile the remaining two ‘cowboys’ try to return fire on the lawmen.

TRW212   ‘The Lawmen’ Set #2 Set #2 comprises the three Earp brothers Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt fighting alongside their friend ‘Doc’ Holliday. All three of the Earps are firing their pistols while ‘Doc’ Holliday wields a shotgun.As befits their social status in Tombstone all four men are dressed in more sober, dark coats, collars and ties compared to their more casual ‘cowboy’ opponents. Also worth noticing is the Colt Buntline Special carried by Wyatt Earp himself.This was the famous, long-barreled variant of the Colt Single Action Army revolver known for its 12-inch barrel and popularized by dime novelist, Ned Buntline who was said to have presented one to Wyatt Earp after a visit to Tombstone.       Although some sources dispute this story Hollywood and television have followed the reasoning of the great director of ‘Western’ movies, John Ford who said, “When it comes to the history of the Old West and the choice between the truth and the legend… Always go with the ‘legend’!      What is definitely true is that both Morgan and Virgil Earp were wounded but did survive the famous ‘Gunfight at The OK Corral’.

AVAILABLE: Early January

 

C. IT’S TIME TO REMEMBER THE ALAMO… AGAIN!

      Long before King & Country took over, the Kings X store in San Antonio’s Menger Hotel K&C had a fond connection with the ‘Alamo City’ as many Texans and other Americans call San Antonio.
      Mr. Albert ‘Boo’ Hausser, who founded ‘Kings X’ was one of King & Country’s first authorized dealers in the U.S. and invited me to visit San Antonio and see for myself the city and, of course, the world-famous Alamo.  As a proud, born and bred Texan himself ‘Boo’ knew all the history of this historic site and the epic battle that took place over 13 days in February & March 1836.
       With ‘Kings X’ location being right next door to the Alam it was natural and obvious that we should design and produce our first small series of figures depicting the final battle and some of the most famous people and personalities involved in this mighty struggle for Texan independence.  That was back in the early 1990s.
        Now jump forward two decades to 2009 when K&C purchased ‘Kings X’ after ‘Boo’ retired and we took over and decided to reconfigure the store and create a centrepiece diorama designed and built to replicate the world-famous final battle of the Alamo when Crockett, Bowie and Travis and a small band of less than 200 volunteers fought against the might of the Mexican Army led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.
My late brother Gordon C. Neilson then designed and built a magnificent 1:30 scale replica of the Alamo mission measuring 6’ x 4’ that occupied the centre of the store.        Since that time more than a few changes have been made…
        In 2021 the San Antonio City Council decided to completely renovate and restyle ‘Alamo Plaza’ right in the heart of the city and outside of where the historic chapel and Long Barracks is located.
       To achieve this major construction works completely turned the Plaza outside into a massive building site which greatly affected the ‘Kings X’operation.
        And although it was a wrench we made the bold decision to relocate the entire store to a brand-new location in nearby Alamo Heights.  We also changed the name from Kings X to… King & Country Texas.
        We still however, wanted our unique ‘Alamo’ diorama to be one of the central focal points of the store and that meant designing and producing a whole new, dynamic range of figures and accessories that would continue to tell the Alamo’s amazing story in 1:30 scale, hand-painted, all-metal detail.
        While Gordon was busy constructing that myself and the K&C team in Hong Kong were hard at work producing several dozen Alamo attackers and defenders to populate the diorama.
        Over the next few years we were to add more figures to the ‘Remember The Alamo’ series providing plenty of action and colour to the display and the delight of Alamo collectors not only in Texas but all over the world.
         In this business and hobby however all kinds of obstacles and diversions can sometimes delay what we want to do and substitute what we have to do instead.
        About 6 months ago, we finally got down to business and began sketching out the first of what will be a great new range of ‘Remember The Alamo’ figures in dramatic new ‘fighting’ poses.
      This initial batch of releases features 12 all-new Mexican Infantry soldiers from ‘Santa Anna’s Army’.
      As existing ‘Alamo’ collectors will see these latest ‘soldados’ are moving forward towards the walls of the old mission and the beleaguered defenders manning them.
      Look closely at each figure and you will see much more detail and better animation than before as well as welcome additions to the existing collection.
Already planned for release later this year are many more infantry in action  as well as mounted Mexican Lancers and Artillery and some of the Alamo’s own legendary defenders.  Now read on…

RTA124   Santa Anna’s Infantry ‘Soldier Advancing Forward’ Crouching down to avoid enemy fire this Mexican soldier carefully advances forward.
RTA125   S.A.I. ‘Marching to Battle’ Set A A pair of Mexican soldiers march towards the Alamo’s walls.
RTA126   S.A.I. ‘Marching to Battle’ Set B Two more Infantrymen marching alongside their ‘compadres’ of Set A.
RTA134 S.A.I. ‘Soldier Advancing’ With his musket and bayonet to the front this soldier shouts aggressively as he prepares to attack.
RTA135 S.A.I. ‘Soldier Shooting to his Front’ Levelling his musket to the front this soldier takes careful aim.
RTA136 S.A.I. ‘Soldier Shooting Upwards’ With many Alamo defenders holding their positions behind the upper parapets of the Alamo’s perimeter walls the Mexican infantry adjusted their aim upwards to engage the enemy.
RTA137 S.A.I. Soldier Pointing Forward This Infantryman is indicating the position of one of the defenders.
RTA139 S.A.I. ‘Drummer Advancing’ Wearing the ‘reverse colours’ of this Mexican regiment the drummer keeps up a stead beat as he leads his regiment forward.
RTA140 S.A.I. ‘Kneeling Soldier Firing to the Front!’
RTA141 S.A.I. ‘Kneeling Soldier Firing Upwards’ Like RTA136 this soldier is aiming his musket at a target higher up than he is.

AVAILABLE: Mid January
 
 Special Note: All of the missing sequential numbers not shown here will be released as part of the next instalment of ‘Santa Anna’s Infantry’ coming soon!

2. BEING RETIRED

And that, as I always say, is the story so far but before I go here is this month’s retirement list.

BBA088   Winter Rifle Section
BBA089   Winter Machine Gun Group
BBA090   Winter Bazooka Team
DD334   The British Sherman Firefly Vc
LAH-S04   The SA Drum & Trumpet Section
MK202   The Fighting Saracens Set #2
TR011   HRH Princess Elizabeth (ATS)
TR016   “The Queen & Her Corgis” (Tangerine Orange)
VN065   The Aussie Centurion
WoD065  The Bookseller Shop
WoD069   The London Townhouse

Andy C. Neilson
Co-founder & Creative Director
King & Country Ltd.