Battle of Mogadishu
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K&C’s recent releases of fighting U.S. Army Rangers has been well and truly welcomed not only by U.S. collectors but others from all over the world with all of these guys eagerly looking forward to one of the very special ground vehicles that was at the heart of the whole operation – the American M1025 Armored Carrier, much better known as ‘The HUMVEE’.
These High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV) were lightweight, highly mobile, diesel-powered, four-wheel drive tactical vehicles that utilized a common chassis to carry a wide variety of military hardware ranging from .50 cal. machine guns to tube - launched, optically tracked, wire- guided TOW anti tank missiles.
HUMVEES could operate in a wide range of environments from deserts to jungles for long sustained periods of time with minimal maintenance.
They were made to carry cargo and occupants in a degree of safety while dodging deadly instruments of war including bombs, bullets, mines and RPG’s (Rocket Propelled Grenades).
In addition, the HUMVEE had to be air-transportable and droppable and also capable of being sling – loaded under a helicopter.
Both of our K&C HUMVEES are based on the troop-carrying versions seen in action in the great Ridley Scott – directed ‘Black Hawk Down’ movie.
In real life, ‘Operation Gothic Serpent’, the plan to capture key Somali militia leaders loyal to local warlord Mohamed Farah Aidid involved a convoy of ground vehicles, mostly HUMVEES and manned by Rangers, extracting other Rangers who earlier had been inserted by helicopter and their prisoners back to safety at the U.S. base after the capture of the targets.
With the downing of two Black Hawk helicopters by enemy action the original plan began to unravel and it seemed the entire city erupted and engulfed the original convoy with Somali militia firing down on the HUMVEES from every rooftop and blocking routes and roads leading into and out of the city.
At this point it’s worth mentioning that one of the HUMVEE’s major weak points at this time was that although mounting a powerful .50 cal. machine gun there was no armour shield to protect either the gun or the gunner!
A second relief HUMVEE convoy, led by Lt. Col. Danny McKnight, also struggled to navigate the hostile streets of Mogadishu while suffering numerous ‘hits’ on their light weight aluminum doors, unarmored windshields and ranger personnel.
This was the perilous situation our new U.S. Army Rangers and their Humvees found themselves in…
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BHD013 M1025 'HUMVEE' (with Gunner cocking the .50
cal machine gun) - This fighting vehicle is painted in standard U.S. / NATO three-colour camouflage of that period. Each vehicle comes with two complete figures - driver and gunner.
In this vehicle the gunner is using his right hand to cock the heavy .50 Cal. while keeping a lookout for any of the local Somali militia.
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BHD014 M1025 'HUMVEE' (with Gunner firing the .50
Cal. machine gun) - This second HUMVEE has a crouching gunner in the open roof hatch taking careful aim with this iconic heavy machine gun.A driver figure is also included
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BHD017 Ranger Fire Team - A three-man section including a Ranger NCO firing his Beretta M9 pistol. This semi automatic weapon replaced the venerable .45 M1911 pistol in 1985 and was widely carried by officers and senior enlisted ranks in addition to their M16A2 assault rifles. Our senior NCO (non commissioned officer) takes careful aim using the two-handed shooting style favoured by most police forces as well as many militaries around the world.
Backing up the NCO is a cautiously advancing Ranger with his M16A2 in the shoulder. kneeling Ranger adjusts his helmet and is the third member of the team.
Battle of Mogadishu 1993
Ancient Rome
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Four additional sets of very useful Roman citizens to help collectors populate the streets of this Ancient city…
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RnB044 The Hard-Working Servants - Most ordinary Roman citizens worked from dawn till dusk carrying out all kinds of menial tasks that kept this great metropolis running.
This pair of working men can be used in a number of different scenes and areas performing their daily duties on the streets, alleys and courtyards of wealthy merchants and or powerful and influential noble families.
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RnB054 The Noble Couple - Talking of the nobility… Here are two members of Rome’s wealthier families strolling around the city enjoying the sights and sounds of the most powerful city of the Ancient World.
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RnB058Young Roman Game Players - Three young boys amuse themselves in a corner of the street playing a game of chance utilizing small stones and, perhaps, a few small Roman coins.
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RnB063 The Roman Orator - ‘Oratory’ is the art of public speaking and in Ancient Rome society it was valued highly.
Trained to be eloquent and persuasive, orators used their skills and position in society to inform and influence public opinion, sway judges and, sometime denounce political figures.
Oratory in Rome, at that time, was very much a male arena.Some elite men trained to be public orators throughout their lives.
Our public ‘orator’ is making a particular point while standing on a marble plinth to address a crowd of onlookers.This was a very early form of mass communication.
Romans
Medieval Archers
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MK237 Ready To Fire Archer (Red Helmet) - This standing bowman has a quiver full of arrows together with three more planted next to him.
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MK245 Ready To Fire Archer (Iron Helmet) - As above with a few colour variations.
Crusader - Cross & Crescent
Welcome To Abilene
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Abilene was and is a small town in Kansas in the United States. It is also the home of The Dwight D. Eisenlower Presidential Library but that’s another story…
In 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railway Company (Union Pacific today) pushed westwards through Abilene where a local resident built a hotel and stockyards capable of holding up to 2,000 head of cattle and stables for cattle drive horses.
At the same time, the railroad constructed a ‘spur-line’ that enabled cattle cars to be rapidly loaded and sent on to various destinations in the Northern States.As business the town grew quickly and became the first, great ‘Cow Town’ of the West.
Here you can see one of the cowboys who has just driven a large herd of cattle all the way up from Texas to the railhead here in Abilene.It’s not surprising that after many long weeks on the trail and in the saddle he rests against one of the local sign posts marking the cowtown’s city limits.
The Real West
LOS BANDITOS
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Banditos were Mexican Bandits and outlaws who took part in every kind of criminality along the Texas / Mexico border during the Wild West era from the Mexican / American War in 1848 until the end of the Mexican Revolution in the 1920’s. During that time the border was very dangerous due to the political and economic turmoil in Mexico itself.
This caused thousands of peasants to become revolutionaries or bandits who occasionally made forays into Texas itself and other U.S. border states to steal cattle, rob banks and even attack small towns and lonely ranches and farms.
On the American side of the border, the U.S. Army as well as local law enforcement, such as the Texas Rangers and occasionally vigilantes took their revenge and sometimes ventured into Mexico themselves to exact punishment on the bandito gangs.
Many books and a plentiful supply of movies have featured these ‘banditos’ and so K&C wanted to add a few more of our own…
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TRW205 CALVERA, the Bandito Chief - The classic 1960 ‘Western’, “The Magnificent seven” has always been a favourite of mine! Starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson and three others it will be featured in a special 7-figure upcoming K&C release.
Meanwhile however here is…The evil Bandito Chief ‘CALVERA’ played by the great Eli Wallach astride his horse and carrying his Winchester rifle.
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TRW206 Mounted Bandito #1 - Another of Calvera’s mounted henchman to back up the chief.
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TRW207 Winchester Bandito - Looking relatively relaxed this well-armed bandito rests his Winchester on his shoulders.
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TRW208 Jesus Arriago ‘Chucho el Roto - Arriago was a Mexican bandito (1858-1885) who liked to rob the rich and occasionally share a small portion of his newly-acquired wealth with a few of the peasants.His legend also included his love of fine and colourful clothes and a reputation as a formidable gunfighter.He was seen by some as a kind of bandito ‘Robin Hood’ figure.
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TRW209 Mounted Bandito #2 - l liked this figure so much I wanted to produce an alternative colour version and here he is.As you can see he looks great alongside Calvera!
The Real West
Luftwaffe
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History has seen numerous outstanding aviators and specifically ‘ACE’ fighter pilots. None however, comes close to the exceptionally gifted (and deadly) Erich Hartmann (1922-1993) who served and flew mainly on the Eastern Front during WW2.
Hartmann was the top-scoring fighter pilot of all the many Allied and Axis aces of WW2. He flew a staggering 825 combat missions recording a grand total of 352 victories!
During the winter months of 1944 and into 1945 Hartmann flew a number of different Messerschmitt Bf.109 ‘Gustavs’ painted in the distinctive winter-colour scheme of snow white with faint grey colour camouflage. On the nose of each aircraft was Hartmann’s own ‘Black Tulip’ design which became the last symbol many unfortunate Soviet aviators would ever see. In addition Hartmann’s winter ‘Gustav’ would also carry a red heart under the cockpit on the port side bearing the name of his wife.
With Germany’s defeat, Erich Hartmann was handed over to the Russians and served 10 years in various brutal Soviet prison / labour camps before being freed and returning to Germany and his family.
Shortly afterwards he joined the new West German Bundeswehr air force rising to the rank of ‘Colonel’ and commanding the famous ‘Richtofen’ squadron which was then flying the deadly and dangerous U.S. made F104 ‘Starfighter’. He passed away in 1993.
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LW091 Erich Hartmann’s Messerschmitt Bf. 109 - His winter-camouflaged Bf. 109 ‘Gustav’ is a fitting companion to our long-retired FW190 in ‘winter colours’ (see photo).
This particular winter ‘Gustav’ was painted in these colours while flying with Jagdgeschwader 53. Each model comes in its own sturdy, full-colour, presentation box.
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LW092 Major Erich Hartmann - A standing solo figure of Major Hartmann wearing a natural leather, tan flying jerkin with a fur collar on top of the loose-fitting trousers of the two-piece Luftwaffe flying suit and boots. On his head, a brown leather Luftwaffe flying helmet.
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LW-S04 LW091 + LW092 Value Added set - Purchase both the aircraft and the figure together and you get a Special Price!
Luftwaffe
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