John Jenkins Designs: August Releases and Club Member News

John Jenkins Designs has just announced his August releases. John Jenkins is adding a new piece to the Knights of the Skies collections with ACE-02P, Billy Bishop. The piece will retail for $33.00 USD and is not limited. Billy Bishop is the top Canadian ace from WWI credited with 72 victories. Also adding to the Knights of the Skies is GGC-02, E-V/4 Panzerkraftwagen Ehrhardt, German Armored Car. The German armored car is not limited and will retail for $158.00 USD.

A new addition to the Spanish Civil War: Condor Legion collections is the Messerschmitt BF-109E, COND-05. This airplane is a beautiful replica, retails at $209.00, and is not limited as

John Jenkins Designs: German Armored Car, GGC-02

well. To accompany this miniature aircraft is its pilot, Hans Schmoller-Haldy, COND-05P retailing at $33.00 USD. This piece is is not limited.

John Jenkins is also adding to the First Sudan War with 2 Gordon Highlanders marching, GDH-09, not limited and retailing for $68.00 USD. Also part of the Sudan War new additions it 2 Mahdists Charging, SUD-05, not limited and retailing at $68.00 USD. Rounding out the new figures is TIC-01, part of the Ticonderoga collection. The piece is 2 42nd Regiment Line Infantry Marching, not limited and retailing at $77.00 USD.

John Jenkins Designs has started the preview phase for JJCLUB-SET11, Battle of Chippawa: Captain Nathan Towson. JJCLUB-SET11 will be $38.00 USD and we are taking pre-orders at www.BgsToySoldiers.com now. JJClub-Set09 will be limited to 334 pieces total worldwide. We will ship pre-orders out when they com in. We have placed the order for JJClub-Set10, if you wanted to pre-order one, let us know soon, as the pre-order period ends 3 August 2011.

John Jenkins Designs: Spanish Civil War and More

John Jenkins Designs: Spanish Civil War and More

John Jenkins Designs: SCW-01

John Jenkins Designs has just shipped their June release of figures, they will be available at www.BgsToySoldiers.com this weekend. In this release, they have created a new vehicle as part of their Spanish Civil War collection. The Lancia 1ZM Armoured Car, SCW-01, pictured above will retail for $158.00 and is not limited.

The Lancia was the most important Italian armoured car of the First World War - it was built in some numbers and used against the Austrian and later German forces on the front on the north-east borders of Italy. Some were captured by the Germans and used to equip some armoured car units of their own, and Lancia armoured cars were used to train and equip American troops in Italy.
The basis of these cars was the Lancia 1Z 25/35-h.p. light truck chassis with pneumatic tyres, dual at the rear. The construction of the armoured cars was undertaken by the Ansaldo engineering firm, of Turin, and the vehicles were, in fact, sometimes known as Ansaldos or Ansaldo Armoured Cars.

A special feature also used in other Italian armoured cars was the rails, incorporating wire cutters at the tip of the rails, to enable the vehicle to pass through wire obstacles stretched across roads. The Lancia armoured car had a roomy hull (of chrome-nickel steel) and this was needed to accommodate the large crew consisting of the car commander, driver, three gunners and a mechanic.

The car weighed about 3950 kg. loaded including 25.000 rounds of ammunition. The engine of about 60 b.h.p. (35 h.p. nominal) gave a maximum speed of 70 km/h and the car had a circuit of action of about 500 km's. It had a crew of 6 men. The length was 5.240m, the width 1.9m, the height 2.89m, and the wheel base 3.570m.

A company of armoured cars were sent to Spain in 1936. These vehicles were used by the Italian forces during the attack on Malaga, where two platoons of armoured cars were deployed as well as three companies of light tanks.


Also coming in this upcoming John Jenkins Release are:

ACE-05 - Fokker DR1 454/17 Jasta 11 Warplane - $198.00
ACE-05P - Lothar-Siegfried Freiherr von Richtofen - $33.00
COND-03A - T26 Light Tank Commander - $30.00
TIC-25 - Grenadier Kneeling Firing - $39.00
QF-26 - Line Infantry Marching with Pokalem - $66.00

Also for club members that ordered JJCLUB-06, the piece will be shipping this weekend from www.BgsToySoldiers.com as well. JJClub10 - Lieutenant Spendelowe and Midshipman Haynes will be available for pre-order soon. As well as final orders for JJClub09.

John Jenkins Designs - THE CONDOR LEGION: THE WEHRMACHT'S TRAINING GROUND

John Jenkins Designs is starting a series of figures based on the Spanish Civil War, primarily focused around the Condor Legion. The first of these figures will be arriving in September. The first figure John Jenkins Designs will be releasing is The Condor Legion PzKpfw 1A - COND-01, which will retail for $138.00 USD. The scale will be 1:30 and be constructed from Metal, Polystone, and reson. As an added bonus, John Jenkins will randomly ship a Pzkpfw 1 A with the numbers "423" in 15% of the boxes. This is a slight variation from the other PzKpfw, but will not be marked on the outside of the box. Figures will follow in the October release from John Jenkins Designs. The COND-01 will be available for pre-order at www.BgsToySoldiers.com this week.

The Condor Legion was the expeditionary force of soldiers and airmen sent by Hitler to aid Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. The Germans used the war as an opportunity to develop equipment and tactics, and their force included not only instructors, but also combat units of artillery, aircraft, and tanks. These units tested guns, planes and tanks, and perfected

John Jenkins Designs: PzKpfw 1A - COND-01

techniques that were used in the 1940 Blitzkreig. Many of the officers prominent in the early campaigns of WW2 won their first successes in Spain. In October 1936, 2 German ships arrived in Spain loaded with a Panzer 1 Company, and all the services and personnel to establish Franco's army's first armoured unit. The so called PANZER-GRUPPE DROHNE. Oberstleutnant Willhelm Ritter Von Thoma was to command the contingent.
Two versions of the Panzerkampfwagen 1 were shipped to Spain, the A and B. The design was pioneered by Krupp in the early 1930's. The PzKpfw 1 A had a two man crew, and was armed with two 7.92mm MG13s. Battle experience in the SCW indicated that the Pzkpfw had several weaknesses. Its 0.5inch armour offered little protection against even the smallest anti-tank guns possessed by the Republicans. Its weapons were also far to lightweight to take on enemy tanks and the vehicle lacked the endurance to participate in prolonged action, often leaving the 2 man crew working in its cramped condition quickly exhausted. These invaluable practical lessons added impetus to new tank designs, although the Pzkpfw 1 itself continued to see service in Poland and France during 1939 and 1940.