The Operation ToyBox catalog · AL098
AL098 has an unusually practical release story. The Ottoman officer’s flag is the feature that draws the eye, but it is also the feature King & Country changed when revisiting the subject for the 2017 editions.
The material change matters
The announcement explains that the earlier all-metal flag could make its figure unstable. For AL098 the flag was made in lighter polyresin, and the officer received a different uniform paint scheme. Those are concrete differences worth recording when comparing similar releases.
It also means that describing the whole set as an entirely metal figure would miss an important material detail. The flag is part of the release’s identity and of the manufacturer’s response to a practical display problem.
Flags can identify a group without explaining a battle
In a miniature collection, a flag is an effective focal point. It can make the Ottoman group visible among the Australian and New Zealand subjects and help the viewer understand that the series includes both sides of the campaign.
The wider Third Battle of Gaza account from NZ History follows the Ottoman defensive line and withdrawal. That broader setting is more informative than treating the officer as an unnamed opponent at the end of a single charge.
Compare the edition before the price
A later flag-bearing officer and an earlier similar subject may differ in materials, finish and stability. I would first establish which release a seller actually has, then compare condition and included parts. A photograph of the flag and its attachment is particularly useful here.
AL098 earns its own catalog entry because the revision affects how the miniature is made and displayed. It is a reminder that a later edition can represent a design change as well as a new opportunity to obtain a familiar subject.
Release record and collecting notes
Sager’s archived AL098 product record lists October 2017 as the release date and July 2021 as the retirement date. Those are catalog dates, rather than a statement about today’s secondhand availability. Compare the seller’s actual photographs with the reference image here, including any projecting equipment and the base; a familiar box title alone is not a condition report.
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