K&C EA012 Best of Enemies Review

EA012 THE BEST OF ENEMIES BY KING & COUNTRY

Overview

Introduction
History Section: Treatment of prisoners in North Africa WW2
Collector Notes

This review focuses on King & Country’s EA012 “The Best of Enemies,” a retired hand‑painted metal vignette in 1:30 scale released in May 2006. The piece, depicting a compassionate moment in the North African campaign, showcases a British soldier offering water to a captured Afrika Korps soldier. Moreover, the set’s modest size, rich detail, and evocative narrative make it particularly appealing to collectors of World War II miniatures.

Historical Background

This miniature depicts a moment of chivalry during the North African campaign of World War II—specifically between 1940 and 1943, when the British Eighth Army faced the Afrika Korps led by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The vignette illustrates a British infantryman (“Tommy”) offering water to a captured Afrika Korps soldier, reflecting documented instances where units—especially early in the campaign—observed relatively humane treatment of prisoners despite harsh conditions and intense combat. The desert terrain, with sand, heat, and vast distances, increased logistical pressure on both sides, yet frontline accounts and reports note that, in many cases, captured troops received basic necessities like water or shade, in line with Geneva Convention norms.

In battles such as at Gazala (May–June 1942) and El Alamein (October–November 1942), prisoners on both sides were often treated decently, though mass captures strained resources and occasionally resulted in delayed care or overcrowded camps. Nevertheless, individual acts of compassion, like sharing limited water, became emblematic of mutual respect among soldiers under extreme duress. This vignette captures that dynamic—opposing forces bound by duty and hardship, offering humanity amid warfare’s dehumanizing elements, and highlighting how adherence to basic courtesies occurred even during fierce engagements in Egypt and Libya.

The North African campaign’s outcome—ultimately an Allied victory following the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942 and the Axis surrender in Tunisia in May 1943—was shaped not only by strategic and material factors but also by the morale and conduct of troops, for whom gestures like this endured in memoirs and histories as poignant reminders of wartime common ground.

Collector Notes

EA012 “The Best of Enemies” was released in May 2006 and retired in August 2009 (sagerssoldiers.com). It is cast in an all‑metal tin/lead alloy and presented in 1:30 scale, approximately 60mm tall (lastdodo.com). The vignette includes two figures: a British infantryman and a captured Afrika Korps soldier in a single scene (lastdodo.com). Typical factory painting is finely applied, capturing the contrasting uniforms and the bottle gesture clearly (lastdodo.com). Packaging originally included a full-color box; mint-in-box examples occasionally surface in secondary markets. Auction records show completed sales reaching around €71 (~USD 75–80) (catawiki.com). On eBay in the U.S., similar items list between $120–$130, though actual sold prices vary (ebay.com).

Collectors should inspect for paint chipping on extremities, especially hands and water bottle, which are common wear points. Earlier production batches sometimes show thinner paint layers. The retired status makes boxed examples particularly desirable, with damage‑free packaging adding premium value. Overall, condition, paint fidelity, and box presence strongly influence market price.