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 cygnnus wrote:

Funny you should ask...

Valete,

JohnS

Does that mean you have actually picked up a brush? Detail, man, give me details!

It's weird. 5-6 years ago, I know I would have looked at those "oldhammer" minis and thought "Yuck!" but now I really find them very charming. I think if you look at modern plastics, you can actually see some of the same facial features (less exaggerated) in the modern models.

Love this blog, so much win. Great work sir.

Da Boss wrote:It's weird. 5-6 years ago, I know I would have looked at those "oldhammer" minis and thought "Yuck!" but now I really find them very charming. I think if you look at modern plastics, you can actually see some of the same facial features (less exaggerated) in the modern models.

I freely admit that my love of these models mostly comes from mostly nostalgia.

Camkierhi wrote:Love this blog, so much win. Great work sir.

Right back at you, sir. Your work never fails to astound me.

Samurai came in third in the poll, so that's what I'm working on at the moment:


This is Oda Nobunaga, from Perry Miniatures. Nobunaga was one of the Three Unifiers (along with Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu) who brought and end to the Warring States period in Japan. This model doesn't look like any of the famous suits of armor that Nobunaga wore, so I painted him as a generic leader type.



Uesugi Kenshin was one of the great Warring States-era daimyo. He is famous for his long-standing rivalry with Takeda Shingen and for being a Buddhist monks as well as a warrior. He's most often depicted wearing the cowl you see here, although all of his remaining armor come with helmets.

Perry samurai were, for a long time, the only models on the market, and you can kind of tell working with them. They seem undersized by today's standards, and mold lines and flash abound-- probably because the molds are getting old. Still, these were pretty easy and fun to paint. I have a couple more models half finished, and then I'm kind of at a loss for what to work on next. I may try recruiting my son to help with whatever project I start next. Maybe sonething fantasy...?

Oh yeah, here's a group shot:

Another pair of winners!

I know very little about Japanese history, so these little snippets are fascinating, thanks

Beautiful work Josh . Great inspiration to me in my work ahead of me. Eventually I'll get some of the Perry miniatures and the other brands that you have done to plant inside my army.

The figures are very nicely done- the detail on the armor is particularly eye-catching.

I know of the Tokugawa Shogunate period in Japanese history (I read everything James Clavell wrote) but was not aware that there were three great leaders none as the Unifiers. Was it an amicable process that determined that Tokugawa would be the Shogun, or was it more like the Three Consuls of Rome when Octavius (later the Emperor Augustus) decided that Republic thing just wasn't working out?

Great stuff!

Perry sculpts are still very good despite their "advanced age". Very lifelike and Your paintwork has really brought them alive. Thank You!

Awesome stuff. I really like the variety of themes you cover.

Theophony wrote:Beautiful work Josh . Great inspiration to me in my work ahead of me. Eventually I'll get some of the Perry miniatures and the other brands that you have done to plant inside my army.

There are a lot of options out there for adding variety to a samurai army. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Slinky wrote:Another pair of winners!

I know very little about Japanese history, so these little snippets are fascinating, thanks

I minored in Japanese history in university, but most of what I still retain is in snippets. My son is really into history, though, so I find myself brushing up so I can keep up with him.

Meer_Cat wrote:The figures are very nicely done- the detail on the armor is particularly eye-catching.

I know of the Tokugawa Shogunate period in Japanese history (I read everything James Clavell wrote) but was not aware that there were three great leaders none as the Unifiers. Was it an amicable process that determined that Tokugawa would be the Shogun, or was it more like the Three Consuls of Rome when Octavius (later the Emperor Augustus) decided that Republic thing just wasn't working out?

Great stuff!

Thanks. I never read Clavell, but the Shogun miniseries was an Event when I was in junior high school-- that's one reason I'm here now. Tokugawa taking the Shogunate was the exact opposite of amicable. Oda conquered most of Japan by force, but his empire fell apart when he was assassinated. Hideyoshi finished the job, but wasn't able to generate enough loyalty for his heir to take over when he died. Tokugawa essentially betrayed his oath when he tried to take the Shogunate, splitting the country essentially in half. Probably the main factor in his post-war success was his ability to forge alliances. It's a really interesting period of history, with no real bad guys or good guys.

Wirecat wrote:Perry sculpts are still very good despite their "advanced age". Very lifelike and Your paintwork has really brought them alive. Thank You!

They break down when you look at them close enough to paint, but they look good on the tabletop, and even better in units.

complex57 wrote:Awesome stuff. I really like the variety of themes you cover.

Thanks. I like to work on something different every month or so to keep myself from getting bored.

Hey Josh (and you too, Theo), have you seen the Japanese figures that AW Miniatures put out? (Andrew Wilson Miniatures at awminiatures.co.uk). I recently backed a Kickstarter for Napoleonic Highlanders and say his home page- an impressive line of samurai, attendants and foot soldiers. From the Naps that I bought, they should be a good 28mm scale (not slightly big 25mm, like some can be).

I look forward to seeing (and learning) more!

Thanks for the heads up--I hadn't seen those models before. I already have more samurai models than I'll ever use, but not many companies make peasants. I'll have to keep those in mind.

 Meer_Cat wrote:
Hey Josh (and you too, Theo), have you seen the Japanese figures that AW Miniatures put out? (Andrew Wilson Miniatures at awminiatures.co.uk). I recently backed a Kickstarter for Napoleonic Highlanders and say his home page- an impressive line of samurai, attendants and foot soldiers. From the Naps that I bought, they should be a good 28mm scale (not slightly big 25mm, like some can be).

I look forward to seeing (and learning) more!

I’ll look once I’m awake, but thanks for the heads up .

My productivity is way down compared to the last two years. I'm still painting, but I'm focusing of single models rather than units. To wit:




Date Masamune, the One-Eye Dragon, lord of Sendai. He could have been Shogun had he been born twenty years earlier (i.e., contemporary with Tokugawa). This is another Perry model. And like all of the others I've painted, the model is definitely showing its age. I was going to cut off the kazari on his helmet, but decided it would be too much effort to fabricate a new one. This is the last of a set of three commanders (the other two being Uesugi and Nobunaga).




I got this commander from Zenit's Indiegogo campaign. I mounted him on a round base without thinking about it, and in retrospect he'd probably work better embedded in a unit of teppo rather than as an individual. The only thing I dislike more than basing is rebasing, so he stays where he is.




Finally, a shugenja (also called yamabushi), from the same Indiegogo campaign. There are apparently still practitioners of this ascetic discipline, but all the photos I've found show them in pristine white and saffron-yellow robes. I wanted this guy to feel more like a full-time hermit, without access to laundry facilities, thus the drab off-white palette.

Here's a group shot, along with a large farmhouse from Plastcraft:


I'm not sure what I'll be working on this month. More samurai stuff, maybe? I finally played Dungeon Saga with my son-- we ran through the first four scenarios in one sitting, him playing the necromancer and having fun despite losing, so I may go in that direction instead. We'll see.

Nice pieces, Josh! I'm in a similar place- painting singles or small units, or putting a lot of effort into a vehicle, and usually to give a specific technique a try- just for the fun of it. I've got my core armies built I don't have time to game that much, and I'm starting to get tired of keeping up with the Codex changes (all for the good of the game, of course, and not at all designed to make me have to junk half of what I have to accommodate the rule alterations, not at al!).

I'm a fair hand with painting horses, having done a lot of Napoleonic cavalry, but your dapple grey is really outstanding- very nice effect!

Keep n keepin' on, man!

Thanks, M_C. Painting singles and/or small units has become a necessity after the last two years-- I'm running out of storage. It's also been nice to be able to really take my time instead of block painting ten essentially identical models at a time to meet my self-imposed quota.

Thanks also for your kind words on the horse. I don't feel like I've really mastered horses, which is unfortunate given how cavalry heavy a samurai army should be.

Your Date looks good. Instantly recognizable to the point that my kid walking past the screen commented on who it was!

I've been so spoiled on stuff like the Musou games and Sengoku Basara designs it's hard to remember what these guys were supposed to actually look like.

Man, what I wouldn't give to see someone do some tabletop designs inspired by over the top video game sengoku jidai...

 highlord tamburlaine wrote:
Your Date looks good. Instantly recognizable to the point that my kid walking past the screen commented on who it was!

I've been so spoiled on stuff like the Musou games and Sengoku Basara designs it's hard to remember what these guys were supposed to actually look like.

Man, what I wouldn't give to see someone do some tabletop designs inspired by over the top video game sengoku jidai...

Thanks. Date is pretty recognizable-- his only real adornment was that crescent on his helmet. I still wish it had been a cleaner cast, though.

Those video games designs would be fun to admire but hell to paint, I suspect.

Those minis are lovely, I particularly like the cavalryman. I wish I could get some more dungeon saga in, but at least the minis see use in D&D. The base game is really fun to play through and I think easy enough for non-wargamers to get into.

Thanks. With this set, I have more characters that I can ever use, but they are fun to paint.

I agree about DS-- the four scenarios we played were fun, although next time we'll have to try the secret map set-up to make it more challenging. Also, my son is really excited about creating characters based on the Bones models I gave him for Xmas years ago. Maybe he'll finally try painting them...

Fantastic work here Josh.

In all fairness no reason you cant mix some of the characters in with the rank and file.

 carlos13th wrote:
Fantastic work here Josh.

In all fairness no reason you cant mix some of the characters in with the rank and file.

That's what I plan to do, but right now the characters outnumber the R&F. I guess I should do up some more cavalry someday.

Just wanted to stop by and comment on your awesome models. I enjoy stopping by you guys that do the less mainstream model companies and get my fix of what is on offer and out there.

Keep them coming. I am also enjoying your change of pace from regiments to single models.

More excellent stuff, Josh!

My favourite has to be the hermit...

Sorry, not on Dakkadakka much lately, but your new models are fantastic. Love the spotted horse and moon samurai.thrd pictures angle makes him look like he’s riding a unicorn.

Yamabushi looks cool too.

I know what you mean about the basing. ToH has all round basing, but Pike &Shotte has all squared basing . It’s part of my reason I’ve switched over to BtGoA painting temporarily.

Archer wrote:Just wanted to stop by and comment on your awesome models. I enjoy stopping by you guys that do the less mainstream model companies and get my fix of what is on offer and out there.

Keep them coming. I am also enjoying your change of pace from regiments to single models.

I'm enjoying it as well. It's been fun to dig through the Closet Of Shame and pick out cool models just for fun.

Slinky wrote:More excellent stuff, Josh!

My favourite has to be the hermit...

He is a nifty model. Did you notice the giant wart on his left forearm? That might just be a vent that I didn't clean off, but it makes a nice little detail.

Theophony wrote:Sorry, not on Dakkadakka much lately, but your new models are fantastic. Love the spotted horse and moon samurai.thrd pictures angle makes him look like he’s riding a unicorn.

Yamabushi looks cool too.

I know what you mean about the basing. ToH has all round basing, but Pike &Shotte has all squared basing . It’s part of my reason I’ve switched over to BtGoA painting temporarily.

I have been mixing and matching bases for a while now. Most of my samurai are on square bases due to my painting them for Kings of War. More recent stuff is on rounds for Frostgrave/Dragon Rampant. I don't play in tournaments or the like, so I don't feel bad about mixing them up.

One would think that working on single models would decrease turnaround time, but for me that's not the case. I finished this guy in about the same time that, say, five trooper models would have taken:


The tab on this guy says "shugenja," but nothing about his outfit is even remotely Japanese (well, maybe the sandals), so I did him up as a generic wizard. The kanji on his little apron means "wind," but the symbols on his sleeve are just random wizardy runes. While his goatee and pencil mustache are somewhat subdued for a wizard, he easily makes up for that with that magnificent mane of hair.

While typing this, I noticed that his base is unfinished. I'll stick on some static grass later today. Next up, a pack of peasants wielding farm implements, from Perry miniatures.

That is a great figure- you've done very well with him. I particularly like the facial details and the embellishments on the apron and sleeve. I found the same thing- doing singles took as much or more times as knocking out a fire team. Of course, the singles did tend to have more detail worked in....


Great stuff, as always. I am now actively looking for a Japanese Kickstarter to back- literally teetering on the edge of plunging in. It's one of those "but honey, if the kickstarter showed up it means I was _meant_ to get into Bushido!" kind of deals.

More, please!

Nice work on the shugenja. L5R was a mashup of different aesthetics and I am sure that played into how the generic models for the tabletop game.

Meer_Cat you might want to follow Zenitminiatures on kickstarter. They have one kickstarter in fulfillment you may be able to late pledge for (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1372111648/kensei-wargame-wako-vs-namban). They have run several campaigns and the pledge manager usually includes access to most of their existing line at a discount.