Work in Progress

[Basic Impetus] Sengoku Japanese Army - The Sonae of Uesugi

Posted by CliosPaintingBench on 03 Feb 2023, 06:39

[Basic Impetus Army] Sengoku Toyotomi Regency Japanese Army - The Vanguard Sonae of Uesugi Kagekatsu / 戦国和上杉 - War Unending / Summer grasses / all that remains / of great warriors’ dreams

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"Colours are fragrant, but they fade away. In this world of ours none lasts forever. Today cross the high mountain of life's illusions and there will be no more shallow dreaming, no more drunkenness." Poem spelled out by the arrayed sashimono banners of the 48 bansho of the Hojo clan, when arranged in formation.

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Hello everyone,

For my second project set in Early Modern Asia, I have to cover the invading forces of the Imjin War; the Sengoku period's armies of Samurai during Hideyoshi's regency. I've started on the Joseon Koreans, but I need to start on the Samurai, because I have a real life wargaming event in 2025. The Samurai are a cultural fan favourite of many people worldwide, and they were one of the main drivers for me to start in the 1/72 space. The second unit I've ever finished, back in 2019, were of the Samurai, just after making a Celtic unit for my first ever army because I couldn't shake the motivation to finally own finished and painted samurai miniatures.

It is time to revisit them properly because this project coincides with a broader group game in China in 2025, involving around 40 players including this forum's own member Lirui using the Pike and Shotte system. As such, I intend to be using my army first as a pike and shotte army before reverting to my normal basing system for Basic Impetus. I have decided against basing my troops for now to better suit the needs of the 2025 game. I had to choose a clan for this game, and I was discouraged away from obscure, unknown clans. I like depicting unknown elements because I have a lot more room to make up personalities, but in the end I had to go with clan Uesugi, because of their beautiful clan crest, or mon. My original choice back in 2019 was the Honda clan, because of the simplicity of their rice bowl mon, but Uesugi it now is.

When I create a new army, I draw up a list of key themes that I want the army to embody. I want the themes of each of the three factions of the Imjin War to be distinct, so I wanted something distinctly Japanese for this army but also for it to stand out against the others. There are popular cultural depictions of the samurai as honour-loving, skilled and poetic but many of these are misled; the code of bushido was a late 19th century creation, codes of honour were not universally followed, Samurai fought primarily with the spear (and eventually adopted guns) and some Samurai disdained the poetic arts completely. But I do want to tick many of the ingrained Samurai cliches because that what makes them stand out. I do want my army to have a historical basis, however, and finding that balance is important. So I want my army to be historically accurate and plausible, but lean towards the popular conceptions of the Samurai.

Themes of the Sengoku-Jidai Japanese Army:

    Greys, blacks, blues and browns for ashigaru, diverse colour sets for samurai - class difference between the two

    Uniform, standardised ashigaru, custom forged, wealthy, ornate samurai

    Spot colour: white, symbolic of spiritualism, purity - implies the poetic popular conception of the warrior class

    Many banners - an army of heraldry, reinforces the poetic theme

    Masters of the sword - historically, the sword was a backup for the main weapon of the spear, but the sword is emblematic of the Samurai. Some Samurai should wield swords, swords should be prominent

    Snow and black earth - bases will be of snow and black earth, like a Yin and Yang - reinforcing poeticism and spirituality. No elevated bases, the uniform height gives a sense of order


To explain the above themes, the ashigaru are depicted in many media as wearing various shades of blue-greys in Korean dramas, whereas in Japanese dramas their clothing is diverse, historically there was no uniform clothing for Ashigaru. Ashigaru armour can be a variety of colours too. I want my ashigau to be uniform as this would imply a level of organisation and order that would make a deadly army. As such, the ashigaru armour in my army is a standardised black, provided by their lords. Their clothing are slight variations between individuals but keep to the same colour palatte, so different shades of greys for shirts and browns for pants. This would keep in history in showing that cloth-sourcing was not a uniform process but still create a uniform look for most of the army. As the samurai are the elites of the army, their armour is custom forged and provided by their families so they all look different, with diverse colours. The difference between ashigaru and samurai will be highlighted visually from this.

The spot colour of white will tie the whole Uesugi army together under the theme of spiritualism, which works well because Sengoku armies have so many banners, so there are many opportunities to have a mass of white. Why spiritualism? The other East Asian armies were spiritual people as well. I think Clan Uesugi, led by the famous Uesugi Kenshin was a famous Buddhist and is often depicted in a warrior monk cowl, which ties into him, but also spiritualism seems tangentially linked to the ideas of poetry, the arts and craft, that the Samurai were known for. While the Chinese and Koreans obviously fostered the arts, I have to make each army stand out, so I want to emphasise the poetry and arts angle for this army insofar as it works for a field of battle. Some banners can also be custom, ornate objects, which will create the opportunity to show more Samurai art. The samurai are known in manga, movies and television shows as sword masters, so swords have to be shown to some extent, even though historically their main weapon in this period was the spear. The final bases of these units will be snow and black earth, reinforcing the white banners and having a stark, eye-catching effect that implies spirituality. Not having any raised bases, with everyone on the same level gives the army a sense of order and uniformity that implies their cohesive discipline, which in turn hints at their formidable skills in war after many, many years of honing their craft in civil conflict - they are of one force, on one plain, driven and deadly.

This army will be of the clan Uesugi and I have decided that this particular contingent will be led by Uesugi Kagekatsu because he historically fought in the Imjin wars. This army is thus:

The Vanguard Sonae of Uesugi Kagekatsu

The sonae was an army organisation after troops had been mustered from a lord's vassals. It was effectively a combined arms unit, a miniature army of its own, with melee infantry, cavalry and ranged infantry. Each sonae was in turn formed by units called tai, literally "unit", consisting around 50 to 100 men, commanded by a captain known as Bugyo or Ashigaru Taisho. Tais were formed by weapon types, like pikes and arquebus. Each tai was formed by several smaller units called gumis, literally "groups", with about 15 to 30 men each. Each gumis were commanded by officers called Ko-Gashira or Kumi-Gashira. This sonae will follow the basic army list provided by the Basic Impetus system, with two units of foot samurai, one unit of yari ashigaru, three units of teppo ashigaru, one unit of ashigaru bowmen and two units of samurai cavalry.

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[1/72] Sengoku Toyotomi regency Japanese Army - The Vanguard Sonae of Uesugi Kagekatsu

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井上 勝長 鉄砲組, 千坂 晴賢 隊, 上杉景勝の先鋒備 (Inoue Katsunaga Teppo Ashigaru gumi, Chizaka Harukata tai, vanguard sonae of Uesugi Kagekatsu) are solid, reliable infantry of the sonae's gunline. They have been drilled over the carnage of battles and skirmishes, their gumi's makeup being of veteran soldiers. Their okashi gusoku, loan armour, are familiar fits, are as their teppo tanegashima matchlocks. Though they are of various backgrounds, they are all mostly experienced warriors, disciplined and grim of aspect, familiar with the process of volley fire and the devastation of war.

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Their gumi-gashira is Inoue Katsunaga, an artless, dour Samurai. A humourless, nearly emotionless man, he has seen much of battle and lived, not through skill of arms or clever tricks, but merely by being favoured by Seven Gods of Fortune. He holds no romantic notions of warfare, no childish codes of honour. He and his men have seen the infantryman become the decisive force on the battlefield, usurping the mounted samurai out of dominance. They refuse to die and lose for tradition. Tradition be damned, this is the time of the gun and endless war. One must innovate, or be swept aside.

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He has adopted the teppo out of his practicality; he deploys to win at all costs, not to dazzle with swordplay. Though the samurai have long been the traditional force of warfare in Japan, the Ashigaru have now become core and essential to this new modern army, and he has accepted this too.

A trusted samurai under Chizaka Harukata, he is not thought of much beyond line command, but can be trusted to hold the line and kill the enemy, and in times like this, when Japan swings its attentions to Joseon, men like him are still very much required. Katsunaga has no ambitions for Korea; no strong opinions either way. For him, this is work, and where his lord commands he go, there he will go.

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(井上 勝長 鉄砲組, 千坂 晴賢 隊, 上杉景勝の先鋒備 form the first unit in my Sengoku Japanese army. I wanted the first unit to be emblematic of the broader army, and I think they demonstrate the shift to the ashigaru as the mainstay of the battle-line as well as the changing dominance of the gun. Popular culture focuses on the samurai, but it was the ashigaru gunner that changed the face of samurai warfare during this period.

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As with all ashigaru, I want the unit to be relatively uniform, while still accounting for historical accuracy. Few armies had anything close to a uniform clothing during the Sengoku period. However, some areas of Japan were known for specific ways to make and dye cloth, such as the shibori technique that sprung up around Nagoya at the beginning of the Edo Period. The availability of local dyes and some feudal lords providing equipment for their ashigaru is ample justification for relative uniformity.

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To have the best of both worlds, this unit has the same colour for shirts, being a Russ Grey base, then Fenrisian Grey highlight, with pants being different shades of brown. The overall look is of uniformity, but if you look closely you can see the differences. I also like that some models have their own individuality, such as the helmet-less warrior, the soldier wearing a straw raincoat and one being less armoured, with less plates.

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The skin recipe was a Cadian Fleshtone, as it appears to have less pink, then a Cadian Fleshtone - Ungor Flesh blend, then a Kislev Flesh for the ashigaru, and Bleached Bone for the samurai. I focused particular attention to the samurai.

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His colour scheme is inspired by Lirui's project log. Painting Japanese units seems very time intensive, with all the ropework detail on their armour, this might be an annoying army to finish, but I have a 2025 goal to work towards. The models are from a mix of Zvezda, Redbox and a 3D print.

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I've been researching how many soldiers wore sashimono banners on their backs, including emailing Dr. Turnbull, the famous author of many Samurai works. It seems the answer is inconclusive. I've decided to minimise the sashimono on my ranged units, as they wouldn't need to be identified much, it would be obvious which side they are on by their position in the gunline. One of my friends will eventually make Clan Uesugi transfers so I'll add clan mons to these troops when he gets around to that. It's way too hard to paint those.

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I haven't posed the models on a diorama base yet, but I expect I'll pose them all firing head-on, to show their discipline and to contrast with the Korean's outnumbered, last stand, firing at all angles poses. The models are posed as front rankers sitting or crouching and the back rankers firing over their heads, showing the disciplined volley fire that these soldiers are capable of, and again showing their professionalism.

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The base will eventually be snow and black earth, it will contrast with the Joseon bases and snow has a mysterious quality, which I like to associate with the warrior mysticism of the samurai.)

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(unit 1 of 10 - 井上 勝長 鉄砲組, 千坂 晴賢 隊, 上杉景勝の先鋒備 - Sengoku Toyotomi Regency Japanese Army - The Vanguard Sonae of Uesugi Kagekatsu - Basic Impetus)

Previous Projects:

[Basic Impetus] Ancient British Celts: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=23514

[Basic Impetus] Ancient Mauryan Indians: viewtopic.php?t=24641&p=270592

[Basic Impetus] Joseon Koreans: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=25710
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CliosPaintingBench  Australia
 
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Posted by Minuteman on 04 Feb 2023, 17:21

A very full and interesting commentary on your new project, and some very pleasing figures too! Fine work.
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Minuteman  United Kingdom
 
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Posted by C M Dodson on 05 Feb 2023, 06:40

Dry nice and very different.

Best wishes,

Chris
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Posted by C M Dodson on 05 Feb 2023, 06:40

What’s happening with my I Pad?.

That should read , very nice.

Chris
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Posted by PhilC on 05 Feb 2023, 11:18

Very good job. As I already wrote you in another thread, the Japanese warriors of this period are, in my opinion, among the most difficult to paint in 1/72. I would love to have such an army, because I also have some nice 20mm Sarissa Precision buildings for this era, but I'm still not happy with my first experiments. So congratulations!
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Posted by Konrad on 05 Feb 2023, 20:52

Nice bunch of samurais.
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Posted by Santi Pérez on 05 Feb 2023, 20:56

I'm always overwhelmed with the great amount of information you gather for each new project, Owen. Almost as much as with the fantastic painting of your figures. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Go on with it, my friend! :thumbup:

Santi.
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Santi Pérez  Spain
 
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Posted by Rich W on 06 Feb 2023, 00:43

Excellent new thread Owen!
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Posted by CliosPaintingBench on 06 Feb 2023, 05:35

Minuteman wrote:A very full and interesting commentary on your new project, and some very pleasing figures too! Fine work.


Thank you! I end up doing research for every historical project, it's not for everyone but getting the history right is always something I've enjoyed.


C M Dodson wrote:Very nice and very different.

Best wishes,

Chris


Thanks Chris!


PhilC wrote:Very good job. As I already wrote you in another thread, the Japanese warriors of this period are, in my opinion, among the most difficult to paint in 1/72. I would love to have such an army, because I also have some nice 20mm Sarissa Precision buildings for this era, but I'm still not happy with my first experiments. So congratulations!


Haha, I remember! Your Japanese warrior monks on the bridge, we had a brief discussion about painting them. I have to agree, the ropework is so fiddly, I made so many mistakes trying to get the fine detail right, it required a lot of fixing. I'm also coming back to the Samurai army after a brief experiment in 2019, it's tricky but I love the finished look and it's always been something I've wanted to tackle.


Konrad wrote:Nice bunch of samurais.


Thanks Konrad, I've always liked yours, I've saved them for inspiration in my painting references folder!


Santi Pérez wrote:I'm always overwhelmed with the great amount of information you gather for each new project, Owen. Almost as much as with the fantastic painting of your figures. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Go on with it, my friend! :thumbup:

Santi.


I overwhelm myself as well, I have this compulsion to try to get the history right and give each unit a backstory, because the atmosphere and feel of each army is important to me. Always appreciate you dipping in Santi!


Rich W wrote:Excellent new thread Owen!


Thanks mate!
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CliosPaintingBench  Australia
 
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Posted by sansovino on 08 Feb 2023, 12:54

Nice japanese, good word, but I recommend you to take more time for cleaning any flashs in the figures. It´s worth to do it in regard of your good painting job.
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Posted by Howlin on 08 Feb 2023, 20:56

They look good as usual, Will you base them like the others on dynamic terrain?

I like the colors, they are not too bright as to be animated but colorful enough to not be drab. The brown blue black combo works well.
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Howlin  United States of America
 
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Posted by CliosPaintingBench on 09 Feb 2023, 06:38

sansovino wrote:Nice japanese, good word, but I recommend you to take more time for cleaning any flashs in the figures. It´s worth to do it in regard of your good painting job.


Thanks, you're very right, the problem for me was that Redbox uses a different kind of 'soft' plastic, so the flash kind of sticks on in flakes when I scrape it off. It's been a problem for me, for a while. I recently learned that people use a toothbrush to get rid of the flakes, I'll need to try that for the next unit!


Howlin wrote:They look good as usual, Will you base them like the others on dynamic terrain?

I like the colors, they are not too bright as to be animated but colorful enough to not be drab. The brown blue black combo works well.


I will definitely base them like my other armies, but first I need to use them as separate playing pieces for a 40 person game in China in 2025. So uh, yeah, they won't be based for a while haha.

Thanks! I experimented with the colour combos at first. The first draft of this unit had the same blue shirt and pants but I realised it looked a little dull with just two colours and looked a bit too similar to the Korean style. I saw quite a few Samurai movies for inspiration and my ashigaru colours mainly come from the movie Sekigahara (2017).
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Posted by CliosPaintingBench on 11 Apr 2023, 13:37

Good day all,

So, after quite a large gap, I've finally found myself finishing another unit. This unit is one of the army's elites, which was unexpected for me. I wanted to paint the rank and file first, but I'm still waiting for a physical shipment of models, so I have to wait, but I also want to complete another unit before I leave for Japan.

As such, I decided to tackle a challenge; one of the heavy cavalry units in the sonae. It turns out that painting horses is actually easier than painting the men, because the men have too much intricate details. I'm quite proud of the finished unit.

In my army blogs, the background, themes and historical accuracy matter to me, so I need to correct something. I made a mistake in terms of Sengoku army organisation. I believed that the bugyo was a rank above the gumi-gashira because of some incorrect information I read, but it turns out the bugyo do not lead an organisational unit called the tai, and they do not directly command fighting men, rather they fulfil specific tasks for the damiyo. As such, the correct structure is that the gumi-gashira are led by taisho generals of the whole sonae, the tai organisational grouping has ambigious meanings, seeming to be both a synonym of sonae but at times also the gumi, so I've disregarded this.

In this structure, Uesugi Kagekatsu is the taisho of this vanguard sonae, and Soutaisho of all the sonaes he commands. He is also damiyo. His sonae, as it is led by a damiyo is called a Honjin (本陣)

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[1/72] Sengoku Toyotomi regency Japanese Army - The Vanguard Sonae of Uesugi Kagekatsu

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渡辺 泰信 騎馬昆蟲組, 上杉景勝の先鋒備 (Watanabe Yasunobu kiba mushagumi, vanguard sonae of Uesugi Kagekatsu) form one of the elite heavy cavalry units of this sonae, thundering into battle with shouted oaths as their sashimono ripple behind them at speed. The great mass of their heaving horses pound and snort in the charge, bearing a colourful array of corded armour, glinting spears and some of the finest warriors under the Uesugi banner.

Watanabe Yasunobu is deeply ambitious, wishing to gain ascendency as a great damiyo himself one day. He is a dangerous and ruthless commander, with a keen grasp of strategy unbound by notions of 'fair war' or the value of life. To him, soldiers are to spent like coin in the arithmetics of warfare and he has gained a reputation as capable, yet underhanded and unsavoury. Yasunobu has a grasp of politics and the administration of war. He has a love of subtefuge and intelligence, freely using spies and locals to gain information for advantage. Participating in some naval battles, Yasunobu has some skill in directing ships in war, which may prove useful yet in the war against Tai-min.

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As a child, Yasunobu could only look on as his brother was lavished attention from his doting family and clan, while Yasunobu was largely ignored, seen as an imbecile and a craven. Time and time again, Yashunobu would attempt to gain the love of his mother, only to be spurned. This forged him into a cold and hard youth, precise and exact with his words and with a sharp gaze that unnerved even his friends. As he became a man, he distinguished himself in battle serving the Uesugi, eventually becoming a senior retainer of Uesugi Kagekatsu and a member of his kashindan.

As such, he is trusted to enact his damiyo's will. Nagahide eventually rebelled against his father to side with the Uesugi, fighting a series of skirmishes to help subdue his own clan. For this, he earned the nickname of the 'Viper of Owari,' for the ruthlessness of his betrayal and the quickness of his thoughts. He is at heart, practical, abandoning fights when they are lost. He is still as cold as he was since his childhood, fierce when incensed to anger. He trusts no one but himself, keeping his thoughts hidden like cloudy water. A compentent duelist, Yasunobu is far more interested in the command of armies than in his own fighting prowess, but has fought in the front line many times. In an age of warring states, one must be able to wield their own sword, not just their soldiers'.

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As the gumi-gashira of a Kibamushagumi, Yasunobu has been given the privelage to fight in Kagekatsu's 's own sonae; to break enemy lines and pursue routed foes. To Yasunobu, he is close to the levers of power and is determined to distinguish himself in his lord's service and possibly become a taisho in Uesugi service or a member of the prestigious hatamoto. The samurai under Yasunobu's command are mostly his own contributed cavalry to the Uesugi clan's sonae, with some men drafted in from other Uesugi vassals to bring his gumi to full strength. They are an elite shock unit, vaunted and respected by the other troops for their fighting prowess and social status of horse ownership. Yasunobu's men have proven their fearlessness and skill through years of war and have been honoured to be under the direct command of the Uesugi soutaisho and damiyo. Their armours are ornate and well-crafted, exhibiting a diverse range of styles and colours; sourced from family heirlooms, regional blacksmiths and traded from faraway provinces. Yet, unified under the colours of the Uesugi, their banners bear the same stark white and black, assembled and brought together to fight for their damiyo and conquer the lands of Joseon and Ming.

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(渡辺 泰信 騎馬昆蟲組, 上杉景勝の先鋒備 form the second unit of my Uesugi sonae. The second unit was not originally going to be samurai cavalry - I prefer to build the more basic troops and leave the elites for a break after I'm used to the colours and patterns of the army - but in practical terms I'm waiting for a shipment of miniatures to be delivered, so I only have the cavalry available.

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I considered using a few different companies to form this unit, but ultimately Zvezda just make the best sculpts. As I was painting one of the units of elites, I wanted this unit to stand out. The multitude of armour braid and plate colour combinations can make for striking units, so I wanted a unit of ornate mounted warriors, diverse yet visually tied together under the colours of sashimono banners. This also fits into the established themes of my Sengoku-Jidai Japanese Army. The samurai's armours are painted with light effects, contrasting with the ashigaru - another example of class difference but also of convenience. Painting light effects on every model would be very time-consuming, and these models are time-consuming enough as they are!

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I want my Sengoku Japanese army to be visually striking - the samurai have always been my dream army and I've had years to conceptualise what they look like. Recently, I've decided to take the idea of black and white further - the bases will be black and white, the banners are in black and white - I could extend this further! Thusly, the horses in this unit alternate between black and white, and have their opposing colour as decorations. When painting white horses in the past I used to basecoat with bone, but this time I tried a very light grey - to me bone is more earthly while white is more spiritual. This matches the overall theme of the artistic, spiritual samurai and also brings the horse colours closer to the mon colours of this iteration of Uesugi heraldry. I think I may extend this colour usage to the banners and have already begun experimenting. To me, this makes for a visually striking unit, that while historically plausible, unites the whole army in a single colour theme which can be tricky with multicoloured samurai.

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Mounted Samurai seem to have historically worn sashimono commonly, so my unit - apart from the gumi-gashira - have banners, which help contribute to the banner theme and the black and white colour palette. This unit has a theme of gold. All the models use gold as a spot colour and the gumi-gashira has gold armour as the most visible example. This implies their relatively higher status in the army as elite units.

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The gumi-gashira is directly inspired by general Wakisaka from the movie Hansan: Rising Dragon. I tried to replicate him as much as I could in the Zvezda sculpt. The gold armour is historically accurate for richer samurai and stands out on the tabletop. His horse was originally a white horse I painted, but I decided to swap it for the black horse because the cloth pattern was so intricate I thought my leader deserved it. The waves pattern echoes Wakisaka's naval adventures and the yellow cloth matches with his gold armour.

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The black-orange-and-cream Samurai had a colour palette that was inspired by a nodachi model painted by Lirui. I wanted to avoid green, which would be a classic complementary colour, to put my own spin on it. The model is from Zvezda's Art of Tactic system and I like the thrusting pose. Having bands of different coloured cords both add colour to the model and show the ornate nature of his armour, differentiating him from the foot samurai who will have less ostentatious armour. The blue spot colour makes the overall model pop.

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The menpo wearing Samurai has a classic red menpo, and I've always wanted to recreate the look. I think menpo shouldn't be common in units, but their sparse use makes certain models stand out. His gold highlights and gold chainmail arm protection shows his higher wealth level. The model's cords are a grey-blue, except for the ends which are just blue. Having varied cord colours shows extra levels of customisation for his armour - an indication of status and wealth.

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The red samurai model is one of my favourite models so far. His hanbo mask was sculpted with green stuff and took some time to adjust and get the proportions right. This differentiates him further from his companion model from the Art of Tactic system. I considered if the cords should be black or blue, but I decided to use a bone colour. There are two colours of cords - bone for almost all the plates but a yellow-brown for the bottom facing plates. He has gold and green on his pants.

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I will pose the models in a standard cavalry fashion, facing forwards, as if racing to get to grips with the enemy. Posing the leader on the left means that in base-to-base contact with the Joseon cavalry, he will be directly facing their leader - a visually fun spectacle. The base will eventually be snow and black earth, it will contrast with the Joseon bases and snow has a mysterious quality, which I like to associate with the warrior mysticism of the samurai.)

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(unit 2 of 10 - 渡辺 泰信 騎馬昆蟲組, 上杉景勝の先鋒備 - Sengoku Toyotomi Regency Japanese Army - The Vanguard Sonae of Uesugi Kagekatsu - Basic Impetus)
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Posted by Konrad on 11 Apr 2023, 15:26

Very nice samurais!
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Posted by Bessiere on 12 Apr 2023, 04:10

The mounted samurai have arrived. Must have an archer in there. They look superb Owen. The starkly contrasting colors make these fellows look absolutely scary as they should be. There is no more feared warrior in single combat, he'd be the last guy I'd ever want to have to fight.
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Posted by Susofrick on 12 Apr 2023, 08:13

Very nicely painted and some inspiration too. Have the samurais (infantry and cavalry) somewhere in the hobbyroom. Some day I am going to paint a samurai!
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Posted by Santi Pérez on 12 Apr 2023, 19:55

They are a great addition to your Japanese Sengoku army, Owen. I love the wonderful paint job you've done on the armour of the figures. :love: :love: :love:

Santi.
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Posted by Rich W on 12 Apr 2023, 22:39

Very nicely painted Owen. They look fearsome and impressive.
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Posted by CliosPaintingBench on 13 Apr 2023, 03:55

Konrad wrote:Very nice samurais!


Thank you! Your own samurai miniatures you previously posted have been great reference points!

Bessiere wrote:The mounted samurai have arrived. Must have an archer in there. They look superb Owen. The starkly contrasting colors make these fellows look absolutely scary as they should be. There is no more feared warrior in single combat, he'd be the last guy I'd ever want to have to fight.
Cheers,
Bessiere


Cheers mate, I did think about putting an archer in but the cohesive look for the spears seemed to work well for this unit, but I do have a set of Zvezda's Art of Tactic Mounted Samurai Archers. They do look intimidating don't they? The cinematic depiction of samurai have entered the popular culture as skilled and sublime warriors, good thing it's all fun and games with miniature painting haha.

Susofrick wrote:Very nicely painted and some inspiration too. Have the samurais (infantry and cavalry) somewhere in the hobbyroom. Some day I am going to paint a samurai!


I'd love to see yours one day! I've put off painting mine because they've always looked very complicated and I wanted to hone my skills on other armies first. Now that I've painted some... yeah they're complicated but you can make it harder or easier on yourself depending on how you want the armour to look. Hard to just just inks and wash though, the nature of the coloured cords require a fine eye when painting.

Santi Pérez wrote:They are a great addition to your Japanese Sengoku army, Owen. I love the wonderful paint job you've done on the armour of the figures. :love: :love: :love:

Santi.


Thank you very much Santi! :-D

Rich W wrote:Very nicely painted Owen. They look fearsome and impressive.


Thanks, I tried very hard to make their armour ornate and highlight the different colour combinations they can exist in!
User avatar
CliosPaintingBench  Australia
 
Posts: 800
Member since:
14 Jan 2020, 06:46

Posted by PatrickJ71 on 16 Apr 2023, 16:25

I didn't read the full explanations (sorry :oops: ), but the samurai figures look really great!
very nice paintjob on that armour!
thanks for sharing,
Patrick.
PatrickJ71  Belgium
 
Posts: 165
Member since:
22 Aug 2022, 19:06

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