Japanese infantryman

[David Spencer]

In the olden days (very early 90s (that decade when music got interesting again)), I was a member of a model club that met in Hinckley, Leics.
They ran a monthly themed competition, and one time it was "Japanese". Someone brought - as I remember it - a ~75mm figure of a WW2 infantryman, posed holding a rifle horizontally.
I hadn't seen it before and never come across anything like it since. Maybe it was scratch-built? Maybe a limited edition?
The imperial Japanese army doesn't seem to get much attention (in fact, does anything exist concerning WW1 at all?), which is a shame considering all the overlaps of German subjects.
I suppose this is really just a grumble; please prove me wrong.

 

[valiant]

I did this one a while back, https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/special-naval-landing-force-flag-bearer-ww2.241459/

 

[valiant]

...and this one, but from a slightly earlier period......https://www.planetfigure.com/thread...-russo-japanese-war-1905.305533/#post-1126547

 

[Warren SMITH]

Victory miniatures do this one..

 

[Steve headley]

I recall a 75mm officer from the Russo Japanese war being done by Mike Good a number of years ago it was based on a photo from an osprey book.i think model caller released it could be wrong but I’ve definitely seen it as my friend has it in his collection.

The Japanese Imperial army do seem to be neglected by companies, it’s a poor relation to German and US troops.the Russo Japanese war does have some interesting uniform studies.who know maybe In the future companies might take another look at the subjects.

Steve

TFB Miniatures Team

 

[Nap]

Obviously not 75 but IJA

 

[David Spencer]

Thanks folks. Interesting suggestions here.
It would be good if the Russo-Japanese war - or the world wars - got more attention.

 

[Ferris]

Can’t help with a reference to the figure you mean, but agree with you on the lacking of IJA figures.

To add some nice ones:
First sculpt is 1/16 by Calvin Tan and a great figure, if you can find one.
Second is 90mm by Andrea Miniatures I believe (Andrea Jula sculpt, not sure).

 

[Martin64]

The only figure I was able to find in the scale you are looking for:
https://www.puttyandpaint.com/projects/27436

In general I agree that the Japanese Army is not that often represented in figure modelling. I recall the very nice set of Airfix Multipose Japanese Infantry of WW II and the Japanese NCO and Fighter Pilot done by Miniatures Alliance as part of their 120mm Dog Tag series.
https://www.super-hobby.com/zdjecia/1/5/4/50671_2_AKI-549_3.jpg
http://hsfeatures.com/features04/ijnpilotbmce_1.htm
On the horizon is another WWII Japanese Fighter Pilot in 1/16 by Royal Models.https://aeroscale.net/news/japanese-wwii-pilot-figure-coming-soon

Nevertheless the Japanese subjects are mainly reduced to the stereotype of sword-wielding samurais in modern uniforms. The regular Japanese soldier that fought so tenaciously in the Pacific theatre is left out in the larger scales of the figure hobby. Not so in 1/35 scale.
Sales might be the reason. The owner of Miniature Alliance told me at the Euromilitaire years ago that the sales for the Japanese NCO were horrible and that he had to justify the production of this figure at many shows due to the ambivalent reputation of the Japanese Army of WWII among Westerners.

As most of the regular moaned about WW II-Germans are not produced in Germany and are still so popular in our hobby one might ask himself why the defeats suffered by the Army of Japan are so much harder to forget than the victories of the German Wehrmacht...but that is maybe a topic of it`s own.

Cheers, Martin

 

[valiant]

I think that the subject matter for any manufacturer is ultimately driven by sales, or potential for sales. No one is going to produce something that they dont think will sell. Unfortunately, this leads to the same old subjects being trotted out, ad nauseum. But that is just my opinion....!

 

[Rob]

I think that the subject matter for any manufacturer is ultimately driven by sales, or potential for sales. No one is going to produce something that they dont think will sell. Unfortunately, this leads to the same old subjects being trotted out, ad nauseum. But that is just my opinion....!

Not just yours, The growing popularity of 3D design has given sculptors more opportunity to create a wider range of figures, sadly there is still massive over-representation of specific types of models. But the scope is there for more people to do historical pieces that simply would not justify the time and cost of traditional sculpting and moulding.

Over the last few years the Boshin War has become a popular area of interest in wargaming circles and has produced some wonderful figures in various uniform styles. It is the era in which the woeful "Last Samurai" movie is set
There is certainly scope for different Japanese historical figures if someone has enough interest to research and 3D sculpt the figures for the few people like me who have the desire to print and paint them. I would love to see some bigger scale models to go along with my 1/1200 Naval and 28mm Wargame figures.

 

[David Spencer]

Thanks everyone.
There are some very good suggestions coming through.
I agree with points made about cautious approaches to manufacturing, and tedious repetition of particular subjects.
Am starting to suspect the infantryman in Hinckley was scratch-built.

 

[Steve headley]

The Russo Japanese war is of interest to one of the team he has uniform books and medals from that period.we are looking at maybe doing one from both protagonist in the war based on the osprey book. But that’s in the future. I have to say their is some very nice infantry uniforms from that period. Again it’s down to the market willing to try something new.

You have to take into account that sculpting in 3D costs unless your skilful enough to do it yourself. And putting the files on line does leave it open to being hacked. So with the best will in the world companies will look at the bottom line and see if it’s a viable product.

Their are a lot of great subjects out their that should be made in Miniaturas but it’s the old saying is it viable. What is needed some of the top artists/ sculptors to put something out their and start a trend pretty much like they do in the fashion industry. Then with luck people start to get interested and see if it starts a new trend. It’s a risk for most companies to do this as the expence can be high, and you have to hope the subject is interesting and the sculpt is very good and you get a well known artist to bring it to life. Then hope it captures people’s
Attention, and it takes off and you can follow it up. But again it’s companies willing to take that risk.

Well let’s see what happens maybe this post might prompt companies to take a look at WW2 Japanese and earlier subjects.

Steve

TFB Miniatures Team

 

[David Spencer]

The Russo Japanese war is of interest to one of the team he has uniform books and medals from that period.we are looking at maybe doing one from both protagonist in the war based on the osprey book. But that’s in the future. I have to say their is some very nice infantry uniforms from that period. Again it’s down to the market willing to try something new.

You have to take into account that sculpting in 3D costs unless your skilful enough to do it yourself. And putting the files on line does leave it open to being hacked. So with the best will in the world companies will look at the bottom line and see if it’s a viable product.

Their are a lot of great subjects out their that should be made in Miniaturas but it’s the old saying is it viable. What is needed some of the top artists/ sculptors to put something out their and start a trend pretty much like they do in the fashion industry. Then with luck people start to get interested and see if it starts a new trend. It’s a risk for most companies to do this as the expence can be high, and you have to hope the subject is interesting and the sculpt is very good and you get a well known artist to bring it to life. Then hope it captures people’s
Attention, and it takes off and you can follow it up. But again it’s companies willing to take that risk.

Well let’s see what happens maybe this post might prompt companies to take a look at WW2 Japanese and earlier subjects.

Steve

TFB Miniatures Team

Thanks Steve
I absolutely understand the risks and difficulties you describe. Piracy takes many forms, and one must be confident in business of the investment being worthwhile.
Not least as model figures are likely to only ever be one-off purchases for each individual.
DS

 

[valiant]

The Russo Japanese war is of interest to one of the team he has uniform books and medals from that period.we are looking at maybe doing one from both protagonist in the war based on the osprey book. But that’s in the future. I have to say their is some very nice infantry uniforms from that period. Again it’s down to the market willing to try something new.

You have to take into account that sculpting in 3D costs unless your skilful enough to do it yourself. And putting the files on line does leave it open to being hacked. So with the best will in the world companies will look at the bottom line and see if it’s a viable product.

Their are a lot of great subjects out their that should be made in Miniaturas but it’s the old saying is it viable. What is needed some of the top artists/ sculptors to put something out their and start a trend pretty much like they do in the fashion industry. Then with luck people start to get interested and see if it starts a new trend. It’s a risk for most companies to do this as the expence can be high, and you have to hope the subject is interesting and the sculpt is very good and you get a well known artist to bring it to life. Then hope it captures people’s
Attention, and it takes off and you can follow it up. But again it’s companies willing to take that risk.

Well let’s see what happens maybe this post might prompt companies to take a look at WW2 Japanese and earlier subjects.

Steve

TFB Miniatures Team

Steve, Ive been ploughing that furrow for a long time, but its extremely difficult to get people off the path well-trodden. My interest lies in the off-beat and unusual, but I think that Im the exception. I have sculpted a couple of Russo-Japanese subjects for a well-known US brand, however, to get any manufacturer to take a risk on these subjects is nigh-on impossible, in my experience. If they do take the risk, then it seldom translates into good sales.

 

[Steve headley]

Hi Valiant, you hit the nail on the head it’s very difficult to move people off the path. It’s a shame, so much scope for so meany new subjects but as you say people don’t budge. It’s getting more difficult to come up with subjects that might tempt people. So you sometimes look for lesser known regiments in that period of history in the hope it sparks an interest.

We are as guilty as any other manufacturer for sticking with some periods but have done some lesser known subjects within that period. It seem to work. But you will always have the strong sellers and that’s your bread and butter.

Well you never know at some point Japanese WW2 subjects might start to come on line .

Steve

TFB Miniatures Team

 

[David Spencer]

Originality is like a breath of fresh air. There are VERY few WW2 subjects that interest me, but Japanese figures are a rare exception (and western desert Italians, whilst I have the floor).
It was decades before decent WW1 figs came onto the market, so patience pays off. But at 54, I hope the period of waiting for those two subjects is more than halfway over.
In the meantime, it's good to see so many high quality manufacturers around and I wish you well with sales and future projects.

 

[Mirofsoft]

Seen on the net 1/33 !! But, as they are 3D files ( CGTrader )

 

[C Child]

Another suggestion: search through Amazon Japan's website whilst varying and mixing your 'key word' search terms. They have a "Buy In English" function, but you sometimes have to be patient in order to find what you're looking for--or come away satisfied that they don't have it.

Hobby Link Japan has a pretty good search function, but it has some quirks to it, so here too you sometimes need to vary your key words to find the product you want--or confirmation that they don't carry it.

Here's a link to Amazon.jp showing a 1/35 Platz figure set--with Ron Volstad box art no less: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/PLATZ.../35+wwii+japanese+army+figures,aps,121&sr=8-1

CC

 

[David Spencer]

Thanks folks.
Much appreciated.