Samurai?

[rossbach]

Hello all,

I have one of Stefano Borin's 90 mm half Samurai in my grey army (the pic above is from P&P). It is really very, very good in every respect. Difficult to top qualitywise.

I have an original version in the pale yellow wrapper. The casting is on of the best I 've ever seen.

Anyway: what other large scale and not so large scale Samurai figures are worth having?

Any suggestions?

Cheers,

Paul

 

[Nap]

Hi Paul,

Bonapartes do some good samurai busts and figures , they are an online shop only .


www.Bonapartesmilitarymodels.co.uk

Pegaso and Andrea also do figures and busts

Hope this is of some help

Nap

 

[akaryu]

If you're interested in busts there is the series of daimyo busts by Augie Rodriguez to consider, available from Steve Kirtley at http://www.skminiatures.co.uk/. Formerly produced by Fort Duquesne, they are now listed under his own brand name SK Miniatures.
Cheers,
Piet

 

[kevininpdx]

The Viktor Konnov 90mm series by Pegaso are pretty awesome.

 

[rossbach]

Thank you all! @ kevininpdx: i had my eyes on that range. I just bought this one online at Art Girona :

View attachment 217398


Can someone tell me how good the casting on these 2 is (since they were already released several years ago)?:



I find the Kiyomasa figure very appealling because of the pointed armoured hat with the Hinumaru on it.

Has anyone experience with the ex - Poste Militaire Samurai models from Bonapartes?

And finally: a good book on Samurai armour and clothing. Any suggestions here? Were there any dress and colour codes?

I visited a military museum close to were I lived and saw Samurai armour for the first time from close by. I Always thought that Samurai armour was made from leather or bamboo and was amazed to find out that all the plates were of metal sheet.

I saw several pics of Samurai on the Internet taken during the last decades of the 19th century some of them coloured. Samurai at that time do look a bit like an anachronism.

Cheers,

Paul

 

[rossbach]

@kevininpdx: this is the one I bought

 

[Alex]

And you will love it. I am currently finishing it. If you need any advice in how to do the kit, please let me know. The fit is perfect on the one I own

Thanks
Alex

 

[akaryu]

Books on samurai armor? Depends on what language you master, there are some very good books in Japanese, but fortunately also some good ones in english. So to name a few:
Arms and Armor of the Samurai by Bottomley & Hopson, highly recommended, both are British experts on the matter
Japanese Armor The Galeno Collection
Armures du Japon by Robert Burawoy
Art of Armor, Samurai Armor from the Barbier-Mueller Collection (which is in america by the way)
Clothes of Samurai Warriors, from the Kyoto Shoin's Art Library of Japanese Textiles, (small but essential for clothing)
If you read Japanese, all the books by Sasama Yoshihiko and some volumes of the Rekishi Gunzo Series.

Lots to chose from, please don't throw away your money on the Osprey titles, Mr Turnbull isn't the expert he claims to be and the illustrations range from useless to ghastly!
Succes,
Piet

 

[rossbach]

@akaryu: dank je wel voor de boekentips Piet. Heb al wat gegoogled. Al jouw suggesties lijken goed verkrijgbaar. Stukken uit de Barbier-Mueller collectie ben ik al op foto's tegengekomen. Mooi boek (tentoonstellingscatalogus?) trouwens. Het boek wat de Galeno Collectie als uitgangspunt heeft lijkt me het meest grondig. Klopt dat?

Groet,
Paul

 

[rossbach]

How about the Samurai models Ray Lamb did for Poste Militaire? Are the Bonapartes version on the same level?

I won't mention Taisho here which he did many moons ago for Calder Craft/Hinchliffe............... I think it still can hold its own.

I would appear to me however that old PM Samurai's notwithstanding the excellence of the casting (as was Poste Militaire's hallmark back in the days) seem to be a bit stiff/statue like when compared to what Pegaso has on offer.

Paul

 

[akaryu]

Hello Paul,

For starters I'd still recommend the Bottomley&Hopson. To see a variety of armor the Burawoy books are very nice, same in style as the Galeno book. You might want to take a look on this website:
http://www.toriilinks-editions.com/index.php. The Barbier-Mueller book is a reasoned catalogue of their collection. Most books on collections contain a high percentage of Edo-jidai armor and helmets, much less on the sengoku-jidai era which is the period that interests us modelers.
Your Dutch is impeccable by the way, are you a native speaker?

cheers,
Piet

 

[tomifune]

The Barbier-Mueller collection is housed in Dallas, Texas. It does do tours but I don't believe any are scheduled now.

Btw, Steven Turnbull is a contributor to the Barbier Mueller book.

Bob

 

[rossbach]

Yes Piet I am a native speaker.

 

[kenshin393]

I have a copy of "The Samurai, recreated in colour photographs" by Mitsuo Kure & Ghislaine Kruit, Europa militaria special no14.
96 pages of colour photos of Japanese re-enactors. Covers 8th century up to the edo period. I find it very useful, when I painted up a 54mm pegaso samurai a while back, I couldn't shake the feeling that it looked familiar, found the photo that the sculptor had based it on on page 41

 

[akaryu]

Kenshin393, there is a hardcover extended 190 page version simply called "Samurai" by Mitsuo Kure, published by Compendium London ISBN 1902579380, colour photographs throughout and the same scope.
cheers,
Piet

 

[kenshin393]

Thanks Piet, I'll check it out!

 

[yellowcat]

Hi Paul,
Please check out my Samurai references:
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/samurai-references.73088/
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/kato-kiyomasa-加藤-清正-references.72454/
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/more-samurai-references-1-bow-arrows-and-cases.73609/
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads...mi-horse-stirrups-saddle-and-equipment.73611/
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads...rmour-and-horse-mask-yari-and-naginata.73612/
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads...es-and-wrarji-saihai-war-baton-and-fan.73613/
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads...murai-armour-and-equipment-manual-1735.73614/
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/more-samurai-references-6-jinbaori-surcoats.73696/

 

[rossbach]

Piet I just had a look at the torrilinks page. This book caught my attention right away "Casques, Masques et Armures des Seigneurs de l'ancien Japon" by

Jean-Christophe Charbonnier.

Would that be a good choice, apart from the Bottomley&Hopson book which as I understand it, is more of an introduction ?

Thing is: I know next to nothing about the Samurai subject other than that the styles of armour seem to be linked to the a ruling period which is named after the ruler.

 

[rossbach]

@Yellowcat. I was very interested in the link tot the Jinbaori surcoats.

The fabric, colours and patterns/embroidery on the original/historical coats is really very beautiful and tasteful. Especially the designs. Some of the fabric appears to be felt to me.

The examples worn by reenactors on the other hand are for the most part absolutely horrible in every respect. The look cheap and shoddy and appear to made of cloth intended for female dresses.

Following the Kiyomasa link there were a lot of pics of historical helmets (here again what the reenactors wore looked horrible). What are thes tall pointed helmets called and what are they made of?

 

[yellowcat]

Some Samurai armour books by H Russell Robinson:
The Armour Book in Honcho-Gunkiko
The Manufacture of Armour and Helmets in Sixteen Century Japan
Japanese polearms
Oriental Armour