Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Crosby)

After mulling over the merits of doing something like this for a couple of years, I've decided to put common sense behind me, ignore my knowledge of my limits, and start an oldhammer armies on parade entry for the 2020 competition. I have no aspirations of winning anything, hence choosing to make an oldhammer army, doubly so I'm making an oldhammer fantasy army, triply so I'm doing a Nippon army. Outdated models of an unsupported army in a dead game, can't go wrong!

This is also going to be an eBay rescue project- as with most things on this forum, so that's a fourth reason for people not to vote for my entry instore, I haven't spent any money with the company apart from on paints. Destined to fail.

Here's a look at my starting materials, a couple of copies of Aly Morrison's excellently sculpted Oriental Heroes boxed set, the definitive Nippon models to my mind. Lovely designs, dynamically posed, exquisitely detailed and a huge pain in the rear to paint because of the microscopic lacing on the armour plates.



I love how these sculpts are based on historical characters, not just that though, they have the same fluidity of motion and unfathomable masses of fabric that bring to mind the ukiyoe paintings of Japan, something missing from the later slotta based oriental ranges.



Here's a close-up of the tortured souls, ready to be cleansed and absolved of their previous lives' sins.



After a good soak in the horrifically oderous dettol brown stuff, I got to work on the first model, a lowly peasant soldier, an ashigaru armed with a katana, a basic papier mache jingasa helmet and a straw raincoat. The type of guy who isn't going to last long in any battle, still slightly drunk from when he was press-ganged into the service of his local lords, ruddy nosed, bare footed and ready for adventure. The striped tattoo on his forearm mark him as a career criminal, caught and punished twice, this is his last chance before being put to death, so why not take up the sword and serve his betters?

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

I love your "Ignore Strong Headwinds Ahead" approach to this project!

I wish you the best of luck and huge supply of everlasting motivation.

Your painting and basing is excellent, please keep feeding us!

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

Thanks Plaiecivile.

Being the run-up to Christmas, I find myself with a plentiful supply of time, especially because the wife is still at work, so here's my second refurbished ashigaru. A variation of the sculpt for Sasaki Ganryu, as was quite common for Citadel at the time this mini was made up of components from a couple of earlier released figures, a commercially released conversion if you will, the head being from samurai lord Kajiwara Genda Ragesuye, creating a very fluid model with a complete change of direction. I think I prefer this guy to the original Ganryu sculpt, but then again each newly painted figure is my favourite.

Less bedraggled than the previous ashigaru convict, this guy is an itinerant soldier of low regard working for whoever will pay him, spending his wages on flashy clothes and rice wine. He isn't to be trusted or tasked with anything too important, but can at least be counted on to bolster your force's numbers if you have enough silver.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

Next up, an actual factual samurai, rather than an ashigaru. Armed with a yari spear and wearing heavy plate armour, this is Maeda Toshiie. Historically Toshiie wore a suit of shining golden armour, but for my purposes that would make him stand out far too much, I want him to just be a soldier with character not a leader. So I painted him in red armour, a striking colour but not so much as to distinguish him as someone too important.
Cunning, a skilled tactician, the perfect advisor to low level officers.



This mini fought me at every step of the process, mostly because it combines a lot of my least favourite elements of painting- blue cloth and fiddly little lace details. I'm pretty happy with the end result though, these old old sculpts have enough charm to keep me interested even when they misbehave.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

The next samurai, and probably the unit champion is Kato Kiyomaso. A powerful warrior, armed with a long bladed naginata, adept at fighting multiple opponents simultaneously he spins and twirls like a whirlwind of flashing blades and distracting swirls of cloth.
Another fantastic model, even with him being quite two dimensional he has a sense of movement. I've had to build up the base with putty to cover the cast-on tab base that these early miniatures have, Kato's being more substantial than most.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

The next guy is perhaps my favourite of all the Aly Morrison solid-based Oriental Heroes range. A cocky posture, arrogant and ready to break heads nonchalantly with his massive bamboo handled hammer. He wears two swords marking him out as being a samurai, yet his only armour is his iron plate jingasa helmet, instead putting his faith in his martial prowess. The volumes of fabric in the sculpt really embody the woodblock print style that Aly was sculpting at this time, I wish more were as flamboyant as this guy.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

This time of year gives me so much more time to paint than usual, don't expect me to keep going at this pace

Next up, another samurai warrior. Younger than his peers, he is impetuous and makes somewhat rash decisions. Armed with a naginata and twin swords, he aspires to become a fighter of reknown like his hero Kato Kiyomaso, and while being nowhere near as competent with a blade, he is still a worthy addition to any fighting unit.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

My draw is dropping at the amount of detail.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

Thanks Sleepysod


Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! What did jolly old St Nick bring us? That's right, another samurai.



This time it's none other than the mighty hero of times gone past- Kajiwara Genda Ragesuye. Almost unmatched with a blade, he has only been bested once and that encounter left a permanent reminder scarred into his left cheek. Another outstanding sculpt of a classic samurai pose, the more of these guys I paint the more I'm getting into them. Like Bob Olley sculpts, they're deceptively to look at until you start painting one yourself, then you really get taken aback by the intricate details.


Here's a bonus previously painted samurai for you, a few people might have seen him before, my interpretation of Torri Rashasawa, the samurai dwarf adventurer.



Sculpted by one of the Perry twins for GW in the late 80s, way before they went on to make their hugely popular range of samurai miniatures released under their own name. Why they made a dwarf samurai is anyone's guess. Games Workshop had massively reduced their orientals output by 88 when this guy came out and the ninja fad of popular culture was all but dead. Was he a test for an idea that never took off, or just a lone adventurer who had wandered far afield and returned home with foreign garb? Whatever the reason for him, he's a damn cool miniature.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

Lovely, lovely paint jobs...and great bases. Very cool.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

Thank you Harry


What's that I hear? Yup, another three oriental miniatures finished over the Christmas break. Not my best paintjobs or photos, so I'll condense them all into this one post...

First up is Tanabe Meihachiro Nagatame, a pretty bog standard samurai warrior in medium armour, perfect for increasing unit sizes. He does have quite a natty pink floral undershirt and nice armour details though.



Next up, the first of my archers. A samurai in medium weight suit of leather armour.



Finally another archer, this time an ashigaru soldier named as Hachiman Taro Yoshi Iye. I had to completely remake the bow from styrene as the original was so massively bent out of shape it was unfixable. I really like the deer-fur chaps that he's wearing, quite a characterful mini really.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

Just caught up on this thread and you’re doing fantastic work.

Can’t wait for the next update.

Re: Road to AoP 2020 (starring neither Bob Hope or Bing Cros

Thanks Johnny


Here's a shot of the gang all together



Now I have ten of the solid based orientals finished, I'm going to start on some of the later slotta based ones I think. They have a slightly different style, while still being Aly Morrison sculpts they become simpler and almost caricatured in the later ranges.