Resurrected Ronin

The full group

This Labour Day weekend I have finally finished some Black Hat ronin figures I bought about 8 years ago, when we are all excited about Ronin and things Feudal Japan. These are nice figures, but a recent check on their website indicates that they are now sadly out of production or have been sold to someone else.

I got 6 done five years ago when I was doing some lead pile reducing and finished my Samurai supply convoy. 

First 6, with a few of the peasants with bamboo spears done at the same time 

The remaining nine I returned to this past week and with them all being very individual I decided to just paint each figure one at a time. This went much faster, and was more enjoyable, than I thought it would be.

I had obviously gotten frustrated with what I was doing, which is probably why they got abandoned, and upon returning to them I had a few genuine "WTF?" moments as I wondered what my decision making process was at the time. They were base coated mostly in black and then some attempt at flesh had been blodged on, which was unfortunate.  

Oof! these are a mess...

One night's work

But I dug in, fixed a few things, tidied up the flesh with multiple coats of base, ink wash and then highlights.

After that the elaborately laced amour was relatively simple. Just a light dry brush over the ridges of the laces to pick them out against the black armour plates.

After a couple more sessions

The biggest problem was trying to not make them all too samey. I had to keep stopping myself from making everyone red.

Old and new paint jobs with nodachis. Although maybe the chap in heavy armour center left is just holding a katana in a two-handed grip?

Bowman without armour and red shirt was painted 6 years ago.

But here they are; ronin, wako pirates, Ikko Ikki, or sanzoku bandits (depending upon whether they are fighting for pay, from a boat, for an ideal and social revolution, or for themselves). Three with katanas, three with bows, three with fearsome nodachis, and six with yari or naginata. But they're ready to cause some trouble.

Old paint job on left, new paint job on right

Katana fodder. 12 peasants with bamboo spears looking suitably nervous.

I have six Perry Ikko Ikki with teppo lined up next, along with a couple of unknown manufacture, second-hand samurai on horses to round out the force.