Old Samurai revival - The War Club (5/15)

Now to something completely different, Japanese warriors. Pure WIP thread with little hint of story.

I love all the new Coo Samurai figures but they are just too expensive (but worth every cent I am sure), was thinking about getting Japaneseesque figures for my Undead Invasion Fantasy Universe. But custom armour would have been to time consuming with all the laces layers and threads. Unarmoured might have been affordable, but might have looked weird in an apocalyptic war scenario next to fully armored medievalish Roy etc.

But then,

Another fellow collector was putting his old warriors on sale, the DiD Date Masamune and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, both with accurate metal armor. I printed him some 1/6 Mandalorian armors and several guns and we had a deal.

Here the only links I could find to these old warriors, for ridiculous prices:
https://www.blackopstoys.com/products/metal-japan-samurai-date-masamune-mint-in-box

https://www.ebay.de/itm/272210019437

https://www.ebay.de/itm/273661918038?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20180213162448%26meid%3D650b43a620bf45889b1423678c5db40c%26pid%3D100930%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D272210019437%26itm%3D273661918038%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DDefaultOrganicWeb%26brand%3DDID&_trksid=p2332490.c100930.m5375

It was a nice coincidence, wanted to have two 'Samurai' characters anyway: One seasoned, considerate warrior and one young and fearless, but also rich and spoiled one who idolizes the older as a hero. They meet as only survivors of almost lost battles, the young one still enthusiastic in his believes and conservative world view, the older one more weary and hopeless, questioning his warrior caste's very traditional and ineffective approach in the fight against the Undead. While they have different opinions on many topics, they somehow pull each other through the mess that is the empty, undead wasteland.  The more time they spend together, the more it seems the older one is not exactly what he appeared to be, but that is a story for another time.

That's the Date Masamune figure, it's armor will go to the younger one . There was no helmet or mask and no headsculpt. But a 15 or 20 year old figure head is not what I need anyway. I have seen the one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. But I think the armor and clothing held up very well, it's metal. Only had to replace some flaky fake leather parts with the real stuff.


Out of his armor, many layers, a lot of binding, that's why I was reluctant transfering to another body at first.


Heavy metal stuff.



But the head was just too big and looked weird on the smaller body. It's Taiwanese Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro. Very fun fact: Our fellow tankgirlfuzzy helped me deciding for this sculpt.
He actually went to the same school as her.

I accidentally bought an extra tall Coo body once and after some neck and peg finding hassle (all necks and pegs should be norm universal fit, like lego and his counterfeits) I decided he has to be a tall warrior.


The puffy dragon body chest was a bit weird. But it held up well, it has a 1999 printed on his back. Maybe he will become a honorary zombee.


SAMURAIII PUZZELU! (I miss the fuzzy Tankgirl )


I shortened the leg extensions though, it was a bit much.


Teh doctor is in.


And geared up, maybe I will redo it after watching some Samurai armor strapping tutorials. In the back we see the Toyotomi Hideyoshi figure with a hint of the new headsculpt.


And then I went to 3d printing for new SAMURAI KABUTO!! I found three 3d files that looked good, the third is still printing, but I think I will use the one with the antlers and Paint It Black.


Also printed seven different masks, but this was by war my favourite and really giving him character, thinking about of painting it contrastful red.

Excellent work and progress. It is a pleasure to get another glimpse at the creative process and kitbashing that you put into your projects. Both figures seem to be coming along beautifully, and the helmets and masks look just perfect -- or they will when you are done with your Ovy magic. Excellent, emotive choice of a head sculpt -- unlike many other options (I think I have one of these somewhere, maybe even a previous post in the Clothing thread). I recently got one of the unarmored economy options of the Ken Watanabe character from The Last Samurai, but as I always say when I look at these gorgeous sets, the armor is awesome. Heavy metal indeed.

This is so cool, and I can see why you’d be inspired by tankgirlfuzzy (her work in this area is exceptional and so well crafted and detailed). You seem to have a good grasp of what you’re doing, and the helmets and masks are really neat. Such a great find to get both of those older figures. I wasn’t surprised by the costs of the three links you provided.

Amazing work, Ovy!!! I love the colours!! I can hardly believe the level of detail you have here, it's all very pleasing to the eye. Glad to see tankgirlfuzzy's influence, too. : )

The story and character dynamic also sounds very intriguing, and I'm looking forward to the eventual photoshoots.

And oooooh, Takeshi Kaneshiro ..... remember having a crush on him all the way back from House of Flying Daggers-era.... think need to get that headsculpt, finally. :'D

Very nice. I'm looking forward to see more of your two Samurais.

Marvelous work!

That's definitely a time saver and jackpot, those DID samurai are in no way cheap on ebay. Looking forward to how you give them your own twist to those. The 3d printed elements are also looking really nice, specially the oni mask.

Amazing work on that samurai!! Thanks for sharing

GubernatorFan wrote:Excellent work and progress. It is a pleasure to get another glimpse at the creative process and kitbashing that you put into your projects. Both figures seem to be coming along beautifully, and the helmets and masks look just perfect -- or they will when you are done with your Ovy magic. Excellent, emotive choice of a head sculpt -- unlike many other options (I think I have one of these somewhere, maybe even a previous post in the Clothing thread). I recently got one of the unarmored economy options of the Ken Watanabe character from The Last Samurai, but as I always say when I look at these gorgeous sets, the armor is awesome. Heavy metal indeed.

Thanks a lot! Most credit goes to DiD. Yeh I think the Last Samurai figures are among the most beautiful and...laborious figures out there. Did you show your new Ken doll yet somewhere?

And I think I might have to print the helmet a tiny bit bigger, the head is just very larger.

Stryker2011 wrote:This is so cool, and I can see why you’d be inspired by tankgirlfuzzy (her work in this area is exceptional and so well crafted and detailed). You seem to have a good grasp of what you’re doing, and the helmets and masks are really neat. Such a great find to get both of those older figures. I wasn’t surprised by the costs of the three links you provided.

Thanks a lot. Yeah the tankgirl really got me more interested in that area and when the opportunity arrived I got these ~20 year old figures. I will value them as the treasures they are.

skywalkersaga wrote:Amazing work, Ovy!!! I love the colours!! I can hardly believe the level of detail you have here, it's all very pleasing to the eye. Glad to see tankgirlfuzzy's influence, too. : )

The story and character dynamic also sounds very intriguing, and I'm looking forward to the eventual photoshoots.

And oooooh, Takeshi Kaneshiro ..... remember having a crush on him all the way back from House of Flying Daggers-era.... think need to get that headsculpt, finally. :'D

Thanks so much, yeah the level of detail is so crazy/authentic. I will do some tiny figure only photoshoots as documentation.

Yes Takeshi is definitely one of the most beautiful head sculpts I own, and they are mostly Hollywood actors. It was only 18€.
Btw he visited tankgirl's mum's art class, you would have to ask her for details.

Randam Hajile wrote:Very nice. I'm looking forward to see more of your two Samurais.

Thanks, you will!

BAMComix wrote:Marvelous work!

Thanks a lot, although I only have combined yet.

Theboo-bomb wrote:That's definitely a time saver and jackpot, those DID samurai are in no way cheap on ebay. Looking forward to how you give them your own twist to those. The 3d printed elements are also looking really nice, specially the oni mask.

A Samurai Jackpot, so to speak. Thanks, will photograph the other masks later.

blackpool wrote:Amazing work on that samurai!! Thanks for sharing

Thanks for looking!

So that's the other guy, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's armor. In my world he will still be a high ranking military dude, although not that important.


Nice stache.


Enter the new head sculpt.


Authentic underwear.




Here all the parts together. I also removed the Dragon body, it also held upcwell, but again, that puffy chest and some arm articulation issues.




Here next to Takeshi and the dragon without head. Takeshi is still taller and that's what counts.


The most complicated task was getting the waraji on the new bodies feet. I had to cut the feet, add gaps betwwen big toe and the rest etc. Fortunately I am finished with all two pairs.


Here with the first layer of clothing.

More excellent work. Can't look away. Always loved these too, just never opened the Pandora's box of collecting them. But you are making the most of (and more) the DiD armor and adding your own improvements.

Ambitious project, and way to go with the threading.

Oooh, orange and blue colours look gorgeous together. Yet more amazing work!

GubernatorFan wrote:More excellent work. Can't look away. Always loved these too, just never opened the Pandora's box of collecting them. But you are making the most of (and more) the DiD armor and adding your own improvements.

Thanks a lot, you don't have to look away as long as you stay hydrated and eat something in a while. Yeah and there is a reason I have only two surviving 'Samurai' character planned. $_$

Stryker2011 wrote:Ambitious project, and way to go with the threading.

Thanks a lot. Thankfully a skilled factory worker but together the armor lames for me already.

skywalkersaga wrote:Oooh, orange and blue colours look gorgeous together. Yet more amazing work!

Thanks a lot! Yeah I also like the colors. No way I am ever going to replace the colors of the strings, haha.

Some more photos of the guy, before he is sealed in his armor. (Well he is not sealed, but it feels like quite some work to get him out again so I took the opportunity)
I forgot to put on his underwear, now that you know looking at the pics is much sexier.






















And the other guy, started to paint his printed equipment. The helmet fits but I think it's too small still?

The sneaky devil! Well I, for one, am relieved he is now fully clothed under all these layers of robes and armor. Just excellent. Actually you are yet to put him in there, I'm looking at the other one in the last photos.

Looks good. That mask and armor turned out great.

I wouldn't have noticed it being too small... but then I am no expert on what it is supposed to look like. To my eyes, they both look excellent!

I wish I had the skill to make such things Ovy! totally amazing work!

wow!!! Awesome shots, that's where you can tell the body upgrade was an excellent choice!!! Makes me want to see more samurais! Bring them samurai out!!!

Amazing work on the helmet and mask as well, I kinda like the scale as it is, I often find those way too big.

GubernatorFan wrote:The sneaky devil! Well I, for one, am relieved he is now fully clothed under all these layers of robes and armor. Just excellent. Actually you are yet to put him in there, I'm looking at the other one in the last photos.

No I only put him in the armor yesterday. The lower leg [japanese word] involved a lot of binding and knotting. And thanks.

Stryker2011 wrote:Looks good. That mask and armor turned out great.

Thanks, colored versions below.

skywalkersaga wrote:I wouldn't have noticed it being too small... but then I am no expert on what it is supposed to look like. To my eyes, they both look excellent!

Thanks a lot. Yeah I am still not sure, I printed a version 6% larger and it was too big, now I printed a 3,33% larger one, but not painted yet.

BAMComix wrote:I wish I had the skill to make such things Ovy! totally amazing work!

Thanks a lot! Well helmet and masks are 3 d printed, can only recommend getting one, there are many printers cheaper than many newly released figures.
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3607-3d-printer-ovy-finally-got-one-three-1-6-chess-sets?highlight=Printer

blackpool wrote:wow!!! Awesome shots, that's where you can tell the body upgrade was an excellent choice!!! Makes me want to see more samurais! Bring them samurai out!!!

Amazing work on the helmet and mask as well, I kinda like the scale as it is, I often find those way too big.

Thanks a lot, more samurai to come! I never took pics of the old dragon body in armor, but it hat problems with chest, shoulders and neck height etc.
And thanks on your opinion on the helmet, maybe I will leave it as it is.


Quite some knotting involved with these [japanese word] and some repairs but I wont bother you with details.




Not sure about the hair yet, if I replace his short hair with longer crazy hair.


Here in armor. Forgot to take a pic from the inside of the armor beforehand.















Here with the menpo only, had to salvage the orange strap because it was disintegrating. It was the only flexible string of the model.



The duo wearing their [japanese word] over their armor.


Here some of the masks. Some might go to Zomburai if I ever make some. I also painted the smaller helmet in the back.

He's come together gloriously. I know you used plenty of imagination, but the result is both spectacular and plausible. Which is excellent, in my book.

It's so interesting to see you take on a more traditional genre, but none the less of a spectacle to see unfold in the creative process. The normal samurai look legit badass in all their armored glory, and I so look forward to seeing the aforementioned 'zomburai,' especially if they retain a modicum of their pre-mortum skill sets.

As for the hairstyle choice, the shorter default cut makes me think of a more disciplined and militant personality/fighting style for the character, while the wilder, shaggier hairdo gives me untamed and Samurai Champloo-esque vibes. Whatever works for the type of character you are trying to portray, can't wait to see you photograph these guys in action!

Oh my gosh, how spectacular. Have I mentioned how much I adore that silky blue outfit? And I love those masks so much.

The hair situation is probably best decided based on whether it fits under that helmet.... ;p

A lot of work Ovy, that really paid off. He looks amazing!

Wow! He’s fantastic. Those colors are so vibrant. And all the different masks are really cool. I’m curious to see which one you give him, as I can’t decide between the half-mask or the full face.

GubernatorFan wrote:He's come together gloriously. I know you used plenty of imagination, but the result is both spectacular and plausible. Which is excellent, in my book.

Thanks a lot sir!

AlKelAstra91 wrote:It's so interesting to see you take on a more traditional genre, but none the less of a spectacle to see unfold in the creative process. The normal samurai look legit badass in all their armored glory, and I so look forward to seeing the aforementioned 'zomburai,' especially if they retain a modicum of their pre-mortum skill sets.

As for the hairstyle choice, the shorter default cut makes me think of a more disciplined and militant personality/fighting style for the character, while the wilder, shaggier hairdo gives me untamed and Samurai Champloo-esque vibes. Whatever works for the type of character you are trying to portray, can't wait to see you photograph these guys in action!

Thanks! Oh yeah, Zomburai are no joke. They don't sleep, don't eat, no pain, armored, retain fragments of their old personality and skillsets, sharp rusty Katanas....
Oh and we will see what will happen with his hair.

skywalkersaga wrote:Oh my gosh, how spectacular. Have I mentioned how much I adore that silky blue outfit?  And I love those masks so much.


The hair situation is probably best decided based on whether it fits under that helmet.... ;p

Thanks, yeah that outfit held up incredibly well over the years! And I think the hair will fit under the helmet, so he can make it go away is someone is scared.

BAMComix wrote:A lot of work Ovy, that really paid off. He looks amazing!

Thanks a lot!

Stryker2011 wrote:Wow! He’s fantastic. Those colors are so vibrant. And all the different masks are really cool. I’m curious to see which one you give him, as I can’t decide between the half-mask or the full face.

Thanks, I have a favourite mask after trying them all. Maybe I will make some quick photos with every mask on him if there is interest.


I chose the colors for obvious reasons, and this one lookes most interesting. Maybe I will add a cool headband?






One helmet antler broke, but I will turn it into a feature and bind something around the crack or something. Also thought about leaving him with only one antler.


All the glory.










Btw, does anybody know Akira Kurosawa's lost movie "Samurai Zombie Hunters" (1956) ?