Subject:  
Sengoku Warlord
Kit Used: Tamiya 1/16

Review & Figure by:
Ian Dow
Pictures: R. Forys



[This style of uniform was common from the middle 15th to the early 17th century.]


In Japan, the Sengoku Period, also known as the Warring States Period, was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle 15th to the early 17th century.   Typical government was based on a military style of control with each Daiymo or Warlord acting as a local branch of the government.   This led to the constant fighting amonst the Warlords as to who had the greatest control of a region.   With more control, came more wealth from taxes and revenue from the government.   Soon there was nothing but rebellion and war among the clans and the control from the government broke down.   Fighting in and around Kyoto, the capital, lasted nearly 11 years before spreading to the outlying areas.



[The kit is a 1/16 scale plastic Tamiya figure.] [It has very few parts and the figure is basically split in two, front and back.]


The constant fighting led to a disruption in the economy and class structure of the Japanese people.   With farmers pressed into service, no crops grew and this led to starvation, which led to more uprisings and more warefare.   With the culture of war being the norm, the generals and the military class soon elevated themselves to become the dominant class.   It was during this period that many elaborate garments and styles of military uniform emerged.   This kit is an example of the armored uniforms that were common in this time period.



[I cut off the fingers on both hands and repositioned them so that they held the objects better.]


The kit is a 1/16 scale plastic Tamiya figure.   It has very few parts and the figure is basically split in two, front and back.   The majority of the work was spent sanding, filing and then rescribing or deepening the lines on the entire figure.   I cut off the fingers on both hands and repositioned them so that they held the Katana and the Paper Signalling device better.   Before this, the implements looked to be resting in an open hand.




[The front of the jacket had a medium green applied to the lapels with a mustard yellow for accents.] [The jacket was painted first with a light green color and then darkened with a clear dark green.]



The jacket was painted first with a light green color and then darkened with a clear dark green.   Then the vines and leaf pattern was hand painted through out the jacket and small flowers added as accents.   After this was completed, highlights were added to the vines and flowers to give them depth.   The front of the jacket had a medium green applied to the lapels with a mustard yellow for accents.   This then had markings added to the lapels that indicate clan affilitation.




[The armor was all painted a vermillion red from Vallejo, and then had a black oil wash applied and rubbed off to deepen the red and give it a hardened leather look.] [This process was used on the arm and leg armor also.]



The armor was all painted a vermillion red from Vallejo, and then had a black oil wash applied and rubbed off to deepen the red and give it a hardened leather look.   This process was used on the arm and leg armor also.   The Kimono shirt had a small flower and green sprig accent pattern hand painted on it.   The pants were a dark forest green with a dragon fly pattern painted in gold with red accents added on them.   The plate armor was painted in black with orange and red accents to represent the rope that held it together.




[he face was painted with a comination of oils and acrylics.]



The face was painted with a comination of oils and acrylics and the horns on the helmet were painted with acrylics and then deepened with oils.   The horns turned out very well with a lot of depth coming out from the use of the oil colors.   The clan design on the front of the helment was hand painted in green and outlined in gold.   The kit was painted using Vallejo acrylics, Humbrol enamels, and Windsor Newton Oils.




[The horns turned out very well with a lot of depth coming out from the use of the oil colors.]



Overall this kit is not going to win any awards for fit, finish or design in its unassembled state, but with some care and basic model building techniques, this turned out to be a very good figure kit.   The jacket turned out very nicely and I was able to try several new painting techniques to bring out the floral patterns by using several layered coats to each color, and by using a light wash to deepen areas without losing the pattern underneath.




[hat I liked about this kit was that it was 1/16 in scale, which lends itself to as much detail as you are willing to put in.]


What I liked about this kit was that it was 1/16 in scale, which lends itself to as much detail as you are willing to put in.   It helped me practice my skills with cleaning up a figure, and some filling and filing work.   And at $7.89 for the kit, if it did not turn out well, it did not cost me a lot to work on it.   It was a satisfying build for the buck.



[Overall this kit is not going to win any awards for fit, finish or design, but with some care and basic model building techniques, this turned out to be a very good figure kit.]