Black Hat Miniatures
United Kingdom
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| Barrett Scale: | 28M |
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| Mixes best with: | The ex-1st Corps Samurai now sold by Curteys, even though these are a touch larger. The sculpting style appears sort of similar. |
| Long Review: | Another pre-Divine Wind offering of samurai, these have been on the market for a little while, but as BHM isn't particularly well-known yet, they have been under-exposed. Mike offered these samples to me a little while ago, but as I was about to move, I asked for a delay. Boy, was that a good/bad thing. Good because it means they're not hidden away now, bad because I waited so long to see them. The samples I received are all cleanly sculpted in Josef Ochmann's normal style. Each face has its' own character, and the poses are very much what I'd expect from such a stylised army.The samples I received are a fair cross-section of the figures needed and available. The first ones I looked at are the peasant spearmen, who are standing, slouched on their grounded spears. These figures are well-balanced, and the poses are believable. The third figure I looked at was the unarmoured samurai spearman. He comes as a two-part figure, with his spear arm cast as a separate item. Again, the pose is fairly relaxed, and looks right. The samurai with nodachi (two-handed sword) is also in a typical pose- reminiscent of Japanese prints. He has a slightly tilted-back head, a very arrogant look- perfect for his station. The two samurai with naginata are standing with their shafts held horizontally, ready to repulse their opponents. Unfortunately one of the weapons broke off while I was straightening it out (my fault for being impatient). However, the figures themselves more than make up for it. The robes flow beautifully, and the faces are well-sculpted, clearly showing their Japanese features. The last pack contains another unarmoured samurai swordsman (blade held vertically in front of his head), an unarmoured samurai archer (more neatly-done robes), and the only two armoured figures I've received. The one is clearly a bushi (retainer) wearing the chest armour typical of the lower classes. The other figure is an armoured (but helmetless) samurai wearing full armour. The last two figures are both cast with open hands, ready to accept a variety of weapons (spears, naginata, a variety supplied). |
| Commentary: | Neatly sculpted, with a fine flair for posture and pose. The figures "look" right. I'd certainly like to see more of these figures, and will probably end up getting enough for a small army. My only reservation is the packaging. Why two of each pose in a pack? |
| Historical Accuracy: |  Quite decent, and the overall impression is "right". |
| Pose Quality: | The poses look very much like the standard poses seen in Japanese artwork. |
| Sculpting: |  Good. The detail on the armour is neatly done, and looks right. There are a few little inaccuracies overall, but nothing major. |
| Casting: | Good. The metal is a bit more brittle than most I'm used to, but nothing serious. |
| Sources: | Donated by Mike Lewis of Black Hat Miniatures. |
| Sculptors: | Josef Ochmann. |
| Other reviews for this company: | See the reviews: |
Assorted additional images of the figures
