A trip to Japan
- OSHIROblog
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Not a real trip I'm afraid but another promo post showcasing the various products and ideas from the extensive Japanese ranges I produce.
I'm probably known best for the Japanese ranges I started with nearly 20 years ago when I first decided to venture into the wargaming terrain world. As with the other ranges, the 'additions' section is possibly the more important from my point of view, as it makes the terrain have a lived in feel and adds a level of realism to games being played.
There is an extensive selection of Japanese 'additions' and I try to add to it as much as possible but I do have to limit it to what I can cast in house (I have no access to metal casting which is slightly restrictive). As with other ranges, I've done a lot of research and am fortunate enough to be able to go to Japan on a regular basis and can drag my wife to museums and historical sites. These opportunities mean I can research those details that really make the pieces accurate for the period.
There will be a tutorial on how to paint some of the additions fairly soon; like with everything else, it's all down to time...
There are four scales for the Japanese ranges; 40mm, 28mm, 15mm and 6mm. I might even go smaller but that depends on a few factors such as potential popularity and existing figures ranges to match. The 28mm range is the most extensive and the most popular with currently around 70 items available. That will increase soon as I'm finally getting the religious buildings section ready for KS.
The post town buildings were the first section produced with JP01 being inspired by a model in a small museum in Hirakata near Osaka, and then branching from that to what there is today. A post town, or Shukuba-machi, was a small town or stage station established on major routes between the larger cities to allow messengers or parties of travellers to rest overnight before continuing their journey.
Initially made with mass battle games in mind as these were more popular at the time, this has moved over to smaller scale skirmish games in more recent years. Removable roofs are more important now and the 28mm ranges will be reflecting this in time. The JV range has already been changed over to removable roofs via a very successful KS and the yamashiro range has removable roofs as well. The JR range will be next and I'm doing a lot in the background for it at the moment as it will (hopefully) be on Kickstarter very shortly.
The next most popular is 15mm and I am remiss in the fact that I haven't added an 'additions' section to this range. Something I hope to remedy soon. The scale of this range is good to give the impression of larger towns and villages that quite often were near the larger battles in the sengoku jidai (warring states period). They can also be used for skirmish games but the roofs are not removable. The idea behind the smaller ranges is initially to follow the 28mm ones but then add larger builds that aren't practical for that scale. There will be a typical stone castle KS coming next year and a lot of the drawing work for that is already complete.
I've made several building bases in this scale as it allows many different combinations of layouts; a tutorial of which will be coming in the next month or two. Smaller Japanese towns and villages of the period tended to follow one main road (usually a 'highway' used by lords and messengers) with the occasional side road, all surrounded by paddy fields; of which I have to make. Larger towns that were either ports or had castles attached would generally have a loose grid layout with samurai homes being next to the castle and the lower ranks getting further away from the protection of the walls.
The next scale down is 6mm and to be honest, I'm a bit behind in adding to the range as there's the religious and yamashiro ranges to add plus a few others. I have masters and drawing work complete, it's again just finding the time to finish, paint, take photos, edit and sort out the catalogue entries. I've already made a small blog post on the usefulness of the 6mm range as it can be used with 10mm figures and this is linked below. When reducing scale it's almost always necessary to reduce the level,of details but I think I've managed a balance that still looks good on the tabletop. There is more scope for larger settlements in this scale and when I have produced enough I intend to make a large town with hopefully all the bits and bobs that might go with it. Watch this space...
The last section for the Japanese ranges is 40mm. Not a widely played scale but there are some lovely figures for it from Steve Barber. I will make a couple of buildings for it following the JV ranges plus one or two other items that should prove useful. Gaming in this scale can look very impressive but storage of the terrain can be a problem for most, hence the lack of items available (sales for the 40mm items are very slow indeed). As with everything though, time is a factor!
With pretty much all the ranges I produce, the vast majority of the items made are things I would want on the tabletop and this is a primary factor when making new products. I am always open to suggestions though and some entries have been down to customer requests (the 40mm range for example).
One of the things I do enjoy is making scenic building bases that give a good impression of being part of the landscape instead of just having buildings plonked on the playing surface; several of these can be seen in the gallery below. This isn't a practical solution for many gamers, as space can be at a premium, but I would suggest trying this as often as possible if you can. It is entirely possible to do single building bases as shown in the gallery, and when placed next to each other, it gives the impression of larger displays.
Once again, I hope this promo has proved useful and inspirational and I'll finish with a gallery showing a selection of individual buildings, addition collections and scenic building bases.
cheers
James
OSHIROmodels