What is better than having a lot of models in a box like a normal Wargames Atlantic kit? The company usually counts 20 to 40 models in a given box in 28mm scale. What can you do when you turn that 28mm into 10mm? You buy an army in a box with more models than you could ever want, and use them for 10mm epic scale wars!
What could be better than 1 box of epic scale models? How about 2 grand scale boxed sets, with even more models. Hereby we introduce the Ashigaru and the Samurai. Both have an insane amount of models, but the Ashigaru just has a bit more to offer… a bit… 104 models to be precise! Let that sink in… JUST 104 models more.
Both boxes together boost a whopping 552 models for about €66 on the store, based on the prices Wargames Atlantic run them for and what we have priced the same prices for. But there is a catch! Not one you need to see as negative, but one that could influence the games you play with them.
So, yes, you read it correctly, this is a double whammy this time! This is part one, focussing on the Ashigaru and the implementation of said models.
Unboxing the Wargames Atlantic Ashigaru
Ashigaru were considered infantry in Feudal Japan. One could expect that these units come in bigger packs than the specialists of an army, so larger in numbers. This is the box of the 2 that has more models in it, because it’s an infantry box. Like we said, 104 more. You can find models in 1, 2,3 and 5 “model” forms. This is to build up the units more quickly, but also enables players to organize units more efficient, packing more models on smaller bases.
Because of the smaller models and individual model count (the packs of 5 are counted as 5 models, not 1), these boxes are packed to the brim with almost complete armies. For sure that these complete boxes could be a whole one if you are a bit creative with the separate models in the box.
There are a total of 4 sprues in the box, making up the total model count. Do also note, that the model count in the box also counts the victims on the sprue. Still… there is enough to have some fun with.
Building the Wargames Atlantic Ashigaru box
This is a tough one… since the models are a bit on the small size to build, the models come as is on the sprue. This means that this box is ready to use once you clipped it out of the frame. Do clean the contact points a bit to have them fit better on the base.
If you plan on painting these wonderfully crafted 10mm models, it would be a wise idea to keep them on the sprue. When one looks closely at the build-up of the sprue, there is no doubt that they anticipated this. The placement is near perfect and most of the contact points from the sprue are on the bases of the models. This means that there are no nubs to file off or breakage of weapons when cutting them out.
Painting the Ashigaru box
It has always been a crime for wargamers to paint models on the sprue. Mainly because of the above and one could never “fix” the nubs to become invisible. These models are so small, that they invite this kind of painting method. Next to that, these smaller models are the perfect victims for speedpaint or contrast like paints.
Prime them white. I speak out of prior knowledge when I say that zenithalling these models is a no-go. You won’t see it, and the details are so small that a zenithal will clog them all. After this, be as precise with the paints as you can, so you don’t mess up. Once done, give them a soft drybrush of a sort of bone white and bobs your mothers’ brother.
Don’t get me wrong here, this will still be a test of resilience, but looks so damn good on the table once painted!
More games out of one box
The victims are always useful and in ways even that they don’t serve as victims. How about flying necromancers? See, we are going places here. This box looks particularly useful for elven forces in 10mm Kings of War. This is a 10mm version of the normal-sized one, but with cm instead of inches.
You can make regiments of 10, 20 and 40, in some needs even 60. The separate models in this could count as heroes, and as we said, if you are employing wizards in your army, the victims could count as flying ones if you put them on a stick.
I have been looking hard at Argatoria as well, but since that game resides in the barbarian age, there is not a single firearm and this sprue is full of them. Worse still… there isn’t even any bow or shooting unit in the game as far as I can remember.
Perhaps the Samurai box could help us out a bit more here, but as Conan (he is from the barbarian age you know…) already said, that is a story for another time.
We are only talking about 2 games here, but there are more games than we can count that employ these type of small scale models. Do also note that (and I truly know nothing, they keep me in the dark here) I have a feeling we will see them used in some form of ruleset in the future. There are 6 more rulesets coming besides “The Last War”, and suspect one of them will be for Grand scale wargaming.
Of course, if you scale down existing 28 mm model games and use cm instead of inches, a creative mind can go a long way with a bit of imagination.
Part 2, The Samurai Kit
Next week we shall gander upon the Wargames Atlantic box called Samurai. Feeling up to it? Let’s go then and see you next week, same time for an extra Sunday Wargames Atlantic blog.
