Zvezda

1/72 Samurai Army Headquarters

Kit Number: 8029

Reviewed by  Jack Kennedy, IPMS# 12511

MSRP: approx. $13 Imported into the US by Dragon Models (www.dragonmodelsusa.com) If you want to stage a samurai war, this is the way to go. Zvezda has produced a set in 1/72 of a Samurai Army Headquarters that is ideal for wargaming or just display. Upon opening the box I was amazed at the number of parts in this set. There are parts for 28 figures and accessories for them. In addition there are flags, drums and other camp accessories. The figures consist of 1 Daimyo, 6 Samurai bodyguards, one drummer, 1 foot rider, 4 servants, 6 ninjas, 3 mounted cavalrymen, and 6 Ashigaru Guards. All the parts are molded in soft burgundy styrene. As such they must be sprayed with a primer. Until they are primed (I use a light gray primer) the fine details are difficult to see. On the back of the box is a guide to the proper colors for each figure and the box art on the front shows a typical layout for the Samurai Headquarters. These figures are very small but contain a wealth of details. In this scale it would be impossible to show all the fine woven colors that were typical of the Samurai warrior but they come close. In painting I painted over the gray primer with base coats of gloss black and red. On top of this I gave a dry brush of many acrylic colors and then a wash of a dark gray to pop out the colors. One must remember that these figures are only about an inch in height so not much may be painted without obliterating any details. When painted the figures are very colorful and in the setting of a headquarters camp it is very colorful. I don't know what the retail cost is of this set but if it is in the $10 range, you get a lot for your money. I would recommend this set as a challenge to the figure painter and it is a lot of fun to paint up all these little guys. I want to thank Zvezda/Dragon and John Noack for allowing me to review this set of figures.

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