Saturday, April 12, 2014

Imperial Japanese Army Soldiers, Pacific

BANZAI!!! BANZAI!!! BANZAI!!! So echoed all through the line, the ferocious yell of the Emperor’s fanatically dedicated soldiers, bayonets fixed and gleaming in the moonlight on a hot and muggy Pacific night. Only about 60 men, about a third, remain of the company. Tattered uniforms, worn with pride, drape on bodies worn thin with hunger. A dingy, torn white flag, with its single large red center dot, hangs near motionless from a wooden staff held aloft by a stern-faced soldier, selected for this prestigious honor for his bravery and devotion. He and the lieutenant, the ranking officer remaining, stand in front of the bristling group of men. Ahead of them a short expanse of jungle, an upward sloping field, barbed wire, and the guns of the enemy wait. With a turn, and the flash of a sword through the night air, the final charge begins...

I’ve been working on my Imperial Japanese Army for the Pacific for the last year or more. I finished several months back but am only now taking the opportunity to post a few pics. Overall I’m happy with the way they turned out, nothing is ever perfect. Now I just need to get them onto the table and into the fight. I painted up nearly 70 figs, probably more than I’ll need. The figs are from Battle Honors, which aren’t quite as robust (thick not weak) as Warlord’s Bolt Action line, but I like them. I’ll be pitting them against the U.S. Marines I did, and the Chindits and British I’m still working on. We’ll go with Bold Action rules, which worked well enough in a previous trial, although it might be more prudent to play test the rules a few times with just a couple of us to get the rules straight before we bring in the whole Basement Generals gang.







Officer Corps




Jungle Transportation

Destined to Meet: US Marines vs IJA
Human  Tank Destroyer and HMG Crew