Hello to all on PF ,

The skills of the archer are a part of Japanese history with not only Samurai but also common soldiers being skilled in the art both on foot and for the Samurai on horseback.

Following on from AVE Miniatures thread announcing the release of a archer here:

http://www.planetfigure.com/threads...ew-release-ave-miniatures.68341/watch-confirm

Here is what we will be looking at in this review

I was sent a copy to share my thoughts with you all but before I do lets have some reference pictures and details on bows in Japan.

Bows or Yumi in Japanese there are generally 4 type long bows, half bows, small bows and short bows.with bows are of impressive thickness, and they are constructed of a combination of bamboo and other woods.

Long Bows: These are almost seven feet in length and there are two kinds. One is called "Shigetou,'' which was used by Samurais, and the other is called "Kazuyumi," which was used generally by soldiers. "Shigetou" means "coiled rattan," and this material wrapped the body of this bow. The grip of the long bow is very low position

Half Bows: They are five feet long and their structure is different than that of the long bows. The half bow is thinner than the long bow and its bowstring is attached to the side of the bow that is bent. The bowstring of the long bow is attached to the side opposite the bend. The grip of the half bow is located almost at the middle, a little lower than the center. It is covered by leather.

Small Bows: This bow is tiny in comparison to the others, The advantage of this weapon is that the bowstring is always set and arrows can be shot anytime. The case usually is decorative so it might be used to decorate an alcove of a bedroom. The small bow is two feet five inches long and is called a "Rimankyu."

Short Bows: These are called Riman-kyu. Its overall length is 62 cm (about two feet).
The effective range of these bows within which they will inflict damage upon the enemy varies considerably. The effective range of the long bow is 60 yards, of the half bow it is 30 yards, and the small bow is effective up to perhaps 12 yards


The subject was based on this picture and he carrys a Long Bow , an amazing weapon and length

Continued in next post:

Nap

On now to the actual review kit:

These are the details of the release:

Title: Samurai Archer

Scale - 1/10

Pieces - 6 (3 Resin , 1 string and 2 metal pieces)

Material - Gray Resin

Sculptor - Gissar




The review piece was sent along with others from AVE in a secure box I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the speed they were received so credit to Andrew at AVE for that .



The parts were in a clear bag , the actual bow piece was separate , its on a strong former but perhaps might have been better also on a card backing .The parts consist of the main torso , the bow , the bow case , the string , and 2 pieces of wire to form the case ,there are no arrows included



I was also sent a diagram about fitting these here:


Lets look at the prep needed on the pieces , the torso had a very small casting remnant on the underside , a quick rub with the sanding pad and it was gone , and a fine casting line also on the underside at the top of the small pedastal , we also have a line at the back of the neck area again easily taken off. The bow is attached 4 formers leading to a length of resin ... careful use of your chosen tool will remove the bow itself .

Once you have cleaned the bow up you will need to fit the string as per the diagram .

General thoughts :
For some perhaps not the typical Japanese face but I like it , the width of the bow perhaps is a little wide and some may think fragile but then what isn't in one way or another in our little world!!! What I am impressed with is the sheer simplicity and style of the piece and to be honest you could quite easily fill in the small hole at the back and leave off the bow and still have a nice piece.

On to the main Torso, this is sculpted with the head looking to the right , perhaps at a training target in the distance . Our subject wear the clothing over his shoulder with good folds , this is a nice touch and its good to see no armour!! , the surface is really smooth , and just crying out to have a pattern painted on it (perhaps similar to the Ronin recently posted by Zernia) or you could follow the pictures and keep it plain.

The rest is the upper chest area , well formed and again very smooth finish , nice work on the muscles , you can almost feel the power of him after so many years at the bow.

The neck area is well worked with good structure , the undersides of the chin has a good details on the flesh , leading up to a really nice face full of character , this is a man in his late 40's perhaps 50's , the expression is great and very powerful , strong features , not typically Japanese but well done , the forehead is slightly lined . Eyes are piercing , with nice definition , with the same can be said of the ears and nose area .

The hair style is a sweptback with the top shaved or maybe he has lost his hair through time , I really like the hair , good lining of the strands of hair and working of the top knot .

A nice touch as well is the bases is formed from the underside into which AVE have thoughfully put a thick piece of wire , useful for both mounting and holding during painting.

The Bow, this is well sculpted , perhaps a little thick in scale for some but nice work all the way up and when positioned to the piece really is a sweeping statement .

The Bow Case , very smooth all over fitting is by using the smaller of the 2 wires into the pieces and the back of the torso where we find a well positioned hole. No pattern is on the case another chance to get that brush swirling!!

The Bow String this is a elasticated piece of "cotton" and a good idea making fitting easy , some may still wish to use a wire .

Final Thoughts:

Its always good to have the resin in front when reviewing as well as an optivisor and this was a release that mine did not find much wrong , AVE are a web based shop , shipping was fast and efficient with good communication from Andrew .
The subject is a painters piece on which it can be as plain or patterned as you like , very good casting and sculpting , minimal prep ( as described) the result: an imposing figure even more so with the bow in place .

My advice is give AVE a try , they have busts and figures available ( more on the figures in later reviews!!!)

Website details (online store) :

www.aveminiatures.com

Thanks to AVE for the Review piece ........

and of course to you dear reader for looking in

Happy modelling

Nap

Hi guys ,

Keith ,

Thanks for the comment it is a nice piece


ZC,

You are too kind my friend feel free to suggest me to Figurines Magazine though!..Translation should be ok !

Glad members find the reviews useful


Nap

Hi Bob,

Thanks for posting and the very interesting information on the position of the lower handgrip , the hand grips could be sanded down easily.

As for the ranges , I got the information from a Japsnese site so might refer to more modern bows , but if they have pulls of 30 and that distance you would need to be almost out of sight with the larger draw weights..no wonder the bowmen of Japan were such a vital part of a battlefield .

Another option might be to not use the bow and put some arrows in the case which would add another dimension and version

Like you say a nice bust but not a "traditionally" Japanese look as such but interesting to review

Thanks for your input all detais are welcome

Nap