For Games Workshop's Armies on Parade 2020, www.armiesonparade.com , I decided to mount my Warhammer Nippon Mercenary Contingent on a 2' x 2' terrain board and submit it.  Knowing that the contest is to promote Games Workshop's current line of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000, I do not have any great expectations that it will even be given a second look.  That being said, I hope that this Oldhammer army stirs some Warhammer Nippon or Cathay thoughts for their Warhammer: The Old World project which has already given some great Kislev previews. https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/03/23/the-old-world-ice-guard-of-kislevgw-homepage-post-4fw-homepage-post-2/  The "Small Japan House" is from Armorcast ( www.armorcast.com ) which I believe is now out-of-production.  Some may recall that Armorcast was an officially licensed third-party provider of large-scale resin models for Warhammer 40,000 with models like the Warhound and Reaper Titans before G...

  In the early 2000's, a company out of the UK called Amazon Miniatures released Sumo Basho, a sumo miniatures battle game complete with 25mm/28mm miniatures.  Here is the boxed starter set that included 2 Sumo miniatures, 1 Gyoji Referee miniature, 2 Geisha miniatures, Rule Booklet, Map of Dohyo Ring, and 2 dice.  Everything you needed to play.   Amazon Miniatures also had a vast range of 25mm ancient armies for use with Warhammer Ancient Battles.  In addition to selling the rules for Warhammer Ancients, Amazon also sold its own three miniature games of Sumo Basho, Amazons & Centaurs, and Pollice Verso.  Unfortunately, it appears all these games are long out of print and I cannot find a trace of Amazon Miniatures online. Here is a closeup of a Sumo Basho match in progress with the two Sumo miniatures from the starter set. This is a shot of the extra miniatures that were available separately from the starter set.  In the ring are two alternati...

  So here it is, the namesake of this blog, Citadel's C22 Nippon Rocket Crew.  Why the Nippon Rocket Crew?  Well, in the late 80's/early 90's it was one of the first, if not the first, Warhammer Nippon blister packs I saw and purchased at a hobby store - so basically pure nostalgia.  These were not just any ordinary foot troops either, but a full-fledged war machine to boot, which was one of my main attractions to Games Workshop miniatures in the first place and one of the distinctive traits that made them different from rival 25mm/28mm miniature manufacturers of the time. In the December 1987 issue of White Dwarf number 96, Citadel put out this full-color ad for the C22 Nippon Rocket Crew designed by Aly Morrison and Mark Copplestone. Warhammer Fantasy Battle provided the rules for both the basic Skyrocket and the upgrade of Rocket Kamikazes.  With a potential range of up to 42", 2D6 Strength 5 hits for D4 damage at -2 save each, and speculative fire, the Skyro...

  The elusive Samurai on Temple Dog.  Here is my painted leader of the Nippon Mercenary Contingent with a pug-themed Temple Dog and Shirokiya banner. Here is the unassembled Samurai on Temple Dog in all metal components other than the plastic elf lance which is original to the model.  The temple dog was also available with a Dark Elf or Hobgoblin rider.  The Dark Elves, Hobgoblins, and Nippon shared a common eastern heritage in Warhammer Armies, 3rd edition as the Nippon Mercenary Contingent was only available as mercenaries to the Dark Elf army while the Hobgoblins shared both the Temple Dog and Rocket Launcher models with the Nippon army. The bestiary profile for the Temple Dog from Warhammer Armies, 3rd edition.  With an elemental-like 10 Strength on a charge, all magical attacks, and a 5 Weapon Skill, the Temple Dog is quite a mighty mount indeed.    The Temple Dog was available to the Samurai Lord Mercenary Commander from the Nippon Mercenary Cont...

Citadel and Tom Meier's DG-1 "Oriental Dragon" is one of the iconic Nippon monsters who never received its own ruleset beyond the generic dragon rules in WFB.  Here is my DG1 painted in the colors of the Oriental Heroes artwork in White Dwarf magazine.   In April of 1986, White Dwarf magazine number 78 put out this full-page ad for the new Oriental Heroes line from Citadel Miniatues.  This same artwork would also serve as the background art for the blister packs in that same line.  The DG1 is clearly the inspiration for the dragon who is about to get a facefull of shuriken from the ninja.  That green hand of that ninja has always befuddled me.  A goblinoid ninja?  Never saw the stories or rules for that anywhere. Here is my unopened DG1 in its original Citadel "Monsters" line blister box.  A diorama with the DG1 Oriental Dragon confronting a group of adventurers.  The house is Armorcast's Terraform "Small Japan House."  In the adven...

The Warhammer Nippon Mercenary Contingent. From the moment I saw it on p. 156 of the 3rd edition Warhammer Armies book, I was obsessed with this single page of fabled lore.  With the briefest of backgrounds about the "inscrutable Eastern Empire known as Nippon," I was determined to acquire enough miniatures to field a complete 28mm army full of +1 Shock Elite Samurai, loyal Ashigaru foot troops, and a Level 20 Hero Samurai Lord Mercenary Commander mounted on a mighty Temple Dog.  Little did I know that it would take close to 30 years to put together a 2,000 point Warhammer Nippon army with all Citadel slottabase models. The left and right front units of +1 shock elite Samurai are armed with 30" range long bows, double handed weapons (katana swords), and heavy armour while the center front unit is armed with double handed weapons and heavy armour.  In front of the Samurai units are four Nippon Rocket Crew Skyrockets with 1 Rocket Kamikaze each.  The Warhammer Nippon R...