Fireforge Samurai Wars 28mm Samurai & Ashigaru Shooters

[anton ryzbak]

Just got a look at these two new sets from Fireforge, ;great work on both of them. Well proportioned and bursting with details and assembly options and a good price. Full photo review of the Samurai here :   https://antonswargame.blogspot.com/2024/04/28mm-fireforge-game-samurai-shooters.html

And a good look at the Ashigaru shooters here :  https://antonswargame.blogspot.com/2024/04/28mm-fireforge-ashigaru-shooters.html

[traveller]

Great review! Thanks for all the detail pics. How do they compare in height/style with Perry and Steel Fist?

[anton ryzbak]

I only have a few Perrys to compare with and they are slightly larger and beefier.

[fred]

Thanks for pulling together these reviews - are the weapon sprues the same between boxes?

And more in general how much re-use in parts is there? Some of the early fire forge kits had huge overlap between them.

[traveller]

I only have a few Perrys to compare with and they are slightly larger and beefier.

Thanks!

[anton ryzbak]

Fred, it appears that the weapons sprue are identical between the sets, the bodies and heads are different

[Sleepy Snoozy Skeletons]

Great review with clear and detailed pics. This would have convinced me to pick up a box or two if I hadn't already

Though I went with a box of Ashigaru shooters and one of melee samurai. From the pics FF have posted I figured that it probably won't be too hard to get the shooty arms onto the samurai bodies as the sets look quite interchangeable.

Cheers man, thanks for the article.

[Tim Haslam]

I’m a big fan of the newer Fireforge ranges.
These Samurai seem to be even better!

However,
I’m aware that this range is aimed at the 15th maybe 16th century period.
Is it possible the same figures could be used for 13th and 14th centuries?
I’m interested in the Mongol invasion (or attempts) of the 1280’s.

I’m not a wargaming evangelist, but I do like my figures to be remotely accurate!
Obviously no gunpowder weapons, I do get that!

[anton ryzbak]

Tim Haslam, The minis can be entirely equipped with bows, as to the evolution of Japanese armor I am afraid that I can't help you there.  The best that I recall is that the entire Japanese military system was pretty moribund until Western Firearms and armor were introduced. A quick search under "Japanese illustration samurai 1350" shows armor very similar to the figures in these sets, with slightly larger shoulder panels on more important characters (but I don't know if that is an artist motif or reflects actual dimensions) .

[vodkafan]

I only have a few Perrys to compare with and they are slightly larger and beefier.

Which are larger and beefier? The Perry or the Fireforge?

[anton ryzbak]

vodkafan, My mistake, The Fireforge figures are larger

[fred]

Fred, it appears that the weapons sprue are identical between the sets, the bodies and heads are different

Thanks - good to know

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Fred, it appears that the weapons sprue are identical between the sets, the bodies and heads are different

My sets have different weapon sprues (I cannot say about the Samurai Shooter weapon sprue as I do not have them, but I have a sprue labelled  Ashigaru Bowman Weapons and https://fireforge-games.com/samurai/1120-samurai-shooters.html shows Samurai Bowmen Weapons). Of course Fireforge recycle items between sprues.

[Sleepy Snoozy Skeletons]

Of course Fireforge recycle items between sprues.

I'm pretty okay with this as long as they don't do it like in their generic foot knight kit with the superfluous crossbow ammo 

[Johnp4000]

Does anyone know if there were units, rather than individuals, of samurai armed with shooting weapons? From artwork units mainly seem to be melee types either on foot or mounted? I would have thought the Ashigaru would be used for this function.