Pendraken 2021 Painting Competition Entries

This is a Pendraken Miniatures Samurai Apes 10mm army for use with the Pendraken fantasy wargames set of rules 'Warband'. I ultimately sold this army (on a Bring & Buy at a the Devizes show - Attack-2025) last year, so that I can focus on my 15mm and 28mm fantasy armies. But I really enjoyed painting and converting it.

The photos were taken as part of the annual Pendraken Painting Competition, hence the titles. 

Firstly the 2 photos I am allowed for the single Fantasy unit - a hard choice from the entire army, but in the end I chose the General (Daimyo) base - which I buy as 1d6+2 with Fierce (+5pts) and Powerful (+5pts):

Daimyo - 1 d6+2 + Fierce & Powerful

Rear view

Just the commander on his own without his body guards - and of course the guitarist is playing "I'm a believer* ..." what else would you expect !!! [* The Monkeys ... get it 😁]

Next on the photo list is the full Army

This is as follows: 

Diamyo (back centre), flanked by 2 units of Warriors (one on the left is upgraded to Powerful) and a converted Drummer add-on in front (this is just eye-candy)

2nd row from rear has Primordial Ones (left), Water Elementals (center) and Temple Guardians (right);

3rd row has Samurai Tiger Riders (left), Kraken - magic users (center) and Spirit Tigers (right);

the 4th (front) row are 3 units of Samurai Ape Archers - classified as Defensive, Formed and Shieldwall (because they are behind their rice-straw bale pavices)

Some additional images to add to the main army image:

Kraken (magic-user) in their protective enclosure

mounted Samurai Ape riders on Spirit Tigers

Temple Guardians - I used the Pendraken MDF dice squares on the bases to allow me to record casualties and special factors, they help reduce the 'clutter' on the tabletop considerably

Water Elementals

These were created using PolyFiller and some of the Pendraken Water elementals models. I was trying to get the effect of animated waves.

Next, some of the core army troops - Samurai Ape Archers behind their pavices - which are from the Pendraken Samurai 'Age of War' historical range. These work equally well for 15mm historical armies I have discovered

And finally some Primordial Ones ... which are living ooze or animated mud - again modelled from PollyFiller. I might have been tempted to model a few more of these, as I really enjoyed the result. Although I'd see if I could make them look a bit more ferocious next time! 

The eyes were created by using the ends that I cut off pins that I use as spears or lances for 15mm historical armies. I knew there would be a good reason why I had saved them all.

A base of Spirit Tigers and another with Samurai Ape mounted archers riding Spirit Tigers

Rear view

I contemplated the idea that for the next batch of Tigers and Tiger mounts that I'd vary the colours of the Tigers - blues, greens, reds, pinks, browns - but still with the tiger patterns - as these are, after all, mysterious, magical and mythical beasts.

It was a fun project, but ultimately having Fantasy armies in 28mm, 15mm and 10mm was just too much. So I will focus my efforts on finishing off my 28mm Warband Goblins/Orcs and Taurians, and basing up a mass of painted 15mm Copplestone Barbarian humans, High Elves and some Woses/Woosles/Forest Spirit types. I also have a hufe 15mm Tolkien Orc army to paint up.

I haven't played Warband in a long time, but it was very enjoyable and well worth revisiting.