We know that a lot of you have been waiting for this one, so we're pleased to announce that our new Russo-Japanese range is now available!

"Rival ambitions between Russia and Japan lead to a surprise attack on the Russian fleet by the Japanese in February 1904.  Despite continuing to suffer defeats over the following 18 months, Russia refused to surrender and the war was eventually ended with the conclusive naval battle of Tsushima in August 1905, and a subsequent peace treaty.

This complete victory by the Japanese military surprised international observers and transformed the balance of power in both East Asia and Europe, resulting in Japan's emergence as a great power and a decline in the Russian Empire's prestige and influence in Europe. Russia's incurrence of substantial casualties and losses for a cause that resulted in humiliating defeat contributed to a growing domestic unrest which culminated in the 1905 Russian Revolution, and severely damaged the prestige of the Russian autocracy."


We've replaced our old range with two new, fully comprehensive ranges containing almost everything you need.  We'd like to thank Scott Blair for sponsoring this range and doing all of the research work for Techno to sculpt from. 

1905 Russo-Japanese War - https://www.pendraken.co.uk/1905-russo-japanese-war-656-c.asp

Japanese
RJJ1    Infantry in tunic (early war)    £6.00
RJJ2    Command in tunic (early war)    £6.00
RJJ3    Infantry in summer kit (mid-late war)    £6.00
RJJ4    Command in summer kit (mid-late war)    £6.00
RJJ5    Infantry in winter kit (mid-late war)    £6.00
RJJ6    Command in winter kit (mid-late war)    £6.00
RJJ7    Chunchu infantry    £6.00
RJJ8    Throwing grenade (10)    £2.00
RJJ9    Hotchkiss MG team (3)    £2.00
RJJ10    Madsen LMG teams (5 pairs)    £2.00
RJJ11    Cavalry with sword    £6.00
RJJ12    Dismounted cavalry (15)    £3.00   
RJJ13    Chunchu cavalry    £6.00
RJJ14    75mm Type 38 field gun with crew (3)    £6.00
RJJ15    76.2mm M1902 field gun with crew (3)    £6.00
RJJ16    Captured 76mm M1900 field gun with crew (3)    £6.00
RJJ17    Assault engineers (5 pairs)    £2.00
RJJ18    Trench mortar team (3)    £2.00
RJJ19    Field telephone team (5 pairs)    £2.00
RJJ20    Senior command (4 figures)    £2.00
RJJ21    Casualty (10)    £2.00

Japanese Early War Army Pack    = 3 x RJJ1.  1 x RJJ2, 8, 9, 11, 14, 20
Japanese Summer Army Pack    = 3 x RJJ3.  1 x RJJ4, 8, 9, 11, 16, 20
Japanese Winter Army Pack    = 3 x RJJ5.  1 x RJJ6, 8, 9, 11, 16, 20
(Army packs priced at £36.00)

Russian
RJR1    Infantry in tunic (early war)    £6.00
RJR2    Command in tunic (early war)    £6.00
RJR3    Infantry in summer kit (late war)    £6.00
RJR4    Command in summer kit (late war)    £6.00
RJR5    Infantry in winter kit (late war)    £6.00
RJR6    Command in winter kit (late war)    £6.00
RJR7    Frontier Guards    £6.00
RJR8    Sailors    £6.00
RJR9    Throwing grenade (10)    £2.00
RJR10    Maxim MG team (3)    £2.00
RJR11    Madsen LMG teams (5 pairs)    £2.00
RJR12    Cavalry with lance    £6.00
RJR13    Cavalry with sword    £6.00
RJR14    Dismounted cavalry (15)    £3.00   
RJR15    Mounted Cossacks    £6.00   
RJR16    Dismounted Cossacks (15)    £3.00   
RJR17    Frontier Guard cavalry    £6.00
RJR18    Horse holders (4 + 4 horses)    £6.00
RJR19    76mm M1900 field gun, crew in summer kit (3)    £6.00
RJR20    76mm M1900 field gun, crew in winter kit (3)    £6.00
RJR21    76mm M1900 field gun, Cossack crew (3)    £6.00
RJR22    76mm M1900 field gun, Frontier Guard crew (3)    £6.00
RJR23    76.2mm M1902 field gun, crew in summer kit (3)    £6.00
RJR24    76.2mm M1902 field gun, crew in winter kit (3)    £6.00
RJR25    76.2mm M1902 field gun, Cossack crew (3)    £6.00
RJR26    76.2mm M1902 field gun, Frontier Guard crew (3)    £6.00
RJR27    Trench mortar team (3)    £2.00
RJR28    Field telephone team (5 pairs)    £2.00
RJR29    Senior command (2 mounted officers, Dragoon escort, Captain)    £2.00
RJR30    Priest (1)    £0.55
RJR31    Casualty (10)    £2.00

Russian Early War Army Pack    = 3 x RJR1.  1 x RJR2, 9, 10, 12, 19, 29
Russian Late War Army Pack    = 3 x RJR3.  1 x RJR4, 9, 10, 15, 23, 29
Russian Winter Army Pack    = 3 x RJR5.  1 x RJR6, 9, 10, 15, 24, 29
(Army packs priced at £36.00)

Chinese
RJC1    Chinese peasants    £6.00


And of course some pics:

Japanese infantry in summer kit:


Japanese infantry command in winter kit:


Japanese cavalry with sword:


Japanese M1902 field gun with crew:


Japanese senior command:


Russian infantry in tunic:


Russian infantry command in winter kit:


Russian Frontier Guard cavalry:


Russian M1900 field gun with winter crew:


Russian senior command:


Russian priest:


Chinese civilians:

Tempting 

Bit disappointed. In the Japanese artillery, you have "hear no evil" and "see no evil", but "speak no evil" has been distracted by the kneeling bloke. Though there is a "speak no evil" in the Cossack gun crew.   

On the bright side those Chinese civvies could be used for a variety of things. They plus the Chunchu and maybe the Russian border forces ...    That Russian priest may also find his way a bit further West as well.

This is a comprehensive range and I am really, really tempted. Fortunately, I don't know much about the land war* so would have to do some research ... dammit! I've already got the Osprey ... 

One very minor gripe: some of the command groups have officers in "I'm standing, looking cool, having a gander" poses, but the attached bugler is running. Firstly, it's a bit of a contrast and secondly, (and I'm no expert here) I don't think playing the bugle whilst sprinting gives the best results.

Some videos to tweak your interest:

*Inevitably, this will lead me to re-watch the Drachinifel 2nd Pacific Squadron videos on YouTube and then I would just have to do Tsushima

Okay, one other very minor gripe. On the Pendraken Website the Russo-Japanese War appears under "Colonial".

Is it a "colonial" war? It's not where I would look for it. 

Great to see these available - I feel I'm more likely to use them for WWI and RCW - but perhaps could get some Japanese too!!

QuoteOkay, one other very minor gripe. On the Pendraken Website the Russo-Japanese War appears under "Colonial".

Is it a "colonial" war? It's not where I would look for it. 

Fair point - looking at the three 19th Century eras on the webstore, they perhaps could do with a bit of a reshuffle - but I'm not entirely sure what to suggest. 


The most obvious is to go with a date based approach, but given the large number of ranges, it may make sense to have some other breakdowns, perhaps extend the existing American, European, to add Africa and Indo-Asia? And drop the Colonial category. 

But I suspect Wargamers are used to having a Colonial category. 

Love the range ... any thoughts for a good artillery limber proxy? We could use the Russian one from the WWI range - any thoughts for the Japanese?

Quote from: fsn on 27 May 2023, 08:23:41 AMOne very minor gripe: some of the command groups have officers in "I'm standing, looking cool, having a gander" poses, but the attached bugler is running. Firstly, it's a bit of a contrast and secondly, (and I'm no expert here) I don't think playing the bugle whilst sprinting gives the best results.

I think I saw them more as being on the 'half-turn', facing back towards the rest of the men ready to call them to action.  I see what you mean though.

Quote from: fsn on 27 May 2023, 08:28:58 AMOkay, one other very minor gripe. On the Pendraken Website the Russo-Japanese War appears under "Colonial".  Is it a "colonial" war? It's not where I would look for it. 

I had that same thought when I was adding the range to the website but I couldn't find a better place for it.  The top-level categories around it are 19th Century (not for a 1904-05 war), Colonial (not quite right), World War I (obviously not) and Inter-War (definitely not). 

We've got 'Europe' and 'Americas' in the 19th C. category so we could add 'Asia' into that but that's the wrong century anyway.  We can create a 20th C. category but then we'd have to throw the following 5 top-level categories all under that banner and it might not be the most user-friendly.  And if we're doing that for the 20th C. then we'd have to put all of the Naps under the 19th C. category... and then I stopped thinking about it and left them in Colonial.

This war was part of Japan's colonial expansion, so it still fits the criteria of the term but maybe not in the usual Western interpretation of it?

Happy to take suggestions on board if there's a better location/solution?

My (serious) point is that a non-Forum person (think we need a word for that) would not look there for the range.

I think rename the C19 to "Between Waterloo and the Marne". 

Googling it, it seems the period is known as "the Pax Britannia", or "Britain's Imperial Century". However, I don't think if I was looking for the ACW I would look in "the Pax Britannia". 

There's also "The Industrial Age"?

I have seen the phrase 'the long 19th Century' which I think covers French Revolution up to just before WWI.

QuoteGoogling it, it seems the period is known as "the Pax Britannia", or "Britain's Imperial Century". However, I don't think if I was looking for the ACW I would look in "the Pax Britannia". 

There's also "The Industrial Age"?

The first couple of suggestions are very Anglo-centric and I think would be confusing. 


The Industrial Age perhaps works - but is then very out of keeping with the other names

I think the Russo Japanese War would fit very neatly into 19th Century European - it is part of the 'Long Nineteenth Century' but I wouldn't use that as a category as you'd have a massive ragbag of conflicts from the end of the Ancien Regime to 1914 and you'd just have to have more sub categories.

Yes, the Russians are fighting the Japanese Empire which is obviously not a European polity, but it is essentially a clash at the borders of European influence between two states using European style arms and organisation - this is definitely not what wargamers think of as a colonial conflict.

So if I were looking for the range I wouldn't be surprised to find it in the 19th Century European category.

If you wanted a larger category with sub divisions, Hobsbawm used the term 'The Age of Empire' for the later part of The Long 19th Century - running from 1875 to 1914. I think you could usefully push the beginning back to 1870 to include the FP War (maybe 1866 )to include the Prussian wars of German Unification). This would cover a lot of the sub divisions in the European 19th century and slightly beyond.

The Empire in the title is not the British Empire but the idea of European Nations entrenchment of power, expansion and unification in larger nations. Japan, while not a European state was basing its armed forces and political expansion on US/European models (having been forced to abandon its isolation by the US).

Chinese peasants and Russian Priest will be useful for many other eras.

QuoteChinese peasants and Russian Priest will be useful for many other eras.

I'm thinking the peasants wouldn't look out of place alongside the Samurai figures.

Quote from: Leon on 28 May 2023, 11:15:35 PMHappy to take suggestions on board if there's a better location/solution?

Well, you did ask.  The listing have evolved into what they are which is a bit of a mess to be honest.  You seem to need something that can be added to easily. 
Your 'top levels' are inconsistent and are a mixture of periods and wars.  With all these kinds of things the simplest solution is usually the best so I'd probably group stuff by historical timelines and provide a search engine. 

3000BC to 500AD
500 to 1400
1400 to 1700
1700 to 1800
1800 to 1900
1900 to 2000

Put the lines under their repective dates and name them consistently, either by wars, nationality or dates, not the mixture that exists at the moment,

You could combine the Dark Ages and Medieval, the former was part of the latter.  The 1792-1797 French Revolutionary War line should not be listed under the Napoleonic period.  I'd move it to 1700-1800. 

The most confusing at the moment is the 19th Century with its Americas and Europe sub-groups, and the Europe group with lines by war or nationality.  Group the lines under their respective wars and name them consistently.

Why the need to list Napoleonic's separately?  I'd include them under 1800-1900.

The same goes for the 20th Century.  The need for an Inter-War and Post-War 'top level' isn't clear to me.  I'd put all 20th Century lines under 1900-2000.

Any more and I'll have to charge you a consultancy fee

QuoteI think the Russo Japanese War would fit very neatly into 19th Century European - it is part of the 'Long Nineteenth Century' but I wouldn't use that as a category as you'd have a massive ragbag of conflicts from the end of the Ancien Regime to 1914 and you'd just have to have more sub categories.

Yes, the Russians are fighting the Japanese Empire which is obviously not a European polity, but it is essentially a clash at the borders of European influence between two states using European style arms and organisation - this is definitely not what wargamers think of as a colonial conflict.

So if I were looking for the range I wouldn't be surprised to find it in the 19th Century European category.

If you wanted a larger category with sub divisions, Hobsbawm used the term 'The Age of Empire' for the later part of The Long 19th Century - running from 1875 to 1914. I think you could usefully push the beginning back to 1870 to include the FP War (maybe 1866 )to include the Prussian wars of German Unification). This would cover a lot of the sub divisions in the European 19th century and slightly beyond.

The Empire in the title is not the British Empire but the idea of European Nations entrenchment of power, expansion and unification in larger nations. Japan, while not a European state was basing its armed forces and political expansion on US/European models (having been forced to abandon its isolation by the US).

Not that I mind at all but would the Anglo Boer wars be non colonial conflicts? Worms, cans for the use of spring to mind...

I'd be quite content for that not to be a 'Colonial War' but rather a struggle between European colonial powers for the right to fight the next 'Colonial War'/consolidate colonial power in Africa.

A bit like Cold War Proxy Wars, conflicts like the Boer War were opportunities for European Powers to engage in a bit of displaced combat on another continent.