Takeda Samurai 28mm

I ended up putting three to a base, I can't really see them being any more crammed. It was important to make sure those thin spears are all safely within the base. It might help to protect them.

The very best part of painting these Samurai is painting gloss varnish over the armour. This gives it the great lacquered look, so characteristic of the samurai.

Takeda Samurai surge forward.

Glossed armour does make the figures pop and adds a lot of interest to the bases.

I gave a couple of helmets a wash of blue ink, this added variety and looked good when glossed.
 

UPDATE: 

Right! When in doubt, get the brush bristles out!

I remembered some very thin bristles I had collected many years ago, these matched the size of the plastic weapons.

Once cut to length I flattened and shaped the ends to become blades. The offcuts I made into katanas. I will add a blob of gel superglue to these to make a hilt.

Added homemade weapons makes me want to paint them even more. These bristles are bombproof so should be more battlefield friendly.

Making katanas is a skill that takes many years of practice and patience...