15mm IDF Infantry from Khurasan

15mm IDF infantry from Khurasan - jeeps from Old Glory

Some more stuff painted for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge - this time a platoon (or thereabouts) of 15mm IDF infantry for the 1973 Yom Kippur War.  These figures are sold by Khurasan, although I believe they were sculpted by Mike Broadbent.  I based them individually for use in games like Bolt Action, Chain of Command etc.

More IDF troops

Over 2013 Khurasan has released a few product codes affiliated with the Yom Kippur War.  I game the period, and Khurasan generally has excellent products, so this is welcome in many ways. Over 2013, however, I have found that the ratio of actual figures released compared to computer renderings, previews and promises made on TMP by this provider to be getting worse and worse. It's a trend I like to call "Khuraspam" (see a recent example here - I would love to see previous promised stuff released before a fungus army arrives...anyway, I digress).  People who dare question this on TMP tend to attract a rain of indignation, but it is annoying. Yes, I know things get held up at casters, etc etc etc but maybe think about that before "previewing" things...anyway, back to the figures.

The detail on the straps is inconsistent on these castings

There are no figures that I know of specific to the IDF in 1973.  Some try to make do with QRF.  I went with Peter Pig infantry and head swaps, and it came out OK.  With such a vacuum in this specific market it's great to see specific 15mm IDF troops for the Yom Kippur War, right? Sadly, once they finally arrived, they were a bit disappointing.

Hex dude is the CO for the platoon, with his radio nearby; to his left is a guy with a heavy-barreled FN-FAL, mounting an AT grenade

Don't get me wrong - these are still way better than QRF.  And they have specific, unique things you will want if you game this period - things like troops with Uzi SMGs, or the updated bazooka, or the cool little knee-mortar and heavy-barreled FN-FAL with AT grenade.  Even Peter Pig infantry with head swaps still do not get you these things. But Khurasan has done way better than this quality-wise with other products, so I was disappointed.

Prone gunner with FN-MAG LMG...I know this is a common actual combat pose, but I hate prone figures...

What was the issue? Well, little things. The only FN-MAG gunner in the line, for example, is a prone figure.  This is a small thing, but many of us like to have variety, and I would have hope for more than one FN-MAG pose in the line.  And the figures are quite slight, very small, some of them really, really lean, nearly flat. And the detail is inconsistent...amazing and crisp, and then suddenly faded - all on the same figure.

A second FN-MAG - I did two of them, but I think a platoon technically only had one

I notice it most with the harnesses...the straps are there, and then suddenly not.  Maybe it's too picky to be thinking this with 15mm infantry, but Peter Pig generally nails this stuff - even Battlefront does, and so does most other Khurasan product I have seen. This wasn't a deal breaker at all, just annoying, kind of disappointing.

You can see a couple of the Uzi guys

But hey, they are still going to be good on the table.  I've based them individually, to represent the bulk of a mechanize infantry platoon.  The regular dudes are on 20mm round bases, NCOs are on square bases, the commander and radio flunky are on a hexagon base, and the heavy-barreled FN-FALs and knee mortars are on octagon bases.  Most of the troops have FN-FAL rifles, but I have sprinkled a few Uzis around.

Large calibre recoilless rifles on jeeps - handy, mobile and heavy duty AT firepower

And some perspective - you can see a couple of jeeps mounting heavy recoilless rifles in this pictures. These are from Old Glory. While I'm not crazy about the Khurasan castings, they are Mona Lisas compared to the Old Glory drivers...yikes. I think I've been spoiled by working with too much great stuff from Peter Pig. Bottom line - if you want to game this period (and you should!), you will want to but these figures.

The guys with square bases are NCOs

Also, let's give Khurasan credit - between these, the Syrian infantry, the T-55s and T-62s, they have released a good pile of product for the 1973 Yom Kippur War, much of which can be used in other periods, of course.  I just wish that more of the promised sections were fulfilled, and more than anything else, that Khurasan would start to under-promise and over-deliver a little bit more.