Review of Khurasan Miniatures Exterminators



Picture from Khurasan Miniatures website.

I received my order of Khurasan Miniatures 15mm Federal Exterminators and they are everything I hoped they would be.

The miniatures live up to the usual Khurasan standards and I'd say they are at the upper end of that. Clean casts, minimal flash if any and tons of character. The figures look like they will paint up quite easily. Each figure has not just what you'd expect - armor, gun, helmet - but they also have little tidbits. Each has a headset cam/comm unit and shoulder lights. Their guns, though not an exact replica of their movie inspiration, are close enough to evoke the same love.

The poses are all good in my opinion combining a nice combination of combat ready and patrol poses. There are a few models that stand out from the rest of the grunts and they each show off the attention to detail here. The motion tracker has his rifle at the ready as he takes a reading. The flamer advances ready to roast the enemy but he has not been left ill-equipped and still carries and assault rifle over his back. The man squad includes two SAWs one of which is a character model of sorts, sporting a pony tail and a few extra curves (no mistaking her for a man). The sergeant in the squad is not depicted in the old style heroic pose and instead appears to be trying to keep his teem "frosty" as he looks forward, but motions to his rear.

A few notes on the possibilities in this pack. The two SAWs look like they would easily be converted into other types of heavy weapons with a little cutting or add-ons. The kneeling figure could be converted to a sharpshooter/sniper with a barrel extension, maybe some green stuff. A bit of rod or tube could transform the shoulder-firing trooper into a missile launcher trooper.

I am sure they will sell well enough for an expansion to the line but even if they don't, I don't think people will be sunk if they don't mind a little modelling fun.

-Eli

Awesomeness from Khurasan Miniatures

Khurasan Miniatures, despite a summer slowdown, has still managed to put out some kickass releases. Their most recent offering is a set of scifi troopers bearing a striking resemblance to everyone's favorite bug-hunting jarheads.

Khurasan's 15mm Federal Exterminators come nine to a pack including a sergeant, two SAWs, and a flamer. He's already sold out of the initial stock and it's only been a week or so since they were released. More are on their way and I got mine ordered, so expect a review of the raw led soon.

Take care,

-Eli

Khurasan Previews Russian Inspired Future Tanks

Finally somebody has listened!

I count myself among many who have looked at the current and past crops of 15mm science fiction miniatures vehicles and asked why not a single one of them has any of the styling of the Russian designs that seem to have firmly imprinted themselves in modern Eastern European military designs. Well today, Khurasan Miniatures previewed just such a design on TMP.

Calling it the Red Banner (Krasny Znameni), Khurasan's design is a four tiered series of upgrades from a basic design up through the Banner-U (seen below), Red Eagle and Red Lightning designs. Designed by the excellent and multi-talented John Bear Ross The basic Red Banner tanks will be released ahead of the rest of the line it is designed to accompany with later kits being released to upgrade the basic design to the later variants. This is being done as Jon from Khurasan rightly believes there is a place for the tank in other scifi armies, much line Russian armor is seen in armies across out planet today.

I love this release, probably more so than just about any past release of Jon's because it really does fill a niche that I have been desperately wanting to see filled. I had already consigned myself to using converted modern armor for my future Russian-styled vehicles. I had always envisioned cheap Russian tanks as "Kolony Tanks" marketed to up and coming independent colony worlds for their defense, much like T-55s and T-72s are marketed to second and third world nations on present day Earth.

This is definitely a release to keep an I out for.

-Eli