Sci-Fi Figure Comparison

Posted On December 2, 2014
As above, so below.  In life there are svelte and petite people and there are big ol’ chunky people.  So why should life on the tabletop battleground be any different?  
That’s the question for today’s comparison between Khurasan and 15mm.co.uk figures. On the one hand, there is a clear difference in style between the two figures.  Khurasan’s figures utilize realistic proportions and teeny little details. Figures from 15mm.co.uk exaggerate features, the better to read at arms length. Putting both figures next to each other results in the exact sort of difference in body types that you see in the real world.
Left: Khurasan Xenobiologist.
Right: 15mm.co.uk Rim Mercenary (HOF54)

To answer one of the questions that is always on the lips of wargamers everywhere – yes, these figures work well together.

Having said that, the more I paint blockier figures, the more I appreciate figures cast with an eye towards painting.  That xenobiologist is a great scuplt – she’s got belt loops for cripe’s sake – that should challenge the best eyes and brush for detail.

But for gaming in 15mm scale?  Do I really need belt loops on my figures?  Nope.  All that extraneous detail does is slow down painting, and like all wargamers my lead mountain doesn’t need the extra time and challenge of sussing out belt buckles let alone loops.  That Rim Mercenary on the other hand…he took a third the time to paint and looks just as good on the battlefield.  More and more these days, I’m losing patience with the hyper-realistic casts and enjoying figures that are fun and fast to paint.

Is that a sign of an aging wargamer?  I wonder…

3 Comments
  1. Simon Quinton

    To be fair though it depends on the figures from either manifacturer. A lot of the characters from Khurasan are of that sort of sculpting style.

  2. Lobo

    I think the same… I love accurate details and neat castings, still I don't have patience nor sight (especially the last one) to make that great job on them.
    BUT I found my answer: ink wash 😛
    In the last months I discover it and it is now my best friend with 15mm minis!

  3. Gavin Syme (GBS)

    Just found your blog. Good work. As for the opinions I get a hundred a week and they split equally. That is one of the fantastic things about 15mm science fiction everyone wins with so many makers.

    GBS
    http://www.15mm.co.uk