20mm WW1 Turkish Camelry

My WW1 Turks were clearly in need of some Camel Corps troops and with Strelets releasing a set recently, they were a must have.

The complete set, 9 camels and riders plus three dismounts.

There are 9 figures on camels, six in helmets and three in desert headgear.  Then there are three dismounts, one holding a leash, presumably to attach to the head of a camel, and two infantry figures, one in helmet and one in desert headdress.

I presume the dismounted figure on the right is meant to be used as shown holding the head of a camel.  The sitting camel adds some variety, but for a wargaming unit, he is going to be of marginal use.  The two infantry figures are a bit of a waste as they will just be added to my existing infantry - I couldn't make out anything to distinguish them as camel corps troopers.  Overall, I'd have preferred an extra camel and rider in place of the three dismounts or maybe a pack camel in place of the two infantrymen.

The eight rider figures in action poses.

I use the term "action" but with one rider drinking from his water bottle, the commander figure and another shielding his eyes from the sun, there aren't that many "action" poses.  However, as they weren't really expected to fight from the backs of their camels, this isn't such a big problem.  The guy shielding his eyes would make a great scouting figure!

Guy drinking from water bottle.

Guy shielding his eyes.

Commander.  I put him on the standing camel so I can use him as a senior officer as well.

Group shot, some actually in focus.

I like this pose.  However, many of the figures like this guy have their heads turned at 90 degrees to the front, looking directly along their shoulders.  While this is great for casting, in reality it puts a heck of a strain on the neck if you try it, and doesn't look too realistic.

So, not a perfect set, but no one else does it in 20mm plastic, and it fills that gap nicely.  I might add another set if I see a bargain box, just to add some variety to my WW1 Turks (or should I say Ottomans, as Turkey is largely a post-WW1 creation from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire).

Thanks for looking.