Need your thoughts on prepainted miniatures.
- Thread starter JVisgaitis
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Li Shenron
Legend
Mmm... are you the same guy who posted the same question 3 weeks ago? 
Anyway, I think plastic is the winner. Sculpt quality is probably a little more difficult, but the price and durability are way better. Furthermore, there's so many metal minis around that it's harder to compete: pre-painted will be your extra, but those who spend big $ on metal figure also consider painting a nice part of their hobby, and may not want a paint job and color selection done by someone else.
If you go for pre-painted plastic, basically you're competing only with WotC. You can't really compete on the minis game ground IMHO, but you can target those like me who stay away from WotC minis because of the random factor.
If I may suggest something more:
- concentrate on monsters rather than characters
- do lots of iconics and some occasional weirdo
...and the most important one:
- do large figures
Things like Ogres, Golems, Giants and of course DRAGONS are useful in EVERY setting. If you do these large figures and sell them for less than 5$ each, I'm sure you're going to sell thousands and thousands of them...
Anyway, I think plastic is the winner. Sculpt quality is probably a little more difficult, but the price and durability are way better. Furthermore, there's so many metal minis around that it's harder to compete: pre-painted will be your extra, but those who spend big $ on metal figure also consider painting a nice part of their hobby, and may not want a paint job and color selection done by someone else.
If you go for pre-painted plastic, basically you're competing only with WotC. You can't really compete on the minis game ground IMHO, but you can target those like me who stay away from WotC minis because of the random factor.
If I may suggest something more:
- concentrate on monsters rather than characters
- do lots of iconics and some occasional weirdo
...and the most important one:
- do large figures
Things like Ogres, Golems, Giants and of course DRAGONS are useful in EVERY setting. If you do these large figures and sell them for less than 5$ each, I'm sure you're going to sell thousands and thousands of them...
Matt Black
First Post
It depends on the quality of the paint job. If significantly better than the WotC minis, then I'd prefer metals - better sculps, stability, and generally more satisfying. I wouldn't mind taking a little extra care of them if their paint jobs justified it.
If the paint jobs are even anywhere near (as low as) the WotC standard, then definitely plastic. I'd buy them not for the love of the mini, but to expand my collection of useful figures. At that point price becomes the main issue.
Can you give us any more info on what you're planning?
If the paint jobs are even anywhere near (as low as) the WotC standard, then definitely plastic. I'd buy them not for the love of the mini, but to expand my collection of useful figures. At that point price becomes the main issue.
Can you give us any more info on what you're planning?
Kalendraf
Explorer
Plastic gets my vote due to being cheaper and weighing less. Carrying around boxes of metal figs gets really heavy!
Focus on monsters, especially large-sized bipeds like ogres, giants and trolls. Also, I'd like to see things like Hydras, Manticores, Griffons, Wyverns and so forth. Large-sized metal figs cost too much, and WotC's production distribution is making these all rares and artificially high priced. You have a great opportunity to correct this.
Also, lots and lots of vermin! I want plenty of beetle, centipede, spider and scorpion figures of the correct scale, from small to huge. Similarly, I'd like to see some more reptiles like snakes, lizards and gators/crocs of various sizes.
Stay away from character figures. I have tons of those (both metal and plastic) and I certainly don't need any more of them. My only reason for even buying character figs at this point is usually to find some type of less common weapon like a 2-handed heavy flail or some kind of double-headed weapon. So if you do make characters, make them unique.
Focus on monsters, especially large-sized bipeds like ogres, giants and trolls. Also, I'd like to see things like Hydras, Manticores, Griffons, Wyverns and so forth. Large-sized metal figs cost too much, and WotC's production distribution is making these all rares and artificially high priced. You have a great opportunity to correct this.
Also, lots and lots of vermin! I want plenty of beetle, centipede, spider and scorpion figures of the correct scale, from small to huge. Similarly, I'd like to see some more reptiles like snakes, lizards and gators/crocs of various sizes.
Stay away from character figures. I have tons of those (both metal and plastic) and I certainly don't need any more of them. My only reason for even buying character figs at this point is usually to find some type of less common weapon like a 2-handed heavy flail or some kind of double-headed weapon. So if you do make characters, make them unique.
Kunimatyu
First Post
Plastic. Easy to transport using the plastic refrigerator bag system, harder to chip, lighter, etc.
In terms of what miniatures to make, I'd focus less on your skeletons, goblins, etc. WotC has already made tons of them (we're on the 4th common skeleton, probably the 8th goblin, and a truly huge number of Orcs) and most are available for 50 cents at online stores/Ebay. Your big sellers will be the large minis, which might actually be easier to sculpt b/c of size, and they'll almost certainly be cheaper than WotC's Larges, which are roughly $10 or more each.
Everyone needs Giants: Ogres, Trolls, Hill Giants, Frost Giants, etc.
Everyone likes dragons: a set of all 5 large chromatic dragons would bring in a pretty penny
But the real winner would be Devils and Demons. Wizards has made very few Baatezu and Tanar'ri in their miniatures line, and packs containing a solid assortment of Large and Medium-sized demons and devils would sell very well, I think.
Not that I'm trying to recreate the Blood War with miniatures, mind you...
In terms of what miniatures to make, I'd focus less on your skeletons, goblins, etc. WotC has already made tons of them (we're on the 4th common skeleton, probably the 8th goblin, and a truly huge number of Orcs) and most are available for 50 cents at online stores/Ebay. Your big sellers will be the large minis, which might actually be easier to sculpt b/c of size, and they'll almost certainly be cheaper than WotC's Larges, which are roughly $10 or more each.
Everyone needs Giants: Ogres, Trolls, Hill Giants, Frost Giants, etc.
Everyone likes dragons: a set of all 5 large chromatic dragons would bring in a pretty penny
But the real winner would be Devils and Demons. Wizards has made very few Baatezu and Tanar'ri in their miniatures line, and packs containing a solid assortment of Large and Medium-sized demons and devils would sell very well, I think.
Not that I'm trying to recreate the Blood War with miniatures, mind you...
Ysgarran
Registered User
I would definately lean towards the plastic, as others have mentioned, the durability of the WOTC plastic figures is a positve and the randomness/collectability a negative. The only way I would be tempted by metal figurines is if the price was not more than 20% of the plastic and the was quality hugely better.
I have a good sized collection of hand-painted metal figures but I rarely use them anymore because of the convenience factor. I might take one of the metal figures with me for my character but there is no way I will carry a bunch of metal figutres anymore when I can throw a bunch of the WOTC plastic ones into a bag and not worry I'm destroying them.
later,
Ysgarran.
I have a good sized collection of hand-painted metal figures but I rarely use them anymore because of the convenience factor. I might take one of the metal figures with me for my character but there is no way I will carry a bunch of metal figutres anymore when I can throw a bunch of the WOTC plastic ones into a bag and not worry I'm destroying them.
later,
Ysgarran.
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