Quality of Miniatures plastic and metal

[Nebulous]

So I have been collecting miniatures for many years. Before I got into the metal scene I was a cheapo and used a Lego Jar Jar Binks for every boss monster. I eventually got sick of that and went on Ebay to look up REAL painted minis and I got hooked fast. Spent WAY too much on boxes of minis people were offloading (still have all that stuff 17 years later).

Anyway, I have lots of the old WotC minis and the newer Wizkids minis and a good chunk of Reaper minis, and recently I've been buying the game Shadows of Brimstone which is a hybrid RPG/boardgame. I'm sure plenty of people here are familiar with it.

But as far as the quality of the plastic: the old WotC miniatures were nearly indestructible unless melted. The Wizkids minis are much weaker. And as I'm trying to put together the dissembled Brimstone miniatures, they are REALLY fragile and require putty in some places just so I can stick joints together.

Does anyone know more about the quality of the plastics and how they've evolved?

(WotC, Wizkids, Brimstone, WotC)

(Brimstone, Reaper, Brimstone, Reaper)

 

[ced1106]

As you've noticed, plastic quality is all over the place. The situation with plastic (and another miniature casting material, resin), is that the better the plastic holds details, the more brittle it is. Hence, GW polystyrene plastics, which are meant for painting and thus details, are different from boardgame plastic, meant for handling during gameplay. (Plastic used for toys holds even fewer details, but isn't, of course, used for 28mm miniatures.) Prepainted plastics are also meant for both handling and factory painting, so are on the vinyl side, holding less details than GW. Bones plastic, however, originated from the plastic used for prepaints. Reaper now is moving towards Black Bones, a more brittle plastic for details. Ask this question again on the Dakka Dakka Discussion forum! I haven't even mentioned the various plastic acronyms, like PVC, ABS, HIPS, and whatever else I'm missing...

 

[Nebulous]

As you've noticed, plastic quality is all over the place. The situation with plastic (and another miniature casting material, resin), is that the better the plastic holds details, the more brittle it is. Hence, GW polystyrene plastics, which are meant for painting and thus details, are different from boardgame plastic, meant for handling during gameplay. (Plastic used for toys holds even fewer details, but isn't, of course, used for 28mm miniatures.) Prepainted plastics are also meant for both handling and factory painting, so are on the vinyl side, holding less details than GW. Bones plastic, however, originated from the plastic used for prepaints. Reaper now is moving towards Black Bones, a more brittle plastic for details. Ask this question again on the Dakka Dakka Discussion forum! I haven't even mentioned the various plastic acronyms, like PVC, ABS, HIPS, and whatever else I'm missing...

Thank you! I posted this weeks ago and no one answered, so I was wondering still. I will look at Dakka Dakka.

 

[Philip Benz]

Even so-called "lead" miniatures aren't really cast in lead anymore. Alloys have evolved and will doubtless continue to evolve, just as producers turn to various different plastics.

I'm old-fashioned and prefer metal miniatures. They have a greater feeling of permanence and "presence" in my hand on the gaming table. Sure, I have a fair number of plastic pre-painted miniatures, but the satisfaction you get out of playing with figures you've painstakingly painted up just can't be denied. Many hobbyists these days prefer plastic figures because it's easier to "mod" them, changing poses, swapping weapons or heads and so on. It all comes down to personal preference.

If you want to hobnob with serious miniatures enthusiasts, try a forum like Lead Adventure Forum - Index

 

[Nebulous]

Even so-called "lead" miniatures aren't really cast in lead anymore. Alloys have evolved and will doubtless continue to evolve, just as producers turn to various different plastics.

I'm old-fashioned and prefer metal miniatures. They have a greater feeling of permanence and "presence" in my hand on the gaming table. Sure, I have a fair number of plastic pre-painted miniatures, but the satisfaction you get out of playing with figures you've painstakingly painted up just can't be denied. Many hobbyists these days prefer plastic figures because it's easier to "mod" them, changing poses, swapping weapons or heads and so on. It all comes down to personal preference.

If you want to hobnob with serious miniatures enthusiasts, try a forum like Lead Adventure Forum - Index

I like the weight and feel and detail of lead much more myself, but I also like throwing 500 minis in a bin and not worrying about if they're going to chip, scrape, break or crack. I guess it's good to have a mix.