The One Ring :: View topic - What's with all the metal?

Metal always used to have that higher quality feel back in the day, but in more recent years plastics have really kicked metal and finecast out of the way and frankly curbstomped them. One issue I've always had with metals is their constant need to be retouched, even after being varnished I found my miniatures constantly chipped or scratched, and that has been something I've never really experienced with plastics at all. I'm glad GW seems to be casting in mostly plastic now though, as I genuinely can't think of any issue or problem with GW plastic miniatures over that of metal and finecast, which for me have always been riddled with dilemmas.

In theory, I much prefer it.

In reality, its complicated. On the pro side: some of the best GW LOTR miniatures were the metals - thinking here of the original Fellowship set, the Heroes of Helm's Deep, Haldir's Elves, the Rohan Royal Guard, and so on were metals.

On the negative side? There were a lot of metal figures "back then" that didn't need to be. Their scale was wonky (there's a kneeling metal Ranger of Gondor figure which is the size of a Numenorean plastic figure). The big metal monster figures were pretty, but a curse to move and a bigger curse to keep intact. (I am told the plastic Balrog was a huge improvement, for example).

Had the line lasted longer, it would have been nice to see more plastic monsters, and higher detail version of the original plastics. That being said, the difference, detail wise, between the original Dwarf Kings and the newer plastic Thorin's company is still notable.

The good plastics came near the end of the line.. The ok-ish plastics were in the middle. The earliest ones? Though I have a lot of affection for the original high elves, plastics of that era were not that great at all.

Still, all better than resin "finecast" and similar.

Anyway, it you are a "metal lover", what are your opinions on updating the kits? Should some be updated or would you much rather them stay how they are now?

Author:	MRmehman [ Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:52 pm ]
Post subject:	What's with all the metal?
Looking through different boards on this forum, I have noticed something. Metal models (seem to be) far more popular than plastic or finecast. I guess it's just personal taste but I know that 40K players are far more split when it comes to material. Anyway, it you are a "metal lover", what are your opinions on updating the kits? Should some be updated or would you much rather them stay how they are now? Thanks for your time

Author:	Silver_legion [ Mon Feb 23, 2015 9:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
I think plastics are awlays favoured over either metal or finecast, however Metal is preferred over finecast as it is sturdy and better quality in cast the majority of the time. I have found the finecast models of the Lotr especially to be no where near as good as the original metals. So I always try hunt down the metals if I can, though they still sell metal models on the GW website, you can normally tell as they don't mention finecast anywhere I mean that's just my two cents and welcome !

Author:	Argish [ Mon Feb 23, 2015 9:37 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
Metal is much better than plastic when talking about detail. Or at least It was, because nowadays there is not so much difference than in the past. Plastic, on the other hand, is easiser to transport (less weight, less fragile), and easier to make conversions.

Author:	Wise Old Elf [ Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:44 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
Metal always used to have that higher quality feel back in the day, but in more recent years plastics have really kicked metal and finecast out of the way and frankly curbstomped them. One issue I've always had with metals is their constant need to be retouched, even after being varnished I found my miniatures constantly chipped or scratched, and that has been something I've never really experienced with plastics at all. I'm glad GW seems to be casting in mostly plastic now though, as I genuinely can't think of any issue or problem with GW plastic miniatures over that of metal and finecast, which for me have always been riddled with dilemmas.

Author:	jdizzy001 [ Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:50 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
Wise Old Elf wrote: Metal always used to have that higher quality feel back in the day, but in more recent years plastics have really kicked metal and finecast out of the way and frankly curbstomped them. One issue I've always had with metals is their constant need to be retouched, even after being varnished I found my miniatures constantly chipped or scratched, and that has been something I've never really experienced with plastics at all. I'm glad GW seems to be casting in mostly plastic now though, as I genuinely can't think of any issue or problem with GW plastic miniatures over that of metal and finecast, which for me have always been riddled with dilemmas. GWs plastics are better than their metals. I would put a metal reaper or dark sword mini against a gw plastic any day of the week. Yes, plastic tech has improved and i appriciate it. But i will always prefer metal. In my opinion, they are more durable, and the weight of a metal mini in hand feels better than a plastic or finecast mini. To recap, plastic has come a long way, but IMO metal still offers a superior product. Provided you buy from someone other than gw. Their lastfew metal releases showed a complete lack of quality control. I was very glad to see them switch to plastic/resin. Honestly, i wish they would go all plastic.

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Author:	GreatKhanArtist [ Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:59 am ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
A lot of people like the weightier feel of metal heroes and monsters, it adds to the drama. I find they paint up nicer, but they do like to ding and need touch-ups. For a long time the fine cast was sub-par. Metal is difficult to convert and expensive, so common troops are usually cast in plastic. They look fine, but are not as detailed as the metal or fine cast ones.

Author:	LordoftheBrownRing [ Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:44 am ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
I like metal for heroes so they arent fragile or break, and I very often dont wanna chang their poses for reasons of liking them, or because they are expensive. As for foot soldiers plastic is the best. That way you can convert and do all kinds of stuff. The painting to me doesnt have to be so serious because they die all the time anyway. As for finecast....they old stuff ws garbage. Everything broke all the time. Now, its nicer, but stupid as hell for it to be on foot soldiers. But hey the monopoly on Lord of the Rings mean theres no more plastic troops ever so I got nothing to say or do. Theres also just something about holding and moving metal models. It makes it seem so much more worth it. Im a gamer, and I need my stuff sturdy for traveling and playing. Also occasional dropping.

Author:	Badner [ Sun Mar 08, 2015 5:40 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
I have one question: Are all miniatures on the FW site finecast or metal? If not, where can I see which material it's made of?

Author:	jdizzy001 [ Sun Mar 08, 2015 6:29 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
They are transitioning to finecast/plastic. If you read the minis description, it usually indicates if the minis is metal, resin (finecast) or plastic.

Author:	Badner [ Sun Mar 08, 2015 7:07 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
I looked at Buhdur and a cave troll, both descriptions are saying "the set contains". So there is nothing written about the material.

Author:	SouthernDunedain [ Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:15 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
If it doesnt say, it is usually metal.

Author:	Badner [ Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:40 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
Cool! Thank you. I thought that it's finecast if nothing else is mentioned.

Author:	Spacemarine17 [ Tue May 26, 2015 3:07 am ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
Yeah. I, too, am a bit hesitant to purchase models when GW doesn't specify what the material is.

Author:	aelfwine [ Tue May 26, 2015 9:27 am ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
In theory, I much prefer it. In reality, its complicated. On the pro side: some of the best GW LOTR miniatures were the metals - thinking here of the original Fellowship set, the Heroes of Helm's Deep, Haldir's Elves, the Rohan Royal Guard, and so on were metals. On the negative side? There were a lot of metal figures "back then" that didn't need to be. Their scale was wonky (there's a kneeling metal Ranger of Gondor figure which is the size of a Numenorean plastic figure). The big metal monster figures were pretty, but a curse to move and a bigger curse to keep intact. (I am told the plastic Balrog was a huge improvement, for example). Had the line lasted longer, it would have been nice to see more plastic monsters, and higher detail version of the original plastics. That being said, the difference, detail wise, between the original Dwarf Kings and the newer plastic Thorin's company is still notable. The good plastics came near the end of the line.. The ok-ish plastics were in the middle. The earliest ones? Though I have a lot of affection for the original high elves, plastics of that era were not that great at all. Still, all better than resin "finecast" and similar.

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Author:	Afastr [ Tue May 26, 2015 11:50 am ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
aelfwine wrote: In theory, I much prefer it. In reality, its complicated. On the pro side: some of the best GW LOTR miniatures were the metals - thinking here of the original Fellowship set, the Heroes of Helm's Deep, Haldir's Elves, the Rohan Royal Guard, and so on were metals. On the negative side? There were a lot of metal figures "back then" that didn't need to be. Their scale was wonky (there's a kneeling metal Ranger of Gondor figure which is the size of a Numenorean plastic figure). The big metal monster figures were pretty, but a curse to move and a bigger curse to keep intact. (I am told the plastic Balrog was a huge improvement, for example). Had the line lasted longer, it would have been nice to see more plastic monsters, and higher detail version of the original plastics. That being said, the difference, detail wise, between the original Dwarf Kings and the newer plastic Thorin's company is still notable. The good plastics came near the end of the line.. The ok-ish plastics were in the middle. The earliest ones? Though I have a lot of affection for the original high elves, plastics of that era were not that great at all. Still, all better than resin "finecast" and similar. I definitely agree about your comments on the plastics, we get a lot more pose variety in the newer dwarf warrior / ranger boxes etc than we could ever imagine we'd get on a single sprue comparing back to those original two Moria Goblin and Last alliance warrior sprues. However, Looking at them I still think the detail on the goblins especially is brilliant and I still rate them as some of my favourite miniatures. Obviously I'm likely incredibly biased as these were the first miniatures I bought in BGIME. I remember how amazing I thought the models looked after the undercoat and the disappointment at how bad they looked after I'd finished painting them! Personally I love the metal models, I've only had one finecast mini and that pretty much fell apart in my hands. I think it's partially something to do with the weight of them for me but I'm not really sure.

Author:	mdauben [ Sun Jun 14, 2015 8:43 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
MRmehman wrote: Anyway, it you are a "metal lover", what are your opinions on updating the kits? Should some be updated or would you much rather them stay how they are now? I'm old enough to remember when everything was metal, and I've got decades of working with metal miniatures so given a choice, I'll pick metal. That said, all the LOTR minis came out before Finecast, so a lot of us bought most of our minis in metal because there was little choice back then. Since the initial releases GW has made a lot more stuff available in plastic, and much of the old metal figuers are produced in finecast now. Right now, if things are still in production I'll buy them however they are made (metal, plastic or finecast). I've still got too much to buy to pay the premium for OOP metal figures.

Author:	Spacemarine17 [ Mon Jun 15, 2015 12:10 am ]
Post subject:	Re: What's with all the metal?
I recently emailed their customer service asking if certain models came in metal because the description didn't specify. I copy/pasted the 4 links in question and they replied within 24 hours. So you could go that route if you're unsure.