So ive been wondering is their some sort of "prestige" of having the metal version of the model in question and is it worth the extra price that you may or may not have to pay , seeing as the new Hobbit line will be mostly Finecast and plastic.

For example Metal Three Hunters £70.00 on ebay ( yes it is the rip off alexchattaway who OVERPRICES STUFF who is selling it )

Finecast is £22.00 on GW

If we use Ebay as a base of comparison , then that tells us their is some sort of "prestige" "Eliteness" in owning the Metal version , but if they are both same quality i mean personally i see it as this.

Metal you have to bend the item into shape ( dodgy bent sword in packaging )

Also Metals , Don't strip as well as plastic does , i have yet to strip finecast .. might test on a spare sprue from a blister.

Finecast you HAVE to put effort into it and use a heat implement to bend it , laziness = broken piece ( i did this with Thror Sword + Captain of Dale )

From what im reading the only reason why you pay more well because of its age and rarity, but if a replacement is there surely it is not rare so then this whole "METAL IS BEST" Mentality is just ONE BIG BUBBLE waiting to pop no?

Anyway im wondering your thoughts on this personally to get a better consensus on this issue.

Personally I prefer metals because I like having some heft to thee mini, its less likely to just fall over if the table is bumped, and I like the increased sturdyness of the model in terms of taking a beating. Plus as someone who doesn't have any sculpting experience in any form or fashion, its easier for me to slightly bend a sword then have a fine-cast thats all droopy and for myself currently, unfixable.
Take for example my 4 Vault Warden Teams, 2 are metal and 2 are fine-cast. The Metals are painted and look great! The spears are straight and they look intimidating on the field, the finecast have droopy, bent spears that are not at all intimidating and as such I have not yet been inspired to paint them or field them (since the one time on the day of their purchase

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You can't use eBay as a basis for anything. People ask all kinds of crazy prices for figures there. You can just as easily wait a few months and find the same metal model for a reasonable or inexpensive price. It's all about being patient and waiting for the deals to show up and pass on the gougers.

As far as "prestige" goes, I'm not sure. Maybe to some people.
I prefer metal figures over finecast because they are more durable. And no bubbles, holes, and missing chunks like finecast. Sure 1 out of 1000 metal figures might have a miscast, but 1 out of 4 finecast figures in the hobbit line I have gotten have needed major repairs with greenstuff. Pre-hobbit the lotr finecast line was garbage from a quality control standpoint (half of all figures were junk that I got). Metal doesn't have that problem. I personally don't think "metal is best" is a mentality as much as a simple point of fact.

On the other hand, I would personally be happy if they scrapped finecast and metal altogether if they produced everything in regular plastic. GW's plastic tech has improved DRAMATICALLY over the past decade. The plastic figures they produce now are the bee's knees. Pricey, but highly detailed.

I'd choose metal any day.
Tough and durable with some decent weight to them, makes it feel like a proper peice. Prices can be too high though. I'm after erkenbrand foot and mounted but eBay prices are way too high for him.
But then again i think the price gw charge for the new fine cast version if him is too much for the poor quality cast.
I'll just keep searching and hopefully grab a bargain some day.

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Frankly there is no prestige over metal miniatures, its just that fine cast are frankly a complete pain in the [word deleted] filling in bubles, but have the redeeming feature that they are easy to convert and can be manipulated into new positions. Any prestige is related to quality of painting an converstion.

At this stage, metal is still better than finecast IMO. Finecast is capable of having excellent detail, but most models don't make use of it. When you add in the defects that can come with finecast, its just a safer bet to stick with metal.

I prefer metal because of the heft/durability also. As far as prestige goes - its more that you know you have the original model and not what feels like an inferior copy.

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I totally agree!
but as a collector I plan on owning both the metal and finecast versions of each model,I just wouldn't feel my collection complete with out both.
However all the finecast models I've gotten so far (except for Hobbit white council) have been riddled with holes and some are very large like the entire length of an arm or leg, the quality of the metal models is so much more superior to the finecast

Frankly, I'm clumsy, I can barely get through a turn without knocking something over or dropping a model. I like to know my model isn't likely to break on me unless it has a flag/etc.

Resin is rather fragile, therefore it is not my friend.

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If at all possible I'd rather have metal or plastic than finecast. Forget the fact that it's grossly overpriced, I simply do not enjoy painting it- it has a weird texture.

It's also prone to terrible miscasting, and I won't buy a finecast mini unless I'm in the shop with it in my hand, and can verify that it's 100% ok. In other words, I won't mail order them.

In fact, the only finecast models I'll buy are ones which I can't hope to convert, and are not available in metal (i.e. the brand new ones).

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I had to return 2 Azogs and wait a week each time before I just gave in and now haveto add minor detail like spikes which aree the sort of "FINE DETAILS" that you would expect from something called "Fine Cast"

Finecast was the final nail in GW's coffin as far as I am concerned.I no longer collect anything GW makes. There are better and more cost effective products available.
I really do not care for GW plastic. I have built scale plastic models for over 50 years. GW makes some of the worst models I have ever seen . Vacumform garage kits parts fit better.It is sad to say but true. Snap tight that won't snap tight. Green Army Men have better detail than some of GW's plastic figures.They can keep the plastic too.

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Better more cost effective products? elaborate please because i can't find anything that comes remotely close to the detail the Perry brother's can do. BTW this was NOT a thread to whine about GW , its merely to see the public opinion of Finecast VS Metal , that is all.

In my opinion metal is much better. The durability, weight, feel and value for money just seems better to me.
I would say the only downside to metal over FC is glue-ability.

@Old Man Willow: Your post doesn't seem particularly relevant to a debate about metal vs. FC...
Also what do you mean about green soldiers having better detail than some GW ones? I am not aware of any...

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Particularly galling since they feel the need to harp on about how superior it is. Presumably if they keep that up, nobody who buys from them will even know there used to be such a thing as a metal miniature. All part of their plan, I'm sure!

I have a "Bolg" issue. Love the model, but can't face painting finecast.

I have bought 10 finecast models, to date. Of them, exactly 1 has been perfect.

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If you are looking for other good models I'd recommend looking at warlord games models, I think they are at least equal quality (especially their Bolt Action minis) to GW's own lines. And they are more cost effective too about 3 to 4 times as much bang for your buck

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When I first started with this hobby, I latched onto the mentality that soldiers were plastic and heroes/elites were metal. It’s a mentality of mine that I can’t quite seem to shake (also explains why I never really wanted to collect metal orcs, wildmen... etc). The weight differentiation is extremely appealing!

I have yet to purchase a finecast miniature mainly because of the negative feedback on forums/lighter weight.




Good Luck! I've seen him pop up several times recently. Whenever I see a metal variant of a finecast mini that is roughly the same price of the finecast mini I usually purchase it and consider it a good buy: OOP value!

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Totally agree, Warlord quality metals are fantastic and great value for money.

It's an easy answer from me, Metal any day

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There is a long tradition of metals and tabletop war-gaming. I also feel the pull of this tradition. And when I pick one up, I "feel" the significance that that model represents. This is all how something "feels". All very heady stuff to consider...

The look of the metals, plastic, or Finecast all look
equally awful (haha), once I am done painting them.

*shakes head while heading to basement to continue
with November's Warband Painting Challenge"

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You have been luckier than I


Ok. So I will explain it better. I own about 10,000 metal miniatures and about 500 resin models. Fine Cast is the poorest quality product I have ever seen. I did not say anything about the masters they were made from or the artist that created them. If you like it, buy it and repair the defects.
I can't comment on what you are aware of. Particularly relevant? Did you get the impression I favored Fine Cast?

I like the artist is not an argument in favor of or against metal resin or plastic. I am a Perry fan as well. I am a fan of many of the artist that have worked for GW in the past. I followed them to other companies when they left. I would rather have a metal Perry miniature than a plastic Perry Figure. I will not buy a Perry Fine Cast figure. I can buy Perry figures from Foundry or Perry Miniatures. They are a much better valve.

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How long has fine cast been available now ? I'm wondering if we are still in the teething trouble phase like you get with anything new.
Surely GW are aware of the troubles and will be working to solve their casting problems, but like anything, will take time to solve or in the end find an alternative.
Personally I have a couple of fine cast that I'm yet to paint so I will have to reserve judgment until then, though the evidence for metal seems strong.

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