So I just moved trans-continentaly thus had to ship all my minis in boxes over a long distance. Aside from a lot of scratched paint jobs and bent swords, the move was executed without incident (with exception to Imrhil losing an army and, ironically, Narsil broke in half).

That being said, I noticed that the only minis to sustain any form of damage were metal minis. All of my plastic minis and finecast minis were neither scratched nor bent nor broken. All I have to say is well played finecast.

In fact this quailed my fear of finecast (or as GW calls it now, high-quality resin), and I feel I can purchase more despite the many poor reviews I have read before.

It can be frustating to work with but I don't think that Finecast is as bad as people make it out to be

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Soon Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, red meat off the bone!

It's original hatred stemmed from the fact it was being poured into moulds of models designed to be cast in metal - the newly designed models (specifically with Finecast in mind), generally seemed to come out okay and, with a handful of exceptions, the recasts of once metal minis generally came out with at least minor damage in an alarming number of cases for at least a few years.

I've noticed that as well. Its a shame they dont go 100% plastic like their warhammer ranges. Oh well.

During the Q&A at Ardacon, the question was raised regarding a return to plastic and there are hopes for it at some point, but it's nothing definitive yet.

The issue I have with the finecast is over the weapons. Constantly having to repair broken swords is annoying. And most of the repair jobs are after the models have been in a foam tray. I've had to cut off lots of hands and graft from other models to repair.
While finecast is much improved, I really want the dark plastic. Love that stuff because it looks good, easy to glue and is very sturdy. I once dropped a dark plastic balrog on cement (ouch) and sustained almost non-existent damage. With finecast, I would've had fine powder to sweep up.

Paul
DCHL

I would love to see the entire range go to the dark grey plastic. I love that stuff!

My first and only experience of it so far has been my Dol Amroth pikemen who have incredibly wobbly pikes.

I like the metal models, picking them up feels like they are quality worth paying for, but I can't deny I'm impressed by the increased detail in the newer Finecast sculpts. And the paint chips less easily, always a bonus.

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Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Jake