Absolution Black Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 So has anyone else read about the new resin range coming out from GW called Finecast. Basically a lot of their old metal character/elite models are being redone as Resin kits. All new figures that would be done in metal are also now going to be resin. They have put the price up on these, but I have to say i am impressed. Yes, I knock GW as much as the next guy (or girl) but I feel they are taking the right direction this time. Benefits include: Lighter models, so less balancing issues Easy to glue together, less or no pinning Apparently detail shows up better too. I for one, would have loved the resin gyrocopter about three years agao when I was building the metal versions...on which the wings still fall off from time to time! I will actually praise GW this time. What do you others think? Is resin the way forward? I am thinking its very expensive to set up moulds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manicmac Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Depends on the type of resin used as to whether it si less tricky to work with. They do look good, but I am not running out to get any new mini's from GW for a while. Snow Storm is my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphawog Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 It depends on what kind of resin and quality management type systems you are using. Molds can be created very cheaply using silicone or latex. The same molds can be used for metal also, assuming the latex/silicone has a high enough heat resistance. However, air bubble can be a huge problem in resin casting. There are a number of ways to reduce the air bubble problem including using a more "watery" resin mix or vibrating the mold after the resin is poured. Also the molds must be constructed so that air can escape. However, the best method to reduce air bubbles is casting in a vacuum and I do not know how much more expensive that set up would be. Resin is also considered labor intensive(although this should be comparable to metal), when compared to typical plastic casting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelgeek Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Basically a lot of their old metal character/elite models are being redone as Resin kits. All new figures that would be done in metal are also now going to be resin. All of their metal models are being redone in resin. Resin works for GW because GW can invest the money into converting their spincasting machines into resin casters... which is what I have heard they have done. For a smaller company resin can be expensive because the casting is more labour intensive than metal casting. The figs are indeed nice but when I compare getting one figure from GW or half or a whole Malifaux starter set I think the choice is obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absolution Black Posted May 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Oh I agree the cost is ridiculous. I am just thankful i have all the figures I need to keep me playing warhammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonelyPath Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 The price increase for the (now) resin models is ludicrous, but it means they have more money in their pockets. Blood Knights will now be setting you back over £60 for 5 models, meaning they've increased by over 50% of their original (£40) retail price in the last 11 months. The detail is pretty much the same as it was on the metals, so no difference there. The resins break easier, whilst if dropped the metals would come apart, they at least had no risk of shattering. The resin is better quality than that presently being used by Forge World (which has gone horrendous in quality over the passed year or so), but it's still not that great. In all I am not very impressed with the Finecast based on the remolded models, but the new Grotesque looks pretty cool, though I'm not a fan of the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ispep Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 The price increase for the (now) resin models is ludicrous, but it means they have more money in their pockets. Blood Knights will now be setting you back over £60 for 5 models, meaning they've increased by over 50% of their original (£40) retail price in the last 11 months. The detail is pretty much the same as it was on the metals, so no difference there. The resins break easier, whilst if dropped the metals would come apart, they at least had no risk of shattering. The resin is better quality than that presently being used by Forge World (which has gone horrendous in quality over the passed year or so), but it's still not that great. In all I am not very impressed with the Finecast based on the remolded models, but the new Grotesque looks pretty cool, though I'm not a fan of the price. That's because Forge World is now mass produced in china, instead of hand poured in some back lot on the GW campus. The shop I work at received the first wave yesterday. But since we aren't even allowed to show customers the boxes until Saturday (which seems silly) I am not going to share my thoughts as I'm not sure if we're allowed to talk about the product and I'd rather my boss not catch hell from GW, I sort of like having a job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvazord Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 That's because Forge World is now mass produced in china, instead of hand poured in some back lot on the GW campus. The shop I work at received the first wave yesterday. But since we aren't even allowed to show customers the boxes until Saturday (which seems silly) I am not going to share my thoughts as I'm not sure if we're allowed to talk about the product and I'd rather my boss not catch hell from GW, I sort of like having a job. And yet I've already seen some pics online and the sprues are absolutely clogged with flash. I've aslo heard that it is really, almost unworkably soft. Won't affect me since I shan't be buying any but it still sucks how much GW have fallen from our embrace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelgeek Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 That's because Forge World is now mass produced in china, instead of hand poured in some back lot on the GW campus. GW closed their Chinese resin facilities a while ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ispep Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 GW closed their Chinese resin facilities a while ago. That is interesting, because when we had customers asking why their forge world models had more blocks of resin in the bag along with unbelievable flash and such than resin used for the actual model, our rep informed us that Forge World had moved its casting to China, and they were still working out the kinks (paraphrased). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucklemonkey Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Maybe they just found foreign labour far too cheap. To justify the next round of price increases all new models will be hand sculpted by the Queen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvatarForm Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 http://kirbysblog-ic.blogspot.com/2011/05/citadel-finecast.html Resin doesnt appear to improve the sculpts and in most instances will make for more preparation before you can assemble, paint?, and play with your minis... Also, the level of detail is not higher than the existing metal sculpts, it is the same as the moulds for resin were made with the very same masters they used for the metal moulds. It is merely a cost-saving exercise as metal stocks are becoming increasingly expensive. GW's claims of "the highest quality miniatures the world has ever seen" are clearly unfounded... if you want quality resins, go to CMoN shop and have a look. Studio McVey (Mike McVey, ex-GW) can make the above claim about his products, GW cannot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelgeek Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Their last quarterly report said that they had closed the plants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelgeek Posted May 27, 2011 Report Share Posted May 27, 2011 Also, the level of detail is not higher than the existing metal sculpts, it is the same as the moulds for resin were made with the very same masters they used for the metal moulds. Have you seen the actual models? I have and in almost every case the resin figures were far superior to the metal figs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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