Plastic or metal??

[enyoss]

Metals most certainly do appreciate in value!

Especially looking at the metals that are from a few editions ago. The recently OOP stuff you can get for cheap. However, much older metals are like gold (so hold onto the newer metals!). Maybe not every single metal is this way, but I would say that easily the majority are. Plastics don't even come close in value. Especially when they are already painted.

I think that this is more to do with the age of the model rather than the material. It just so happens that models of that age were all made of lead.

[Mathias_B]

This is simply false. I can assure you things I create on computer ( I've done digital modelling and sculpting for years ) have tons of life depends on the artist though. I can get far more micro detail digitally scultpting than a realworld sculpter could even dream of. Just because GW fails to be able to do so doesn't mean it can't be done. Not to mention you can get correct proportions, repose or even redo a model adding to or taking away much easier on a computer than you can real world sculpting.

I will give you that on a computer you have a greater potential. After all you can reach a scale on a digital medium that you cannot reach in real life. Additionally machines can be so much more precise when they print your medium out.

However precision isn't the most important thing when it comes to art (yes this is subjective). Each model that is hand sculpted can be likened to a famous painting or classical sculpture. However when your work is machine assisted, I feel that it losses this quality. The final product is often too perfect.

I also will give you that GW's efforts are not as good as they could be. I do think that someone could do much better with digitally modeled plastics than GW can. (take a look at the fur on those minos..yuck!)

However, I believe the rest of my points stand and disagree with your responses.


Now, here is a question for anyone in the know...

Has GW also adopted a digital sculpting mechanism for some of their metals? By looking at the models it seems that they have. Can anyone confirm?

[Mathias_B]

That's a joke, right?

Yes I am being a little facetious and tounge-in-cheek. But I am truly disappointed.

[StarFyreXXX]

Plastic for all models/armies, etc.

For specific highly detailed characters, etc..resin

I'd prefer to spend more for better detailed resin models or buy mass boxes of plastic troops to convert, than a metal model.

Like i've said in other threads for 8E and future models we want, etc...I hope for 8E in 5-6 years when they redo lizardmen book, we get a plastic carnosaur/oldblood kit

Sanjay

[Gork or Possibly Mork]

I will give you that on a computer you have a greater potential. After all you can reach a scale on a digital medium that you cannot reach in real life. Additionally machines can be so much more precise when they print your medium out.

However precision isn't the most important thing when it comes to art (yes this is subjective). Each model that is hand sculpted can be likened to a famous painting or classical sculpture. However when your work is machine assisted, I feel that it losses this quality. The final product is often too perfect.

I also will give you that GW's efforts are not as good as they could be. I do think that someone could do much better with digitally modeled plastics than GW can. (take a look at the fur on those minos..yuck!)

However, I believe the rest of my points stand and disagree with your responses.


Now, here is a question for anyone in the know...

Has GW also adopted a digital sculpting mechanism for some of their metals? By looking at the models it seems that they have. Can anyone confirm?

Go have a look at the Zbrush forums or CG Society to see some truly breath taking digitally sculpted art at work. While some of the work there has a presicion about it like you talked about e.g. it's almost too uniform and unnatural to the eye being almost too mechanical in shapes and symmetry making it not organic enough. However the better artist have a very un natural naturalness to thier sculpts and thier work is utterly amazing.

I think the problem with GW digital sculpting is it's somewhat new to them so they haven't been able to carry it over to that medium so well yet. Also I think design wise on some things they actually try to be simplistic on some things. This has far more to do with the artist and design decisions then it does with the digital medium.

Im really not familar with the whole process but I do know they mix techniques. e.g. sculpting, scanning that in and possibly reworking it on the computer. Some stuff is done entirely on the computer. I don't know if some stuff is done entirely without a computer anymore.

[Malorian]

Plastic is great. Light, easy to convert, doesn't chip the paint off when you bump the model...

That's why when they makes a unit plastic and charge the same as when it was metal I don't care. To me the model just got better for the same cost, who cares about anything else.

[Crube]

You know what Malorian, that actually makes sense....

That's why i like it here - every now and again someone comes along and posts something that makes you reconsider your viewpoint.....

Suddenly those Greatswords dont seem too bad...

[Crube]

Please keep this thread on topic. Any posts about GW pricing will be deleted. We already have a thread on that topic where all such discussions should be placed.


Crube
The Warseer Inqusiition

[Urgat]

The designers are much more involved in the project. With plastics, the designer can now sit next to the computer and change the design.

You can do that with metal too, the sclupting/modelling process has nothing to do with the medium used to mold the models, conception constraints aside. Anyway. I would haver said that I like metal better, but it's just not true anymore. The metal minis of today are nothing compared to the old ones. When painted, they look just like the plastic models. It's not the medium that is to blame though. If I put together, say, all my night goblins, you can tell how it's the sculpting that is to blame. The crazy amount of details that were on the old metals, and which would be very hard to get on plastic, has just disapeared on the current metals. Considering that, there's no much point in metal models anymore.

[Gork or Possibly Mork]

Suddenly those Greatswords dont seem too bad...

You opened a can of worms^^

Please keep this thread on topic. Any posts about GW pricing will be deleted. We already have a thread on that topic where all such discussions should be placed.


Crube
The Warseer Inqusiition

Then politely reminded everyone this can is not to be opened here in this thread.^^

[Havesome]

I have to go with metal on this one. I don't claim that plastic is inferior or anything. I just don't care about my plastic models the way I do about the metal ones. I enjoy the process of gluing, pinning and painting the metal models while the plastic ones just seem like work to me. I also play PP games and the only model that I have unbuilt is the new plastic Jack.

[Ultimate Life Form]

I had a vision from the Old Ones, telling me 'thou shalt never buy metal infantry again'.

When I asked the reason, they said 'ask yourself, dunce... you wanna spend the rest of your life repainting and regluing the same models over and over again? Not to mention the weight of these things and how they are next to untransportable'.

Seeing the wisdom held by the words of the Old Ones I will abide by that rule. Big Monsters, however, I don't mind in metal. Yes, I too find it is added value when that big nasty Dragon weighs enough to make it one really impressive model!

[the Goat]

Metal by a landslide for me.

Plastic will never be as good as metal for several reasons:

1) Plastic molds can not have any undercuts on them. So there is zero detail on the sides/edges of bitz. This is why metal fur looks so much better then plastic fur. They work around the lack of undercuts somewhat by having multi-part models. But there are still areas on individual bitz that have to be molded flat with plastic that should have details on them. And multi part models have other problems. . .

2) Multi part models all look the same. The kit might have four sets of legs and four chests and ten heads, etc. But those bitz are actually not very different at all. To my eye units of plastic multi part models look like clones of one guy over and over. (of coarse several metal units have a similar problem when GW only makes 2-3 metal guys).

3) Also it is all but impossible to make multi part models holding something in two hands look good. For instance, why do plastic Imperial Guard models hold their lasguns two feet away from their body? It just looks bad. My metal Cadians and Catachans hold their guns close to their body and look a lot better.
________
Washington Medical Marijuana Dispensary

[Sygerrik]

Couple of years ago I would have said metal. Plastic casting technology has improved so dramatically since then that I have to revise my opinion. Plastic is cheaper, lighter, easier to paint, much easier to convert and assemble, and holds as much detail. Plastic is da bomb.

[Skyros]

I prefer plastic...UNLESS I'm buying used, in which case I prefer to buy metal as they are way easier to strip and unassemble.

The # of times I've dropped plastic models and had them suffer no ill effects is amazing.

[Tokamak]

Plastic, unless characters, the rest can all be either masses and large monsters. I have to say, I dislike the idea of plastic characters as much as I dislike the idea of metal large monsters/blocks of infantry.

[Nuada]

You can do that with metal too, the sclupting/modelling process has nothing to do with the medium used to mold the models.

How can you do that with metal figures as well?

If i was a mouldmaker ..... With metal figures the sculptor gives me the green, and i make a master mould. Then i cast my tins ready for production. The only time a designer sees his green again is if there's a problem (eg. it doesn't cast)
Once he's given me the green, he has no further input.


With plastics, the designer can alter as much of the figure as he wants. He sits next to the screen saying.... "zoom in a bit, lets change that small icon... Can you add more armour along the leg .. lets add a few veins on his neck" etc
The designer has alot more input

[tezdal]

I prefer metal, solid feel, etc. Plus its cheaper (considering metals I buy come from non GW sources)

[igotsmeakabob!!]

My two big problems with metal are:
They're difficult to convert. Sometimes I just want to change the position of an arm or leg.
Paint chips off them really, really easily. I don't even know why, but it's very, very, annoying.

[Stormfather]

Plastic.

Metal chips; you can ruin a perfect paintjob by clinking it against another metal piece. Glue never holds metal correctly, and you can't customize the model easily. If you drop a metal piece, it'll shatter into all it's constituent parts, and the paintjob will chip off. I hate assembling metal minis, it feel like it's always hit or miss, and pinning is a real pain. In the end, they all look the same anyway, since you can't change poses.

Plastic doesn't have any of those problems. It's lightweight, can be cut shaved trimmed and grafted with ease, glues right the first time with no pinning or green stuff, allows you to pose your models. If you drop a plastic model, nothing happens. I love assembling plastic models because each and every one can be mixed and matched with different pieces and different poses.

I can't think of a single reason I'd choose metal, except that it's the only viable choice for limited edition miniatures (like Reaper Minis).