Finecast - Heat Test Anyone?

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**Havok210**

Hello All,
I hope this is the right place for this.

With all the discussion of Finecast, this item seems lost in the mix regarding all the talk about miscasts, price, etc.

Since there is plenty of concern about models not withstanding the actual heat (

), has anyone done a heat test on them? Any results that can be shared would be appreciated!

**TheSpore**

This is something I was wondering as well. Though I hear you can use hot water to bend and shape them just like when you use the FW models

**purplefood**

I heard that heating them like FW models makes them go incredibly soft... spaghetti like almost.

**TheSpore**

well that would suck. Ill test this out this week and let you guys know how it comes out. I have the new Finecast sucubus model(bought just for a lil fun to paint away form the old CSM army Ive been workin on.) If ya want ill even try to make few pics this is definated one of those things that needs to be tested.

**NuggzTheNinja**

**purplefood**

Genius abides...

**Grey Templar**

Just don't leave them in a hot car and you will be fine.

**TheSpore**

Ive seen some nasty mess ups from that alone

**JaqTaar**

Here's a quote from warhammer.org.uk (along with a picture):
http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=87310&start=270

The car heat test was conclusive. I placed both the pewter and Finecast Caradryan along with an old plastic skeleton in an old-school Citadel figure case in my car with the windows rolled up in the sunlight on a hot day for several hours. The high temperature today was about 33 C (91 F). After about four hours I checked and the Finecast Caradryan had been warped by softening and pressure from the foam.

**pretre**

Wow, that guy's review is really informative.

That Same Guy's Wrap Up wrote:
Yes, please see page 10 for pics of everything.

I suspect that cardboard shipping boxes and post boxes will not be a problem for Finecast, because it's really the greenhouse effect of a car in sunlight that causes the temperature inside the car to rise so high. Even a black post box probably won't be so bad, and usually they are a lot draftier than a car with rolled up windows.

I still haven't tested whether it can be easily bent back into shape with hot water, or how it is to strip paint from Finecast. Still, I have some personal conclusions that I will share:

- It's quicker and easier to build
- It takes primer better
- It is at least as resilient from impact and falling damage as plastic and metal
- It will deform from the heat of a car
- It may not have any more detail than metal (still not 100% convinced either way)
- At least the first run has had lots of miscasts, missing parts, and general QC problems.

I'm tentatively satisfied with Finecast. I don't care about more detail, I can avoid leaving it in a hot car, and I remember when the metal casts back in the late 80's had tons of QC problems. I expect QC will improve on the Finecast. I'm also happy to have lighter models that are easier to clean and put together, and less prone to breaking or chipping when dropped. If the quality never improves, I will be very disappointed.

**Havok210**

JaqTaar wrote:Here's a quote from warhammer.org.uk (along with a picture):
http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=87310&start=270

The car heat test was conclusive. I placed both the pewter and Finecast Caradryan along with an old plastic skeleton in an old-school Citadel figure case in my car with the windows rolled up in the sunlight on a hot day for several hours. The high temperature today was about 33 C (91 F). After about four hours I checked and the Finecast Caradryan had been warped by softening and pressure from the foam.

Thats what I was afraid of. Thanks for posting this review!

GW needs to iron this issue out before I will purchase Finecast. I love their minis, but I also don't want to have to treat them like my children to ensure nothing bad happens to them.

**TheSpore**

from the model I have it seems more resilient than your average metal mini

**Kravox**

Buy the cheapest one you can find, a cheap microwave and put the model in the microwave

**SoloFalcon1138**

Grey Templar wrote:Just don't leave them in a hot car and you will be fine.

This would be the biggest point of all about heat resistance. A buddy of mine left his Nids in a car in 80 degree weather. All the bases warped and some of the pieces did, too. I think taking your cases out of the car is a small price to pay for the lightness and damage resistance shown by the outside links.

**Havok210**

My concern is that we sometimes travel for play/tournaments and sometimes the minis get left out in the car while we have dinner.

That and my A/C is on the frits and my house is about 85 degrees when I come home from work these days!

**SoloFalcon1138**

Havok210 wrote:My concern is that we sometimes travel for play/tournaments and sometimes the minis get left out in the car while we have dinner.

That and my A/C is on the frits and my house is about 85 degrees when I come home from work these days!

Mine too. This weather on the East Coast is ridiculous!

For a dinner break in the car, the stuff would barely have time to heat up, especially if you play in the afternoon and eat later on. And as long as you keep your minis in a dark area in the house, you should be fine. Resin and light plastics have to receive either a ridiculous amount of heat very quickly (i.e. heat gun) or moderate hear heat over a long period of time (i.e. 6-8 hours in a sunbaked car) to become bendable.

**G00fySmiley**

and people said my pizza carrying bag used for minis was dumb HAH!

but srsly heat and warping minis if i HAD to leave my minis in a car I'd put em in the trunk to avoid sulight and i think it heats up slower

**timetowaste85**

Grey Templar wrote:Just don't leave them in a hot car and you will be fine.

I accidentally did this with 2 landraiders without realizing it.... glad I only spent 20 bucks on each of them, but replacing them was rough

**Grey Templar**

one thing i have noticed with the plastic models is that the bases will warp before the minie itself does.

I have a few terminators who are perfectly fine, but their bases are all caddy wompus.

**daedalus**

Kravox wrote:Buy the cheapest one you can find, a cheap microwave and put the model in the microwave

This would only work if there were water particles in the resin (not impossible, but it would probably imply imperfections in the material. Don't know enough about the process) or if it was somehow microwave absorbent. You'd be better off tossing a model on a piece of tinfoil in an oven with a meat thermometer next to it to pick up ambient air temp. Crank it up to about 200 degrees F and see what happens at what temperature.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
The oven slowly heating up would probably also better mimic a hot car or being left in the sun as well.