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So while looking for bargains on Ebay for Forge World stuff I noticed a lot of the listings (I.E. all) we're at significant discounts and from Russia or China. While they may not necessarily be recasts common sense tells me they probably are.

Now does anyone have any good ways to avoid picking up recasts and if not are there any health risks specific to recast Forge World products (that aren't present in the regular product)?

As far as health issues, none that I've heard of. As for avoiding recasts, anything of a sizable discount can almost definetly be a recast, ebay is rife with them.
If you're in the market for authentic Forgeworld either
A. Buy through Forgeworld
B. If you absolutely must shop through ebay or the like buy wi rh original packaging or just avoiding products from Russia and China are the easiest but not a guarantee for authentic products.

NOTE: when working with ANY resin models utilize proper protective gear like filter masks when sanding and filing.

Thanks for the answer I am aware of regular Health and Safety procedures with FW resin but I wondered if recaster's resin required and further measures.

I saw a chaos warhound titan that a friend had bought from China knowing it was a recast and it was better quality than Forge World and half the price.

You say they might not be recasts but I'll tell you they definitely are. They are. Don't doubt it. There are a lot of recasters over there especially for forge world. You can even find recasters in the US and other countries. I saw one post where the seller said all the items were cut from sprue. I asked if they were recasts and instead of being calm he got defensive and told me to go to somewhere. I played the fool and he explained that it's to save shipping cost. I just dont believe him.

There are two ways to get fw stuff: buy from fw, or have a very good eye. You should look for double mold lines which would indicate recasting. Different colors of resin from the fw pictures are a dead give away. Any seller who has a lot of fw items for sale at a discount is selling recasts. You will only get real fw at a discount buying from people who bought from fw and what to sell the item. They won't have many postings.

Buying recast items, especially FW models, is so popular that you probably shouldn't trust an eBay seller. Think of it this way: would you spend that much on a mini, paint it like junk or not at all, and then sell it at a huge loss on ebay? Neither would they, it's a recast. It's a shame but that's the way it is for people who want to support a company.

As for resin and your health. Resin is not particularly bad for you after it's cured and just sitting there. Some resin is even nontoxic after it cures. The real danger is in particles of resin from filing or sanding that get into your lungs. The small particles are sharp at their level and cut you up. They're also heavy and don't easily leave your lungs. If you work with a lot of resin in this way you should wear a mask just like you would for sanding wood or metal.

Recasters, no matter where, use whatever resin is cheapest. People report that the resin from china often smells like gasoline. Recasters from the US have fewer options for resin and they are safer for you. That doesn't make them good though.

The problem is that a lot of folks buy these recasts and simply don't care because as I said I have seen recasts and they were better quality than FW.

As for the point that recasters are everywhere, however one thing to know that Games Workshop tried to get these recasters from China and Russia closed down and the Russian and Chinese Governments told Games Workshop to go play in the traffic.

As long as they contribute to the Russian and Chinese economy they the respective Governments will turn a blind eye.

Tydil wrote:
You say they might not be recasts but I'll tell you they definitely are. They are. Don't doubt it. There are a lot of recasters over there especially for forge world. You can even find recasters in the US and other countries. I saw one post where the seller said all the items were cut from sprue. I asked if they were recasts and instead of being calm he got defensive and told me to go to somewhere. I played the fool and he explained that it's to save shipping cost. I just dont believe him.

There are two ways to get fw stuff: buy from fw, or have a very good eye. You should look for double mold lines which would indicate recasting. Different colors of resin from the fw pictures are a dead give away. Any seller who has a lot of fw items for sale at a discount is selling recasts. You will only get real fw at a discount buying from people who bought from fw and what to sell the item. They won't have many postings.

Buying recast items, especially FW models, is so popular that you probably shouldn't trust an eBay seller. Think of it this way: would you spend that much on a mini, paint it like junk or not at all, and then sell it at a huge loss on ebay? Neither would they, it's a recast. It's a shame but that's the way it is for people who want to support a company.

As for resin and your health. Resin is not particularly bad for you after it's cured and just sitting there. Some resin is even nontoxic after it cures. The real danger is in particles of resin from filing or sanding that get into your lungs. The small particles are sharp at their level and cut you up. They're also heavy and don't easily leave your lungs. If you work with a lot of resin in this way you should wear a mask just like you would for sanding wood or metal.

Recasters, no matter where, use whatever resin is cheapest. People report that the resin from china often smells like gasoline. Recasters from the US have fewer options for resin and they are safer for you. That doesn't make them good though.

echo .... also every recast i have seen or accidentally purchased was always inferior to FW. i honestly think people praising recasts are either insane or selling recasts.

I don't know about color difference being always a dead give away. A few years back, I purchased some Red Scorpion upgrade kits from FW. The sprues and parts I received were mostly two different shades of grey and a couple sprues were a pinkish grey.

 Bronzefists42 wrote:
So while looking for bargains on Ebay for Forge World stuff I noticed a lot of the listings (I.E. all) we're at significant discounts and from Russia or China. While they may not necessarily be recasts common sense tells me they probably are.

Now does anyone have any good ways to avoid picking up recasts and if not are there any health risks specific to recast Forge World products (that aren't present in the regular product)?

1. Is it from Russia or China?
2. Is it FW?
3. Is it 30% less than FW charges?

If you answered yes to these questions, it's a recast. Period. End of.




As to the safety part, all resins can be harmful if you inhale small particulates. Other than that, it's going to be just fine.

To echo Kronk, Sigvtar posted in the last recast thread (they're a pretty regular occurrence) that he actually got some recasts tested, because he wasn't prepared to risk his kid's health no matter the savings.

Recast resin tested as approximately as toxic as FW resin ie barely and not of sufficient toxicity to pose any risk.

Colour is no guide either - I've purchased and seen genuine FW kits that have varied from extremely pale grey to the same sort of colour as GW plastic, but if it isn't grey of some shade that should ring probably alarm bells, as should kits that are inexplicably primed for no apparent reason.

Otherwise multiple copies of the same kit, especially if it's a big one that people would only typically buy one of, are a giveaway, check the sellers history, as the smart ones will only list one at a time, but may show repeated sales over time. Lots of FW on sale could simply be someone having a clear out.

Russia or China are dead giveaways, but Kronk, if you're only getting 30% there's a guy I can introduce you to!

 tenebre wrote:

echo .... also every recast i have seen or accidentally purchased was always inferior to FW. i honestly think people praising recasts are either insane or selling recasts.

In my experience, recasts are exactly what you would expect from the Cheap Chinese Knockoff of anything else you buy. "Oh, these molds were misaligned by 4mm, still good enough to send out." There is no denying that recasts should be high quality if the proper steps are taken. Better quality than FW is fundamentally impossible since the mold is made from a FW cast, I think people only use this sentence because the hyperbole sounds good. Even if a customer ends up with a bad cast from FW the customer can get a replacement of higher quality, so when you buy from FW you always (eventually) get their highest quality. With recasters it's all about the cost of resin, silicone, and time. The customer ends up with whatever quality came out this batch.

I've had worse Finecast than any recast I've ever purchased or seen.

 Azreal13 wrote:
I've had worse Finecast than any recast I've ever purchased or seen.

Finecast isnt FW...... but also out of all my models only 1 finecast had problems and i called GW and they sent me a replacement.

Recasts aren't all FW.

But that wasn't my point, the point was made that Chinese recasters producing gak and sending it out anyway, I was simply stating that the manufacturer of "the best toy soldiers in the world" is guilty of similar behaviour.

I'm given to understand that most recasters will send replacement kits/parts if a problem occurs too.

There's a moral argument to be had about recasts, but there really isn't a practical one.

Let me ask you. If you paint them up and bring to a tourney how will they know its gw or fw authentic?

If the recast is better quality than fw and cheap then who cares?

Do you really want to support GW after all the crap they have done to wh40k and fantasy?

 Filch wrote:
Let me ask you. If you paint them up and bring to a tourney how will they know its gw or fw authentic?

You've not heard of the RF chips they've been embedding in the official kits since around 2003?

I have a recast Knight titan and a GW one and the both look the same painted.

Its really up to you, if you really really want FW, then buy from them, otherwise your risking it just like any other second hand purchase you make.

I bought a couple of parts from a "FW" kit one time, it turned out pretty well. The benefit was that I was able to get just the parts I needed without buying the rest of the kit...a bits purchase, if you will.

The materials appeared nearly identical with no inferior qualities that I could detect. The seller had a good review record from a number of clients and the goods were priced pretty commensurate with FW, but with the benefit of being on certain parts.

My knowledge of resin would tell me that there were not significant differences in between this and other FW kits. I know there was a period where FW was producing materials out of China, so this might explain why the goods were so similar. Honestly, the shades/material texture I've gotten from different FW kits have been so variable that it would be hard to put this kit and other FW ones next to each other and detect an "inferior" one.

That being said, with recasts come significant risk, and of course the cheaper they are the more issues might crop up. That's why I focus on reviews of sellers in making decisions on...really, well, anything!

I thought this was a forbidden subject on Dakka.

My two cents: don't avoid it embrace it.

I'm a consumer. I shop for the highest quality at the lowest price.

3 Imperial Knights for $120? Sure.

5000 points of Chaos Space Marine vehicles for $200? Why not?

Warhound Titan for $150? Nah, I'll spend that on a few dozen of the FW marine jet bikes.

 Azreal13 wrote:

 Filch wrote:
Let me ask you. If you paint them up and bring to a tourney how will they know its gw or fw authentic?

You've not heard of the RF chips they've been embedding in the official kits since around 2003?

I am not about to go and dismantle my Dreadnaught to find this rf chip bbut perhaps you can show me where on tbe space marine it has the rf chip?

 Filch wrote:

 Azreal13 wrote:

 Filch wrote:
Let me ask you. If you paint them up and bring to a tourney how will they know its gw or fw authentic?

You've not heard of the RF chips they've been embedding in the official kits since around 2003?

I am not about to go and dismantle my Dreadnaught to find this rf chip bbut perhaps you can show me where on tbe space marine it has the rf chip?

Automatically Appended Next Post:

 DeffDred wrote:
I thought this was a forbidden subject on Dakka.

As long as you're discussing the topic and not providing or asking for information where to get them, you're generally ok.

 DeffDred wrote:
I thought this was a forbidden subject on Dakka..

About advocating and disusing how to and such. IIRC

Straight up China and Russia is a dead give away.
Price is another one you will not expect to see it lower than FW or at least near it.

That said. iv gotten FW KoS for relatively cheap from ebay from the US and when received it was in original FW baggies (which most re casters wont bother with) and after cutting some of the gates noticed it didnt have the chemical smell that most recasts have. so iv gotten lucky for the most part.

I think you can also figure out if its a fake based off the description as well as the sell history or other items they have.

 DeffDred wrote:
I thought this was a forbidden subject on Dakka.

Advocating, promoting, or requesting where to buy recast are the forbidden subjects. The OP is asking how to avoid recasts which is perfectly reasonable and possible health risks if he/she winds up with one despite best efforts.

Unfortunatly the conversion always strays from the topic to either "recasts are better" or "why buy from GW when you can get it cheaper" which bother fall into the above forbidden categories.

To be honest I would even like to know some cheap re-caster to be honest, but I am not going to ask for that.

I wouldn't mind paying against such either, all re-casts I have seen, are identical to GW's or Fw's stuff.

Typically if its unpainted and below FW Retail price I tend to assume its recast and steer away from it. Exception being things that FW sells in bundles that dont assemble in useful combinations (contemptor arms for example). But again these are usually just shy of retail (since the seller loses 10% to ebay anyways). Since there are no FW discount prices to retailer nobody is getting them cheap and thus nobody can sell the official item below retail for a profit.

 tenebre wrote:


echo .... also every recast i have seen or accidentally purchased was always inferior to FW. i honestly think people praising recasts are either insane or selling recasts.

there are some weird recast white knights. THey claim that a second generation copy is somehow superior in crispness to the original - and don't even mention problems such as the fact that some parts come out incredibly thin, or even that the recast is physically smaller than the original.

Compare a FW original and a recast side by side and you'll see the latter is distinctly smaller, I guess because the resin shrinks a certain amount during the curing.

As far as buying on eBay, I would never buy from anyone who doesn't offer full money back if unhappy, with no BS.

I dont think iv ever seen resin shrink.

And iv purchased FW stuff directly from them with horribly thin parts so its not just the Re casters.

But that being said yeah i think most white knights can be weird

 Azreal13 wrote:
I've had worse Finecast than any recast I've ever purchased or seen.

Yeah, but comparing recasts to possibly the most annoying resin on the market that GW doesn't even want to do anymore is hardly an endorsement

No, but that wasn't my point, read the post I wrote subsequently to get where I was going n

As for this nonsense..

 Hivefleet Oblivion wrote:

Compare a FW original and a recast side by side and you'll see the latter is distinctly smaller, I guess because the resin shrinks a certain amount during the curing.

Yeah, distinctly smaller...