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I have some of the starter battlegroup boxes as well as the 2 player starter set, and they are hands down the worst material I have ever worked with.

I see they have theme force boxes and Army boxes available, are these better quality materials? What about the large units?

Theme forces and army boxes have mixes of stuff, seemingly.

My Trencher Theme Force was a hard-plastic(not the same crap from the current battlegroup or 2P starter set), resin, and metal mix depending on the units.

I'm guessing you mean the pvc, it's some of the worst material out there. Privateers attempt to sell low quality chinese miniatures to a player base that doesn't really care. It doesn't file or cut easily and has awful mold lines, good luck.

 Irkjoe wrote:
I'm guessing you mean the pvc, it's some of the worst material out there. Privateers attempt to sell low quality chinese miniatures to a player base that doesn't really care. It doesn't file or cut easily and has awful mold lines, good luck.

A dull hobby knife removes the mold lines pretty easily, but a file or GW mold line removal tool shreds it horribly. I don't fully hate it, but I'm glad the industry has essentially abandoned it as well.

 LunarSol wrote:

 Irkjoe wrote:
I'm guessing you mean the pvc, it's some of the worst material out there. Privateers attempt to sell low quality chinese miniatures to a player base that doesn't really care. It doesn't file or cut easily and has awful mold lines, good luck.

A dull hobby knife removes the mold lines pretty easily, but a file or GW mold line removal tool shreds it horribly. I don't fully hate it, but I'm glad the industry has essentially abandoned it as well.

Oh Lord yes, that is the rubbish I am talking about. From the beginner boxes. Battlegroup? Something like that.

Honestly, if I didn't know better existed and that was my first experience with modeling, I would have tossed them in the trash and never touched another one again.

Well, there are three different versions of them.

The original Mk 1 groups that came out in white metal. Much harder to get new in the box these days.

The reprint of the Mk 1 that came out during Mk 2 was that PVC-style stuff. These tended to be grey in color, no matter the faction.

The Mk 3 boxes were a rather softer plastic than most companies would employ. They came in the color of the faction (though it is hard to tell withe Protectorate). The box also includes a lot more side stuff in it than the previous versions like a beginner's guide.

That's interesting to know, thanks for the breakdown.

I'm talking about the MK2 PVC style stuff. I do have a few of their metal casts, and those are fine.

So the MK 3 boxes are OK then? Or no?

Mark III stuff is the trash.
Mark II was okay.

You can tell the difference of which edition based on the Warcasters in the box.

MK2 is the same material as MK3. It's mostly the exact same sculpts, just with a colored dye in the plastic.

 LunarSol wrote:
MK2 is the same material as MK3. It's mostly the exact same sculpts, just with a colored dye in the plastic.

No, most aren't the exact same sculpts, and the material is very different.

Only a few of the Warjacks and Warbeasts stayed the same, and all the Warcasters and Warlocks are different. The Mk2 sets were heavier and more fragile than the Mk 3's, while the Mk 3's were more pliable and lighter. I've had both of the Protectorate and Skorne, and they are noticeably different.

 Charistoph wrote:

 LunarSol wrote:
MK2 is the same material as MK3. It's mostly the exact same sculpts, just with a colored dye in the plastic.

No, most aren't the exact same sculpts, and the material is very different.

Only a few of the Warjacks and Warbeasts stayed the same, and all the Warcasters and Warlocks are different. The Mk2 sets were heavier and more fragile than the Mk 3's, while the Mk 3's were more pliable and lighter. I've had both of the Protectorate and Skorne, and they are noticeably different.

So MKIII is better?

 Charistoph wrote:

 LunarSol wrote:
MK2 is the same material as MK3. It's mostly the exact same sculpts, just with a colored dye in the plastic.

No, most aren't the exact same sculpts, and the material is very different.

Only a few of the Warjacks and Warbeasts stayed the same, and all the Warcasters and Warlocks are different. The Mk2 sets were heavier and more fragile than the Mk 3's, while the Mk 3's were more pliable and lighter. I've had both of the Protectorate and Skorne, and they are noticeably different.

I cannot tell any meaningful difference between the ones I have. Even where the models are different, they're still the same parts. Like the MK3 Khador box has a Decimator instead of a Destroyer but both are from the same set of parts that come in the Juggernaut/Marauder/Destroyer/Decimator multipart kit. The same is true of the Pureblood from my Circle kit that's the same as the Feral from my MK2. There might be slight variations on the material mix. I really can't tell any of them apart at this point unless I scrape off the paint to find the one's that are colored underneath.

Phobos wrote:

 Charistoph wrote:

 LunarSol wrote:
MK2 is the same material as MK3. It's mostly the exact same sculpts, just with a colored dye in the plastic.

No, most aren't the exact same sculpts, and the material is very different.

Only a few of the Warjacks and Warbeasts stayed the same, and all the Warcasters and Warlocks are different. The Mk2 sets were heavier and more fragile than the Mk 3's, while the Mk 3's were more pliable and lighter. I've had both of the Protectorate and Skorne, and they are noticeably different.

So MKIII is better?

I wouldn't say that. A lot is preference. The Mk2 boxes almost felt like GW's Finecast, but not quite as fragile. Cutting off the mold lines (or in one case the torso slot of a Titan body) seemed rather powdery while cutting the Mk3 seemed to be cleaner. The Mk3 also felt like plastic that had been in the sun just a little too long, but that could also be because I'm in Arizona and "too long in the sun" isn't very long...

LunarSol wrote:I cannot tell any meaningful difference between the ones I have. Even where the models are different, they're still the same parts. Like the MK3 Khador box has a Decimator instead of a Destroyer but both are from the same set of parts that come in the Juggernaut/Marauder/Destroyer/Decimator multipart kit. The same is true of the Pureblood from my Circle kit that's the same as the Feral from my MK2. There might be slight variations on the material mix. I really can't tell any of them apart at this point unless I scrape off the paint to find the one's that are colored underneath.

I didn't say there was a difference between the part design themselves, just the material being used. As I said just above, the difference in material is more noticeable when you're cutting it than after everything is painted. I do remember the Mk2 Titan feeling a little heavier than the Mk3, but that is a huge chunk of material, either way, so it may have only been noticeable at that point.