Marketing Research - Pewter or Resin bits?

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**IG GENERAL**

Pewter, every time. Resin is fine for things like tank stowage/ add on armour , but for figures and weapons pewter is much easier.
Incidentally, to the guy having problems gluing metal, my local model shop introduced me to Accelerator. You put superglue on one part, brush accelerator on the part your joining it to, press together and you've a rock solid bond in 5 seconds. Bonus, it joins metal to metal, to resin, to plastic--in fact to anything.

**RogueMarket**

Go pewter~

**Sidstyler**

I voted for resin because I'm not really all that scared of it, and I prefer it for being easier to cut etc...but I also lack experience working with it and honestly I don't really care either way, so long as the parts I'm buying are as finely detailed and as reasonably priced as possible.

Pewter, resin, whatever, just give me bits. lol

**Chapterhouse**

Thanks guys!

I do weigh each and every miniature and bit, resin or metal, and the advantages and disadvantages.

I find it interested that the metal shields are favored over the resin ones

I dont have issues with my thunder hammers, mostly because they are on terminator bases, and those are pretty big. Our smaller salamander hammer may do better for smaller guys.

For example we are going to do a razorback turret cover. It currently is part of the Salamander Land Raider kit - it covers the H Bolter or A Cannon. But we get lots of request for it because it also would fit on the Razorback turret.

This will likely be a pewter piece, its not too big, it lays on top of the turret, and it will be a nice affordable bit since its a single one and pewter is cheaper.

If it was a piece that would be glued on vertically instead of horizontally, i probably wouldnt do pewter..

**Owain**

You cannot use one for all purposes. Resin is far superior for large models because at that scale weight is an issue and if large pieces do not quite fit, resin is easier to cut or sand. Due to its light weight it's also preferred when balance is an issue for smaller models; as assault marines are notoriously difficult to unbalance, they would benefit from resin weapons/shields.

For bits that are small and will probably sell in large quantities, pewter is king. Shoulderpads, heads and helmets.... small items like this have nothing to gain from being lighter and easier to cut; they're unlikely to throw a mini off-balance and the last thing I'm going to do with my beautiful new accessories is cut them up.

**Black Blow Fly**

I prefer pewter over resin since pewter is more durable and easier to work with such as filing. Resin often comes with some bits that are either warped and/or have bubbles. If the bit is a large piece for a vehicle or monstrous creature then I prefer resin because it's much lighter.

G

**lokilokust**

As a modeler, I tend to prefer resin.
As a gamer, I tend to prefer pewter.

**Hasdrubal**

For rank and file bits, go for pewter: the difference in quality shouldn't be seen, and they're cheaper therefore easier to buy in bulk.

For more detailed bits (to be used for HQ, or custom projects), resin all the way!

**Frazzled**

Chapterhouse wrote:OK, I am in a constant discussion with my partner concerning what we make our bits out of, Pewter or Resin?

Pewter..

The pros of Pewter are simple, cost and mold life. Pewter is not labor intensive and the molds last near forever. That translates into cheaper cost to produce and less cost for the customers (my goal). There is some argument on whether pewter loses detail to resin, though I am not sold on that part completely, I see it some.

Pewter is heavier, and many hobbyist dislike it for its toughness (hard to cut).

I like it for small bits like heads and shoulder pads, larger pieces like Vehicle armor and kits I will likely never use it.

Resin...

Its not model plastic, but its not pewter either. It doesnt work with plastic cement, shame.. some say the detail in resin molds is much better then pewter (Ive yet to see proof on this). It is lighter and easier to work with, easy to cut. I think it is too delicate vs pewter for those thin sharp pieces (why I dont think we will do Ymargl Stealer heads in resin, too many tentacles).

Resin is labor intensive to cast, its cost is higher because of this. Plus resin molds have a very limited life vs pewter (30-60 pulls vs 1000s). That means more cost to labor to cast and molds. That equals about a 15-25% increase in cost for the customer.

Example:
Resin Shields - $2.50 each Pewter Shields - $2.00 each
Resin Heads set of 5 - $6.50 per set Pewter Heads set of 5 -$5.00 per set

So I ask you, the hobbyist, what would you buy (not just what you like better). If there was an item that you liked and it was available in both materials, pick a material.. This will affect Chapterhouse Studios choice in casting materials in the future.

Nick
Chapterhousestudios.com

Pah, screw pewter. Lead was light years better.

**aka_mythos**

agnosto wrote:Is plastic out of the question? A small (one that fits in a garage) injection mold machine runs about $4000 and the molds last forever.

Plastic injection molds do not last forever. If you ever get a GW kit with alot of mold lines or warpage that comes from GW's molds not holding up. You have to maintain molds and after every 10K parts on aluminum mold or 30K part on a steel mold, the mold has to be resharpened to continue its use. Also once you start offering lots of products you need space to store the molds properly. They will take up alot of space and require heavy duty shelves to deal with the weight.

**Llamahead**

I tend to prefer pewter I reckon more details will be lost by my painting than by mould problems. To be honest the chief problems with pewter ugly mould lines can be dealt with with well thought out mould lines. I.e. around the shield rather than through the middle.