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I'm glad to see so many people that have had a good run of luck with the FC stuff!

Unfortunately, The Great Wolf, I did a head-swap on him yesterday (ironic, right?).
I've always liked the model, but the head wasn't what I was going for as I'm using the model as an Imperial Officer of some sort in my Inquisitorial Retinue. I did manage to salvage his hat though

That's the amazing thing about Finecast. I'm currently looking at a Commissars hat that I've cut from a model that is ready to be used however I'd like. As pretty much 90% of my stuff is kit-bashed or converted in some form, the flexibility of FC is a huge win for me, as it allows me to really spice my models up with nice resin bits.
I think GW dropped the ball a little bit when they didn't really advertise the conversion and modification opportunities of FC.

Gorechild wrote:I think their spiel about FC being so much more finely detailed was over exagerated, but simply for ease of assembly/conversion I prefer it as a material.

I was pretty disappointed when they took that route to hype the launch. There's other, actually noticeable improvments they could have concentrated on, particularly, like you said, ease of assembly and conversion. But I guess it's hard making an entire White Dwarf issue around that concept.

Got a Sorcerer of Tzeench as a test model to see if the woes where held true. It didn't this time, the model came together easily, came with a lovely detailed base. Painted and shelved as I don't play Warriors.

I run a three strike policy. In the summer i'm going to order some Haradrim Commanders. That will be the second swing. I'll get a Doom Bull as well. That can be the third test.

I've got a few FC models. In order of purchase.

DE Sslyth - Great cast, a couple of minor air bubbles I shot some superglue into, and a bent gun sheathe arm. I decided to replace a few of the arms with stuff from the plastic Kalabite set. Looks great. Overall happiness 4.5/5

DE Lamia - Another great cast. Sheathe is a little warped. Going to use the hot water one it. Overall happiness 4.5/5

DE Lelith Hesperax - Goodish cast. There was a lot of flash I had to clean up around the face and when I was cleaning it up I found her left ear (under all the flash). Her left shoulder plate was either so thin that I mistook it for flash and removed it, or was just flashy - either way what I perceive as the left shoulder plate (which is pretty much a spike) looks very good. Small air bubbling around her bottomside leaving the impression of exposed ladybits - haven't fixed this yet - not sure I should. And lastly her right hand dagger hilt was cast so thin that it broke almost instantly when trying to remove it from the sprue. Despite these four things I still like the cast - I removed the dagger altogether leaving her with a clenched fist and I removed the flagpole she's standing on leaving the impression that she's landing from an aerial attack. I kind of like it and I figure I can alway put her on a skyboard if I decided I didn't. Overall happiness 4/5, there's a lot of good detail in a delicate looking figure.

and by proxy my son recently bought
Trayzn the Infinite - Great cast, I don't remember seeing anything about it that pissed me off (and I was fearful I would find a bunch). Staff was bent...son hot watered it, was less bent, I'm sure I could straighten it out all the way. My son painted it up and it looks great. Overall happiness 5/5.

That being said I'm still not sold on buying $150 on four boxes of FC sight unseen. Even less so if I'm doing mail order from a place a thousand miles away. Just not there yet. One mini at a time I guess.

I have big mek with kff, box of wracks, haemoculous, succubus, archon, incubi, and urien wrackarth.none had any casting issues that I could find.

Shadowbrand wrote:Got a Sorcerer of Tzeench as a test model to see if the woes where held true. It didn't this time, the model came together easily, came with a lovely detailed base. Painted and shelved as I don't play Warriors.

I run a three strike policy. In the summer i'm going to order some Haradrim Commanders. That will be the second swing. I'll get a Doom Bull as well. That can be the third test.

Hang on - was your Sorcerer of Tzeentch this dude?

If so, then he was plastic, not Finecast...

My own finecast purchases were three boxes of plaguemarines...

There were only a couple miscasts or bubbles in the entire lot (and of those, i only fixed one, because the others just seemed to work for a nurgle army)

Actually, i would say that of the FC stuff i have bought, i've had less work toget them going than with the FW stuff sitting on my desk.

I haven't bought a finecast model myself, but I have obtained some second hand. The ones I have obtained didn't really have any issues and they were much easier to glue than the metals! I found they seem to paint different as well. Not exactly sure but it felt different painting the finecast than any metal models I've painted.

I think finecast will continue to improve and I'll probably be actually buying some soon.

I have bought 6 Hive Guard. Most perfect 2 had some bubbling but it was nearly unnoticeable.

Terminator Librarian had a bent staff but it was fixed easily.

Coteaz was perfect.

In general I am okay with Finecast, obvious price rises are questionable, especially with some figures almost doubling in price, but the material in general is lovely to work with.

As to what I have had so far.


Tyranid Hive Tyrant - got it as soon as it came out, absolute dream to put together, no pinning required. Some minor poc marks, but nothing serious and fits in with the Tyranid look. Only minor issue was a horrific bent sword, and even after several warm to cold treatments, its not fully straight, but is at a point it doesn't bother me.

Necron Imotek, in general fine, some minor poc marks across the cloak, but didn't seem to distract from the fig, weapon slightly bent but an easy fix.

Necron Cryptek, absolutely fine, no issues.

Lord Commissar - once again pretty much spot on, sword bent again, but I think this is likely to be a common issue with any long weapon. Thankfully apart from the horrible reverse bend like the Tyrant had, its generally a easy fix.

Isabella von Carstien was my last buy, which had a couple of serious flaws. a bubble had formed in her left ear, removing the ear and a section of the hair, also another bubble under the chin had removed most of the chin, and was almost through to her mouth. This was sent back and GW replaced it. The replacement was acceptable.

Aura has also had a Succubus, she had a nasty chin issue too, I think some other minor issues as well, which got a replacement figure sent out. The second one was fine.

I picked up Huron Blackheart and a Necron Overlord to paint up for friends of mine at Christmas. Admittedly, I also picked them up to try the new material. I couldn't find an Ork model that I really needed and wanted at the time (I'm pretty well set for Orks at this point and most of their range is plastic anyway), so presents for friends seemed a good solution.

I did have to fill in some air bubbles on the Necron Overlord's cape thing, but that's about it. I wound up resculpting a chunk of Huron's leg, then smacking my forehead when I figured out that it was supposed to be melta-damaged. That, I honestly blame on not knowing the model. Then again, how many of us really paint multiples of Special Characters?

At any rate, I found out a few things. First, I'm a big prep guy. I spend a lot of time going over models with my files and knives and greenstuff before I paint. It's just how I do things and it's actually part of the fun for me. Even factoring filling in the bubbles in the Overlord's cape, prep was both easy and straight forward. Not using files is a little bit odd, but not really a drawback. The only issue I ran into was that Huron's axe arm having releasing agent still on it. A quick soak in Dawn took care of that. It was actually more of a head scratcher since the rest of the model was fine.

I did see a couple of questionable blisters when the material first came out, but the newer ones seem to be both better and more consistent than the originals.

I can't say I'm a fan of the price jump, but I understand it given that they've apparently gone from 10-ups in metal to 3-ups in Finecast. In terms of quality, I know folks have encountered problems, but I haven't in the models I've worked on. With my Orks and my Sisters, I've really seen more and bigger issues with metals.

My biggest issue with Finecast is the lack of weight to it. I'm used to metal models. Picking up an HQ and really feeling like you've got something there. It's more of a tactile thing there, but you don't get the same weighty feeling with a Finecast piece.

MrGiggles wrote:That, I honestly blame on not knowing the model. Then again, how many of us really paint multiples of Special Characters?

Or look at the picture on the front of the clam pack.

Just this afternoon I put together an Imotekh the Stormlord. I bought this piece around Christmas, and finally got around to putting him together, and I am not impressed.

Now, there is nothing horrendously wrong with the figure. Nothing is grotesquely miscast, and there are no glaring air bubbles in any key places.

However, there are some places in his cape & loincloth where the resin is so thin that it is translucent, and one strand on the side of his cape was broken in its sprue. And of course, there are small air bubbles at the bottom of his cape, but I'm not going to get upset over that as even their demo picture has those bubbles, wherein they have even been humourously highlighted.

However, I'm very disappointed with the overall quality. The fine detail just isn't there; in fact often it's so thin that it's more like a thin layer of detritus that withers away at the touch. And most of all, I'm disappointed in how obviously low-grade the resin itself is. It has almost no weight, and no structure. I can only describe it as feeling pliable like non-galvanized rubber. Honestly, its fragility is such that I expect it to break during transport from inside the GW figure case.

Like I said, there's nothing shockingly bad about it, but the entire model honestly feels like the sort of cheap copy that you would expect from a recaster. (and yes, it was bought direct)

I won't create hate threads about Finecast, and I won't get up in arms over it. However, I will not purchase any additional Finecast. The product just does not seem to be as good as as GW's plastics.

(BTW- I don't know if something has changed lately, but the last box of Deathmarks I bought felt like they were made of a heavier-duty plastic than Necron Warriors, and there was almost zero flashing or mold lines on them. Whatever was used for those things should be how all of the models are made)

I've purchased a Finecast Warboss, and a finecast Broodlord so far, and both of them were pretty decent casts, no problem with Finecast so far, bar the Warboss's squig breaking off because of the softness of the material, but a quick pin vice job fixed with minimal hassle.

So far Ive had:
Eldar shadowseer
Dragon ogre shaggoth
Khorne exalted hero
Broodlord
1 Hive Guard
Dark eldar archon & incubi
All of these have been pretty much spot on with only minor imperfections mainly in places that cant really be seen, like the underside of cloaks. I honestly prefer finecast to metal as it is much easier to work with on bulkier models like the hive guard or particularly the shaggoth.

Azazel, I think this is the case for most of the newer plastic kits.

I realize that there are those who are irritated or tired of seeing finecast complaints, especially when their own experiences have been positive. However, other than acting as a source of irritation, what harm comes of it...and this is a long shot...if GW takes heed and improves the process so that instead of X% defects you now have <X%? Let's face it, the defects are there, that can't even be argued (check out the mega thread). It doesn't occur in every product and doesn't affect every customer but it still occurs often enough to be more than a blip.

I'm only writing this out of curiousity, not hating on FC, GW or those who've had good experiences.

I too love resin and I'm crossing my fingers that eventually they'll nail this thing. >

coyotius wrote:Let's face it, the defects are there, that can't even be argued

And yet people here still are arguing it, or, at best, attempting to explain it away a year after release.

coyotius wrote:I realize that there are those who are irritated or tired of seeing finecast complaints, especially when their own experiences have been positive. However, other than acting as a source of irritation, what harm comes of it...and this is a long shot...if GW takes heed and improves the process so that instead of X% defects you now have <X%? Let's face it, the defects are there, that can't even be argued (check out the mega thread). It doesn't occur in every product and doesn't affect every customer but it still occurs often enough to be more than a blip.

I'm only writing this out of curiousity, not hating on FC, GW or those who've had good experiences.

I too love resin and I'm crossing my fingers that eventually they'll nail this thing. >

I think everyone can agree on the above - that we want Finecast to be as good as possible. I think the problem is there is differing interpretation of what constitutes 'good', and what people are prepared to accept in terms of the work that needs doing on a model bought off the shelf.

Also, I think there is a certain amount of indignation from the more longstanding fans - that perhaps new players and hobbyists will accept flawed merchandise, and won't realise anything is wrong with it. The kid thought Lilith looked great on the picture on the website, but why is her sword missing bits and she has a chunk missing from the back of her head? Combined with the first-time painting effort, the overall result is horrific - they get thrown in a box, and he picks up the xbox controller.

This isn't a criticism but an observation - I'm guessing the OP is quite young and probably doesn't have much experience of miniatures outside of GW's own. If you have nothing else to draw comparison to then of course the current Finecast hit rate is, well, fine. For those of us however who can look at minis from other manufacturers, or GWs own past quality for that matter, then FC is not acceptable in its current form.

I really don't understand where the finecast defenders get off trying to say it looks good.

I have yet to see 1 finecast model that actually looks nearly as good as any metal model GW has made.

They could be better with a better mix of plastin/ resic.

As for the good sculpts, I saw a couple. One was the necromancer, the other was a space marine guy. Other then that, the more detail, the worse for wear.

There are some truly mind numbing pictures over in the other thread for how truly low the mighty have fallen, though.


As for recovering from this one, Hate to say it, but I'm not seeing it. Especially if they end up putting these in the 6th edition box sets.

So far I have purchased the Necron Overlord, Cryptek, Hive Tyrant, Hive Guard, Venomthrope, Brood Lord and a Zoanthrope.

Of all of those the only one I had a problem with was the Zoanthrope; the join at the bottom is not strong enough to support the model - I admit I may have weakened the join a bit myself, but it's still not great.

Overall I am very happy with the finecast and much prefer it over the metal models. So... where are my Finecast MEGANOBS?!

Brother Axel wrote:Hey guys and gals!

So, I've been lurking for a long time and read SOOOO many threads about Finecast (Failcast. Failco$t. Failcrapst ETC).

But, I don't think I've seen one that says anything positive about Finecast, and that's a real danm shame tbh.

Here ya go, a thread where the mods warned anyone that dared say anything negative:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/427192.page

I'm curious why there needs to be a "fair and balanced" view on Dakka. There's already a thread about Finecast. Why do we need a second, super special one about how lovely and wonderful it is? Why not post all your positive experiences in that thread?

Edit: i also find it suspect that you registered and posted this thread almost immediately. On most message boards, people would suspect you of being a paid shill of some sort for such an act.

Brother Gyoken wrote:Why not post all your positive experiences in that thread?

With unpainted pictures please...it just helps strengthen the claim.

Well, I'm glad your experience of Finecast has been a positive one. For the record, out of five purchases (Terminator Librarian,Chaplain, Draigo, Crowe and a Broodlord) every one needed to be exchanged at least once before I had an acceptable cast.

No hatred, just observation.

Emerett wrote:I really don't understand where the finecast defenders get off trying to say it looks good.

I have yet to see 1 finecast model that actually looks nearly as good as any metal model GW has made.

Brother Gyoken wrote:

Brother Axel wrote:Hey guys and gals!

So, I've been lurking for a long time and read SOOOO many threads about Finecast (Failcast. Failco$t. Failcrapst ETC).

But, I don't think I've seen one that says anything positive about Finecast, and that's a real danm shame tbh.

Here ya go, a thread where the mods warned anyone that dared say anything negative:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/427192.page

I'm curious why there needs to be a "fair and balanced" view on Dakka. There's already a thread about Finecast. Why do we need a second, super special one about how lovely and wonderful it is? Why not post all your positive experiences in that thread?

Edit: i also find it suspect that you registered and posted this thread almost immediately. On most message boards, people would suspect you of being a paid shill of some sort for such an act.

I'm sorry, did neither of you not read the title of this thread? Hate goes in the OTHER thread. Now if you have an actual problem with a Fincast product and can discuss it in a way that isn't hateful then by all means post away.

I haven't had much Citadel Finecast experience - I've been limited to an Ultramarines Chapter Champion model and, just this week, an Asterion Moloc from Forge World (obviously, FW firmly deny that they use Citadel Finecast for any models, as that is specifically a GW brand - they have just been known to use a resin mixture that's coincidentally completely identical to Citadel Finecast )

The disadvantages? Neither model was perfect: the Chapter Champion was missing a chunk of his elbow, although I was able to fill that out with green stuff with no bother, and Moloc has a hollow foot but, for some inexplicable reason, he still has the treads on his boots spread out over the hollow center. Still, it's the foot he's standing on, so now he's glued to his base, noone else shall ever see it.

As for advantages? Well, the lighert weight and increased resistance to dropping is excellent (the same day I got Moloc, one of my cats "assisted" me in some shelf clearing by knocking a row of metal Legion of the Damned models off the shelf and four feet down onto a wooden floor - they exploded). I also love how much easier it is to file and butcher Citadel Finecast - that Ultramarines chappie was not an Ultramarine for long. I also approve of how easy it is to bend and manipulate when you warm it up: I never did manage to get my resin Nurgle Sorceror's halberd straight, but the considerably warped spear being wielded my Moloc took all of 15 seconds to adjust to perfection, including cooling time. I can imagine that this would be very useful if you wanted to reposition limps or tails as well.

I don't think I've ever had a "perfect" finecast model. Nearly every one I've bought has either needed a touch or so of LGS or the staff has had to get some sort of replacement bit. I'm still positive overall mainly because the Bunker staff are so great when it comes to fixing problems and I really really hate metal.

Can anyone here actually provide us with some high resolution, unpainted, pictures of what a 'perfect' or 'flawless' Finecast miniature looks like please?

I feel that maybe i've been hard done by, as I've gone through nearly £1000 worth of the stuff and not come across a single perfect/flawless mini yet. I've had less than half a dozen 'acceptable' ones now from that tally, but none were anywhere near perfect or flawless.

By 'acceptable' I mean that I only needed to fill in up to a dozen or so bubbles, and resculpt a few detail obscuring voids on the mini, and recarve a few areas where mould tears from prior casts have added extra material to my model.

This is still terrible compared to any other company's resin products, but in my considerable experience is the best i've seen, and after a couple of hours prep-work, the painting of said models was quite a pleasurable experience. Just like most things in life you have to work for.

Surely someone can shed some light on what the grail of Finecast is? I genuinely want to know what I should be looking out for.

H.B.M.C. wrote:

coyotius wrote:Let's face it, the defects are there, that can't even be argued

And yet people here still are arguing it, or, at best, attempting to explain it away a year after release.

Amazing isn't it?

Orki wrote:Can anyone here actually provide us with some high resolution, unpainted, pictures of what a 'perfect' or 'flawless' Finecast miniature looks like please?

I feel that maybe i've been hard done by, as I've gone through nearly £1000 worth of the stuff and not come across a single perfect/flawless mini yet. I've had less than half a dozen 'acceptable' ones now from that tally, but none were anywhere near perfect or flawless.

By 'acceptable' I mean that I only needed to fill in up to a dozen or so bubbles, and resculpt a few detail obscuring voids on the mini, and recarve a few areas where mould tears from prior casts have added extra material to my model.

This is still terrible compared to any other company's resin products, but in my considerable experience is the best i've seen, and after a couple of hours prep-work, the painting of said models was quite a pleasurable experience. Just like most things in life you have to work for.

Surely someone can shed some light on what the grail of Finecast is? I genuinely want to know what I should be looking out for.

I too would like to see.

Don't get me wrong, I have seen really good casts. In fact I own one (Terminator Librarian - And it only took two replacements to get... Third times a charm I guess.), but the overwhelming majority of Finecast that I've seen has been FAIL. I believe (and I'll catch major flak for saying this) that a large majority of those who defend Finecast have incredibly low quality standards or perhaps poor eyesight.

All I'm asking is to be proven wrong. So please, I implore you Fincast defenders to try and change my assumption before flaming me. Make me believe in Finecast.

oni wrote:
I too would like to see.

Don't get me wrong, I have seen really good casts. In fact I own one (Terminator Librarian - And it only took two replacements to get... Third times a charm I guess.), but the overwhelming majority of Finecast that I've seen has been FAIL. I believe (and I'll catch major flak for saying this) that a large majority of those who defend Finecast have incredibly low quality standards or perhaps poor eyesight.

All I'm asking is to be proven wrong. So please, I implore you Fincast defenders to try and change my assumption before flaming me. Make me believe in Finecast.

How DARE you to doubt the words of all these fine gents! If they say that their failcrap miniatures are flawless, then that is because they are! You are just another hater coming in here and asking for "proof"! Everybody knows that Failcrap is a revolutionary casting method that produces the best miniatures in the universe, so say GW, so say we all!