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Metals will always be my favourite. I'm glad many companies are offering metals (and started offering metals) in this age of plastic. For me, metal commands respect. Treat the models with care and they'll treat you with care. But, treat metals like they are plastic, and expect chips, bends and damage. Also, I want my miniature collection to cause my display shelves to buckle under the weight!

I've grown up with metals models so modeling with them is second nature. Pins, use of glue and general positioning are part of my standard assembly (yes, I occasionally pin plastic models!). My first pieces were the Epic Capitol Imperialis (a hideous model to assemble), Genestealer Hybrids and metal marines with plastic arms. You have to treat them as, well, miniatures and not toys. I've often see players with a heap of plastic models in their dead pile or just flung into a box and it always makes me wince. You just can't do that with metals.

Metal is no worse than plastic for painting. Both materials need to be properly prepared and protected when finished. (I.e. wash, prime , and varnish.)

Plastic obviously is easier to assemble and modifiy. This often isn't an issue with historical figures. 15mm figures are nearly always one piece.

Painting wise metal are no different from plastic. Just use a good primer. I like Vallejos polyurethane stuff, it makes the models a lot less prone to chip.

If you have a lot of models to build, metal can be a bit of a chore. If it is a single large monster, I kind of like working with metal.

I prefer metal infantry, Resin for large beasts and small vehicles/walkers and plastics for large vehicles and walkers.

It's why Beyond the Gates of Antares has appealed so much to me lately now that I think about it. Not that they have large hard plastic kits yet but otherwise they meet my needs.

Metals are easier for me to assemble, prime and paint. They don't chip and more importantly, bits don't snap off or warp once painted. God I hate resin infantry sized models...OK, not all mostly GW but I've mostly moved on from them since Failcast.

I'm very happy to paint metal minis even though pinning is an extra step

I always use a decent primer and leave it to dry for at least 24 hours before continuing (it does make a real difference to rubbing

although I admit once you pass a certain size they do get to be a pain and metal wings on a big dragon or similar are a recipie for trouble

I have a great time painting metal minis, especially because most of them only come in 2-3 pieces, or are single piece. Instead of spending hours clipping and cleaning sprues, I just have to bend a few arms or weapons, clean some flash/seam lines, and they're good to go.

I guess the problem with pinning only occurs with 28mm or larger miniatures. Multi-part metal models are extremely rare in smaller scales.

I'll echo the same advice as others - a good primer and a good varnish will keep the paint on your minis, and some metal models will need a wash, like resin models, to get rid of the release agent. Metal models have the additional bonus of being very obvious when some of the paint begins to wear off!

No problems with metal. I happen to like it quite alot. Nothing like the totemic heft of a good metal mini, but that's not all...

A good primer (did you remember to wash the figure first?) and a varnish makes the paint plenty durable. They'll never be as easy to modify as plastic, but they're actually not that hard to convert if you use proper methods.

What I'm not a huge fan of is Resin, which is more prone to warpage and breakage. Metal is by far my favorite material for single-pose sculpts and figures that aren't commercially viable to produce in polystyrene plastic.

The only place I usually prefer plastic is for big units of troops where you want some variation and there is a real cost savings to plastic. However, sometimes even then there can be a charm to ranks of nearly identical metal troops.

I paint almost exclusively metal miniatures these days. I use a flat black spray paint that costs 98 cents from Walmart that I use for primer. I game with my minis on a regular basis, and I don't typically handle them with care. They're not chipped, and they look pretty good after years of use.

I suspect that most of the problem with chipping is that people are handling their miniatures either prior to the painting process or during the painting process. If true, you're just setting yourself up for failure. The mini needs to be washed before you prime to get rid of particulates, mold release, and skin oils. After it's primed, either handle it by the base during painting or mount it to something to hold onto. Lastly, use a quality sealer.

Won't pay for metal or resin myself, just not worth my time. I'm hard plastic all the way, makes the hobby process much more enjoyable to me.

Blimey, kids these days. When I were lad, we 'ad to make our own minis by chewing lumps of lead into shape, and we were grateful for t'chance.

I don't have much beef with either plastic or metal. I prefer spears and lances in plastic, rather than end up with shiny metal spaghetti, though the former can snap a little too easily at times. (If someone could do decent moulded heads on wire spears, for a decent price, I'd be very happy) For example, buying metal and plastic white lions off ebay from different sellers, both tossed in a jiffy bag: the plastic versions arrived with more bits than they originally had.

And for all that GW plastics have come on in the last few years, I look at things like slab-sided heads, and mail or other texture that just kind of fades out as it goes round, and sigh inside. Then there's new plastics outside GW, too much of which ironically looks like old plastic - multipart cuts and layouts that GW was doing almost twenty years ago.

Painting, meh. Pinning and gluing can be a faff on bigger models, or with tiny connections like some old Malifaux metals, but the superglue/putty sandwich works well enough for me so far.

I actually prefer metal, for regular sized guys on foot. I like the weight and a good primer and good varnish will protect your pant jobs just fine. For skirmish games anyway. Big army games I like plastic better but that's more about cost since you need tons of guys.

Anything bigger than your average man sized mini should be resin or plastic though. Even though it was one of their selling points way back when, one thing I didn't like about Warmachine at first was the big metal warjacks

 jreilly89 wrote:
I like the weight, but they can be a pain to model. The paint doesn't always stick and sometimes you have to pin them

I've never had a problem with paint "sticking". It does chip easier if and when they fall down but that is a factor not of the paint adhesion but the heavier weight of the model leading to more energy that strikes the paint when it hits a surface. I actually prefer painting metal models because I know that they can easily and QUICKLY be stripped at a future date with practically any cleaning solution to a like new condition without worrying about chemically melting my model into a pile of goo. I strip plastics and resin but I have to be much more careful to not damage the model with both the cleaning solution (and yes I use milder ones like simple green on them) as well as the brush (a softer one than I use for metals). The glue adhesion though with plastic glue is MUCH better than even pinned CYA glued metal models and obviously there is a weight savings as well. While plastics generally have less detail unless very well designed onto the sprue, they're also much much easier to convert. Each material has its own strengths and weaknesses but I've never considered metal to be a pain to paint. Perhaps you're not properly soaking/washing your model with water and vinegar prior to painting or using a primer coat? That does help.


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 Vermis wrote:
Blimey, kids these days. When I were lad, we 'ad to make our own minis by chewing lumps of lead into shape, and we were grateful for t'chance.

And then you'd have to paint them with uranium based glow in the dark paints all while licking the brushes to keep the points sharp! Let's not give the kids any bad ideas. It's already bad enough that anytime someone mentions filing resin you get a bunch of folks trying to warn gamers of that vile weaponized radioactive caustic aersolized poison without the appropriate level 10 force field hazmat precautions!

 warboss wrote:
I actually prefer painting metal models because I know that they can easily and QUICKLY be stripped at a future date with practically any cleaning solution to a like new condition without worrying about chemically melting my model into a pile of goo. I strip plastics and resin but I have to be much more careful to not damage the model with both the cleaning solution (and yes I use milder ones like simple green on them) as well as the brush (a softer one than I use for metals).

Strip-ability is a huge factor for me too though more on the acquisition end since I almost never repaint. Half or more of my minis are used figs and not only does paint come of metal much easier and more reliably than plastic, but a bad paintjob tends to knock the price waaay down. If not for bad/mediocre paintjobs on metal figs, my figure collection would be much smaller and have cost me alot more.

Assembly is another factor of metal figs. Usually metal is jst one or two parts and just need a touch of filing. Multipart plastic is fine for characters and small skirmish forces, but it can get a bit old when you've got 50 figs to make and each has 4-8 parts, all of which have to be cut, scraped and glued.

 Eilif wrote:
Assembly is another factor of metal figs. usually they're one or two parts and just need a touch of filing. Multipart is fine for characters and small skirmish forces, but it can get a bit old when you've got 50 figs to make and each has 4-8 parts, all of which have to be cut, scraped and glued.

Or when you have 4-8 minis and each has 50 parts ala Robotech. It's a bit of an exaggeration but you generally don't get that issue with metals as they tend to have lower model counts when compared as close as possible for like detail. Undercuts with plastics generally results in a higher parts count but, as I said before, that is mostly mitigated by the ease and durability of assembly compared with metals.

I prefer my metal models to have lead in them, they're much quicker to file down and drill. Drilling a lot of lead-free white metal for pinning is quite hard work.

OMG THE OLD NECRON WRIATHS........ THEY MADE ME CRY ONCE.

 Howard A Treesong wrote:
I prefer my metal models to have lead in them, they're much quicker to file down and drill. Drilling a lot of lead-free white metal for pinning is quite hard work.

While actual lead is easy to work with, I do like not having to worry about hazmat procedures when engaging in hobby time. When I’m working with lead, I keep a strict no food/drink rule, and have to pay attention to things like rubbing my eyes/nose/etc.

Another advantage metal minis have: Nobody is afraid or a plastic/resin mini in a sock.

Metal all the way. Except for large models, where I prefer either plastic or resin for practical reasons.

Personally I've never had any issues painting metal models. Just apply a proper primer and you're good to go.

 warboss wrote:

 Eilif wrote:
Assembly is another factor of metal figs. usually they're one or two parts and just need a touch of filing. Multipart is fine for characters and small skirmish forces, but it can get a bit old when you've got 50 figs to make and each has 4-8 parts, all of which have to be cut, scraped and glued.

Or when you have 4-8 minis and each has 50 parts ala Robotech. It's a bit of an exaggeration but you generally don't get that issue with metals as they tend to have lower model counts when compared as close as possible for like detail. Undercuts with plastics generally results in a higher parts count but, as I said before, that is mostly mitigated by the ease and durability of assembly compared with metals.

I still have a couple of robotech sprues sitting around for that reason. They'd look nice with my other N-scale robots, but there are just so many tiny parts!

It's easier to convert, but I'm not sure why folks think plastic is any easier to assemble. To do a great job there is just as much (perhaps more) flash and mold lines to attend to and instead of just sticking the fig on a bass, you've got to put on the arms, head, weapons, etc...

 Nevelon wrote:

 Howard A Treesong wrote:
I prefer my metal models to have lead in them, they're much quicker to file down and drill. Drilling a lot of lead-free white metal for pinning is quite hard work.

While actual lead is easy to work with, I do like not having to worry about hazmat procedures when engaging in hobby time. When I’m working with lead, I keep a strict no food/drink rule, and have to pay attention to things like rubbing my eyes/nose/etc.

Another advantage metal minis have: Nobody is afraid or a plastic/resin mini in a sock.

If you're using glue you shouldn't have fingers going in your eyes anyway. Lead really isn't that hazardous unless you're putting your fingers or actual models in your mouth.

I enjoy assembly because it gives me a reason to pin stuff - which I actually enjoy doing.

I also like painting metal. I'll always opt for a metal version of a model if I can get it.

Metal is probably my favourite material for minis , granted its a bit more of a pain to assemble but I find its almost always worth it.

Its a real shame that there are no really good biodegradable alternatives, I would definately buy more plastic and resin if I knew they would eventually rot !

To me, metal still is what I perceive as default material for this hobby.

At least with infantry oder large infantry size models it's quite fine to work with, although I found hard edges to be a little sensitive at times - paint can rub of if you handle a model regularly oder roughly. For bigger models I prefer resin (if it's an organic type) and plastic (if it's technical like tanks). Assembling my sole metal dreadnought about twenty years ago was harrowing, so I wouldn't really want to do something like this ever again. Metal doesn't keep straight lines as neatly as plastic, too - so vehicles and the likes are better in plastic anyway.

Pinning is something I do on a regular basis. I basically pin all my resin models and as I enjoy using modelled resin bases I'll always pin models to those, regardless of the material.

Another big plus: buying second hand metal miniatures is far preferable to buying plastic or resin second hand as I can simply dunk them in acetone.

The worst material I ever encountered modelling-, assembly- and painting-wise were the restic models I got with Deadzone. Everything made from restic except for the Plague I used to get a few games going is still packed away in some drawer or other (or was given away as a gift).

 Bomster wrote:
To me, metal still is what I perceive as default material for this hobby.

Definitely.
Until recently, it was really only the GW corner of the hobby where a person could build an army with nothing but plastic. With the recent waves of historical plastics and expansion of plastic in other non-historical games plastic has become more popular. However, many games, eras and even some scales remain all or mostly metal.

Metal all the way. I get working with metal can be....difficult. I say this having put together two Dark Elf Hydras (One for me, and one for a friend), an Empire Steam Tank and a Gnoblar Scraplauncher. Perhaps the vilest model ever devised by mortal men.

There is a certain feel to metal that plastic cannot reproduce. I'm sorry to say but plastic, no matter how much the actual model costs, just feels cheap. That's fine for regular troops but when it comes to more elite soldiers or units, metal all the way.

I prefer metal over everything else. I just use a watered down White Scar paint to prime them them with after rinsing them off and I haven't had any trouble in 16 years.

I do not mind pinning models whatsoever, chances are that little pewter hand will pop off just as easily and a little plastic hand unless you use plastic glue.

 NH Gunsmith wrote:
I do not mind pinning models whatsoever, chances are that little pewter hand will pop off just as easily and a little plastic hand unless you use plastic glue.

For things like hands, the difference between plastic and metal is not that big a deal. Even metal, there isn’t a huge amount of torque on the join. It’s the big stuff



The wings on that guy are plastic, the rest is metal. I would have much preferred a plastic dragon, but they didn’t make them at the time. I expect him to shatter into a dozen pieces if I even look at him hard.

You can get some very nice poses with plastic that they couldn’t do in metal. Things like the new Nagash, or that Stormcast guy, held up with magic and whisps. While they might go overboard with the posing sometimes, it’s nice to have options.

I don't particularly enjoy assembling or balancing multipart metal models, and both plastic and resin have their areas of superiority. but I love metal models - particularly a quality single-piece cast. It's the best, Jerry. The Best.

After I had to assemble and paint well over sixty Auxiliary horsemen for my Roman army in Hail Caesare I have absolutely loated the damned things. Same goes for the metal Centurions and the other command elements of their auxiliary infaterie bands, all those pointy shields and sad mustached men gives me nigthmares still.

As long as you prime it well you're fine. It broke my heart when a bunch of my Ultramarines started chipping, but the Army Painter spray I was using wasn't durable enough. Now I use that over white primer and, once they're sealed, they're perfectly fine. Plastic is preferred but I've painted a lot of metal.