Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

There's a lot of hate for Finecast out there, there is no denying it, but I would like to know why. I've recently started working with it, and I find it quite a pleasure, I've bought two models, an upgrade sprue and some bitz, and I've had no problems. Yes, getting the figures off the sprue can be a tough thing to do, but any imperfections are easily remedied, the detail is far better than that of metal, and it is so much easier to start converting things.
Have I just been very lucky, have I fallen for GW marketing, or am I missing something here?

I never really understood it myself either, as the details are really nice on all the finecast models I have worked with so far. My guess is the primary complaint is the pricing that GW follows, as many seem to assume it's cheaper (no idea whether it is or not), because I certainly haven't personally seen any other reason to dislike the finecast range of miniatures themselves. (I have also though resigned myself many moons ago to the fact that the hobby is just plain expensive :p)

the root of the problem is, for the amount of money you are paying for a small piece of cast resin, you shouldn't HAVE to correct that number of imperfections.

the material glues nicely, is light, takes paint well and looks nice. but to charge you MORE money to make MORE work is nigh unacceptable.

When finecast was released GW put it out there that it was the best of the best but it was just awful. But I have noticed that all finecast products have improved.

What you tend to find on forums is plenty of people willing to jump on the bandwagon.

1. More expensive. Metals were already expensive, Finecast is more expensive. In Oz, Zoanthropes retail for $41, so for a brood of 3 you're looking at $123 for bugger all models.

2. More flaws. Large bubbles which obscure large amounts of details and require resculpting are unacceptable IMO, especially for a "premium" priced model. Even on their official promotions you could often see the models had bubbles obscuring details.

3. More flaws. Even without the large bubbles, you're likely to find small bubbles. Easier to fix and don't obscure detail, but still unacceptable IMO for models which cost that much.

4. Even more flaws. The casts are often bent and require work to straighten them, and sometimes bend back by themselves because the material has some degree of memory. You can see even on the GW store, some finecast models with long barrels or swords, they're bent, even on their own website they weren't able to get them straight. Now, metals could come bent as well, but it was simpler to fix and would stay there until you accidently bent it again, I much prefer that scenario. I bought a Broodlord with a wonky toe in finecast and there was really no way to fix it, as it was too small to bend back without breaking.

5. Brittle. I haven't had much of a problem with this myself, I haven't bought any models with thin enough parts to worry about the brittleness, but it is a complaint I've heard. Parts are more inclined to just completely snap off compared to metal just bending and being able to be bent back, or plastic which can absorb a lot more energy before bending and finally snapping.

6. Poor quality control. All of the above are problems which far too often hit the shelves. Even if GW are happy to replace models which are flawed, for the massive prices they ask for finecast, I expect better quality control so I don't have to waste MY time and effort returning them.

Now, the benefits of Finecast...

1. Sharper edges can be moulded. I like that, but it's all for naught if the edges are also subject to bubbles. It does mean you can cast more detail as well, but again, what's the point if there's a 25% chance that detail will just be obscured by a bubble.

2. Lighter. Some people actually prefer the weight of a metal model, but I myself appreciate a light weight model.

3. Easier to cut. Obviously this is a nice one if you plan on doing any conversion work, and the main thing I like about finecast.

I've bought a couple of finecast models and have been impressed with the sharpness of the edges and clarity of detail. I have, however, been extremely unimpressed with the amount of work I have to do before painting to bring it up to a standard worthy of actually being painted, and this is unacceptable in my mind given they advertise it as being superior and charge significantly more money for it. I'm not buying any more finecast until I walk in to a shop and the vast majority of models DON'T have flaws, compared to the last time I walked in to a shop and the vast majority of models DID have some flaws that would require pre-work.

I've purchased 5 Finecast kits so far, each one came with imperfections I couldn't fix (mostly air bubbles). They've all been replaced by GW, but its still rather annoying.

Bent guns and such are fixable, but still really, really annoying. For how freaking much we're paying for a plastic figure that's barely an inch tall, there shouldn't be any real issues.

Out of the several finecast models I've purchased, the only one that was totally unacceptable (due to several large air bubbles) was replaced by GW with no questions asked. Other than that one example, I haven't suffered too much from air bubbles, but it is a real problem and several people have had to deal with them.


I have had success bending Finecast parts back into shape by putting them under hot running tap water. Once the resin heats up enough, it can easily be bent into position. The only thing you have to be aware of is it will probably have to be held in position until it cools and you may have to "over compensate" the bend to get it too cool in the correct location. I have to do this same scenario on ForgeWorld kits as well.


I can understand why people would be annoyed at having to pay the higher price and still have to fix things. I still had to fix errors on metal models, but as said by others above, it wasn't nearly so difficult (and no air bubbles, but lots of pesky little "growths" that I never seem to get them all before priming the figure).

But the lighter weight is a key selling point for me on some models. Zoan's and Slaan's are just way too top heavy as metal models and no mater what you do they will inevitably end up on their side on the board during a game because they fell over.

I've tried four times to buy finecast. Each time, based on the reviews I'd read, I asked to take the model out of the package prior to purchase to inspect it. Each time the model had glaring issues and I declined to buy it.
This last time, I tried to buy a Blue Scribes and when I opened the box the entire model was covered in a sheet of resin. Almost as if the two part mould had been partially open during the casting process. Needless to say, I have no finecast.