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Via BoLS:
http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?36951-Finecast-is-Dead

Latest reports coming in from multiple sources:

Lots going on behind the scenes at GW - Look for a public announcement in Q2 of 2014 regarding Finecast:

-GW Proper gets out of Finecast entirely.
-Forgeworld will take control of all remaining Finecast character models.
-These character models will be the only non-plastics in GW's line until they are replaced.
-These character models will be moved over to plastic (and GW control) in time with plastic clampack resculpts.
-There are internal tests taking place to cast some existing Forgeworld resin kits in a new plastic material.

It looks like the resin material is on its way out, and GW is sprinting as fast as it can to replace any Finecast non character kits from their entire range - leaving them as a 100% plastic manufacturer.

If you look at the past few releases, you can see the pattern.

My next question is WHY?

Maybe Forgeworld are looking at PVC?

A GW's manager explain me that The plastic model are more detailed than finecast /resin model, so they 've in mind to replace it.

One of the few things GW has gotten right the last few years finally.

Finecast was a shambles. A terrible medium with worse QA.

I assume if Forgeworld is taking them over that they will be in proper Polyurethane resin like the rest of FW's products?

Thumbs up to them for ditching it fast. GW has responded to the people.

Just as I said on here back in August... Now wait for all the rumours to start again about GW making themselves more appealing to certain big toy companies (no dangerous metal minis and soon to be no resin, just good old kiddy safe plastic...)

Oh, and do people really think they're doing it because they listened to they're customers?!?

Good.

Maybe the new 'plastic' is the stuff they use for some of the kits, like the Wall of Martyrs which seemed a bit less sharp/soft?

Dwarfus wrote:
A GW's manager explain me that The plastic model are more detailed than finecast /resin model, so they 've in mind to replace it.

You know what this means? Price hike!

 scarletsquig wrote:
Maybe Forgeworld are looking at PVC?

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!

 AlexHolker wrote:

Dwarfus wrote:
A GW's manager explain me that The plastic model are more detailed than finecast /resin model, so they 've in mind to replace it.

You know what this means? Price hike!

My thoughts exactly..

You know what? I am yet to buy a fine cast model. I need an Emporers champion model though, so I'll have to enter that territory soon.

I'll gladly pay more to get rid of finecast and fw resin for a higher quality plastic kit. It;s about time they got away from these silly materials.

I think that The plastic model are Best for detail

 silent25 wrote:
-There are internal tests taking place to cast some existing Forgeworld resin kits in a new plastic material.

This is kind of worrying. You can't do the same level of detail in plastic that you can do with resin, and I'd hate to see the awesome FW models replaced by plastic kits with the same rules but none of the fine detail that makes FW kits appealing.

Great news if it's true, and kudos to GW for admitting their error and rectifying it (if only tacitly).

I haven't had to buy a Finecast kit yet, so I'd be thrilled to escape the Finecast era unscathed.

Dwarfus wrote:
I think that The plastic model are Best for detail

Not even close. Plastic suffers from technical problems (no undercuts, etc) that limit the level of detail you can get. A well-done resin model (IOW, not finecast) is capable of having much more detail than plastic.

 Peregrine wrote:


This is kind of worrying. You can't do the same level of detail in plastic that you can do with resin, and I'd hate to see the awesome FW models replaced by plastic kits with the same rules but none of the fine detail that makes FW kits appealing.

And no doubt sold at the same, or higher, price.

 Peregrine wrote:

Dwarfus wrote:
I think that The plastic model are Best for detail

Not even close. Plastic suffers from technical problems (no undercuts, etc) that limit the level of detail you can get. A well-done resin model (IOW, not finecast) is capable of having much more detail than plastic.

Dwarfus - plastic has improved vastly over the past decade, and GW's is some of the best. But, it still can't come close to some resin/metal miniatures in terms of detail.

GW dropping FC, while good for the fans who have bemoaned the step-down in production values that have come since its introduction, is another step back from the top in terms of miniature craft.

And.. TBH I don't think a lot of GW/FWs current character line would be possible in plastic, so they will most likely be an approximation. Will be interesting to see how it turns out in any case.

Dwarfus wrote:
I think that The plastic model are Best for detail

No, plastic has technical issues due to the casting method that prevent it from ever reaching the quality of detail that proper resin (not Failcrap), has.

And:

There are internal tests taking place to cast some existing Forgeworld resin kits in a new plastic material.

Who wants to take a bet that GW has "discovered" PVC?

Plastic can't match metal/resin in terms of "detail per cubic inch" but that's not the only expression of detail.

For example, metal versions of the Coven Throne (with it's "outflung" dynamism) or something like a Doomwheel or Drop Pod (with their "hollow" 3D details) would have never been possible in metal.

Then again, I admit that's a bit of a strawman argument, since we're pretty much talking character models in this thread, and I think almost anybody would admit plastic is superior for larger kits.

Altruizine wrote:
Plastic can't match metal/resin in terms of "detail per cubic inch" but that's not the only expression of detail.

It's not about quantity of detail it's about type of detail. For example, the DKoK infantry gas mask hoses: once you clean up the flash there's a visible gap between the hose and the body. But that isn't possible in plastic, you'd have to model the hose as a raised bump on the body with no gap and that isn't going to look as good. Or compare the exhaust bits on the back of a FW LRBT to the plastic LRBT: on the FW kit the round holes are all perfect circles, on the plastic kit only some of them are circles and the rest are ovals because you can't have overhangs in a plastic kit. These small details might not matter to the people who just want to get a decent model on the table as cheaply as possible, but the difference does exist.

Well here is my take one it:

Yes, resin, finecast, metal are all extremely detailed, maybe even more so than plastic.

However think of apple's latest iPhone. It has this new processor that is 3x as fast as the previous iPhone. Now that's all well and good...but was the previous iPhone really all that slow anyway?? Not really.

So same goes for plastic and resin. Yes resin/metal is highly detailed and provides modelling tricks that plastic can't accomplish AS WELL AS resin, however it is still very detailed in it's own right, and it doesn't suffer from as many defects as resin does.

I have bought the odd finecast model, and yes they are superbly detailed and look good once completed, but they require so much work to put together, and dare you break off a sword or even a finger (did this once on a cryptek), it is the single biggest pain in the bum to get back on. Although if you do this with plastic the thing may not snap off but will be eternally screwed, it has a much lesser chance of breaking in the first place, and is way more durable.

Also I am not modelling expert, but to do with the gaps between hoses and capes, etc, couldn't you just mold the head and hose or cape separately to the body so that you can achieve that visible gap? From my modelling experience I think they are more inclined to do this with 40k miniatures rather than fantasy, however the Dark Eldar Archon model has a cape without a gap between the legs.

So in my humble opinion, plastic is the way to go.

My next question is WHY?

Because it's a terrible product introduced as a cheaper alternative to metal while they prepared to go full plastic. Finecast has always had rumours that it was a temporary measure. It's a substandard product at premium rates.

 DrSchwartz wrote:
So same goes for plastic and resin. Yes resin/metal is highly detailed and provides modelling tricks that plastic can't accomplish AS WELL AS resin, however it is still very detailed in it's own right, and it doesn't suffer from as many defects as resin does.

You have a right to have low standards. Some of us, however, don't share them.

I have bought the odd finecast model, and yes they are superbly detailed and look good once completed, they require to much work to put together, and dare you break off a sword or even a finger (did this once on a cryptek), it is the single biggest pain in the bum to get back on. Although if you do this with plastic the thing may not snap off but will be eternally screwed, it has a much lesser chance of snapping and is way more durable.

That's because you're talking about finecast, not resin. Finecast is garbage, it's a terrible material cast by incompetent people and sold with nonexistent quality control. Real resin kits do not have those problems.

As I understand it, from what I was told by "people who know what they're talking about", Finecast was always meant to be a temporary measure anyway.

So will Eldar now be squatted?
Will all new Codices and armybooks only have 2-3 characters as low run models are not supported anymore?

 Kroothawk wrote:
So will Eldar now be squatted?

As long as it brings the Squats back I'm fully behind that

I'm cautiously optimistic about this... if every single finecast model is replaced by a £18 plastic miniature, i shall be petitioning for the return of finecast. But if the cost stays down, I'll be happy.

 ph34r wrote:
Thumbs up to them for ditching it fast. GW has responded to the people.

Fast?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:

 ph34r wrote:
Thumbs up to them for ditching it fast. GW has responded to the people.

Fast?

Compared to the time we've been waiting for plastic Sisters, it's fast!
Or to the return of Squats!