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Disclaimer: With this thread I am not advertising/endorsing chinese recasts or want to promote any sort of illegal activity


So I bought second hand from a regular at my LFGS several DKoK IG since they are by far my favorite IG regiment but FW prices are way too expensive for me. However lately I have become increasingly suspicious they may be chinese recasts something I always avoided, since I tend to mistrust their products, specially these cheap ripoffs that lack any sort of control, I am getting increasingly nervous about the health hazard they may prove. I live in a single room and keep all my hobby stuff in here, so I am getting worried about prolonged exposure.

Am I just being paranoid or should I just get rid of them?

Or just paint them. no one can tell once they are painted.

 Swastakowey wrote:
Or just paint them. no one can tell once they are painted.

Uh? That has nothing to do with the questions I asked.

Very true... Sorry dude, im tired as.

 Swastakowey wrote:
Very true... Sorry dude, im tired as.

Heh, no worries. Time for you to go to bed

Health hazard? They aren't cast in radioactive waste, you know... They're resin but a different mix than FW's. There's nothing to worry about.

Paint them. The paint will seal them, if that's worrying you.

 loki old fart wrote:
Paint them. The paint will seal them, if that's worrying you.

Paint can seal them ? I guess that's a good assurance.

 -DE- wrote:
Health hazard? They aren't cast in radioactive waste, you know

Honestly? I wouldn't put past them, after the milk scandal in their country, who knows whatever they would put in the resin to save costs. I wouldn't be surprised that in a hot day they would start to release some sort of toxic gas.

But then I have no idea, that's why I am asking

Resin is pretty toxic stuff, regardless of whether it comes from China, Russia or the UK. Wear a dust mask when you file them, and do so outtside if at all possible. Wet-sand them, wash them before painting and you should be just fine.

That advice goes for all resin, from ForgeWorld to Mierce to Scotia Grendel to China-Panda-Recasta

How dangerous can they be? GW used to make figures with lead. It's only a problem if you put them in your mouth.

If you bought them in good faith, just paint them up and be a bit more careful next time, no need to dispose of them and waste your money.

Resin does not give off toxic vapors, even knockoff Chinese resin. Recasters don't use illicit substances brought over from deep African jungle, they commonly use low-grade resin that's also used by some smaller companies in the West.

Thanks for the info guys, I really didn't want to throw away this guys or sell them since I really wanted a DKoK army.

Though one last thing to put my mind at ease, are you sure that the models those chinese guys sell it's actual resin and not some sort of knockoff plastic look a like? Because I only bough regular citadel stuff, so I have no idea how resin should look like.

It has to be resin, plastic requires an entirely different production method and a substantially higher investment to get going.

But, as has been said, the odds of it being toxic to you just sitting there are so small as to be laughable, if you're really concerned take precautions when sanding/filing not to inhale the dust and you'll be fine.

What makes you think they are recasts?

Herzlos wrote:
What makes you think they are recasts?

The cheap price to which he sold them to me, knowing at least once he bought recasts (though he also buys legit FW stuff, at least I think) and some of the minis were still on the mold thingies(sorry I can't remember the English world) which are quite different of those of Citadel (dunno about how FW are).

Though maybe they are legit and I am being paranoid, maybe he was just being nice to me since I already stated more than once around the store that I would fething love a DKoK army.

Honestly, if you're happy with the price you paid, and the quality of the casts, it doesn't matter.

The odds of there being a risk to your health are tiny, and don't worry about the vents/sprues/whatever, Fw ones will be mostly very different to anything Citadel do.

 GuardStrider wrote:
so I have no idea how resin should look like.

There's a bit of variation in the resin I have gotten from Forge World on the larger things, but on smaller things it is pretty consistently a somewhat flexible blue to purple color. Again, they don't really have a set color, but that's been my anecdotal experience, I believe someone posted they've gotten pinkish resin from FW before.

A better test would be to snap a piece off of one. As I said, all of the FW resin is somewhat flexible; whereas the cheap recaster resin usually tends to be brittle with little flex. Again, not a sure sign, as I have seen some recasters use a dark blue and somewhat flexible resin.

The best test would be if there are double mold lines. That will be a dead giveaway that they are recasts. However, the recasters are substantially better about mold lines than the could-care-less guys at Forge World, so you may only find the original mold line.

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. Resin is resin, whether it's from Shanghai or Nottingham. They're both inert substances that pose no danger when used as intended, but regardless of origin are not appropriate to crush up and snort, ingest, or insert into any body cavity. Paint them and play with them.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
The models, not the body cavities.

I once sold a full resin (FW) Valkyrie for $50 (AUD).

Before the plastic kit came out. It cost me about $120 or so when I got it. It had so many issues with it, and after fixing them and priming it, I just wanted to be rid of it.

Resale price on its own is NOT a good indicator of a recast.

Now, if YOU purchase them direct from fleabay and get a really low price that's too good to be true, and the casts are actually BETTER than the originals, then it probably (just probably) MIGHT be a recast.

 GuardStrider wrote:
Thanks for the info guys, I really didn't want to throw away this guys or sell them since I really wanted a DKoK army.

Though one last thing to put my mind at ease, are you sure that the models those chinese guys sell it's actual resin and not some sort of knockoff plastic look a like? Because I only bough regular citadel stuff, so I have no idea how resin should look like.

I wouldn't risk it, you better just send them to me.

 Ouze wrote:

 GuardStrider wrote:
so I have no idea how resin should look like.

There's a bit of variation in the resin I have gotten from Forge World on the larger things, but on smaller things it is pretty consistently a somewhat flexible blue to purple color. Again, they don't really have a set color, but that's been my anecdotal experience, I believe someone posted they've gotten pinkish resin from FW before.

I've never seen them be anything other than variations of grey. But I think the only way to tell if it's a recast is to ask the guy, or to compare very carefully with a real one - looking for vents and mould lines - if they are in different places it's a recast. If everything is the right shape and fits perfectly I'd be suspicious, too.

Just being cheap doesn't mean much; he might just not want them for some reason (sick of trying to assemble them for instance). I've bought FW and sold it off for 50-60% RRP unopened, purely because I'd rather have the money for other things I'll use.

Even if it's a recast; it's a similar resin with similar quality control, so just paint it and use them.

I wouldn't worry about health hazards unless you are struggling to breathe around them or they are giving you a rash then they are likely fine.

I have been to some factories in China as part of my professional life that manufacture different products, while the quality can be poor they are generally not hazardous to health because of strict import laws around the world, this even goes for the 'fake' products some of these places make.

A common source of counterfeit product is what I have heard people refer to as 'night shift fakes' This is where keyholding staff let themselves and friends in at night, fire up the machines and begin producing their own versions of products, this can be using their own moulds in a plastic factory or cheap components in an electrical good (headphones is one I have personally seen) while the quality is inferior as they are often rushed, use fake packaging (as the real packaging is often shipped into the factory and 2000 missing boxes would ring alarms in an audit) and obviously have no manufacturers warranty as serial numbers cannot be generated without ringing alarms they are fundamentally safe products just made of poor quality parts.

Again even the proper factories can seem quite unhealthy and I am sure they are for the workers but once processed the goods themselves are safe, one factory I did not personally visit but I have seen photos of from a business contact makes consumer goods like bags and cases for everything from musical instruments to firearms and I kid you not the loading in bay was basically lorries pouring old bald tyres into a huge rubber hopper to be melted down and reused. A toxic process but one that produces a safe clean (and ironically by Western Standards 'Recycled and environmentally friendly')
product at the end.

 throwoff wrote:
I wouldn't worry about health hazards unless you are struggling to breathe around them or they are giving you a rash then they are likely fine.

I have been to some factories in China as part of my professional life that manufacture different products, while the quality can be poor they are generally not hazardous to health because of strict import laws around the world, this even goes for the 'fake' products some of these places make.

A common source of counterfeit product is what I have heard people refer to as 'night shift fakes' This is where keyholding staff let themselves and friends in at night, fire up the machines and begin producing their own versions of products, this can be using their own moulds in a plastic factory or cheap components in an electrical good (headphones is one I have personally seen) while the quality is inferior as they are often rushed, use fake packaging (as the real packaging is often shipped into the factory and 2000 missing boxes would ring alarms in an audit) and obviously have no manufacturers warranty as serial numbers cannot be generated without ringing alarms they are fundamentally safe products just made of poor quality parts.

Again even the proper factories can seem quite unhealthy and I am sure they are for the workers but once processed the goods themselves are safe, one factory I did not personally visit but I have seen photos of from a business contact makes consumer goods like bags and cases for everything from musical instruments to firearms and I kid you not the loading in bay was basically lorries pouring old bald tyres into a huge rubber hopper to be melted down and reused. A toxic process but one that produces a safe clean (and ironically by Western Standards 'Recycled and environmentally friendly')
product at the end.

Very interesting and educative , I was worried since it was illegal (if it is recast) it would be made of some sort of adulterated resin mixed with potentially dangerous waste materials.


Well anyway I will keep them, thanks guys.

And to any mod reading this, once again I say this thread was with no intent of endorsing/promoting recasts, I just got those mini and then started getting seriously paranoid, and couldn't think of a better place to come to ask.

 Azazelx wrote:
Resin is pretty toxic stuff, regardless of whether it comes from China, Russia or the UK. Wear a dust mask when you file them, and do so outtside if at all possible. Wet-sand them, wash them before painting and you should be just fine.

That advice goes for all resin, from ForgeWorld to Mierce to Scotia Grendel to China-Panda-Recasta

ALWAYS wet sand. doesn't matter what it is. "never breathe what you can't see" --Jello Biafra.

Herzlos wrote:
I've never seen them be anything other than variations of grey.

I don't think I've ever really seen a pure grey.

Since it's at least somewhat related to the OP, what colors have you guys gotten from Forge World direct?

Mostly grey, but my older Red Scorpions stuff is light tan.

 Ouze wrote:

Herzlos wrote:
I've never seen them be anything other than variations of grey.

I don't think I've ever really seen a pure grey.

Since it's at least somewhat related to the OP, what colors have you guys gotten from Forge World direct?

A light tan(mostly for scenery pieces), white(a lot of early infantry stuff was white), and different variations of grey. Some light greys, some dark greys, and some just plain greys.

I've had so many different variations of colour with resin; from extremely dark grey of the older Battlefront stuff, through to the almost white resin used by Hawk Wargames and everything in-between. Quite often I've even had variations in colour from the same company.

I'm not sure though that any particular colour is indicative of better or worse quality however?

 melkorthetonedeaf wrote:

 Azazelx wrote:
Resin is pretty toxic stuff, regardless of whether it comes from China, Russia or the UK. Wear a dust mask when you file them, and do so outtside if at all possible. Wet-sand them, wash them before painting and you should be just fine.

That advice goes for all resin, from ForgeWorld to Mierce to Scotia Grendel to China-Panda-Recasta

ALWAYS wet sand. doesn't matter what it is. "never breathe what you can't see" --Jello Biafra.

What...like air?

 azreal13 wrote:

 melkorthetonedeaf wrote:

 Azazelx wrote:
Resin is pretty toxic stuff, regardless of whether it comes from China, Russia or the UK. Wear a dust mask when you file them, and do so outtside if at all possible. Wet-sand them, wash them before painting and you should be just fine.

That advice goes for all resin, from ForgeWorld to Mierce to Scotia Grendel to China-Panda-Recasta

ALWAYS wet sand. doesn't matter what it is. "never breathe what you can't see" --Jello Biafra.

What...like air?

Studies show that 100% of the people who have died, have at some point in their life breathed air. That data is out for everyone to check, people just choose to ignore it, WAKE UP SHEEPLE.

That legitimately sounds like something Jello would have said in the 90's, too.