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I got Logan Grimnar and Arjac Rockfist they were fine apart from there weapons were bent and some mold lines on the shoulder pads.

I have yet to buy a finecast moddel that was warped, or in any other way less then perfect. It may just have been my luck but I acctualy like the finecast line to be honnest

If people are actually getting better quality Finecast models, that's great news. I like the material in theory and find this whole affair to have been very disappointing (and remain disappointed that every conversion to a less expensive material has also seen an obligatory 20-30% price hike, but that's a whole other thread). I am inclined to get the Necron Nemesor and Vargard models when they release in a week and it makes me sad I'm filled less with eager anticipation; and more with trepidation; over the quality of the product.

Ouze wrote:I am inclined to get the Necron Nemesor and Vargard models when they release in a week and it makes me sad I'm filled less with eager anticipation; and more with trepidation; over the quality of the product.

That's my issue. While I love the material for many reasons over metal, I shouldn't be scared to open the pack and see what's inside. While I've had mostly good experiences with what I've purchased, I've had some bad casts, and still get worried before I open it up.

I even went through a rack of female vampire lords, because I felt like picking one up, and saw the same miscast on all of them. At least I think it was a miscast. Two 'pits' on the inside sleeve of the sword arm. It's not like that on the picture on the clam pack, and I don't remember them on the metal, but it was strange in that they didn't have the giveaway shinyness airbubbles have.

LunaHound wrote:That I can't tell, but atleast the painted one's left leg knee armor is complete and her collar is good.

Holding it in my hand and I'm not seeing a difference on the leg...

Still, I'm going to take this picture and this allegation as a challenge and paint the strumpet within the next couple of weeks... perhaps you'll get a triumphant PM or a 'NOOOOOOOO!'

We'll see ;D

It's awesome that the sculptor put an ET face into that bloke's cloak of skulls.

Shockingly, I haven't had a bad finecast model yet, other than flash which we got on metals anyway. Admittedly I haven't bought than many so far: a Cockatrice, Lictor, 25th Anniversary Marine, Abaddon. All fine, it's only after reading forum finecast woes that I get worried, I have noticed there seems to be a lot more vents included in the later products, maybe they're refining it as they go.

Even my 25th Anniversary marine was perfect, really.

The reflective surface of metal makes it easier to spot problems on metal models than on the flat gray surface of the resin. Looking at the reflections tells a lot about the how smooth a surface is. Think of how easy it is to see dents or waves in in a highly polished automotive paint finish versus a car in gray primer. I'm sure plenty of body and fender guys swear a lot when they get the first shiny color coat sprayed on the car and suddenly surface defects that were not visible in primer become prominent. This is one of the reasons we are getting quite a few reports that the models look fine in the store, even when opening up the package, but upon checking the models at home, more defects show up.

There is also the issue that metal does not usually have the same types of problems that resin has, so people's eyes are not yet trained to look for typical resin problems. This will change as people become more familiar with the material, but people are currently missing obvious (to me anyway) problems and posting pieces as "perfect", when decent photos show that the figures are nowhere near "perfect" by any standard. There have been a number of "perfect" figures posted here in various threads where people with a good knowledge of resin have pointed out the many flaws.

Re the Isabella fig above, the quality of the photo at maximum enlargement is so bad that its hard to tell what is going on with that figure. Would really like to see a high quality version of the photo so we could see what is really happening at the hairline at the center of her forehead, the right eye, the mouth, the pin curls at her left temple, the breast armor (looks like points are missing), between her thigh armor pieces and other places. Given what I CAN see, perfect is not a word I would even consider using to describe this figure.

Tim
15+ years of making custom gold rings and 20 years (with some time overlap with the jewelry) of working with resin including 10 years of Armorcast

mattyrm wrote: I think another reason that there seems to be more problems might be that flaws are way easier to spot on FC models?

I mean, is it just me, or was white metal kinda difficult on the eye?

My Marneus Calgar and HG in white metal, I spent a while filing and cleaning it all up, then glueing them. I took a good look at them before I primed them and I still found it hard to make detail out, it was only after I sprayed them black I went "Oh yeah they are pretty cool models"

Whereas when you look at close up photos of unprimed FC, its really easy to see tiny holes and such in that sort of, dull, light grey materiel. A similar pic of a white metal model to me was more or less just a blur!

Concur? Or is there something wrong with my eyes?

I want to pick up the Sammel master of raven wing model but I don't trust the finecast model to be a decent quality. Has anyone bought this model?

Well I just think its nice to see a finecast thread yet to spout a page worth of hating hate.
Jus saying.

I think the main reason that people feel so awkward about buying finecast is because of how overblown the internet has made the entire products view.
A lot of people I've seen dislike finecast and havent bought a single model. I myself have bought two and except for a piece on one model that would have been just as bad on the metal version, its been pretty good. Its sad to see the really bad 'horror' stories for finecast but the countless amount of hate its recieved mostly just because of how its been talked about online is astonishing really.

Yes, overall the tone has remained neutral but I'd avoid comments like "overblown" if is to remain that way...those are fighting words to some.

My god are they still casting that old Heinrich Kemmler figure?

That cast is nearly 20 years old, a figure sculpted under the casting limitations of the time, cruder detail and overall fairly flat rather than dynamically posed. This was when moulds were more simple and casting technology not as well developed. The industry has come a long way since then.

If they couldn't even cast that old dog of a figure properly it would mean their 'finecast' is below the standards of casting achieved when they were still using lead in their figures.

Why you would pay £10 for that instead of picking up the masses of second hand ones that must be about is beyond me.

As someone stated earlier, UK seem to have far less issues with finecast.
All of my stuff comes from online as i work all week, then spend the weekend catching up on what i couldnt do, so no store for me to check before i buy :(

But as it stands, FC producs ive brought:

Very poor cast - 1 (boneswords, brought a few sets, but only 1 very bad)

Poor cast - 1 (again, another bonesword set)

Average - 0

Good - 10 (midzilla critters, all great except the odd bubble here and there)

Amazing - 3 (old one eye, 2 mangler squigs)


So yea, ive been having a pretty decent time with it, ill grab some pics over the weekend of stuff and throw them on here (see, being a slow painter means that seeing grey is good!)

Henners91 wrote: Holding it in my hand and I'm not seeing a difference on the leg...

Still, I'm going to take this picture and this allegation as a challenge and paint the strumpet within the next couple of weeks... perhaps you'll get a triumphant PM or a 'NOOOOOOOO!'

We'll see ;D

No need, by the time you painted it, would be covered.
The point of seeing the pics are for seeing the model before the fixes.

Off topic, but I rather enjoy the 80s color tone of LunaHound's photo.

On topic, without seeing anything in person, it is impossible to find all the possible defects.

Howard A Treesong wrote:My god are they still casting that old Heinrich Kemmler figure?

That cast is nearly 20 years old, a figure sculpted under the casting limitations of the time, cruder detail and overall fairly flat rather than dynamically posed. This was when moulds were more simple and casting technology not as well developed. The industry has come a long way since then.

If they couldn't even cast that old dog of a figure properly it would mean their 'finecast' is below the standards of casting achieved when they were still using lead in their figures.

Why you would pay £10 for that instead of picking up the masses of second hand ones that must be about is beyond me.

Good Lord you appear to be right; it's such a pretty mini though, it's honestly my fav VC figure... I thought it was brand spanking new

The site I nicked the image from says the right one (my one) is mid-1990s, the older one was 'briefly available' as part of a set.

The older one is worth silly money, I've seen them sell for well over £100.

blood lance wrote:
I think the main reason that people feel so awkward about buying finecast is because of how overblown the internet has made the entire products view.
A lot of people I've seen dislike finecast and havent bought a single model. I myself have bought two and except for a piece on one model that would have been just as bad on the metal version, its been pretty good. Its sad to see the really bad 'horror' stories for finecast but the countless amount of hate its recieved mostly just because of how its been talked about online is astonishing really.

Completely agree. If I didn't come on sites like Dakka etc I would genuinely have no problem with Finecast and not know anything of the faults, based purely on examples I have purchased and seen in person.

Round and round we go.. "All of the FC models I have purchased/seen have been crap/perfect, therefore everyone else is just white knighting/moaning"

Can people not accept that someone else might have had a different experience to them, and not resort to complete extremes of opinion at every opportunity? We are not football fans standing at opposite ends of the field here, and wearing different colours..

As someone has already posted what I wanted to say, I will just copy and paste:

I believe that Finecast is neither a resounding success nor an utter failure but falls somewhere in between on a sculpt by sculpt basis. There are figures that come out of the process near perfect every time and those where it's hit or miss. If by chance you only buy those that have high rates of success then finecast is perfect in your mind, if you are unlucky enough to get some from the other group then obviously you'll believe the opposite. Personally my experiences have been poor but I know there are good ones out there.

and

The way I see it the FC fans really should be supporting the guys who arent happy with their FC purchases. At the end of the day everyone just wants the same thing: A Good Product

People may be happy with their FC purchases but that doesnt invalidate the horror stories that are still out there and that are still being made. Hyperbole, low-fail rate or not the fact remains that unsellable and unusable product is still being made and sold. If you're an FC fan that should be even more so unacceptable to you.

All my FC purchases have been good.
I've had a bunch of wracks and grotesques for my DE, a SM techmarine and Servitors, Necron special characters, and a few others.
All have been acceptable quality, with only minor bubbling (which to me is on par with the "spiking" of metal miniatures.)

Due to the constant talks about Finecast I've not bought any till now, but my Paymaster Maneater was perfect, there wasn't a single bubble or anything else like that

I would post pictures, but it's already painted up, and I'm embarrassed by how bad my painting is

timd wrote:
The reflective surface of metal makes it easier to spot problems on metal models than on the flat gray surface of the resin. Looking at the reflections tells a lot about the how smooth a surface is. Think of how easy it is to see dents or waves in in a highly polished automotive paint finish versus a car in gray primer. I'm sure plenty of body and fender guys swear a lot when they get the first shiny color coat sprayed on the car and suddenly surface defects that were not visible in primer become prominent. This is one of the reasons we are getting quite a few reports that the models look fine in the store, even when opening up the package, but upon checking the models at home, more defects show up.

There is also the issue that metal does not usually have the same types of problems that resin has, so people's eyes are not yet trained to look for typical resin problems. This will change as people become more familiar with the material, but people are currently missing obvious (to me anyway) problems and posting pieces as "perfect", when decent photos show that the figures are nowhere near "perfect" by any standard. There have been a number of "perfect" figures posted here in various threads where people with a good knowledge of resin have pointed out the many flaws.

Re the Isabella fig above, the quality of the photo at maximum enlargement is so bad that its hard to tell what is going on with that figure. Would really like to see a high quality version of the photo so we could see what is really happening at the hairline at the center of her forehead, the right eye, the mouth, the pin curls at her left temple, the breast armor (looks like points are missing), between her thigh armor pieces and other places. Given what I CAN see, perfect is not a word I would even consider using to describe this figure.

Tim
15+ years of making custom gold rings and 20 years (with some time overlap with the jewelry) of working with resin including 10 years of Armorcast

mattyrm wrote: I think another reason that there seems to be more problems might be that flaws are way easier to spot on FC models?

I mean, is it just me, or was white metal kinda difficult on the eye?

My Marneus Calgar and HG in white metal, I spent a while filing and cleaning it all up, then glueing them. I took a good look at them before I primed them and I still found it hard to make detail out, it was only after I sprayed them black I went "Oh yeah they are pretty cool models"

Whereas when you look at close up photos of unprimed FC, its really easy to see tiny holes and such in that sort of, dull, light grey materiel. A similar pic of a white metal model to me was more or less just a blur!

Concur? Or is there something wrong with my eyes?

What? The reflective surface of metal actually makes it harder to spot defects and details. The already bright surface, combined with the glare has always given me real trouble getting all the vents. Finecast, on the other hand, I find much easier on the eye.

Also, technically speaking, every sing metal model ever made is miscast. Look close at a flat surface of a metal model, and you'll notice a very slight pitted texture (the carapace oof a Tyranid model is best for this), and also slightly rounded corners. This is due to shrinkage that occurs after cooling. It is completely unavoidable, but an inherent flaw with the material. Resin doesn't suffer the same problem, but does suffer other problems, such as warping and bubbles.

Also, getting off all the vents and flash on metal models is an absolute pain in the arse. With some of my Tyranids I left a fair amount of them on and just tried to make them look like chitinous barbs (which does work, but they do become a chipping hotspot).

Now, I have had Finecast miscasts. My first ever Finecast model-a Hive Guard from the initial release-had a bubble the size of the end of a detail brushe's handle on the leg (which didn't actually destroy any detail), and the end of the tongue was missing (although the tongue snapped off on my metal Hive Guard, so that didn't matter) but that aside it was perfect. I was actually considering leaving the bubble on and painting it as a wound, but I decided to fill the bubble with green stuff. It didn't take very long at all, and in total the preparation time for the the whole model was around 5 minutes (I leave the arms off my Hive Guard for painting). I also got a badly warped Hive Tyrant Bonesword and horrifically mold-slipped Lash Whip (both from the first wave) but I got them for free, and fixing the bits I actually needed was a doddle. I have had 2 other Finecast models, a Lord Commissar which was absolutely perfect aside from a slightly bent sword and a little bit of flash (I haven't undercoated the model, if anyone wants pictures at some point-not until the weekend though, as I'm at school until then) and a Tyrant Guard, which had a few bubbles on the underside of the hooves (not really a problem). I've already undercoated him, and he's quite heavily converted anyway, so he wouldn't be the best example to give).

Squigsquasher wrote:

Also, technically speaking, every sing metal model ever made is miscast. .

The problem is mate that when you write something like this, people stop reading the rest of your post, no matter how sensible it may be or otherwise.

...How so?

Squigsquasher wrote:

Also, technically speaking, every sing metal model ever made is miscast. .

I know that GW's quality control on metal was sometimes lacking, but that's no reason to tarnish all of model soldier manufacturers with the same brush.

One only need look at Infinity castings to know that metal can achieve amazing detail and quality when done right.

Kilkrazy wrote:

Squigsquasher wrote:

Also, technically speaking, every sing metal model ever made is miscast. .

I know that GW's quality control on metal was sometimes lacking, but that's no reason to tarnish all of model soldier manufacturers with the same brush.

One only need look at Infinity castings to know that metal can achieve amazing detail and quality when done right.

Not to belittle Corvus Belli, whom I have a very big love affair with...

You should see the issues with some of their models.

The best example I can give is the Dakini Tactbots. You cannot fit the ankleguards and the shoulder "wings" on without some serious trial and error. I finally just decided to leave off the shoulder "wings", and attach the ankleguards directly on the ankles rather than at the angle they showcase them at.
Most of their larger models will require you to do some greenstuffing, etc.

In the end it's worth the effort, certainly, but it's far from flawless.

carlos13th wrote:I want to pick up the Sammel master of raven wing model but I don't trust the finecast model to be a decent quality. Has anyone bought this model?

I bought it a few weeks ago. The jet bike had 2 small air bubbles that took 30 seconds to fill in with LGS. The cloak had one that was filled in by primer.

I personally have had mixed experiences - one or two dodgy ones and the rest near perfect. It's the luck of the draw my friends, the luck of the draw.

Kanluwen wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:

Squigsquasher wrote:

Also, technically speaking, every sing metal model ever made is miscast. .

I know that GW's quality control on metal was sometimes lacking, but that's no reason to tarnish all of model soldier manufacturers with the same brush.

One only need look at Infinity castings to know that metal can achieve amazing detail and quality when done right.

Not to belittle Corvus Belli, whom I have a very big love affair with...

You should see the issues with some of their models.

The best example I can give is the Dakini Tactbots. You cannot fit the ankleguards and the shoulder "wings" on without some serious trial and error. I finally just decided to leave off the shoulder "wings", and attach the ankleguards directly on the ankles rather than at the angle they showcase them at.
Most of their larger models will require you to do some greenstuffing, etc.

In the end it's worth the effort, certainly, but it's far from flawless.

You get the same kind of problems with Finecast and with polystyrene kits too.

I'm talking about surface detail.

I have quite a bit of Finecast in my armies, as I am a recently new comer and not much else was available for my models.

The Good:
Striking Scoripions - Perfect
Swooping Hawks - Perfect
Howling Banshees - Perfect
Lord Castellan Creed - Perfect
Sword Brethern Box 1 - Perfect
Lord Commissar - Perfect

The Meh:
Fire Dragons - Warped/Bent Fire Pike
Sword Brethern Box 2 - Warped/Bent Chainswords (3/5 Models)
High Marshal Helbrecht - Bubbled under Feet/Bubbled Sword
Autarch - Bent Sword and Hand

The Bad:
Farseer/Warlock Box - Head was entirely misformed on front and back. Got a replacment from GW and it was even worse. Used Metal heads instead. Warlocks came out alright, albeit mildly bendy swords.
Emperor's Champion - Cloak on back is cracked and didn't appear to fill in properly. Other small miscasts. Replacement is being shipped from GW now.
Dark Reapers - Pieces on the side of their head were so brittle they did not survive shipping. Replacement from GW was just as bad, 3/5 missing pieces to where I just chopped em all off.

Edit: I would like to add one thing about this though. Granted that I have had some issues, and I know I could solve some with just boiling some water (I shouldn't have too). Either way though, with proof of purchase and a detailed description Games-Workshop has never NOT sent me a replacement for the 3 things I have complained about (Farseer/Emperor's Champion/Dark Reapers). Granted I am not bad enough to ask for another when when the replacements came with the same issues, at that point you just make due. But still, I ended up with x2 the amount of pieces than original and they were always cool about attempting to solve my problems.

Farseer Mael Dannan wrote:Granted I am not bad enough to ask for another when when the replacements came with the same issues, at that point you just make due. But still, I ended up with x2 the amount of pieces than original and they were always cool about attempting to solve my problems.

WTF? Dude, seriously, you get problems twice in a row, and you think 'hey, OK...'? No wonder GW keep peddling this gak.