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These came included in a lot I bought on Ebay, which did have another recast model included (though the seller denies this). The resin feels a bit cheaper than normal FW items, though that may not mean anything. The models are Inquisitor Rex's retinue. Any ideas?

Probably? The heavy sprue on the bottom would make me suspicious. That said... you bought second hand models.

From a morality standpoint, your purchase does not support GW financially anyhow. So the morality issue of not supporting artists through purchase of legitimate product is a non-issue on your part.

From a quality standpoint, you may have beef with the seller but unless specifically purchased as “legit” models (not your assumption, but actively advertised pre-purchase) this would be a case of buyer beware.

Additionally, the seller may not be aware of the recast nature of the models. Never ascribe to malice, that which may be reasonably explained through incompetence.

Difficult to tell; the gates aren’t necessarily an indication as I have had some genuine FW models with huge gates. The mound lines look a little rougher on these than the official ones I bought, but that was a few years ago, so the mound could have worn.

I have no "moral issue" with recasts. I will say these are good quality recasts, if recasts they are. The Hector Rex model I have, which arrived broken, looks and feels like a recast.

As seen here.

I've bought a bunch of FW stuff over the years, and found many of the characteristics people claim can identify recasts as features of the real deal too.

Double mold lines? Some actual FW models have double mold lines. It seems that, at least sometimes, a 3D printed master is used to produce a number of duplicates and then the actual production molds are made from those.

Odd color? FW's used a bunch of kinds of resin in all different colors, from dark grey to light grey to yellow to cream, over the years.

Smell? See above, and also how well the resin is mixed can vary batch-to-batch.

Size of mold lines or slips? If FW's quality control wasn't so hit-and-miss this might be a good metric, but I've gotten some really poor casts from FW so I wouldn't assume something is recast on account of production quality.

I've even seen what are clearly recasts on eBay (very low price, from Russia, long-OOP models) with fake Forge World packaging, so even a model that looks to be NIB might actually be a recast.

So, if you bought secondhand, it's pretty much impossible to tell for certain. We can speculate, but there's no smoking gun that identifies something as a recast.

There is absolutely nothing morally dubious about buying secondhand legit models. You aren’t wronging Toyota if you buy a used Camry, and you aren’t staining your honor getting someone’s old leman russes from a flea market. Recasts on the other hand, certainly that’s IP theft.

I've got a brand new one still in the blister. I'll check it tomorrow, see if the gates match.

phillv85 wrote:
I've got a brand new one still in the blister. I'll check it tomorrow, see if the gates match.

Cool, Thanksgiving

Deleted

Not the gates your models came on. Who's to say they aren't from a different generation of mold made by another me,bee of staff using a different technique?

The easiest way to tell would be to scratch and sniff. Nearly all resin from recasters tends to have an odor that you just don't get from FW. Some call it a petrol smell but I think it's more like permanent marker.

If they've been around a while then the surface will have gassed off by now, but if you scrape the surface away then the fresh stuff should whiff for a bit.

There's only one producer this isn't true for, although there's been real improvements in the resin used by all the major producers recently, and that isn't his work.

Deleted

To be fair I have had models direct from FW with those exact same gates. I'd veer more into saying these are recasts but I couldn't be certain. Especiay since these are really old models that have been released in a few different resins and forms over the years.

Most recasts I have purchased have little to no gates on them at all.

The misinformation in this thread is hilarious

My models have a triangular block leading into a small tab before the model. Those you have don't look anything like the gates on mine unfortunately.

Who knows and who cares.
You've got them now so it's not really something you need to care about.

ValentineGames wrote:
Who knows and who cares.
You've got them now so it's not really something you need to care about.

It is if I plan on selling them. At this point, I'm not sure I feel comfortable doing so, though I suppose I could put a disclaimer on the lot and accept a much lower selling price.

 Badablack wrote:
There is absolutely nothing morally dubious about buying secondhand legit models. You aren’t wronging Toyota if you buy a used Camry, and you aren’t staining your honor getting someone’s old leman russes from a flea market. Recasts on the other hand, certainly that’s IP theft.

"You wouldn't download a car!"

If the models look good or are worth what you paid...who cares?

If unsure and you want to later sell them, just put you aren't sure and say you bought on ebay...though unsure why you are planning to sell models you just got...

Regardless of if it is or isn't a recast, it's your model now. Do what you will. It really doesn't matter if its real or recast as it wasn't bought from the company proper anyways.