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I've honestly never had a problem with their single mini models like death corps or titan crew on foot. Anything bigger than that i've seen issues

I recently helped put together a friends thunderhawk for him. I ended up needing to boil:

Upper hull
wings
lower hull (twice, once to allow the wings to fit. the second so it would match with the upper hull)

Now i understand that this stuff warps over time when left in storage like they do but christ almighty you'd think they could keep one hull piece straight. It was literally twisted like a helix.

HBMC i agree on the efford vs reward. My only complaint, and maybe others have seen this, is that the Effort vs Reward is very skewed when working identical items.

First warhound i got was a breeze, next warhound needed 80% of the pistons re-shaped, multiple area's that needed puttied around the carapace to remove the creases..
A better example: I got two grey knight dreads, same model, one needed 5x the work of the other. In essence there is no consistency in their casting process. Is this going to keep me from buying FW? Not a chance. why? because its all we have, until someone can bring out models that look as good with less issues and a cheaper price, we as hobbyists will work around their faults.

Mewiththeface wrote:I much prefer the FW trygon to the plastic and I am happy they still produce it.

They do? I haven't seen it on the website for some time.

augustus5 wrote:

Ed_Bodger wrote:Seriously how hard can it be to make Rhino doors that fit the hinges aren't even in the right place.

So far from Forge world I have bought:

2 x warhound titan
1 x thunderhawk
3 x rhino doors
1 x venerable dreadnaught

and other bits and none of them fit even though you pay through the nose for them. Anyone else experienced this?

Assuming you didn't order 2 Warhounds, 1 Thunderhawk, the rhino doors and dread all in one order, my question is what ever made you keep going back and ordering more stuff when you kept receiving gakked up kits?

No the Warhounds and the Tunderhawk were one order the rest were a separate order over a year later.

I recently got the SW Venerable Dread. Being a new mold, I was quite pleased. No major warpage, no airbubbles that needed a huge amount of filling, though there was a great deal more flash/excess resin in hard to get areas that I found acceptable. I'm pleased with the end result, though it does not, in the slightest, make up for the atrocity that my Thunderhawk was.

My Elysian infantry, though possessed of many other (mostly design) problems, had no issues with casting, which I suppose is good. The Vulture I ordered was completely messed up in the cockpit, one side of the exterior looking as though it had undergone tectonic shift. (As in, all the details were there, but part of the thing had just... collapsed in upon itself, though the piece was solid.)

Despite all these setbacks, I'm going to try again. For my upcoming Salamanders army, I want to get the appropriate Terminator shoulder pads and Land Raider doors. Does anyone have experience with these?

Resin is a nightmare to work with, I know because I worked with it for fourteen years!(and it smells). Anyway the problem seems to lie with various processes done in resin. Firstly it shrinks in the mould, moulds need to be slightly overfilled to at least retain the shape or object cast. Also the casting will always be slightly smaller than the master, I used to make complex resin models as a job and they NEVER NEVER fit together! Took a lot of drilling, sanding and using resin to join gaps. We used to use car body filler to combat this.
Also the catalyst heats up the resin as it cures. If you use too much it dries too fast and warps or even cracks. Way too much and it goes on fire. I should know: I set fire to the work's wheelie bin using this method...
Unless it is a one piece casting, resin does not provide good joins by a long stretch. Lastly, I've never found water and detergent to work very well as a resin model cleaner. There are dozens of types of resin available and you should check before you try this but we used Acetone. This effectively took away the shine leaving a perfect surface for painting straight on to. Again CHECK that Acetone won't dissolve the particular resin that you have.

H.B.M.C. wrote:I recently got the Inquisitorial TL-Psycannon Turrets, but sadly they come with just the guns and the targeter. You still have to have a spare Razorback turret of your own to build them.

I was not happy.

To be fair, it does say that it's a conversion kit for a razorback. Implying that it needs razorback parts.

If it included the whole turret then it'd be a conversion kit for a rhino - no razorback parts would be required.

Slipstream wrote:Resin is a nightmare to work with, I know because I worked with it for fourteen years!(and it smells). Anyway the problem seems to lie with various processes done in resin. Firstly it shrinks in the mould, moulds need to be slightly overfilled to at least retain the shape or object cast. Also the casting will always be slightly smaller than the master, I used to make complex resin models as a job and they NEVER NEVER fit together! Took a lot of drilling, sanding and using resin to join gaps. We used to use car body filler to combat this.
Also the catalyst heats up the resin as it cures. If you use too much it dries too fast and warps or even cracks. Way too much and it goes on fire. I should know: I set fire to the work's wheelie bin using this method...
Unless it is a one piece casting, resin does not provide good joins by a long stretch. Lastly, I've never found water and detergent to work very well as a resin model cleaner. There are dozens of types of resin available and you should check before you try this but we used Acetone. This effectively took away the shine leaving a perfect surface for painting straight on to. Again CHECK that Acetone won't dissolve the particular resin that you have.

Im glad someones said this. I wanted to say something like this but didnt. People also seem to forget that GW sells thousands of models, Forgeworld may sell a few hundred of the popular stuff. There are huge differences in the way resin is worked compared to injection moulded plastic.

Saying that there are some companies out there now injection moulding resin but again the costs involved in that are huge. These people are using injection moulded resin and the quality is superb, things like the seat belts are seperated from the seats and theres no flash in the gaps:
http://www.neomega-resin.com/cockpit.htm

Although I agree with this thread, the older kits I've had from FW have had very grainy resin and bent peices, it annoys me that so few people call to complain to FW.

If the kit needs anything more doing to it than FWs cleaning tutortial explains then you are entitled to a free replacement (at least in the UK), and the only way that FW are going to learn to do things right is if enough people ring up to complain.
Lots of complaints and/or replacements will alert managerial staff to poor quality control, especially if big kits like Thunderhawks are being sent out as replacements!

DiscoVader wrote:Holy crap, that seems like so much more work than it needs to be. I saw one of those painted down at the Showcase Comics in Bryn Mawr, but I didn't realize how many fiddly pieces there were on it. Damn.

Also, thanks for the info on the Hector Rex/etc. Good to know that they seem to be good models. Interesting to know that the retinue is made up of single-piece models, but I guess it makes sense if you think about it.

while i honestly didn't pay much attention to the retinue since i got rex as a grey knight grand master stand in, i did have a few problems with the model that i got. the psychic hood was broken off half way up, the sword was completely bent (and very thin to begin with) and his cloak was thin enough in a few parts to have some moth eaten holes in it that have to be patched up. in the end, those problems were fixed in assembly but problems with the casting to begin with. as a side note, the detail on the fig is quite incredible and i was astounded at how much it has in person (the internet pics don't do it justice). that's the reason he's still on the side of my painting bench duelling with abaddon... i don't want to screw him up!

ollieholmes wrote:
Saying that there are some companies out there now injection moulding resin but again the costs involved in that are huge. These people are using injection moulded resin and the quality is superb, things like the seat belts are seperated from the seats and theres no flash in the gaps:
http://www.neomega-resin.com/cockpit.htm

I don't recall anyone stating anything about INJECTION moulding of resin.

Pressure casting is different. It is still the same kind of casting as normal resin casting. Two- (or more) part mould, liquid resin mix. No steel trap dies, no injection of anything into anything else.

With resin casting, as it is generally an exothermic isopolymer, heat is a by product (and gas bubbles). With room temp and 1 atmo pressure, these bubbles don't have time to leave the mix before the surface sets, trapping them inside.

Pressure casting involves pouring the cast as normal, except it is placed into a pressure vessel (commonly a paint spraying pot that will hold around 5 gallons or so of paint) that is hooked up to a compressor for the curing time. Pressure is altered (50psi is common) for the demoulding time (normal time). This pressure forces the bubbles to leave the solution via the vent holes and results in cleaner casts.

You can even do clear bubble free castings with this method. You can't without it.

Im pretty sure it wasnt pressure moulding, any resin caster i know worth their salt uses one.

Clear resin is wonderfull, ive got some lovely clear aircraft canopies made using it and they are amasing.

The fact remains that regardless how difficult resin is to work with FW should look at their quality control. For the price you pay for their products the percentage of deficient pieces is unacceptable. If you sold products with this many defects direct to industry you would go bust in a year, it just illustrates how reluctant people are to complain especially here in the UK.

Scott-S6 wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:I recently got the Inquisitorial TL-Psycannon Turrets, but sadly they come with just the guns and the targeter. You still have to have a spare Razorback turret of your own to build them.

I was not happy.

To be fair, it does say that it's a conversion kit for a razorback. Implying that it needs razorback parts.

If it included the whole turret then it'd be a conversion kit for a rhino - no razorback parts would be required.

I thought this was the case, but hadn't had chance to go check for myself.

Well I'll agree with Ed_Bodger here..
I don't care if resin is hard to work with, I dont care about different ways of casting it, i dont care if the mold is old etc etc.. They are not giving me their products for free, I am paying for them (and I am paying quite a bit more than I pay for the rest of my models from GW)
I want good quality

You can complain about it, I know I did, but you won't get a honest reply, or one at all regarding the product quality. Which is kinda sad when you compare FW's stuff to GW's top notch stuff.

soooo....I was thinking about picking up a couple of Tauros assault vehicles and a Tauros Venator, but after reading this I'm not so sure. Anyone have any experience with these vehicles?

they're relatively new sculpts so you'll have less problems on average as the molds aren't worn out yet. that doesn't mean you won't have problems, just that you should have less on average.

I'll throw my story in here. I eagery awaited my Hydra kit and Imperial command dugout for two weeks, and lo and behold it was on my front porch ("success" I thought!). Then I open the box and look at the Hydra turret fixings. Bent barrels, very soft details, minor flashing, vein like lines all over the pieces and a horribly warped baseplate. The Dug-out looks pretty good, like it's made of superior materials and cast out of a much nicer mold. The Hydra looks like steamy gak.

And of course one of the barrels was broken.

Personally i think FW designs are way better looking than GW's i guess more realistic?

I was crushed when i was told if i cant even fix minor issue like warped resin i shouldnt even bother with FW.

LunaHound wrote:
Personally i think FW designs are way better looking than GW's i guess more realistic?

I was crushed when i was told if i cant even fix minor issue like warped resin i shouldnt even bother with FW.

It can be fixed, with lots of patience and the right tools. Right now, I am running these parts under scalding water, and they are slowly getting back into shape with just hand pressure. It will probably take several days to get the barrels straight, but I still have the issue of the snapped one. I am trying to bend it into shape so when it does need to be reapplied, all I'll need is super glue.

If you're having such a problem with the barrels Stormrider, send them an email/phone call. They'll gladly replace it, at no cost, and send it out UPS Express.

Since they upgraded/swapped their site, response times have gone from "maybe this year" to "under 5 hours, depending on if you send it during their working hours or not".

But yeah. The Hydra kit has some issues, simply because the mold is almost as old as some of the posters on here.

Stormrider wrote:

LunaHound wrote:
Personally i think FW designs are way better looking than GW's i guess more realistic?

I was crushed when i was told if i cant even fix minor issue like warped resin i shouldnt even bother with FW.

It can be fixed, with lots of patience and the right tools. Right now, I am running these parts under scalding water, and they are slowly getting back into shape with just hand pressure. It will probably take several days to get the barrels straight, but I still have the issue of the snapped one. I am trying to bend it into shape so when it does need to be reapplied, all I'll need is super glue.

I havnt tried the soaking method so far i used hair dryer. Is it me does the resin feel abit waxy after its heated?

Not only that, but it's four long thin pieces of resin that are meant to be completely straight. Is it any wonder that that kit, above most of the others, is going to have the most issues, especially with FW's track record?

H.B.M.C. wrote:Not only that, but it's four long thin pieces of resin that are meant to be completely straight. Is it any wonder that that kit, above most of the others, is going to have the most issues, especially with FW's track record?

Indeed, regrettably I should have done some sleuthing on here before I impulse bought a Hydra. Serves me right as I am sure GW will make a plastic kit soon enough anyway.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

Kanluwen wrote:If you're having such a problem with the barrels Stormrider, send them an email/phone call. They'll gladly replace it, at no cost, and send it out UPS Express.

Since they upgraded/swapped their site, response times have gone from "maybe this year" to "under 5 hours, depending on if you send it during their working hours or not".

But yeah. The Hydra kit has some issues, simply because the mold is almost as old as some of the posters on here.

If it becomes a major pain (which it certainly could), I'll do that. I am hoping I can do some surgery.

With the state of your barrels, I'd consider getting replacements first. What happened to yours sounds 10 times worse than the Hydras my friend ordered. Get new ones.

Plus, they won't ask for the parts to be sent back to them(unless we're talking about a Titan or something huge like that). So you can just save the current one for later on, or have it wrecked to have a spiked Hydra as a scenery piece.

Well, after some more careful heating and bending I think it's respectable, but you can bet I will be getting some free replacement cannons!

godswildcard wrote:soooo....I was thinking about picking up a couple of Tauros assault vehicles and a Tauros Venator, but after reading this I'm not so sure. Anyone have any experience with these vehicles?

I have two of both. One of each is in great shape, the other a mess. It's like I got one of the first and one of the last casts, which is over a year old by the look of it, but I got both kits at the time of release. All in all good kits, just be sure that those chassis aren't too warped.

Just my two cents...

Over the years, I've had predominantly GREAT experiences with FW - I've got figures, 3 dreads, various other little bits (LR conversion kits etc...), the Thunderbolt and Lightning fighter kits, and a Reaver Titan. (No. 881...it's my Xmas pressie, but I opened it up, inventoried and checked the parts for dmage / completeness.)

The only thing I've ever had trouble with was the Lightning fighter - there was some shocking mis-moulding that I had to fix / putty.

Everything else has been very good- the Reaver in particular is one of the cleanest, beautifully moulded sculpts I've ever seen from any company. (Watch out for a blog after Xmas...)

I've read the Net horror stories, but thankfully have been spared the dramas...(touch wood!)

Padre^.

none of them fit even though you pay through the nose for them

-THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

none of them fit is funny, paying through the nose for them is just filthy!