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One great reason for metal models: Second hand buying. If you wanted to strip paint on them you could throw them in some pretty harsh chemicals, let them sit for a week, give them a harsh scrubbing with a stiff brush, and be good to go. Try that with plastic and you have a pile of goo. I bought a second edition Carnifex that I left sitting in an old soup can filled with carburetor cleaner for 6 weeks (totally forgot about it in my parents' garage). One of the cleanest strippings I've ever had.


Nothing is more durable than a 1-piece metal figure, especially from thermal melting. I had a bits-bag haul from the FLGS I accidentally left on my car's dash in July. I remembered about it about 10AM the next morning, totally warped to heck.

Ideal situation for metal: Many 1-piece, points-dense figures. with different poses. That way you still have variation without being too heavy. Kind of like my vintage Necron army. There were 7 variations of the basic warrior (although 2 were rare), and even with 120 warriors there wasn't as much repeating as you'd think.

Other end of the spectrum: Monsters. I HATED when models break. So, when a friend wanted me to convert a 3rd ed winged Hive Tyrant I used some random white metal dragon wings, glued them on, drilled and pinned them, then welded them onto the body with a high-temp soldering iron, then green stuffed over it all while sculpting carapace. That thing was a brick, but held together well.