Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Man those Riverguard looks awesome painted

Those old school Slann look great, I'm sure they'll find a home in many a 3rd edition WHFB army as well!

The Gigas are still metal though, which is a big problem for minis of that size.

 NTRabbit wrote:
The Gigas are still metal though, which is a big problem for minis of that size.

Depends a lot on how they're put together IMO

As long as the parts are reasonably few and the contact points are few, large and hidden; even big things can be metal without much hassle.

Are the froggies metal or plastic? I think I need some for my lizardmen!

Do like those Frogmen!

Wondering if Frogmen can also get Highlords to Highlord It Up too?

 Zywus wrote:
Depends a lot on how they're put together IMO

As long as the parts are reasonably few and the contact points are few, large and hidden; even big things can be metal without much hassle.

I think they're going to be too big and heavy for metal, irrespective of contact points.

 Necros wrote:
Are the froggies metal or plastic? I think I need some for my lizardmen!

Froggies are all metal

 NTRabbit wrote:

 Zywus wrote:
Depends a lot on how they're put together IMO

As long as the parts are reasonably few and the contact points are few, large and hidden; even big things can be metal without much hassle.

I think they're going to be too big and heavy for metal, irrespective of contact points.

Do you mean too heavy to carry to games or too heavy to hold together after assembly?

The drakon designs are a vast improvement over the first ones - how could they not be? But not for the first time I wish a fantasy concept artist knew almost as much about animals as they do about grumpy guys clenching their fists and thrusting their crotches out. And that strap passing through the wing membrane seems like a clumsy misstep...

The frogs look nice from what I can see. Can't look at that green for long before my retinas start to itch.

 Zywus wrote:

Do you mean too heavy to carry to games or too heavy to hold together after assembly?

Both. The Drakons will have the same problem if they're metal instead of resin too.

 NTRabbit wrote:

 Zywus wrote:

Do you mean too heavy to carry to games or too heavy to hold together after assembly?

Both. The Drakons will have the same problem if they're metal instead of resin too.

i doubt the drakons will be metal.

 NTRabbit wrote:

 Zywus wrote:

Do you mean too heavy to carry to games or too heavy to hold together after assembly?

Both. The Drakons will have the same problem if they're metal instead of resin too.

Cannot be worse than the GW Metal Juggernauts

But I look forward to get more Resin stuff.
I avoid metal for game models as much as possible and won't buy the new stuff until it is available in resin

 NTRabbit wrote:

 Zywus wrote:

Do you mean too heavy to carry to games or too heavy to hold together after assembly?

Both. The Drakons will have the same problem if they're metal instead of resin too.

Well, the weight is not negotiable with metal (though it can potentially be lessened by making the minis hollow), but it's absolutely possible to design metal multipart figures so that they hold together well despite the weight.
Having the components slot together with square pegs for example.

The drakons and wyrmriders have a problem with high point of gravity if made in metal, but that shouldn't be an issue with these crab-creatures since they're much more squat.

They're still going to make a multibase that's going to be annoyingly heavy, even if they can go and stay together without pinning.

If they require pinning, then I'm not interested, I'd rather get a "whittle your own mini from this block of balsa" kit than do any pinning at all. Can never drill the holes right, ever.

What I'm trying to say is that I think metal is the worst material for minis, and the only place I accept it is in 15mm or smaller scale single piece cast historicals.

 NTRabbit wrote:
They're still going to make a multibase that's going to be annoyingly heavy, even if they can go and stay together without pinning.

If they require pinning, then I'm not interested, I'd rather get a "whittle your own mini from this block of balsa" kit than do any pinning at all. Can never drill the holes right, ever.

What I'm trying to say is that I think metal is the worst material for minis, and the only place I accept it is in 15mm or smaller scale single piece cast historicals.

Well, then I only got one thing to say "If you're not into metal, you are not my friend! "


Since I discovered the proper technique, I've never had a problem with pinning again: Drill a hole in one of the pieces that's going to be pinned together. Place a small bit of bluetac on the other piece where it's hole will be. Lubricate the bluetac with water, vaseline or a lick of saliva. Push the pieces together into their final position. When you remove the pieces, you now have a protruding pip of bluetac right where the opposing hole should go. Mark it by making a mark with a pin or a knife, right in the pip and then drill on the mark.

I suppose the debate on the pros and cons of Metal! is better to have in another thread though, so I'll leave it here.

At all of those stages I fail to drill in the correct spot, because my hands aren't steady enough to hold any kind of drill, and a minis part, and make them function properly without missing the target by a ruinous amount or drilling into my hand.

It's just so much effort for so little reward - and on top of that, metal minis are a bitch to paint properly, even worse when they have sharp edges that cause the paint to flake off by looking at them wrong.

Someone needs to tell Mantic to pawn off all their metal casting gear, and use the money to buy more tubs of two part resin

Seriously: get a dremel (and variable diameter chuck, of course). That fether's a friend for life

And please, please don't pry their hands off of the metal casting gear... Their metal casting quality is marginal at best and resin is a fair bit trickier and can't be recycled (mostly) besides so they'll be even less inclined to do any bloody QC than they already seem to be.

I'm reaaaally not all that happy with the idea of Mantic trying their hand at resin, TBH...

 Bolognesus wrote:
Seriously: get a dremel (and variable diameter chuck, of course). That fether's a friend for life

And please, please don't pry their hands off of the metal casting gear... Their metal casting quality is marginal at best and resin is a fair bit trickier and can't be recycled (mostly) besides so they'll be even less inclined to do any bloody QC than they already seem to be.

I'm reaaaally not all that happy with the idea of Mantic trying their hand at resin, TBH...

Based on the greater earth elemental and Abyssal Fiend more resin is a worse idea than metal. The gaps on both were amateurish, I had to build the shoulder joints into the elemental and the groin &back on the fiend due to the gaps where they weren't even close to a good fit

but this can also happen with metal

But the greater abyssal and elementals weren't cast in- house, were they? Who knows how the new resins will turn out then.

I still don't see why they don't pursue some of these chunkier figures in the board gaming plastics like they did with Deadzone.

The detail holds, the figures are solid and durable, and even at smaller scales with factions like the Veer- myn the stuff really works. It's not like they need to have integrated bases, or come preassembled either.

Is it really that much more economical to do units in large numbers in metal instead? Or chunkier figures in resin?

Too expensive without KS money to pay for the tools supposedly, even though they're cheaper than they used to be plastic injection tooling still isn't cheap

(probably based on bad memories of those terrible goblin HIPS spues that never made their cash back)

 Bolognesus wrote:
Seriously: get a dremel (and variable diameter chuck, of course). That fether's a friend for life

I've got a dremel, doesn't make a difference.

The only tool that might make a difference is a full on variable speed drill press, but it still won't help on really small pieces without a special clamp, and who has the money for something like that anyway? Way easier to just not buy metal minis.

We're getting a bit OT, but have you tried "green stuff pinning"?

They look very nice but I hate resin.

Metal is ok for characters but gets heavy real quick for units. I dont mind metal monsters, my metal LotR trolls are very solid and sturdy without pinning.

I wish they would do models that have larger potential sales in plastic. it may be a risk but get it right and sales will come if the models are good enough.

Its all personal choice

 NTRabbit wrote:

 Bolognesus wrote:
Seriously: get a dremel (and variable diameter chuck, of course). That fether's a friend for life

I've got a dremel, doesn't make a difference.

The only tool that might make a difference is a full on variable speed drill press, but it still won't help on really small pieces without a special clamp, and who has the money for something like that anyway? Way easier to just not buy metal minis.

Clothespin for the pressure, some plasticine to hold the bit in place a bit more snugly(this is reusable effectively forever) and a small machine clamp to hold the washing pin. Get creative man

/OT: most frustrating thing is that neither the gigas nor the wyrmriders (which I seem to recall were getting switched over) really 'work' as gaming models in either material, ideally. If they could just cast the wyrms and giga bodies in resin with the legs and the wyrm riders (and weapons, in particular!) in metal it might almost be worth risking a bet on Mantic's idea of QC on resin. But doing small infantry in resin? Gah, not pleasant.

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
Too expensive without KS money to pay for the tools supposedly, even though they're cheaper than they used to be plastic injection tooling still isn't cheap

(probably based on bad memories of those terrible goblin HIPS spues that never made their cash back)

Heh, I liked those gobbos! (The Men at Arms on the other hand, were a complete waste of plastic. )

The Auld Grump

Was teased that the drakons are being made in house, so will be resin since they just got their in house resin production up and running.

 Bolognesus wrote:

Clothespin for the pressure, some plasticine to hold the bit in place a bit more snugly(this is reusable effectively forever) and a small machine clamp to hold the washing pin. Get creative man

And by that stage it's gone well past the amount of time and resource I'm willing to invest just to assemble one solitary mini. Metal is just almost a total non starter with me in 28mm, and I can't imagine a world of minis before resin or plastic became things, where there was no choice but to put up with it.

At least they'll be sensible with the Drakons.

Not official news but....

Army specific Facebook groups have begun to pop up.

 lord marcus wrote:
Not official news but....

Army specific Facebook groups have begun to pop up.

Nothing to do with Mantic or the RC.