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 lord_blackfang wrote:
I have the Hellequins, they are PVC and better than most PVC (Warmachine, Reaper Bones...). Worse than what CMON puts out of course, their PVC can barely be distinguished from HIPS.

CMON dropped the ball with Zombicide Invader, or whatever it was called. The minis that came with that game were really melty with shallow details, like some of the worst plastics from the MERCS range. Mantic’s Star Saga PVC plastics have their weaknesses, but they’re not as bad as the worst of the Z:I stuff.

I found Mantic’s Deadzone hard plastics, the Peacekeepers, GCPS troopsand Asterian Marionettes, hole up to any (non GW) plastics on the market. However, they are more true scaled than GW minis, and that takes some getting used to.

Have followed Mantic since they first appeared (backed both KoW Kickstarters etc.), and while I haven't kept up with their recent releases have experience with most of their back catalog.

Saying it is uniformly bad is just hyperbole. It has it's ups and downs imo. The Ogre range is very good imo, the Abyssals are pretty good too. The Basilean range is a bit all over the shop (I had the unfortunate experience of ordering about a dozen sprues of their first Men at Arms run. That was an unpleasant surprise )

Other ranges are more subjective. I quite like the elves, but can see why others wouldn't. I don't like the Dwarves, but can see why others would. I think the undead skeletons are showing their age and in need of updating, but the zombies/ghouls still stand up.

More explicitly, I have found the quality of Mantic resins (not restic, but proper resin) to be uniformly excellent. That includes KS exclusives etc., the big Abyssal demon and so on.

I'd recommend doing your home work before committing, but there is definitely some quality there, albeit not consistent.

 kodos wrote:

 privateer4hire wrote:
Restic was the name for their plastic resin hybrid used for those models.

There was never a plastic/resin hybrid, Restic was just a harder PVC they used first to get away from the softer Boardgame PVC people were complaining about (used in the first KoW Kickstarter for some models)
It was just a little bit to hard and they changed now to something in between, not as soft as Boardgame plastic but not as hard as the old Restic

I stand corrected. Whatever it was, it sucked though.

My local group has limited experience with mantic miniatures but I have never heard anyone complaining about the material. That has been troops and such though, no monsters. The reason why we have such limited experience is that so much of their model line is (in our opinion) godawful. Things like the ogre army where some of the newer units look good, but the core has legs that are a completely different scale from the upper body AND stuck doing the pee-pee dance. Or dwarves with beards that look like someone cut off a metal gw slayer mohawk from the 90s and stuck it on their chin. If says a lot when someone wants to buy OOP GW dwarf infantry that predates mantic as a company over what they are offering right now.

Not to say it is all bad, far from it as there are a load of models that are great (like the entire nightstalker line). Like any company they are hit and miss, but boy do they miss a lot and when they do they miss razorgor levels of bad.

Their Resin (in comparision to Finecast or FW Resin) is really a dream to work with
I ordered the Vanguard Goblin Mercenary because I needed the Lizard for a different project. Removing the rider was easier as it would have been with HIPS and I managed to keep the upper body intact and also could recreate the full sattle
(I also got the PVC horses to replace the old GW Empire Knights ones as those from Mantic fit better in size with the old metal knights and after hot/cold water treatment they also fit very well together. And GW does not sell any fitting new horses at all)


And while their old Man-at-Arms were bad designed, and the Goblins a bad kit, they were available for cheap and combined make some nice Halflings


And some timer ago, just out of curiosity, compared the possibilities of converting old GW Marines with plastic card or using Enforcer bodies with Marine Bits, to create True Scale Marines
While the Enforcer are missing the classic GW Marine look, I like kit a lot and to me they are the superior SciFi models (on par with the new Primaris kits, but a very different style) and I still regret that I did not get the "100 Enforcer for 100€" package black Friday sale years ago.

privateer4hire wrote:
I stand corrected. Whatever it was, it sucked though.

Yeah, I only used some bits/weapons and never touched the rest.
I am just glad those are gone forever

NinthMusketeer wrote:If says a lot when someone wants to buy OOP GW dwarf infantry that predates mantic as a company over what they are offering right now.

That GW had one of the best Dwarf Miniature lines ever made before they got into the "make them big without knees" plastic kits (and the 2 boxes were not even compatible with each other)
funny thing is that you get the old OOP metal ones cheaper than their Fireslayers

I have been very happy with the Trident Realm minis for KOW. I did the Vanguard KS and liked the Northern Alliance, especially the Snow Trolls and the large beast with a rider. I had no interest in the Abyssals until I saw the minis. I REALLY liked them.
I am assembling lots of Enforcers and GCPS now and I prefer them to Space Marines and Imperial Guard.

 kodos wrote:

And some timer ago, just out of curiosity, compared the possibilities of converting old GW Marines with plastic card or using Enforcer bodies with Marine Bits, to create True Scale Marines
While the Enforcer are missing the classic GW Marine look, I like kit a lot and to me they are the superior SciFi models (on par with the new Primaris kits, but a very different style) and I still regret that I did not get the "100 Enforcer for 100€" package black Friday sale years ago.

Never thought about crossing mantic/gw bits, but the Enforcer with SM shoulder pads/backpack/head looks pretty awesome.
I'll keep on eye on eventual future Enforcer sales, they suddenly became much more appealing....

Well, I’ve seen plenty from friends and I’d say that their quality is more miss than hit.
The model I’m currently painting for commission is pretty rough. When I have to file off the 3D printing artifacts off of a model that’s pretty bad. And that’s not including the poorly placed mold lines on a figure that’s in 7 parts.

The lack of QC is the main reason I wouldn’t buy anything from them. Ever.

Don't have much to add on the subject other than I had a less-than-desirable experience with the Greater Earth Elemental (the first and only model I've bought of theirs), mostly difficulty gluing the arms on and the downright egregious mold lines. Thanks to this thread, though, I know now I can safely blame that on an outdated kit, rather than a cheapskate company.
Quite a handy improvement

I've just received my MG: Armada Starter Set and found the detail on the models to be very nice. But the resin they're using is definitely VERY brittle. Already brock the arm off a figurehead and the tip of a mast. I'm really nervous that if one falls on the floor it's gonna shatter.

I had good experience with the plastic GCPS and the Veer-Myn plastic kits. Very fun to build, even though some heads off the rat men didn't fit as well as expected.
I also bought some fantasy reptiles (forgot the name) with big swords, some mold lines were difficult to remove and there wasn't much variety with poses. Material was great though. The GCPS starter contained some metal parts, haven't used them yet so can't really comment.

Have they started including assembly instructions, or posted them online yet?

 Shrapnelsmile wrote:
Have they started including assembly instructions, or posted them online yet?

The new deadzone box set had some basic assembly instructions, which was nice. Haven't seen much outside of that.

Worth noting in this thread that Mantic is pushing to swap many metal kits over to resin, with the occasional scale adjustment as they do. IMO this is a great change, as Mantic's in-house resin has been on the whole quite good.

https://www.manticgames.com/news/metal-to-resin-the-great-switcharoo-stage-one/

 krijthebold wrote:

 Shrapnelsmile wrote:
Have they started including assembly instructions, or posted them online yet?

The new deadzone box set had some basic assembly instructions, which was nice. Haven't seen much outside of that.

they have also some online for the Warpath plastics
but nothing else outside the numbers/letters on the sprue

Mantic's miniatures are a mixed bag. Their older plastic kits may not be aesthetically pleasing to a lot of people, but they are very functional. While their newer plastic kits are on the same level as what is common on the market.

That being said their metal models can be a bit off, however their customer service is excellent. I ordered an Abyssal Dwarf spellcaster on Winged large monster (can't recall the Mantic official name), the model had bits broken and the saddle/seat were an absolute mess. They sent me a replacement free of charge.

Their resin stuff is fine, no complaints, captures the detail very well.

Their PVC models I have had have been fine, but it isn't a material that I am fond of.

My Vampite Counts and Chaos Dwarf armies are mainly all Mantic, and I can't complain. They are cheap, and have a good level of detail for a Wargaming miniature.

+1 on the customer support even no problem if you bought from the local games stores or online retailers

Yeah, I've had an occasional issue, and they've always been quick to correct them.

I've followed and collected Mantic for a good while, and honestly, all of my favorite Mantic models are "restic" PVC.

To be clear: What people say about Mantic's PVC material and how annoying it is to clean up is absolutely true. If you're cursed with being fussy about removing mold lines like me, the key to success with Mantic's PVC minis is: 1. Use an x-acto knife, 2. followed by a wire brush (this part's essential for perfectionists,) and, frankly, 3. use a lot of elbow grease. Preparing the PVC models is a pain, but if you love the models enough to put in that extra work, you can and will get good results.

I prefer the detail and character of Mantic's original PVC Veer-myn (especially the initial Project Pandora batch, which was cast better than later iterations of the same models) to their chunky, less-detailed hard plastic Veer-myn. I prefer the lithe, graceful, and highly varied dynamic poses of Mantic's Asterian cyphers - which have delicate bits for human-sized troops, including a few with open hands with spread, individual fingers that are an absolute bitch to clean well - to those of their clunky, awkward hard plastic Asterian Marionettes. (It's been awhile, but I think Mantic's initial PVC Asterian cypher batch, including specialists, numbered around 10 entirely different (no repeats or inverted / mirrored) unique poses. How often do you see that?) And then there are the many more unusual PVC models in Mantic's publication history. The wonderful and characterful PVC Teratons from Dreadball, Deadzone, and Star Saga, for example. The many unique PVC aliens and personalities from their boardgames, which make great Sci-Fi civilians and / or special units. The classic Deadzone PVC Plague 1st Gen (are they not selling this anymore?) The PVC Goblin Guntrack.

Don't want to bother with cleaning Mantic PVC? Be more careful than me about the models you fall in love with. But having done the extra work, I don't regret it.

Last but not least, I just want to reiterate to newcomers that Mantic model casting quality can vary a lot, and that goes for both PVC and hard plastic models. They've used different Chinese production companies over the years and have gotten varying results. When in doubt about a particular model, your best bet is to ask people you know personally or here on dakka who have experience with the models. Generally speaking, I've found Mantic's polystyrene models can be good, especially if you like the style and they are models you can't get elsewhere. They're great for kitbashing. But in terms of casting quality, I haven't seen any post-Renedra Mantic hard plastic that matches GW's level of detail and crispness (and I say this as someone who doesn't buy much of GW's overpriced product.) For many, I think Mantic's polystyrene miniatures will be good enough, especially after a paint job, but there is a qualitative difference. Buyers should also know that GW's plastic melting / bonding glue doesn't work that well on Mantic's hard plastic, for which superglue is usually the better option.

The quality is generally totally fine, with resin they now have absolutely top-of-the line casting machines for it, with rapid-set resins with 10 minute cure times so it goes from mechanical mixing + pouring to agitation to vacuum to curing to QC on a production line.

The hard plastics are just as good as any, really, not quite as complex as GW, but usually easier to assemble with basic body/head/arm splits.

scarletsquig wrote:
The quality is generally totally fine, with resin they now have absolutely top-of-the line casting machines for it, with rapid-set resins with 10 minute cure times so it goes from mechanical mixing + pouring to agitation to vacuum to curing to QC on a production line.

The hard plastics are just as good as any, really, not quite as complex as GW, but usually easier to assemble with basic body/head/arm splits.

I'm having a good time assembling my Firefight Minis. I have never really been able to assemble GW very well, too complex. Some mantic just go together so nice and easily.

I will say, I hope they remedy the issue of the lack of assembly directions in boxes. Mantic staff if you are reading this, I totally understand it takes time, money and
staff power to produce written material and / or videos. But I know one person who bought KOW kits, opened, them, sold them and never looked at the company or game
systems again. It really is a significant barrier.
Thank you for the Mule assembly video recently. I never would of been able to do that without it -- my mind just struggles with spatial / visual acuity.

If you are YouTube content creators reading this, assembly videos for Deadzone / Firefight would be amazing.

Been watching some Mantic vehicle assembly videos lately and one thing I’ve noticed is that the models seem to be very easy to magnetize. In fact, even official Mantic videos show ways to build kits so that they can be used for multiple vehicles (see the Forge Father tank video).

That said, I can’t believe these vehicles don’t have assembly instructions. Some of them are quite complicated.

cpugeek13 wrote:
That said, I can’t believe these vehicles don’t have assembly instructions. Some of them are quite complicated.

That's for sure. I've got a plague mule coming, and I'm feeling a little concerned about how the assembly is going to go.

did not find the assembly of the vehicles very hard
just don't glue them first but try fit all the parts, also to check were to place magnets

and the new videos on the mantic channel come in handy as well

 krijthebold wrote:

cpugeek13 wrote:
That said, I can’t believe these vehicles don’t have assembly instructions. Some of them are quite complicated.

That's for sure. I've got a plague mule coming, and I'm feeling a little concerned about how the assembly is going to go.

Thankfully they did a Mantic Monday video on how to assemble the Mule, on YouTube. The guy goes a little fast and the camera is a
bit all over the place, but it helps a lot.

My own experience is pretty good. i own quite a few of the forge fathers minis, the hornet drop ship and the tunneller for the veer-myn. a friend has the enforcers interceptor and a bunch of the jet bikes.

They were all super simple to assemble. they do not have loads of fine detail like some GW minis but i found all the kits of good quality for the price.

 Shrapnelsmile wrote:

 krijthebold wrote:

cpugeek13 wrote:
That said, I can’t believe these vehicles don’t have assembly instructions. Some of them are quite complicated.

That's for sure. I've got a plague mule coming, and I'm feeling a little concerned about how the assembly is going to go.

Thankfully they did a Mantic Monday video on how to assemble the Mule, on YouTube. The guy goes a little fast and the camera is a
bit all over the place, but it helps a lot.

That did help, and otherwise it turned out to be pretty simple! If it hadn't been for the front wheels it would have been one of the easiest vehicles I'd ever assembled, really. And they weren't bad once I had a visual of how they worked.

Gotta agree with those assessments - the vehicles are nice chunky models that go together easily and feel like they won't get damaged in play. They're a good blank canvas for a lick of paint too.

I hate the older restic models - I gave away most of my Deadzone 1st edition models - but the newer hard plastics are good-looking models that assemble easily.

QC is my only complaint with modern Mantic - one of the landing struts on my Hornet was mangled by whoever took it off the sprue.

Just did a little minor kitbash turning my mantic forge fathers "predator into a proper 30K era "relic" melta cannon pred for our 5th ed games thanks to a few sisters bits.

My first dealings with Mantic is the Armada line and its resin is high quality stuff.

Shure you get some small bubbles here and there on the large models and some sharp pointy edges might be broken off, but these are designed as gaming pieces, nothing else. Level of crispness of the skulpts due to the scale rivals plastics.
The resin is semi soft so very easy to clean up, flash level is on par with other companys high quality resin models.