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.

As suggested by Bloodhorror

I like the detail achievable on the pewter pieces.

Plastic is very easy to work with.

I thought this was a poll on casting at home, so I voted resin.

Plastic because it is sooooo easy to work with. And when you are doing a lot of conversions cutting metal models gets really annoying really quickly, well at least it does for me.

To me it depends a lot on what the plan for the model is.

For conversion work, plastic is my preferred material, for the reasons others have mentioned, ease of conversions and such.

But if it´s a model that I´m going to use straight from the box, resin just captures details so much better, and will hold it better as well.

Pewter? Not a fan at all, it has a lot of old-school feelings connected to it, but with the current casting techniques for resin and plastic, I much prefer those two.

plastic all the way, easy to convert, easy to paint and glue easy to strip and clean, plastic is just alot better..i try to avoid metal figures as much as possible

Plastic is obviously easier to convert but I prefer the way metal figures are cast and I think paint holds to it better than plastic.

I voted plastic, but I wasn't sure what we were deciding on. Pewter gives greater detail (for a better looking sculpt) but plastic is easier to paint and work with.

Plastic or resin by far. I really dislike metal models. Even the smallest ones need pinning or them breaking is a question of when rather than if.

Also, I find they chip a lot easier, which is a ball-ache if youve done one, & hes sitting around waiting for the rest of his squad to be finished before you varnish the lot.

For casting at home ... Metal.

Ease of use and failures can go back in the pot for another go.

I have the skills and the tools to convert metal figures - and something that takes more effort to do is more rewarding for me - hence metal.

Plastic conversions are almost TOO easy (although given the hamfisted conversions I've seen noobs attempt...).

For commercially available figures, metal. It's easier to justify the prices when you can imagine them cast from unobtanium or gold or uranium.

Haven't really worked with resin, but I've heard it comes with its own set of problems. I'm torn, since I love the weight and feel of metal, as well as the detail a well cast piece can maintain, but plastic is just so darn easy to work with, as well as being super light, which makes transporting models easier and helps to keep them base-down on uneven terrain.

Metal models are better for heroes and HQ's, but plastic is better for units and conversions, still I find metal better, because of the details.

when I first started wargaming, I began with Warmachine. All I heard from Privateer Press & the folks on their forums was ''oh, metal figs are so much better! they are all detailed & stuff! so much better than the plastics that GW makes!''
not knowing any better, I was persuaded to believe that metal was the only way to cast a figure and anyone who used plastic was a chump.

then, I got into 40k. Imagine my surprise when I found only a marginal dip in quality [I still think plastics are improving, though, even now...but I'm no professional] & a massive increase in workability & functionality! no more pinning every separate piece of every single infantry model, no more 40-lb. carrying cases, no more jeweller's saws & Dremels to make conversions! wow. it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders - it was no longer ''work'' to model, but ''fun.''
I find it funny that those same people now hail plastics as the Second Coming since Privateer has gone in that direction.

nevertheless, I perfer plastic but can appreciate the things metal offers...and even resin to a lesser degree, though I've heard it can be pretty toxic, so there's always that...

I still like pewter/metal. if only for their weight.

Even though they are expensive I feel slightly less ripped off owning a pewter mini rather than a plastic alternative.

I still have worries over resin for fine detailing. From smaller companies or garage workshops brittleness can be a big issue.

I voted plastic, but only because converting is my favourite aspect of the "hobby" part of the hobby, and converting metal is just no fun...

I would be super happy if GW phased out all metal figures (except maybe single model, HQ/special characters... maybe).

1. Plastic is easiler to clean mold lines.
2. Plastic is easier to do converseions with.
3. Plastic won't give you lead poisoning.
4. Plastic is lighter.
5. Plastic takes primer with fewer difficulties.

EDIT: I took this poll to mean "If you had the choice of buying the same mini in Plastic, Metal, Resin, or other, what would you choose?"

If the intent of this poll is 'What would you personally cast with?" I would not vote. I have no intention of casting anything other than hirst art block molds with hydrocal. thank you.

Plastic is easiest for generic things like SM captains or CSM lords ect but when it comes to special characters where you want that little bit more i'd feel ripped off if it wasnt metal.

I like both metal and plastic. Plasitic for its easy-to-manipulate-nature and metal for being rigid.
None the less I've used resin and other plastics as well. Nothing is save from my hunger for conversion.

Metal - For me, detail will always trump ease of use.

For me personally its a toss up between plastic and pewter. Plastic is easy to convert and cleans up in a second. Pewter is high detail and still fairly easy to clean up it just requires a few more scrapes with the exacto. Any more lead is not used for the most part. GW, hasn't used lead for 10 - 15 years at least. Reapers P-65 line contains lead but for all but 2 or 3 large monsters they are drawn from their other lead free lines. I would be surprised if Privater Press and Flames Of War used lead but i guess anything is possible.

Plastic definitely wins me over. Although I like the heavy feel of the metal models its just not worth the hassle of assembling or converting compared to plastic.

Metal feels better. And pewter has lots of character, IMO

I definitely like the weight of metal models, particularly for HQ units and such. I do like the workability of plastic though. What we need is some magical material that falls somewhere between the two...

Oh. i thought it meant home castings, so i put resin. oh well, i guess i meant plastic.

plastic all the way, resin is great for really advanced painting but i prefer plastic

focusedfire wrote:I like the detail achievable on the pewter pieces.

Hey Focused, The metal models are made of 99% Tin with a bit of Antimony thrown in as a hardening agent.

Back before pewter there was lead, I have worked with everything and plastic is easy to work with but breaks to easy, Lead was great to work with but toxic and if broken hard to work with, pewter is like lead but harder to work with dulls my blades. Resin I mainly use for large models like buildings hard to work with by hand as lotsa painting surface. I like green stuff and use it almost always so it depends on the model I work with figs/vehicles would be plastic, buildings cardboard, plastic, resin. Special figs teand to start out as pewter/plastic with green stuff.

I was used to using metal, the detail was great until the primer hit, then the detail was lost... Plastic used to suck unitl I got back into it, now the plastics look phenomenal!!! And when you drop one, it may break, but at least it fixable!