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I was thinking of getting some mantic elves as a much cheaper alternative to the gw ones but I'm unsure what their stuffs like compared to the gw ones I know I can't use them in a gw store but I could get away with it in my normal gaming club.

Putting it politely, the Mantic Elves are just as bad as the GW Elves.

Sure they are cheap but they are fully plate armored models that are skinnier than skeletons produced by the same company.

I feel comfortable saying that if you want to get them because they are cheaper? Go for it.
If you want to go for quality of sculpts, I can't recommend the "basic" Elves of either company--excepting the Wood Elf range for WHFB. Those are some nice models for archers.

Considering "quality" from a different angle than Kanluwen, Mantic elves aren't bad. Elves were the first models they put out and Mantic has been steadily improving since, but they're at least decently clean casts of moderately detailed sculpts. Hard to argue with the price point, when you look at the alternatives. People are occasionally split on the attached "plug-base" (not sure what to call it - there's a small round base molded on that fits flush into a socket in Mantic square bases) - it makes the models easier to hold if painting separately from the final base, but it can get in the way when trying to get access between the legs for painting and mold line removal. The plastic is just as easy to work with as GW styrene - none of that restic/sprueless plastic garbage (I hate working with the stuff, although it's fine once the parts are clean).

The aesthetics are really where most people take issue, not the production quality. As mentioned, the Mantic elves are rail thin - more skeletal than lithe - even though fully armored. The prevalence of metal also forces your hand, somewhat, in terms of color schemes. It's perfectly possible to paint them in solid, nonmetallic colors, but it doesn't look quite as natural as metal. Personally, I find their spears a bit wonky, too, but the rest of the weapons, from bows to shields to bolt throwers, have the expected elven weight and curves. The line also has a few oddities. The dragon mounts for cavalry, for example, look completely out of character (compare the Drakon to the Battle Dragon) and rather silly, if you ask me.

Really, it's just a matter of taking a good, hard look through the line and deciding if you like the look. You're still spending money, even if Mantic is the budget option, so once you weigh the cost against the attractiveness of the models, the relative savings coupled with your desire for an elf army, etc. the decision should be more or less made - there are no real physical quality issue to be wary of.