Looks like the days of metal are dead

[Denzark]

There was something reassuringly weighty about metal models, but all the above points far outweigh this. After having tried to assemble a Screaming Skull catapult and to game with a Zoanthrope, I'm glad to see the back of it.

I liked the weight of metal although would never want it for vehicles. I also think it was awesome where there was dynamic poses - ie 2ed Eldar. Beyond that I would rarther work with plastic than resin.

[DarkLink]

Good riddance to bad rubbish. People can whine all they want about Finecast, at least it's actually usable as a material.

Edit:
Thanks to my metal models, the tips of my GK weapons break off. All the time. Warding Staves, Hammers, Halberds. At any given point in time, I have 3-4 bladeless weapons to deal with. I even had someone try and give me crap about it at the last tournament I went to ('well, I didn't know you had a hammer in that squad 'cause the model was broken (even though I told him I had a couple of hammers in each squad, and that the broken models were the hammers, and considering that my entire army except my Storm Raven is fully painted...)').

[Mr Mystery]

Personal preference? Plastic, Finecast, then metal.

Yet I am still caught off guard when lifting a model previously cast in metal that is now Finecast. Lack of weight always throws me!

But having built dozens of Hive Tyrants (one was mine. The joys of being GW staff during a Nid release..) Finecast was nothing short of a revelation. Bonds in seconds!

Also, handy hint discovered during drunken point proven. Bunging Finecast in a hot oven makes the glue brittle enough after cooling to separate individual parts! Though only done it once, so could have been fluke!

[jgebi]

Dose any one have some pics of their worse metal models that aren't in the warp?

[Lane]

I liked the challenges of metal.

You could tell when someone put effort into prepping their minis and doing conversions took real skill.

[Houghten]

Spare me your elitist poppycock. If converting now takes less skill, then there will be more awesome conversions, and that's a good thing for everybody.

Personally, I HATE metal. HATE, HATE, HATE, HATE, HATE. IF the word "hate" were engraved on every neuron in my brain it would not begin to equal the hate I feel for it. Never mind conversions, just putting together a regular kit as it was intended to be is a nightmare.

That's not to say that I like Finecast any more than I do metal, mind you. The ease of working with the material is balanced by the giant bubbles that are often the exact size and shape of the model's head. Resin is great if done well, but Finecast is... not. There's a reason I convert an equivalent using plastic wherever possible.

[wittdooley]

Metal blows. Good riddance.

[Wildeybeast]

So here's a question to try and get us back to the OP; does metal have any redeeming qualities. Does it have any features which people feel make it better in anyway to either Finecast or plastic? I'm not looking for 'it doesn't have the well publicised quality issues that FC has', but rather does it have any inherent feature to recommend it over the other two mediums? Because I can't think of any.

[David Blumenthal]

So here's a question to try and get us back to the OP; does metal have any redeeming qualities. Does it have any features which people feel make it better in anyway to either Finecast or plastic? I'm not looking for 'it doesn't have the well publicised quality issues that FC has', but rather does it have any inherent feature to recommend it over the other two mediums? Because I can't think of any.

Agreed. I honestly tried to think of any reasons that I'd prefer metal over plastic or resin. I couldn't think of a single, real reason. I prayed for years for metal to depart. Glory be.

[Kawauso]

I can't think of a single advantage.
Some people cite the weight of metal models, but that heft has never really meant anything to me. As long as a model stays upright and doesn't slide down inclines I don't really care about the weight.

So for metal vs. resin or plastic there's...

CONS:
Shiny; details are hard to see prior to priming/painting
Difficult to clean; in part because of the material's hardness but also because of the aforementioned shininess: it can be difficult to spot flash until well after you've primed the mini
Difficult to assemble
Break apart easily once assembled
Chip easily once painted
Heavy; they can tip over easily, particularly if even slightly top-heavy, which leads to chipping and breaking

PROS
Heavy; some people like the weight of the model



So...yeah. Metal sucked and I'm glad it's gone. Can't think of any reason whatsoever that I would ever choose it if given a choice of materials with which to work. If anyone feels like they have anything to add to those pros/cons then by all means go ahead.