"Why are so many people afraid of resin figures?" Topic

Lately it seems that a lot of people I talk to are "afraid" to use resin figures. They seem fine with vehicles, but not figures. Why?

With the increasing cost of metal, I'd think that resin might be the way to go, if you used one of the more plastic types and a vacuum type setup. Sure, there's still a chance of bubbles and wastage from miscasts of unpoured resin, but the plastic type stuff is really durable and could create some great figures with more dynamic poses because they wouldn't have to be flatish to withstand pressure molding and spincasting, and multipart molds should be easier.

Am I way out on a limb here?

BTW, I'm speaking of 15mm and 20mm sized figures, not the larger 54mm variety…

It's not so much issues of pressure moulding as of flow direction. Neither metal nor resin likes to flow 'upwards'. Resin extremities are more likely to break than bend.

I neither search out nor avoid them. Actually never had the choice between resin or metal competing for my money.

Well, for 28mm gaming, I never know how 'sturdy' those figs are… Little resin swords/spears have a tendency to break easily, so I have to have superglue handy at all times.

I like the higher detail on the resin figs, but they are not that strong enough to handle some gaming.

Also, there are several manufacturers who make figs on both resin and metal, and usually the metal is cheaper, so I go with with metals…

Of the four resin miniatures I ordered last year (all from different companies) three arrived with broken bits. If I have reluctance to buy resin figures, that is the reason.

They can be a little brittle if they have small parts. Doesn't always stop me buying them though.

Would have to 3rd (or 4th) the brittleness.

I have a lot of resin miniatures (from pretty small to pretty big figurines). I don't mind putting them together – and they look great on the shelf. Most however don't leave the shelf in fear of snapping something off. Metal and plastic bend. Resin snaps – and if you are really unlucky it shatters making even a handy tube of superglue irrelevant.

The issue with resin figures from a manufacturing stand point.
Resin figures take more time to cast. If you just use a pressure system, that takes even longer that spin casting the resin figures.

The failure rate with resin figures is often something that you have to eat. Metal figures that don't come in can be melted down and cast again. Resin figures that don't come in are lost, unless you some other larger resin items that you can toss them into filler. And, don't forget the sprue
is all resin that is lost or is waist.

Depending on the type of resin used, will determine how breakable the figures will be. You want a resin that will flow well and fill all the cavities. Some resins can be mixed with paint, which then can make the resin almost act and feel like hard plastic figures.

From a contract casting point of view, resin figures are the same cost as metal, even for large figures. The reason being the issues discussed above as well as the mold burn out. If the figs are very detailed, your resin mold will only really give 25-40 castings tops before you need to make a new mold.

Who makes these resin figures? I don't think I've ever seen any and I've certainly never bought any.

From a buying standpoint I do not like resin miniatures at all. My reasons:
1) Resin figures are often more costly than metal for the same figure and any detail gained isn't worth it for me.
2) Resin figures are brittle and break more easily.
3) Some resin parts can warp given modest high temperature or pressure and are not as easily set back to shape like a bent metal part.

I do however purchase resin vehicles with added metal detailing and resin terrain. In those cases, the limitations in the material are mitigated by its use.

It's price for me. Everytime I've seen a manufacturer that offers both, the resin is always considerably more expensive than its metal counterpart.

I think "afraid" is the wrong word, because it implies that those who do not want to be bothered with figures that arrive broken are the ones at fault.

Sure, there's still a chance of bubbles and wastage from miscasts of unpoured resin,

You are not helping your case here.

Ditto on Goldwyrm's post and that dust from resin sanding is supposed to be highly toxic.

Here's another for relative delicacy compared to lead/pewter alloys.

For buildings or gun emplacements, that kind of thing, it's ok but never for figurines.

It depends on the subject matter.

I own just enough Forge World stuff to know how their resin behaves at different thicknesses, and I won't buy certain things from them as a result.

I have no problem with ships, so Spartan Games is fine.

Tanks seem to be fine, so Flames of War gets some business, and I have some of the old GZG 25mm vehicles.

Underfed bimbos with swords? Not in 28mm resin, thanks. I'm even wary of well-fed but under-equipped Marines, as I have a set of the Grendel "Wife-Beater and Grimace" boys, several of whom snapped at the ankles with just a little handling.

I've never seen anything to recommend resin over metal or plastic.

I play in 25-28mm scale, a very common scale for RPGs, skirmishes, and some medium scale wargames where a platoon or squad proxies as a company.

The only resin figures I have ever seen have been oversize (30, 35, or 40mm scale); since I play fantasy this makes them occasionally but rarely suitable. (If I played historical it would make them outright unsuitable.) They have also had "specialty character figure" pricing, e.g., substantially more than a comparable trooper cost in metal, to say nothing of plastic.

The few figures I have tried have tended to snap at the ankles and had to be pinned, have appeared static due to the lack of dynamic protrusions (no arms free of the body, no waving cloaks, no slender protruding weapons), have generally appeared like poor sculpts due to the reduced undercuts and consequent exaggerated details, and have been unsuitable for conversions (with nothing sticking out there's nothing to cut off and replace with a substitute).

So … what was the question again?

Resin works well on the gaming table for terrain and vehicles, but too delicate and expensive for 28mm troops.

Brittle

Brittle, bubbles, toxic dust. Whats not to like?

Resin doesn't have to be brittle. The miniature needs to be made for the medium. If you have a figure with thin ankles, then it would be silly to produce that in anything but metal. However, top heavy figures or thick figure have no problem in resin. We have the following resin figures that work very well in that medium:

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Steve
Cavalcade Wargames
cavalcadewargames.com

My 30+ years of retail experience at the store and conventions indicate to me that the resell value on resin or plastic when compared to pewter is not good.

I have lots of resin models and figures. I order them from various manufacturers – but lately the figures have been from Forge World for the Badab War Campaign we are doing. The resin models are no less tough than their plastic counterparts but less sturdy than metal figures in normal use. Dropping resin figures results in far more breakage than plastic, but LESS breakage/bending than metal. The figures are Space Marine models and they are easy to assemble, clean and paint, as good as any others. I do note that the resin figures are more difficult to transport in standard cases if they have small bits on them. For example, Lugft Huron has slender "lightning claws" on one hand, which are so thin they are very prone to being broken. I've not had them break YET, but I don't transport him in a foam case which could compress any part of those claws either. I'm with nycjadie – if they are done correctly resin is very appropriate for figures – just not ones with small ankles in a dynamic pose where one bump and the thing is broken!

A thick, resin vehicle is much more durable than a thin, resin figure.

Brittleness and cost. Even with the rising prices of tin, the manufacture of resin is too expensive.

Ditto on Goldwyrm's post and that dust from resin sanding is supposed to be highly toxic.

All dust is bad for you. Resin, metal, paint, coal, clay…it doesn't make a difference what it is from. I know wood workers who have "coal miner's lung" from 20+ years of working with sand paper and wood. There is nothing particular about resin dust that makes it any worse than any of the other dusts that we deal with on a regular basis.

Resin doesn't have to be brittle.

Have to remember the context though. Resin is strong enough of a material for a lot of things…however he was asking about 15 and 20 mm figures. Those inherently are much thinner and more delicate – even in metal.

For vehicles – for larger figures (even 28 mm will have almost 4 times the cross section of the 15 mm figures) it is a fine material, and I like it for many things.

However, resin when compared to the same figure in metal – the resin will be more brittle. Just try to snap a metal 28 mm arm off. It is a bit of work. I have had resin arms snap off on a bad fall.

Then there's the stuff Grendel used to cast in. Smelled nasty, incredibly brittle. Shattered one of those big Kryomek walkers fifteen years ago. It's legs are still in pieces.

LOL – Farstar, your story reminded me of some old 15mm figures we got which shattered into dust when dropped from the table!

I would shy away from really small resin figures. I have done a few of my own 6mm resin vehicles, and found some to be so light that they slide down hills, while heavier metal pieces do not. Additionally, I have had plastic 28mm figs slide down hills that were not a problem for 28mm metals. So, I would avoid 28mm and smaller invidiual resin figures, and probably 10mm and smaller plastic or resin minis including vehicles.

I'm not a big fan of resin. The detail is great but all too often rifle barrels bend and parts shatter.

They come for you at night, when you are sleeping.
-Kle.

I purchase both metal and resin figures, no problems so far, but my resin minis are only a few compared to the many.