"Plastic miniatures - love or hate?" Topic

1:72 plastics for me. Started with them in the1960s and due to lack of ranges got quite skilled at conversion, mainly plastic welding with a miniature electric soldering iron. Much bigger range today but I still do some conversion, paricularly for commanders.

I now weight the bases which improves them. I still have plastic figures I painted in 1969.

Rod

And then HaT started their MAC format and suddenly plastics came in marching, or in action, or in command boxes.

And Zvezda made their sets in wargame friendly poses, so with a few boxes complete units of similar poses could be made.

So soft plastics for me :-)

I try not to love or hate inanimate objects. Done mostly metal, some plastics recently. Prefer metal figures, especially well sculpted ones over plastic. Plastics were okay and painted up rather nicely. Some of the plastics that I have seen on the web and this site are fantastic. I think the future is probably in plastics. But I am an old dog and like the heft of my metals.

Depends on a case by case basis.

I have virtually all metal in my 18th century and previous armies, plastic in my modern stuff except for a few metals in the Spanish Civil War.

Recent worked on a Games Workshop Amazon Unit. Nice figures but extremely tedious to piece together. Also, can't get full units out of them so if I wanted 25 figures in the same pose I'd have to buy 12 to 18 boxes. Not gonna happen.

Doesn't matter. to me.

very interesting thread recently…

I'm learning to like, or at least, tolerate plastics. They have the advantage of being easier to modify, and a lesser cost. The only negatives are loss of detail on some maker's figures, and the east of breakage, again not in all cases.

I have both. I like both.

My last few purchases have been plastic. I especially like the proportions of 1/72 plastic figures.

Plastics are really increasing my ability to get into to new periods and scales. So plastics are working out great for me.

What he said.

The new 15mm FoW plastic infantry that's going to be in the upcoming "Open Fire" is looking pretty well detailed. the preview shots are fairly impressive.

It gives me great hope we'll see other periods available in 15mm too from many manufactures in the future.

Make sure to scroll down to the bottom here and check out the infanrty:

link

I've got to admit they are far better looking than I was expecting!

If they ever do a 'generic' set of Dark Ages figures (ie tunic and breeches)I'll probably buy several boxes.

hard plastic tend the be made `cleaner`. after cleaning the mould lines thats it, with metal there are certain dimples/ blemishes which show up

Hard plastic Biblicals would really get me pumped. Especially affordable chariots. I really want to game the period in 28mm but just can't afford proper sized units of chariotry.

I don't really care what a mini is made of. I want it to look good on my table and not cost an arm and a leg.

Like! Love! Need more of!

Got both, like both. I am however falling out of love with 1/72 plastics after many years of collecting and painting. Limited ranges, makers seem to be ruled by 'flavour of the month' and poor quality-control. It's OK drooling over the latest masters but the product in hand bears no relation.

Just started into my first box of 28mm Victrix Peninsular Centre Companies. Anyone want to buy six unused sprues out of a box of eight (39 figures in total)? :-/

I started my hobby life (30 years ago) as a scale model builder, but I buy figures to paint. They take way too much time to: clean, address moulding problems, test fit, address design problems, and then assemble.

Time is money, and the cost savings are just not there.

David

corvettek225 I may be interested. Send me your contact info.

A couple of years ago I bought a box of Perry 28MM French Napoleonic infantry. Frankly, on ebay, Miniature Wargames magazine, etc, they looked great painted up.

But when I got home and opened the box, I thought about how much time was going to be spent in assembly. back in the box, listed them on ebay a while later, took the loss, and stayed with metal.

On the unfortunate occasion when one drops a metal stand and that's it completely goosed – plastics look like a much more attractive option – they bounce! And the chances of getting temperatures high enough to melt them in the UK are similar to those of seeing Elvis, wearing taffita and water-skiing on the back of the Loch Ness Monster