"Thoughts on Siocast for 15mm?" Topic

Got an email from Splintered Light Miniatures. They're looking into casting their miniatures in this material. The general impression I remember getting about siocast was middling to negative. BTW I prefer metal 15mm.

I prefer metal as well. My only experience is with FoW infantry. I thought the detail was good, but I also received sprues wit figures broken off at the ankles. Cleaning mold lines with an exacto blade was a bit annoying since I'm a bit heavy handed. I also worry more about the robustness of the mineral during handling at games.

After talking with a few makers that invested (or were about to invest in the system), I would not recommend it. Not that the system doesn't make nice figures, if it breaks getting replacement parts are expensive and takes a long time to get. In one case, my buddy elected to invest in getting a 3D printer like Reaper has. He is glad he went that way. I can understand why people are looking at Siocast as the equipment can make the injection molds, codes the molds so the casting machine knows how much material to inject and the quality of the figs are great. But how can you make money to pay off the equipment if the machine could be down for long periods of time? Rubber molds for metal casting (and the metal itself) has skyrocketed! I used to get a box of 15 matched mold sets for about $350.00 USD before 2010. Now they are sold seperately for $50.00 USD a matched set!

The "weakness" is that the same company provides moulds, material and machinery. Too many m's. Add in monopoly.

martin

While I prefer metal in 15mm, the costs and quality can in this day, be beat. They really need to look into flexible resin 3D printing. For example, look at the quality of the Cromarty Forge 15mm resin figures (using a more flexible resin for sturdiness/flexibility) supplied through Plastic Soldier Company.

They are quite possibly the best 15mm I've ever seen as far as detail and proportions (hence why I'm not so patiently waiting for a large order from them right now). And, no more "dropped it 12 inches and broke at the ankles, again" that older resins were so famous for.

Siocast is "okay" for 25mm plus figures, IMO, but SL, on my last order about a year ago, were overwhelmingly 15mm-where Siocast starts to fail in details; they start to look like 1970's lead figures.

I'd think if their sales warranted, a couple thousand for a few high end resin printers is really the way to go.

The new Flames of war German SS figures that I received in Siocast were really bad with flash; all the faces were the same looking like Orks. Some were broken at the ankles and didn't come close to matching up size wise to the old metal or the hard plastic. they looked like 6ft men compared to teenagers. I was truly disappointed with these figures. So been buying up any of the old metal figures that I could and the hard Plastic.