Casting Converted Figures

[Kingscarbine]

Hi,

I'm converting figures for a personal project and need lots of infantry and cavalry castings. Is it OK or a no-no situation because of the copyrights?

Cheers,

KC

[Bugsda]

You'll probably be alright if you don't tell anyone. 

[Cubs]

You can do what you like with your own stuff I think, so long as you don't try to claim it is all your own work and don't try to sell it.

[Hawkeye]

When it comes to copying miniatures - which is what making castings of an existing sculpt is, put simply - there is no "personal use" exemption. This question comes up a lot, and it always creates a long thread of people disagreeing about the "personal use" angle, but the simple truth is that copying/casting a miniature produced by somebody else is illegal unless the producer is also selling reproduction rights (which some companies do for things like horses, or body blanks, or weapons, and so on). As Bugsda points out, it then becomes an issue of whether - if it's for personal use - anybody is going to find out, but this doesn't change the illegality of it. All it does, in many cases, is make it an ethical choice, rather than a legal one.  I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm on a high horse about this, but copyright issues affect me directly (in a different sphere), so I'm very particular about it.

[Kingscarbine]

I think my predicament is more ethical than legal otherwise I would just cast the figures and nobody would know. Another way to do the right thing is to ask the manufacturer's permission or send the conversions to them.

[eilif]

Casting for personal use: Illegal in most locales, but it's not likely to be a problem with the law and most gamers won't have a problem with it especially if it is heavily converted by you.  As for those who will have a problem with it, the more of your army is made of of your own recasts, the more likely folks are to find it distasteful.

Casting for sale: Absolutely verboten and could get you in trouble.  Will certainly cause you to be rightfully shunned by many in the wargaming community.

If you really want to be on the safe and mostly legal side, maybe cast up the converted portion (if possible) and put it on original models.

[Hammers]

You'll probably be alright if you don't tell anyone. 

 

Seriously: it is a nono.

[mrtn]

If you need just that special head or weapon to finish a unit I wouldn't mind. Most people would probably object if you just multiplied whole units though, if you can buy them as is.