Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Davout on December 01, 2024, 03:22:06 PM
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I started war gaming in the mid 90's and for the first few years only ever painted and played with metal figures. As the years have progressed I, like a lot of people, have transitioned over to mostly hard plastic. Despite the ease of plastic and the modern day tooling that has made plastic kits a breeze to put together, convert and paint I've always had a soft spot for those old, heavy, fiddly, metal miniatures.
With the re release of GW's Old World we've also seen a re release of older kits. These kits have not been released in finecast (Thank the gods) but in metal and I've been picking up the random odds and ends that finish up and add to some of my existing collections.
This project log will showcase the old, sometimes charming, sometimes frustrating models I'm working on at present.
To start it off I'm going to clean up and mount GW's Badlands Ogres
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202906_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202906-.html)
Love them or hate them these chonky boys are everything I love about single piece metal miniatures. Hand sculpted details, a nice weight when you pick them up...
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202904_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202904-.html)
and I've already snapped off his little helmet spike trying to get it strait.
Time to bust out the drill, pins and super glue!
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Spike drilled, pinned and glued back on, nothing to it.
Originally I thought I'd have to cut off this peg on their feet but then I realized that it would make mounting the Ogres on bases much easier.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202908_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202908-.html)
and that's the unit. Not to hard in the end.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202907_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202907-.html)
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After the Ogres I decided that I was ready for something a little more challenging. I've always enjoyed the classic look of Satanic Panic figures. I've backed two of their Kick-starters and have not been disappointed with the results.
About a year ago I received my reward of three trolls and they've been sitting on the pile of potential ever since. They are great figures with a ton of character but they are definitely classic in the sense that the fit is not precise and there are no obvious attachment points.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202915_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202915-.html)
The heads are separate from the bodies and the arms of the rock throwing troll are going to need a lot of work.
To start I realized that this would be a lot easier if they were mounted to a base. There was no way super glue alone was hoping to keep these guys stable to it was back to the drills and pins
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202913_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202913-.html)
I busted out the green stuff to fill the larger gaps between the heads and the bodies
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202912_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202912-.html)
Then I drilled out and pinned the heads
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202910_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202910-.html)
Next I began to build up the connection points for the over the head rock throwing troll and drilled and pinned the connections
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/1/1202909_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202909-.html)
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“Pile of potential” I like it!
Those trolls do have the old school joy of flat attachment points! Good work with the pinning and green stuff, should make them nice and solid in the end!
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Keep it up! Heavy metal is the way to go! The frustration is part of the joy! ;)
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Keep it up! Heavy metal is the way to go! The frustration is part of the joy! ;)
Although there is a fine line between enjoyment and madness. I recently assembled some Vor Growlers, i.e. Kev Adams sculpts based on Paul Bonner designs, and hoo boy did I wish those there resin casts.
Promising thread this, I will watch with interest! Those ogres hold a special part in my hobby heart, too.
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So in the end the Satanic Panic trolls went together with a minimum of fuss and bother.
They look great together and I am especially pleased with the over the head rock character.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/2/1202964_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1202964-.html)
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I find, like all things...some are good, some are bad. Some older metals are a pure joy to paint, while others are borderline garbage. Depends on the quality of the sculpt.
I admit I have a ton of metals and generally like them, but I'm not big on multi-part metals, though if it's just a head or a broad socket joint I don't mind. Stuff like old Dreadnoughts or Land Speeders, or god forbid Dragons, etc....hard pass. lol
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I find, like all things...some are good, some are bad. Some older metals are a pure joy to paint, while others are borderline garbage. Depends on the quality of the sculpt.
I admit I have a ton of metals and generally like them, but I'm not big on multi-part metals, though if it's just a head or a broad socket joint I don't mind. Stuff like old Dreadnoughts or Land Speeders, or god forbid Dragons, etc....hard pass. lol
Metal vehicle's sound like the stuff of nightmares
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Must admit I have a soft spot for metal over plastic so keep it going.
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Can't wait to see them painted up. I think most people would agree that those old metal sculpts seem to have more charm and character than the newer sleeker stuff.
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These will be well worth the work.
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Up next in the assembly cue is an all time classic...The Green Knight
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/4/1203349_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203349-.html)
My initial dry fittings had me worried that this model would be a pain to fit together. Luckily, a little gap filling and a pin in both rear hooves was all that was needed to have the horse look good.
The knight himself has a little green stuff around his middle and a pin holding the two half's together. All in all this model came together very nicely.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/4/1203348_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203348-.html)
The plan is to paint the shield and banner poles separately.
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Very nice project, keep it up its worth it
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So far working on these older metal models has been pretty easy. Even the Green Knight went together with minimal extra work. I'm feeling confident. Time to up the difficulty level
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/5/1203441_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203441-.html)
Enter the Snotling Pump Wagon. A recent GW re-release the pump wagon will be a fun addition to my mostly plastic goblin horde.
So far this has been the first model to make me say a dirty word and throw a little temper tantrum. I pinned the main "mast" at both connection points. The rear wheel has a pin through the back of the deck and the wheels (those ??? :-[ %$** wheels) have a pin connecting the blades to the main deck.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/5/1203440_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203440-.html)
In addition to the wagon itself I've pre pinned the crew I intent to place on the wagon. The plan is to paint these little guys separately and then glue them to the wagon during final assembly.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/5/1203438_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203438-.html)
I've also went ahead and pre drilled the pin holes for the crew.
In the end the fiddly thing came together nicely and it's solid (it better be with all the pins)
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/5/1203437_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203437-.html)
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nice additions
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Great looking wagon - can't wait to see it painted
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The next figs up are not metal, but definitely fall into the "Why, why do you hate me" category. We all know of what I speak though we rarely speak its name...
Finecast
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/6/1203471_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203471-.html)
The WORST material ever. Light weight, brittle, so, so, so many pieces of flash and bad casting to cut off all while hoping the whole thing just doesn't crumble in your hands.
I picked these two ladies up a little over a decade ago when Finecast was still very much a thing. With the re release of Old World GW has done us all a favor and released older models in metal.
I carefully cut and shaved and clipped and luckily no major damage was done.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/6/1203470_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203470-.html)
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Personally I'd have re bought them in metal. Fine cast is just too damn fragile. It still galls me today that GW had the nerve to go "Resin is a much cheaper material" then up the price.
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Very cool. I am doing the metal green knight myself(metal same as yours)and the lady(different version) at the moment so will be interesting how they turn out.
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I can't fathom buying finecast. I'll be honest, I can't fathom buying anything GW when alternate companies exist with gorgeous 3D sculpts which are better as well. You are a brave man.
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Love seeing all of these old figs!
Did GW cancel their finecast lines? I thought they were all in Forgeworld Resin now? Are those damsels from the old finecast era?
I have thos damsels too, thankfully I got them when they were in metal, and I like metal a lot better than the Finecast for sure..
I'm excited to see these figs come together!
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Love seeing all of these old figs!
Did GW cancel their finecast lines? I thought they were all in Forgeworld Resin now? Are those damsels from the old finecast era?
I have thos damsels too, thankfully I got them when they were in metal, and I like metal a lot better than the Finecast for sure..
I'm excited to see these figs come together!
I believe they've ditched their finecast figs. All the "new" releases for Old World seem to be in metal or plastic.
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(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/6/1203570_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203570-.html)
Pray for me...
Pegasus Knights Fireforge.
Plastic knights, resin horses and wings
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You are a glutton for punishment, sir. :)
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Pray for me...
Pegasus Knights Fireforge.
Plastic knights, resin horses and wings
I will mention you to the polymer gods at my first opportunity and pray for divine hand control and material fortitude ;) lol
Best of luck old bean :D
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Although there is a fine line between enjoyment and madness. I recently assembled some Vor Growlers, i.e. Kev Adams sculpts based on Paul Bonner designs, and hoo boy did I wish those there resin casts.
Looking forward to seeing them! I don’t have particularly bad memories of the Vorr line or its predecessors Chronopia and Warzone, but yeah, multi-part metal csn sometimes drive you mad. Even today the Rackham Confrontation Zombies are simply too much for me.
The Green Knight is cool btw!
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The next figs up are not metal, but definitely fall into the "Why, why do you hate me" category. We all know of what I speak though we rarely speak its name...
Finecast
The WORST material ever. Light weight, brittle, so, so, so many pieces of flash and bad casting to cut off all while hoping the whole thing just doesn't crumble in your hands.
The first f***cast figure I bought was a beastman Shaman. There were several bits missing, including the tip of one of his fingers. I took it back, got a replacement, and it had exactly the same issue. I think I finally gave up after 4 attempts and bodged a fix with greenstuff.
I still wake up screaming at the number of attempts it took me to almost straighten the long gun on the Krootox rider. There is a plastic version now, but I can't bring myself to buy it, the memroies are still too painful
I still have quite a few f***cast in my mountain, mainly because they released the commemorative figures in that "material" for a while.
Mantic's first restic attempt gave it a good run for its money in terms of being crap to work with >:(
I've just finished putting together an 80mm resin skeleton that was a nightmare, not helped by two huge air bubbles at the back of each ankle. I think I probably prefer plastic for large multipart kits, but resin is okay for large figures with a few parts, as long as it has been cast properly. Most of my effort these days seems to go into constructing supports from lego and blu-tak to hold pieces while they're drying :(
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Ok, not to bad. I spent the morning working on the Pegasus knights and despite their poor reputation they went together with minimal problems.
Clipping out all the major components went smoothly. The connection points for the wings, heads and horse bodies were easy to clip and clean afterword.
The knights are standard Fireforge plastics. somewhat low on detail but easy to put together and paint up.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/7/1203661_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203661-.html)
A little green stuff work was needed to fill obvious gaps in the bodies and the connection points for the wings and head. However after green stuff was added the fit was tight and the resin took the glue well enough
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/7/1203660_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203660-.html)
In the end they all came together after about 90 minutes work and as a group I think they look pretty good.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/7/1203659_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203659-.html)
They are definitely delicate and I'll have to take care of when they ever travel beyond the confines of my basement
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I haven’t bought any of those - aside from the material, I can’t quite get over the angle the wings are at. It’s like they hummingbirds or something.
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After the Pegasus Knights I needed an easy win so I pulled out some classic single piece figs.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/10/1203782_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203782-.html)
The Bretonian squire command blister went on sale a few months ago and I picked one up. Great figs, lots of detail and character and all they needed was a little flash cleaned up and some easy mold line removal.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/10/1203783_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1203783-.html)
The only major addition is the plasticard banner, heated up and shaped over the stove to give the impression of movement
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Glad I saw this thread, as I had no idea the Fireforge Pegasii were in resin...so I shall avoid suggesting them to my friends who collect Bretonnians.
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Next up is a classic 'bad guy" model, the mounted Chaos Sorcerer. I don't typically play chaos armies (I prefer my bad guys to be the goblin, vampire and Dark Elf variety) but this guy struck me as such a good generic evil dude I had to pick him up.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/13/1204379_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1204379-.html)
He comes in a two large halves and his weapon arm (He is a solid chunk of metal). The initial fit was ok but there was definitely a large gap in the front between the two horse halves.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/13/1204378_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1204378-.html)
I filled the gap with green stuff, which created a nice tight fit for the glue to work on and he went together without any major problems.
Once he was glued together I drilled pin holes in the base contact points and glued the model to it's base. The arm needed a dab of green stuff to secure the joint.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2024/12/13/1204377_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1204377-.html)
Looking forward to painting this dude up in an appropriately sinister paint scheme.
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Next up is a classic 'bad guy" model, the mounted Chaos Sorcerer. I don't typically play chaos armies (I prefer my bad guys to be the goblin, vampire and Dark Elf variety) but this guy struck me as such a good generic evil dude I had to pick him up.
Maybe he is a Sorcerer who has a huge army of goblins and some Dark Elf mercenaries?
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So I've finally been able to get some paint on these models. I started with the Pegasus Knights.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/2/16/1209154_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1209154-.html)
They turned out great but definitely not my favorite models to paint.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/2/16/1209155_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1209155-.html)
Finicky would be the best way to put it. I was constantly worried that one wrong move or brush stroke was going to snap a brittle resin wing or leg. The knights themselves were standard Fireforge plastics, not the most detailed of figures but they get the job done.
On the other hand the metal GW Badlands Ogres were a blast to paint up. Lots of great detail while being chock full of character.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/2/16/1209158_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1209158-.html)
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/2/16/1209159_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1209159-.html)
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/2/16/1209160_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1209160-.html)
I used the paper banner provided in the kit. I glued a piece of foil between the half's to give it a little more structure.
Working on the Green Knight currently.
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Great work on both. Those ogres are some of GW's best. I genuinely dislike the entire "modern" ogre faction that they developed, but these older ones are superb.
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Infrequent update incoming.
Got these two gals painted up.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211912_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211912-.html)
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211911_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211911-.html)
Still don't like working with resin, but in the end I think they turned out allright
Up next were three trolls from Satanic Panic. Wonderful sculpts with a lot of character.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211910_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211910-.html)
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211909_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211909-.html)
Another troll followed, this one being Midlam Miniatures Bog troll. Really fun to paint. Especially the back with all the little mushrooms
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211908_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211908-.html)
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211907_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211907-.html)
Finally, an absolute classic. The Green Knight. Picked him up during GW's re-release of the older Bretonian figures.
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211906_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211906-.html)
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211905_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211905-.html)
(https://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2025/3/29/1211904_sm-.jpg) (https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/1211904-.html)
I enjoyed working with the provided paper pennants. Tin foil sandwiched between the two half's and a little glue and I was able to get a very regal wave to his back banner.
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Nice work! I dig the green knight.
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Love it ! Metals are my favorite. Nothing better than a nice crisp cast! It?s heart breaking to get miscasts, and having to deal with super glue is less than ideal. But in the end I feel like metal is forever, and plastic feels more like ?game pieces? to me. Keep it up ! I?m knee deep into 100+ metal infantry and my hands are starting to get sore hehe