Plastic or lead Chaps that is my question...

[LawnRanger]

 oh   Brothers
     
        I have taken the plunge and have started to paint 28mm instead of the 15/10mm stuff !

IT started about 18 months a go ! I was happy painting my 15mm and 10mm stuff BUT then over night i had a Vision  for the Forgotten  war of 1812 ..next to no time i had painted up a GURT load of them  yanks  300+ figs .. but now i have to start on the BRITISH ..

which is my problem I Know it makes sense to go down the plastic road ! But i just like the feel and weight oof mee old lead chaps ...

I talked my self out of buy plastic saying by the time you bloody glue all them heads on and arms ect you could of painted up half a battalion (12 figs) which is about 2 nights worth of painting for me.



my lead chaps are around £1.20 a pop ,plastic are a bit cheaper  aint they !BUT not much  right..
Am picking up a load of perry figs this saturday .

Have i done the right thing and gone lead ! or should i have gone down the plastic road ! 

Brothers i need your assurance that it will turn out ok for mee. but what would ou have done .. ?

Happy gaming LR

 



 

[Major_Gilbear]

I like metal figures, but then I don't have to transport them anywhere for games. If you have to take several cases of lead figures with you every week to your gaming club though, then you might wish you'd bought them in plastic (or maybe cancel your gym membership instead...  ).

Beyond that it's personal preference mainly, although a few more discerning folks will even go so far to as to judge individual figures on their aesthetic merits first and material merits second (*gasp!*).

If you're happy with them in lead, then great - they are your toys that you enjoy afterall.

[Tactalvanic]

If you can afford it, like it and want it in lead - Buy them, paint them and enjoy them.

Yes yer right, get on with it and post some pictures later for us to enjoy

If you prefer plastic - see above and replace 'lead' with 'plastic'.

Your not wrong doing this hobby of yours the way you like.

[grant]

If you can afford it, like it and want it in lead - Buy them, paint them and enjoy them.

Yes yer right, get on with it and post some pictures later for us to enjoy

If you prefer plastic - see above and replace 'lead' with 'plastic'.

Your not wrong doing this hobby of yours the way you like.

Well said.

The correct answer is of course "Yes". 

[armchairgeneral]

Plastic may well be cheaper but if you factor in how long you take to paint them then you probably could have saved up the money to get metal. I am a slow painter so that's my argument to stick with metal for the most part.

That said, I like the facility with Perry plastics for example of individualising figures. I was thinking of getting some of their AWI continentals to give this a go.

[tyrionhalfman]

For me personally the joy is in playing around with different plastic kits to get the most varied and unique looking minis possible. So for me I prefer plastic. But for those whose enjoyment is painting then the gluing together of parts would just get in the way. It also depends on how much hobby time you have, as metal are ready to paint after usually very little prepping. Each to their own. Either way enjoy

[Blofeld]

I think its very dependant upon each company and each range on an individual basis. Personally I love plastic miniatures for their ease of painting and for the sheer customisation you can get with them but it is your hobby and if you enjoy using lead then that's what you should be using! Everyone has their own personal preferences and the great range out there is what makes the hobby so great!
Thanks
Blofeld

[Chico]

Lead all the time for me if I have the choice, it just seems (Maybe partly in my head) to take the paint better.

Also I like single piece sculpts over multi-part.

[Sunjester]

I prefer metal over plastic any time, but that's because I'm a wargamer, rather than a modeller. It's bad enough having to paint the blessed little chaps, without having to glue all my fingers together trying to assemble them.

I look enviously at those talented individuals who produce fabulous armies in plastic, with every figure in a unique pose, but it's not for me.

[Silent Invader]

Ah, but I like plastic because I'm a wargamer! 

I prefer each pose to be unique so plastic on its own, or plastic and metal, or just metal, gives me loads more options to play with. Converting is, of course, often (but not always) easier with plastic bits.

[Rhoderic]

Non-issue for me as well. I like both. Well, to be more precise, I like both plastic and white metal that doesn't have too much lead in it. Lead is too bendy.

Also, some of the stated reasons in this thread for disliking either plastic or metal are quite alien to me, in that I've never had those problems or thought of them as problems. We all have our individual pet peeves that we get hung up on (I know I have mine, like the aforementioned bendiness of lead). It's slightly funny reading what other people get hung up on when those issues don't even exist in my world. Vive la différence and all that.

[tyrionhalfman]

If I played the napoleonic era or similar I probably wouldn't mind metal, as an entire rank in the same pose, say marching or firing, would look quite impressive and make sense.
However I play medieval or fantasy, and usually only at skirmish level, so it's worth the effort for me of playing around with plastic, as an entire section all posed the same doesn't always look as natural, when each fighter would be engaged in his own personal battle with his opponent. 
Again each to their own

[Argonor]

I more and more often buy plastics, as the quality is really good these days, and the price is usually much nicer.

I also base all models on steel washers, so the weight is not really an issue for me.

I would never have considered doing the Zulu War in 28mm if not a large portion of the models were available in plastic.
Old West, were the emphasis on single models, rather than units, is another matter; here the 'saving for the next bunch while painting the current' is much more the way to go for me,

As for durability, I find that paint is far less prone to rub/chip off plastic, but, on the other hand, I never varnish.

I'd say, as some others, go with whatever you feel for, especially if it suits your wallet.