This may be a stupid question...

[Calimero]

While checking the Reaper Bones figurines that I received earlier this year, I realized that some of them were softer than others even if they had a similar thickness.

As I registered to the second Reaper Kickstarter campaign, I took the opportunity to write to them and ask them why there was such a variety of strength among the different figures. People at Reaper told me that, with such a quantity of figures to produce, it was normal to see some variation in the consistency of the plastic used. This led me to a second question; Would it be possible to inject, use, hard plastic with the molds and machinery already in their possession?

As I said, this may be a stupid question but I do not know much about plastic molding.

Cheers!

[grant]

I think the plastic in the Bones line is more of a plastic-resin and does use the same molds as metals.

"True plastics" use die machines and are obscenely expensive.

[Gary Peach]

Hard plastic and 'soft plastic' (polythene figures) - use injection molds at high temperatures and high pressures.  The dies, tools have to be of a high standard and highly polished, manufacturing 1000s of 'shots' or molds to get the best costs from the tools.  Like white metal. resin molds are traditionally for short runs in multi 100s.

Hope that helps explain.

[Andrew May]

No, you can't run "hard plastic" in the moulds for "bones"
The reason they're using soft PVC type plastic is that they're effectively recasting their metal range as is. This includes all the under cuts and bits that would get caught up in the mould with out the "give" of the soft plastic.

[Calimero]

Thanks all for the replies. As I said I know nothing of this before.

Cheers!