Casting quality...

[westwaller]

Just a quick query folks, in general are well cast lead miniatures shiny or dull? I have read that they should be one of the two, somewhere, but cannot remember which?

Cheers,


Westwaller.

[carlos13th]

No idea. Can't say how shiny a metal model is has ever influenced my choice to buy it. Or my view of the sculpt. I just tend to look t the details, the mould lines the flash and decide based on that.

[Silent bob]

I don't know the answer to your question, mate but I feel that with the majority of 25/28mm figures hovering around £1-50 to £2, that casters should look to the condition of their moulds (or at least have some kinda QA system in place before enclosing their models into blisters).

Some figures you get are going back to the days of the 70's 'self carve' figures....

[Modhail]

I can only give the classic answer: It depends...

Or more elaborately: A well cast miniature should fill the mould completely, so, the surface of the miniature should match the surface of the mould, which in turn, if the mould is well made, should match the surface of the master sculpt. Ofcourse, type and quantity of mould release is also a factor in the surface of the final casting. As is the precise casting alloy used.
Lots of variables. For some combinations of factors shiny is good, for others matt. Personally I'd look more closely at the definition of details and shape on the cast.

[Hammers]

Back in the days, not so long ago, when lead was a de rigueur ingredient in white metal there was a correlation between dullness and casting quality. Lead has, as you know, a comparatively low melting temperature and therefore will give better definition in a mold. It also oxidizes easily, and therefor has a dull surface.

[westwaller]

Firstly, a quick apology to the mods for posting this topic on the wrong board... where to put stuff gets confusing sometimes!!

Thanks for the answers, I have just bought some new miniatures, and although the examples on the company's website are all nice and shiny and splendid looking, when mine arrived, they had quite shallow detail (very in some instances) and very very dull grey/silver coloured, which I have not encountered before, and it just made me wonder...

Also has anyone else found that if you go for company's deals, or regiment style packs with a reduced rate for buying a lot of minis, it might not be such a deal, as you often get more miscasts than when buying a normal priced pack?

[Westfalia Chris]

Firstly, a quick apology to the mods for posting this topic on the wrong board... where to put stuff gets confusing sometimes!!

No worries - General Discussion isn't totally wrong, but I'd say it is more useful on the Workbench and easier to find for others who are interested in that as well.

Thanks for the answers, I have just bought some new miniatures, and although the examples on the company's website are all nice and shiny and splendid looking, when mine arrived, they had quite shallow detail (very in some instances) and very very dull grey/silver coloured, which I have not encountered before, and it just made me wonder...

In many cases, manufacturers polish the miniatures to take pictures and may add a wash to increase definition in the figure images used to promote the figures.

Also has anyone else found that if you go for company's deals, or regiment style packs with a reduced rate for buying a lot of minis, it might not be such a deal, as you often get more miscasts than when buying a normal priced pack?

Haven't experienced that when ordering minis, but it might indeed happen. I don't think companies are trying to offload faulty castings as parts of deals, but it may be spotted more easily when smaller packs are picked as compared to a large batch.

[carlos13th]

Can't really say as the only big packs of metal miniatures I have ordered from are from Old Glory who don't do smaller offerings, didn't notice any miscasts from them though.

[Hammers]

Can't really say as the only big packs of metal miniatures I have ordered from are from Old Glory who don't do smaller offerings, didn't notice any miscasts from them though.

I am a bit suspicious about Old Glorys casting and quality assurance process. They seem to focus to be focused on puching quantity over quality. Mind you, I find many of their minis quite nice.

[Westfalia Chris]

I am a bit suspicious about Old Glorys casting and quality assurance process. They seem to focus to be focused on puching quantity over quality. Mind you, I find many of their minis quite nice.

Concerning Old Glory, I never really had problems with manufacturing quality, but the sculpts and poses are quite often uninspired. As you say, quantity over quality (as in more "average" sculpts than a smaller number of "good" ones), but from a manufacturing standpoint all the OG stuff I had was quite good. Definitely not "simply the finest", though.

It has been years, though, since I last bought OG products (a French 75 for SCW service, IIRC), so things may have changed.

[carlos13th]

I bought their Ashigaru archers and was impressed by them they are not perry quality but they are solid sculpts, I am also waiting on some monks which are out of stock. Haven't painted them yet and haven't done any kind of detailed inspection but I like them a lot from what I have seen. Will post up some pictures if you like.

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

Concerning Old Glory, I never really had problems with manufacturing quality, but the sculpts and poses are quite often uninspired. As you say, quantity over quality (as in more "average" sculpts than a smaller number of "good" ones), but from a manufacturing standpoint all the OG stuff I had was quite good. Definitely not "simply the finest", though.

It has been years, though, since I last bought OG products (a French 75 for SCW service, IIRC), so things may have changed.

I think that might be true of the old ranges, but the new stuff is really quite nice. I've not had any quality issues with their castings, not now, nor on any of the Crusader USA stuff I got through them. Their old ranges (ie. Boxer Rebellion) had a rep for odd poses. Ie. firing the gun one way but looking off in another direction. But you get so many figures in a bag that people forgave them. I ordered the dancing cossacks - 30 figures and I can't find two alike!