Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 9:25 pm
Did the existence of plastic moulded figures mean that GW stopped producing white metal ones? Nope. And GW spent a lot of money buying injection moulding machines, really pushing the use of plastics for 28mm figures during the 90s.
Ultimately, once you have the machine time (whether you own the machines or subcontract the manufacture), you are still only partway there - tooling (the moulds themselves) is *incredibly* expensive. Massively so for something that will alow you to mould in a plastic that retains nice crisp edges. When you've got your tools, you can churn out figures for fractions of pennies, but you really, really need to be producing - and selling - in large volumes.
Now those volumes are entirely achievable for an outfit like GW, producing its main product lines. But all of the speciality figures will still be cast in white metal - it's just not economically viable to spend £30k on mastering and tooling for a figure that might sell 1,000 copies. But they can afford to cast in metal, because the moulds and centrifuges are a whole order of mangitude cheaper to make and run.
I remain slightly skeptical that the big volumes needed to break even can be achieved by many manufacturers, or indeed many product lines. Main trop types for omans and Gauls, maybe. 100YW English and French men-at-arms, archers and knights - quite possibly. Medieval Scots or Ancient Spanish? Not a chance. So there will still be a call for entire product lines in white metal, along with all of the speciality troops to go along with the plastics.
PS -Ian, I'm blaming you for my current spending spree on 28mm. Those figures you had on the table at the WMMMS have encouraged me to start buying and painting Romans. Frankly my only hope for retaining some spending money this year lies in Wargames Factory managing to churn out good looking legionaries at an affordable price. becuase if I carry on buying Foundary figures, I am surely doomed.
Ultimately, once you have the machine time (whether you own the machines or subcontract the manufacture), you are still only partway there - tooling (the moulds themselves) is *incredibly* expensive. Massively so for something that will alow you to mould in a plastic that retains nice crisp edges. When you've got your tools, you can churn out figures for fractions of pennies, but you really, really need to be producing - and selling - in large volumes.
Now those volumes are entirely achievable for an outfit like GW, producing its main product lines. But all of the speciality figures will still be cast in white metal - it's just not economically viable to spend £30k on mastering and tooling for a figure that might sell 1,000 copies. But they can afford to cast in metal, because the moulds and centrifuges are a whole order of mangitude cheaper to make and run.
I remain slightly skeptical that the big volumes needed to break even can be achieved by many manufacturers, or indeed many product lines. Main trop types for omans and Gauls, maybe. 100YW English and French men-at-arms, archers and knights - quite possibly. Medieval Scots or Ancient Spanish? Not a chance. So there will still be a call for entire product lines in white metal, along with all of the speciality troops to go along with the plastics.
PS -Ian, I'm blaming you for my current spending spree on 28mm. Those figures you had on the table at the WMMMS have encouraged me to start buying and painting Romans. Frankly my only hope for retaining some spending money this year lies in Wargames Factory managing to churn out good looking legionaries at an affordable price. becuase if I carry on buying Foundary figures, I am surely doomed.
I have begun to paint (I am ashamed) my Lizardman army 
.....MOST of the minies ARE plastic. 
) I thought of using WF. I'm not in a hurry for them so can wait BUT if I was in a hurry I'd not hesitate to g with Warlord. Lots of people have pre-ordered and had their cards debited and thus far got nothing. Not good, not good at all. IMHO of course.