Plastic or metal?

ojahjaja · Post by **ojahjaja** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:00 pm

Hi all!

My question is simple, plastic or metal figures?
To make this interesting I will elaborate a bit. I have played figure games for about 15 years, mostly Games workshops different games, the problem with that has always been cost, a problem i thought would disappear when i got older and started to work and make my own money. But it didn't, it was still very expensive.... All you out there, how ever collected and played any GW games now what I'm talking about. So then I tried DBA for a while, but it was still to expensive to buy an army for that system to.
When i was little I always use to play with 1/72 scale toy soldiers, so when I heard about FoG and that the system was going to work with 1/72 scale figures I got really exited. So I looked in to the hole plastic soldier scene again and I was delightedly surprised. The best thing was that there had been huge progress and development in the hole 1/72 industry, with new company's like Zvezda and Strelets, witch makes beautiful figures that are designed for wargaming. And the best thing of all, it is cheap, very cheap in comparison to what I was use to. For my latest project I'm making a republican roman army. So far 228 figures for 35 euros. 36 cavalry and 192 infantry.
So pleas answer and tell me you opinion, and why you are playing with metal or plastic, pro/cons etc.

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:28 pm

For me the answer is both,

Most of my armies I have to admit are metal but that is because I am mainly a 15mm player and all my finished DBM armies are 15mm metal. That said I have about seven unfinished 1/72nd scale armies waiting to be painted. The main reason for the huge number waiting is that with plastic figures in the past if you didn't buy them when they were new you would find that they became unobtainable.

As a result I have:

Sumerians - Hat
Egyptians - Atlantic
Assyrians - Hat and Ceasar
Makedonians - Hat and Zvezda
Gauls / British - Airfix, Revell, Italeri etc.
Imperial Romans - Revell and Italeri with converted Airfix
Late medievals - every company under the sun

I would be more than happy to play with my plastics, it would just mean me getting my act together to actually finish one or more of the armies.

Having seen three 1/72nd armies out of 10 in the 25mm comp at the challenge makes me want to get painting.

I rather fancy adding Carthagnian, Republican Roman and Parthian at least.

miffedofreading · Post by **miffedofreading** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:29 pm

Ancients - My armies now are metal 15mm

But you may have seen my post on biblicals, i tried some Caesar 1/72nd new kingdom egyptian chariots and they were very good. I am going to buy an entire NKE army and base for 25mm.

In theory I am also interested in the real 25mm plastics that are starting to come out, though more interested in either 100 years war or wars of the roses for this scale myself.

Plastics can be great, i got some of the games workshop cadian guards, excellent figures. As you say modern 1/72nd plastics are much better than the old days, many are serious wargaming figures at a fraction of the cost of even 15mm metals.

Andy

Fugu · Post by **Fugu** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:43 am

All my true 25mm and smaller stuff is all metal, but for kitbashing and working with, I prefer plastic. It's just soooo much easier to work with.

MarkSieber · Post by **MarkSieber** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 4:07 pm

Almost all metal, except a few skirmish figures. Why? Scale: 15mm fits on the table space available. Lead--though more expensive than plastic--is cheaper than rent.

Now, if there were 15mm or 10mm plastics...

donal · Post by **donal** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:10 pm

I voted metal but will look at the new plastics. A bit out of period but I am looking at the Perry's ACW figures for Brother v Brother
Don

Probert · Post by **Probert** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:34 pm

My armies for FoG are (and will be) 15mm. So I prefer metal.

If I were to go to 25mm I would not hesitate to go for some of the newer plastics out there. I got a sample plastic Roman with my last issue of WI, and that little sucker looked great.

ars_belli · Post by **ars_belli** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:37 pm

It will probably take me several years to finish painting the 15mm metal figures I already have, so I don't think that I will be branching out into plastics anytime soon.

Cheers,
Scott

Noble · Post by **Noble** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:02 pm

Metal for me, and only metal at that.

The reason is not logical but easily to explain - biography. When I got my first miniatures, metals were a subjective step up from plastics. That feeling has stuck.

Nowadays it seems to be the other way round, not the least due to the influence of Games Workshop. Thuss I guess in 20 years, the beginners from today will think the same way about plastics as many from 20 years back think about metals

daveallen · Post by **daveallen** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:49 am

For me it's plastics all the way. Yes, I do have some metal 25mm armies and all my 15s are metal but I prefer playing 25s with plastic.

Nice to see some other plastic armies turning up at the Challenge. Now it's not everybody but me out of step.

Dave

gsmalcolmson · Post by **gsmalcolmson** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:48 pm

I like the plastic for looks, but feel that metal will last longer. And I hate assembling... Great to have a variety, but I get annoyed with my results.

Draka · Post by **Draka** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:11 pm

Voted for metal as in when I bought my figures plastic in most ranges didn't exist (Chinese mainly for me). Still looks to be the same way at this time ....

Quintus · Post by **Quintus** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 6:09 pm

gsmalcolmson wrote:I like the plastic for looks, but feel that metal will last longer. And I hate assembling... Great to have a variety, but I get annoyed with my results.

By the time I've finished sorting out my plastics they will last forever too.

sphallen · Post by **sphallen** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:02 pm

I imagine it will take 10 years to get as complete a range of plastics as we currently have with metals. I'll buy them if they're the same quality as metals to save money. Alas, no Crusaders yet nor any hint of them in the near future.

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:12 pm

sphallen wrote:I imagine it will take 10 years to get as complete a range of plastics as we currently have with metals. I'll buy them if they're the same quality as metals to save money. Alas, no Crusaders yet nor any hint of them in the near future.

If you look around there are actually quite a few crusades figures about in 1/72 http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/PeriodMedieval.html

sphallen · Post by **sphallen** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:04 pm

I play primarily at cons and in 25mm, so I'll either have to buy metals or wait until they release a plastic line I'm interested in

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:09 pm

sphallen wrote:I play primarily at cons and in 25mm, so I'll either have to buy metals or wait until they release a plastic line I'm interested in

Three of the "25mm" armies out of the 10 at the BHGS Challenge were actually 1/72 plastic. There is nothing to stop people using them against 25mm or 28mm figures. It looks very odd if you mix them within the same army and the 1/72 look small when they are in close combat but overall they are fine for 25mm games.

That said there should be 28mm hard plastic 100 years war figures before too long and I suspect Greeks and Persians after that followed by Crusaders and Saracens if Wargames Factory follow the FoG book release sequence.

sphallen · Post by **sphallen** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:04 pm

I prefer to have 25 or 28mm myself, but I have no problem at all with people using 1/72. Maybe my height advantage will add some morale benefits

speedy · Post by **speedy** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:39 pm

Traditional "lead" figures for me, plastics melt away in the heat of the battle ....

speedy · Post by **speedy** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:52 pm

Seriously though, I'm not a big fan of the 1/72 soft plastics. I know some folks talk about the higher cost of metal, but that doesn't really worry me .... not because I'm particularly affluent, but my painting-times are so long for 28mm that I rarely paint more than one army a year, so 300 or so figures .... that's around £6 a week .... or a couple of pints .... in fact when I've got a paintbrush in my hand I'm not drinking, so I figure buying 28mm figures actually saves me money ....