Are the days of metal miniatures numbered? Plastic and resin miniatures have become much more common in the wargaming hobby over the last decade or more, but metal minis are still dominant in the historical wargaming market. But will advances in 3D printing options be the final nail in the coffin for metal wargaming figures?
I am quite happy to use metal and plastic 28mm and 20mm. Plastic though does need some mass added at the base for the figures to "behave" better. Smaller than 20mm I have no experience with plastic but I'd have thought that the weighted bases issue becomes more important, and it's one that can easily be fixed when basing.
ReplyDeleteAs to which I prefer ... not sure I have a preference although I do enjoy making up 28mm plastics from 4 or 5 parts and having the opportunity for some easy customisation. I'd not worry if metals disappeared. Given the size of some people's lead pile I am sure they'd survive after the end of metal production.
One thing against plastic though - all that wasteful sprue!
Hi Lee, thought provoking and interesting subject matter from your videos as usual - and you are probably right, we are on the edge of a sea change in the hobby - look at how not only professional outfits but also individual amateurs are 3D designing and printing their own minis and terrain and then making it available via Etsy, EBay etc - durability aside, there is going to be a wealth of choice out there for us all - that said, I think I drifted into wargaming back in the 70s because I found the simplicity of metal miniatures better than the thought of glueing my fingers together struggling to make plastic model kits - might have to change this opinion in future though…. Oh, BTW, don’t forget the 6 and 10mm MDF figures by Commission Miniatures, though !
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