The END of METAL Warhammer minis? (Yes, but also no...) 

Metal minis just feel mo' legit, man. Legit like this video am i right fellas?

My greatest problem with metal minis is chipping. On thin places, it can bend easily, and when it bends, then all the paint is chipped away... And no primer or varnish can protect from this kind of chipping.

Great topic and discussion. I love all the old metal Middle Earth minis, there's something very nostalgic/comforting about them!

There will always be a niche demand for metal miniatures but the quality of plastic miniatures has improved so much that they seem to be the dominant miniature now and into the future.

Drowned earth do some stunning minis and who doesn't love dinos

I love the metal minis too. I'm kinda sad that I can't get all of the middle earth stuff in metal these days... Those drowned earth minis are sick though, I saw their game display at Salute and it was definitely one of my favourite games there on the day

If they are well cast I do love metal minis and I much prefer them over resin. The feel of playing with them and painting them just doesnt compare to plastic or resin.

Much prefer metal above other materials. Just feels more of a quality product and when you are spending a fortune on minis it just feels better value for money. I suspect, over time, they'll hold their value more due to the ability to chuck in pretty much any type of paint stripper you like and it's almost as good as new. If the price of tin keeps going up, you can always melt them down and sell the tin anyway 😂

Hi. I only paint metal. I hate bendy plastic and snappy resin. That said i don't paint games workshop and don't 3D print. Also the detail is better. All the best.

I think people who are used to GW plastics look at unpainted metal minus and think they look rubbish but the detail and a half decent paint job makes a world of difference. I painted some 1980s metal Essex Miniatures a while back and everyone was shocked how crisp they ended up looking. It's just not easy to see all the detail until they're painted

Historicals are mostly metal ranges save for plastic box sets by Warlord, Perry and Victrix. Still love the GW metals and only collect those over resin and plastics.

I love metal minis

I like my officer figures to be in metal. They get a lot more handling than the ‘big battalions’, and need to be stronger and heavier - to ensure they stand better in uneven terrain.

60 dollars for injection molded minis is pure greed and a huge barrier to entry.

If you step into the world of historical miniatures the vast majority are still metal, although the number plastic sets have been growing quickly over the last 10 years. And honestly I’ve grown to love metal miniatures. Some of my favourite minis are in mental from small manufactures.

Awesome work on these dude, they look amazing up close. Thanks for popping over for my intro game, definitely need a rematch soon!

If the choice is between 2 identicial models, I'll always choose the metal one. Yes plastic/resin is easier to convert/alter, but since I don't do that, that part doesn't matter to me. (: The one downside to metal minis is that when you build big ones, you have to pin it, and if you don't align the holes correctly... But when it comes to painting, there's nothing like painting a metal mini. And ye, maybe it's because when I started painting there wasn't any plastic minis available to buy. And no, I don't think metal minis is going anywhere, anytime soon.

For organic shapes, I think metal still gives a better result than plastic. 3D printing is amazing, but digital sculpts tend to be too clean - they _look_ digital no matter how well you paint them. High-end cast resin is still number#1 for the best quality, but it's stinking expensive.

Hmm tough question. Part of me loves them. All of my Flintloque miniatures are metal and as others have said, chipping can be an issue. I have a 3D printer and have done a couple of Armies in various scales. I prefer metal to Some plastics.

When i started the hobby nearly 3 years ago, i hated metal minis, but since dedicating my time to skaven, i have started to love them! Theres jsut something so charming about some of the old chunky sculpts! Only downside is as others said, the chipping. no matter how much i varnish, chipping is inevitable!

Assembly, gap filling and dropping/chipping/wargaming playability issues aside, I find them DEEPLY SATISFYING to paint and display. It might have something to do with their weight, which I may subconsciously associate wth their intrinsic value.

Check out Oathsworn Miniatures for single piece cast metal miniatures which are a joy to paint. Also check out the Skirmish game that they go with. Burrows and Badgers.

PRO's: Better detail & easy to work with. CON's: Heavy if your using a lot of them and price. Tough call. I love metals but I can not deny that I buy way more plastics simply because of the price. Plastics today cost what metals used to cost! But metals are what I started with. They used to be the standard. I like painting metals more than plastic and even prefer them in games for my characters.

Interesting to see if Sinocast hard takes over from metal in smaller manufacturers

As an old school player that still has lead based mini's, I think metal mini's are fine for standard 28mm scale pieces that are relatively small and not particular complex (few pieces). Larger and/or more complex pieces really need to be done in something that is lighter than metal. Cuz trust me, you don't want someone getting angry and chucking an old metal dreadnought at your head.

Metal minis are dead Dead cool 😎

Comments on metal minis from someone who started collecting GW in 1996. Ironically the first GW minis I bought were the 2nd Ed set which were all plastic. So GW had started moving past metals as far back as that. My first metals were Orks, Kans, Dreads and Nobs and a sweet warboss. But to point: Metal problems, metals don't just chip, the paint wears off at extended points like elbows, knees, feet and hands. Metals are fragile, I eventually gave my Banshee Exarch the plastic executioner from the Dire Avenger set because the metal one kept breaking at the neck of the blade. Knock a metal mini off the table onto a hard floor and watch the hand grenade effect, even when pinned, as the model explodes across the floor. Metal models, I think if you looked at historical miniatures, you will see a greater use of metals, particularly in smaller scales. From 6mm to 28mm there are still a lot of metals about. Such as German infantry in Battle Front Miniatures at 15mm. Quite a few brands do metal and resin. The other point I would note is that metals tend to be more brutal on your paint brushes as well. I went through a stack painting a 25mm British Napoleonic army. Good cardio and weight exercise carrying the army around though.

Back in the olden days, plastics were also used, it's just rarer then, but I have some of the sets done for D&D that are rare.

I love all my old metals, they are heavy to move around all at once which rarely happens, but there is something about the feel of the weighty metals. Easy to strip paint off but the need to pin everything. Now I tend to have a good mix of my old and new. The newer resin seems to be so brittle and having to be careful to the point I don't want to transport them. I've heard it spoken of before but the idea of main bodies made from resin but the smaller detailed/ fragile parts made from a white metal?

I adore pewter miniatures. I started tabletop playing Warmachine/Hordes and the original runs were all entirely pewter - even fodder units since it was a much smaller skirmish style game compared to warhammer. Eventually they switched to injection plastics and it really wasn't the same. I miss the nice heavy minis, but they did have their own issues. Pretty much every joint needed to be filled with green stuff since there were always noticeable gaps on pewter models. It was a bit annoying but it improved my sculpting game. We joked that our khador player walked around with a box of weapons since every one of his warjacks was a 5lbs metal rock that could take a limb off.

Thank you , Benji . Aluminium alloy and lead bismuth , that is what white metal is , and unfortunately in the late 90's the Chinese electronic market boomed so they bought up all the white metal they could thus the "White metal " minis died off, then Pewter, but as stated the price hike makes them un-cost effective , Then resin , and now plastic . ho hum , I wonder what will be next , (hope I live long enough to see ). But am just so glad I have a huge amount of White metal minis , It is a bit of a bind trying to add to old army's though .My first Wargame minis were old lead one's "gifted" to me , To "Learn " to paint . He-he , as if Lead minis would ever be allowed these day's .Thank you for the upload Benji . 🐺

Great vid man. Love metal minis I think it gives a good satisfying weight to them on the table. I play a lot of historics and there are still a tonne of metal minis avaliable.

Eisenhorn isn't quite the last resin 40k model. Commissar Severina Raine was released in resin a year or two after him. There was even a metal model or two in the 40k range until very recently. The Eldar range had a metal warlock in it possibly up until the new plastic warlock kit came out a month or two back.

I am a massive fan of old metal minis from mid 2000s

I love the heft of metal minis, but the constant paint chipping off regardless of how much varnish you apply is the deal breaker. Glad we've moved onto plastic.

Plastic is king Metal is great Resin is okay most of the time

You miss the important fact of how exhausting is to carry an army of metal minis in the back pack

I support those companies that make metal miniatures still like Mierce Miniatures, Blood Moon, Reaper, and Relic.

I love metal, if you mess up just trow them into aceton and you can start over

Came back to the hobby after 25 dark years, from an era of all metal Space Marines and loads others. Started buying new GW stuff and after a time adapting to ways of the plastic…still missing the heft of metal minis. Love how easy plastic is to work w’ - bit hate all the fragile spikey bits. Not fun yrying to pin a broken off spear once painted. Last fall I went head on to Privateer Presses Hordes and bought several metal model w’ out realisong the material upon purchase. I’m mostly being paranoid all my hard work and paintjob chipping away. Are you using any extra layers when priming them to try and ensure the paint doesn’t chip or wear off while in use?

I love GW metal very much, but unfortunately 40% of the metal on the second-hand market is fake counterfeit. Almost every third metal miniature that I bought turned out to be a fake, which I had to give away for free to someone.

I love metal minis I have over 100 metal ons. Every time I see one I have to buy them. I’m currently working on some classic storm boys (15). The chipping is always a problem so I have some nice fome transport tray’s and that works great, and if you don’t over complicate de paint job you can always fix them up.

I miss metal minis. But yeah, plastic is where it's all going. Even in the case of small production I think the Siocast plastics will soon catch on and replace metal spin casting eventually.

Love metal minis, Drowned Earth and Infinity Code One are great games with beautiful minis and the Crooked Dice (Have a look at 7TV as well) has a great range of minis spanning 60 years of pop culture and a joy to paint. The other fantastic range is Burrows & Badgers - anamorphic animals in a great skirmish game where different size creatures use different sided dice. Also, really good to see you look at other games away from GW as there are lots of fantastic ones out there.

Drowned Earth-Yes! I am so happy you chose to highlight them. The rulebook has 40k or RPG-level background material, which really makes a difference for me.

Great video, love a metal mini, particularly the old hammer or minis from smaller companies

'Alien to newcomers to the hobby' - probably because of GW being most peoples entry point

I've been collecting minis since about 1980 (D&D mostly) and in the wargaming hobby since about '93, and I have experience spin casting metals. Resin is a much better material, and polystyrene plastic is vastly superior. The argument that smaller companies can't do it is erroneous. Wyrd has been doing it for years, and Warcradle, Mantic, Wargames Atlantic, Northstar, etc all do plastic sprues very well and quite affordably. One thing you didn't touch on was the rising shipping costs and the fact that metal is much heavier than resin or plastic. great video though, and drowned Earth have some great moulds; but i'll wait for them to switch to resin or plastic

Great video, I have been diving into this a bit myself too, lots of nostalgia around metal, I forgot how badly paint stuck to it compared to plastic until I painted up some models recently!

Nope the last made to order eldar from GW were cast in pewter. it was a pleasant surprise when they showed up.

Interesting video and nice minis. The paintjob is cool too. :)

Those are some damn fine lookin minis! While literally my #1 favorite thing in the hobby is converting and kitbashing, I still love metal minis separate reasons. Metal minis are nice in that its usually just one or two chunks you glue together. There's no hmming and hawing over loadout options, you just assemble it and paint it. It can be nice change of pace sometimes.

Darksword Miniatures do an *immense* amount of fantasy metal minis, which are frankly perfect for games like D&D, and other fantasy RPGs. My first ever miniature that I painted was a Ranger (that looks very like Tanis from Dragonlance!) for a friend's Pathfinder game. It was expensive to import into Ireland but worth every damn penny!

I miss pewter Warhammer. Yes, it's a pain to work with but they just have a special place for me.

I'll take metal over resin any day of the week.

Hi! Very good video! I like that you know the facts! 😊

How come you don't do videos with Luke anymore

I noticed, that the "DEAD" in the Thumbnail is covered up by the video length. My favourite tabletop (freebooters fate) has moastly handsculpted metal miniatures. I´d prefer resin or plastic, still I like them enough tom make videos about painting them ;-)

As a ‘late to the game’ adult mini painter, I’ve never actually painted a metal miniature. Could be interesting to try

if you like the drowned earth you should take a look at Carnevale by TTCombat

I had 3 battle trolls from lord of the rings warhammer before. They were great but anything metal is a bastard to glue if they large lol.

*_Josh made that board? Really? Was it really Josh that made that board?_*

Really interesting topic, weighing up the costs of plastic tooling vs metal casting - great video thanks!

I fear to even look at these minis for Drowned Earth, they look great in the show!

Metal miniatures should not go extinct but rather evolve. It looks like they are made from aluminum. Imagine some titanium minis

The worst thing about metal minis for me is that they are so reflective meaning they look so bad unpainted as you can't see the details, and well I have a lot of unpainted minis...

I like the heft of metal miniatures, but in every other regard I vastly prefer plastic - have never really worked with resin models, so can't speak for that

Great game Board and what an informative video! I'm all over the place when it comes to scales for my builds so knowing a little bit of every option available comes in handy. Thank you Benji!

I hate plastic

Awesome!! Had some mettal way back when but i can not find them. Always looking for anything other than GW in shops.

yes good minis now i know why he did the board good stuff and fun to do will be seeing when post a game or two so post will see

I prefer metal to be honest, though plastic does have the advantage of cost. I don't think they're going away any time soon, your view is probably a bit biased because of the games you play (40k etc.) whereas historicals are much more likely to be in metal. The setup cost for plastic is probably too high for a lot of the niche periods and small companies. It has its failings of course; some pewter mixes are softer than others, I've spent a lot of time on GW ME stuff replacing the spears with steel so they don't bend.

I think GW have also moved away from metal due to the way their design process works now. Many of the newer minis are really dynamic with lots of complexity and tons of delicate parts coming in at all sorts of angles. I'm talking about stuff like Mortarion, the Necron Void Dragon, and pretty much the entire nighthaunt range from AoS. Those kinds of models just wouldn't work in metal, due to the limitations of the casting process. They design the models in CAD and then slice them up into dozens of strangely shaped pieces so that it works with the injection moulding process. Anyone who's built a GW plastic kit in recent years will know what I mean. Some of the pieces just seem bizarre how they fit together, but it's a necessary part of producing miniatures with such complex geometry. In order for all of these complex parts to connect together without leaving huge gaps, a high degree of accuracy is required in the molding process. You just can't get that with metal, as it's way too prone to warping, mold slip etc. Also thin and delicate parts can't be reliably reproduced and are highly susceptible to bending out of shape. All of this just means that metal would be a terrible material to work with for these types of minis, both in the actual production of the model, and the assembly by the hobbyist. Combined with the other factors mentioned in this video, it's easy to see why it's been phased out by GW. I think as time goes on, we'll even see it fall out of use by smaller companies. Technologies such as Siocast are IMO superior to metal casting and I think we'll start to see more and more smaller miniature companies leveraging that technology to produce minis. The other option is 3D printing, which may become viable for producing small batches of models on a commercial scale as the cost of printers goes down, the size goes up and the quality improves in leaps and bounds. It's an exciting time to be a hobbyist.

I love metal miniatures and incredible video

I dont understand the hatred for metal, I started in this in the early 80s and think it's mostly down to fear of the unknown and having to make an effort. But yes, also, metal can have less details than other types but to this, I say, go look at Corvus Belli. Tiny, metal and highly detailed.

Love metal minis. A couple of favorite manufacturers are Diehard Miniatures and Knightmare Miniatures. Both have a real vintage flair to their designs. :D

The number of constant pop-up pages on the Drowned Earth site makes looking at them a real hassle.

OG Metal are amazing for the feel but its now 3D Printed solid minis for me. Cheaper. Lovely detail from 2ft away and well did I say cheaper?

I love the metal Lord of the Rings Warhammer. Rather have them in metal than in resin. Resin always seems to have problems with bended spears and swords and it's almost impossible to get them straight.

Seriously? Tons of metal minis still available from smaller independent producers. Metal is only thing I use and collect. Don't mess with GW products since most of their games suck.