Plastic Versus Metal Miniatures

There are a lot of differences between plastic and metal wargaming miniatures, and Atom tries to help you figure out what's best for you.

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[yoloolo]

You should really consider reading an audio book or something like that, such a pleasant voice!

[Triceratopping]

Plastic? Metal? Pah, filthy casuals. You ain't a true a tabletop gamer 'til you've done gone whittled a squad of Space Marines from fine maple spruce...

[Lord_Wedge]

Love that you finger quoted "pro painted" as most the eBay "pro painted" stuff can be better described as poorly painted.

[leakycheese]

Cool video man, and a great discussion topic. Here are a few thoughts from me.

Metal:
> old, pre-pewter models are much easier to work so those retro-projects have an advantage here (these are lead alloys, but the lead ban was a result of tetraethyl lead petroleum).
> When sticking 2 flat surfaces together score lines into each surface to give a rougher face that cyanoacrylate (superglue) with get a better hold on.
> Have high and medium-low viscosity superglue... use the high for large area gluing. Use the medium-low to run additional adhesive into complex or large joints once initially fixed to further strengthen the bond.
> Use superglue accelerant if you find it hard to get a joint to bond.
> Use pins and/or epoxy for base attachments on large / top heavy models.
> Large, complex joints can de stuck with composite adhesive techiques, use superglue for a outer, quick attachment and epoxy for a strong, inner core. Add pins to taste.

Plastic:
> Have superglue to hand as well as plastic cement.
> Weight bases to improve stability on models - less likely to fall over and off the table

General:
> I always keep a couple of old, blunt craft knives for clean up work. I use these to get a smooth finish on metal, plastic and resin models as you can apply more force without tearing the surface up (the GW mould line tool is designed on this principle).
> Strength in numbers: you will get stronger joins doing multiple, small pins rather than a single large one, particularly on parts that have a low rotational resistance when assembled e.g. ball joints.
> Oblique pins aligned against any potential plane of movement are much stronger than ones aligned in a perpendicular orientation.
> Pin difficult joints after assembly.... sometimes its difficult to pin a joint before assembly. If you don't mind drilling a small hole through the exterior it can be easier to drill a pin in after a part is glued and fill the small hole with your favoured modelling putty.

[JoshHardman]

Really great unbiased video.

Personally I love plastic for all my new stuff as I find it easier to paint, it doesn’t chip and it’s more detailed.

I love metal models for older systems though. I have a soft spot for finding metal Lord of the Rings figures on eBay, stripping and painting them. Big nostalgic feel.

[romangoicoechea]

Excellent videos for my classes of ESL. Great accent, pronunciation and perfect talking pace. My pupils love your videos and they feel encouraged when they come to understand the 80% of your words which is a great success for them. Carry on like this!
Best regards from Spain

[daver]

I prefer dangerous lead based pewter miniatures. I'm old school like that.

[TheRunesmythe]

I used to really like metal models, and then for quite a while I wound working mostly with plastics but even then I kept saying how much I preferred metal. Fast forward to a couple of years ago (after working with styrene and resin almost exclusively) and I got a miniature from the Andrea Miniatures Warlords 40mm line and realized very quickly that I now hate working with white metal; its so much more time consuming and requires so much more work to clean up and get ready for painting. About the only I still like about metal miniatures is that they're more resilient in certain ways; for example if you accidentally put a lot of pressure on something like a weapon while you're building/painting, you're more likely to just snap plastic whereas white metal will usually bend and can then be straightened again.

I know many people don't care for the Bones line, but in my opinion they're not that bad. I believe they use a type of PVC and while it certainly is much softer than other plastics that can work to your advantage. Fixing bendy weapons and limbs just requires hot water and cold water, and you can also do this to re-position other parts of miniature like arm poses, legs poses, etc. Also, converting them, specifically where you're removing pieces, is pretty easy as well. The earlier miniatures had a problem with soft detail, but some of the new ones they've released are pretty comparable to their metal miniatures in terms of good, clean details.

[sarissanhunter]

The biggest perk of metal armies is that if you can’t beat your opponent’s army with them you can always beat your opponent with them. But seriously don’t hit people it’s bad.

[MissInviz]

When I first started getting into models, they were mostly metal...I got out of the hobby for 10+ years and came back to a lot of the Reaper models have been converted into plastic, etc and it took me back a bit but I am getting used to working with it and I think I prefer plastic as far as prepping/working with them goes. I still have a TON of metal models to work on, so I'll compare and see how I feel about them in the future. Great video as always, thanks!

[SarithenVol]

I prefer plastic and resin over metal. The materials are easier to work with and I prefer the models to weigh less so that they don't weigh a ton when I'm transporting them all at once. Additonally, with metal miniatures, the paint chipping problem can happen more often than most people may like to admit, and I just don't want to have to repaint something over and over again. Finally, Mean Green degreaser will strip plastic and resin of paint without harming the materials and the tools needed for plastic models conversion sre much cheaper than the ones I would need to work with metal.

Great video as always, man!

[danieljohnson]

I glue a nickel under the base of plastic models. gives them a pleasant weight and keeps them from tipping over, too.

[TheSeekingOne]

A very solid review.
One thing you didn't mention - and that's the most important factor imho - is that standard spray undercoat sticks to plastic much better than to metal (or resin for that matter). That's the second thing (in addition to weight) that contributes to the metal models being so prone to paint chipping.
Nowadays, I simply don't paint metal models, ever - just for that reason: I simply can't stand the fact that the paint job that I put so much effort into can (and will) be ruined so easily.

[pupsratte]

I finally found your channel again! Was watching a couple of videos about a year ago, but I never subscribed because I wasn't watching on my own computer; not logged in.
I really like your videos. Great, varied content. Motivates me to pick up the hobby again! Keep it up!

[BlackBeardProjects]

I prefer metal ones for the feel but, something really boring is when you have to transport them! I like to magnetize my army, on plastic models you can place a single magnet with a drop of ca and you are good to go, on meteal ones sometime I had to place up to 4 magnet and I always use some green stuff to build some more area for the glue to grip otherwise it just snap off when you pick the mini up :'( Great video as always mate

[moisesyome]

I have to say how well this video is done in my opinion. Giving examples of each benefits and negative. Different scenarios and I really liked how the plastic was subdivided.

The knowlage to explan how models are made and how different companies operate is fantastic, a great bonus.

Oh, and I loved how he stated the currency he was talking about. Most don't.

[surfingmoose]

I prefer plastic and multi-part plastic, especially for painting. I like painting some pieces before they are attached, ie shields or such. But for me it is 15mm tanks that come in plastic that this method works best. Take the PSC's Panzer IV. The tracks are separate pieces. Clean and file on the sprue, prime, and base coat. This allows me to more easily paint the rubber on the bogies and do some of the other detail work without the tracks being in the way and having to worry about getting paint on the tracks. Once all the base painting is done, attach the tracks making sure the unpainted bits (where it was cut from the sprue) is facing inwards. Do any touch up painting and then attach the hull together. Easy peasy nice and easy.

Great subject again. Truly enjoy your channel.

[gunnblades]

One aspect of the weight issue you didn't mention--not a big deal of course--is that the lighter plastic models are better to use magnets with. Not just for holding up weapons or figures that ride stuff but also if you're the type--like me--that likes to magnetize their case.
Maybe that was too minor to be mentioned I dunno but it is an aspect that is a big deal to me ever since I magnetized my whole Wood Elf Army.
Great vid as always.

[chuchlate]

Hey just wanted to say, only seen a small selection of your videos but everything you put out and all the information you give everyone is awesome don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise because you really help people out!

[TheRhyx]

As a 40k player, I love my plastics, so much easier to repose, refit, convert, and all that like you said. However, I like to have a spattering of metal models in my collection for, well, nostalgic reasons. Also, it is easier and more precise to use a jewelers saw, or even that saw that came in the 6th edition Citadel tool kit on plastics than using just the flush cutters. A small miter box of sorts can help get some nice angular cuts and such as well. I play Ultramarines so the only limits with modeling are really just my imagination.