FineCast Review

 

So after reading what quite a few others have to say about citadel’s new finecast range I decided to go and see some models for myself and do a small log on painting the mini which will be put up over the next few weeks! First off I just want to say that I will be looking at the new range from the modelling and painting perspective, I won’t be passing any commentary on the new prices.

After going down to my local store to see the different minis and do some comparisons between the old metal casts and the new resin pieces, I ended up walking away with Inquisitor Coteaz. For two reasons firstly I have always like the model and secondly the detail on it is such high quality even for a cast of 2002 but more on that later!This is how my review will break down, first the quality of the material being used, then the quality of detail on the miniatures, current issues with cast’s defects etc, assembly of the model, and then painting will come later.

The quality of the material

This is my first experience of resin of any kind and to begin with what I will say is that it’s very light. There really isn’t much difference between the weight of the resin and the current plastic range. Secondly to a degree it is quite pliable, the only problem I encountered with Coteaz was the handle of his daemon hammer being bent, but without too much force I was able to straighten it without the need to apply any heat to the model. So definitely for a conversions point of view this is a step forwards. The final and arguably most noticeable point of the resin is the colour, and this brings me nicely on the next section of my review, it is much lighter than the hard plastic range which means it is so much easier to see the details and the sharp qualities of the mini!

The quality of detail

Now as I am sure many of you know, the models have not been made using new casts but the previous metal ones. Now I won’t go into details of the casting process as I don’t really know anything about it that would interest anyone. But I can say from my own personal observations that the difference in cast quality between the old metal and the new resin models is quite significant in most cases. The resin pieces look so much sharper and more pronounced than their metal counterparts and each of the details on most of the models I have seen hold the same high quality. There are however some issues that I hope will be improved, but I will discuss those next.

Current issues

I know this review is a little later than most people’s so I know there has been a very mixed reception for the new finecast range. I will give my overall opinion at the end of this post, for now though I will just talk about some of the problems I have observed. Although I didn’t have the opportunity to look at as many models as I would have liked down at my store, I was able to look at enough to come to a conclusion about what the current issue with the casts is. Age. Now I might be stepping out on the edge a little bit here but the biggest issue I can see with the range is the age of the casts. For example after looking at several of the Tyranid models, namely the brood lord, Zoanthrope and hive guard, there was a big difference in the cast quality. The hive guard was easily a step above the Zoanthrope and brood lord, the details were so much sharper. One Zoanthrope I saw was covered in flash more than anything else and a whole load of pink threads which I can only guess must be release agent?  I also saw the difference when looking at the grey knight, blood angels and space marine models. One that was of particular concern though for a different reason is the marneus calgar and honour guard set, the chapter banner was very thin and daylight was pouring through. Now these sets come in closed boxes which don’t allow you to see the detail before you open them, so while there are still these cast issues ordering online or buy the solid boxes could end up with many returns. So for now the best advice I could give would be to stick to the newer releases, as in the newer casts. Although Coteaz is from 2002 the detail is still brilliant and he doesn’t have the same problems the other older casts have.

Assembly

Coteaz is a simple model to put together in his own right as he only comes in three pieces. My first time working with a resin model and I didn’t find it a struggle to put together. Using tiny amounts of superglue for his hammer hand and cyber hawk they stuck fairly quickly though still require sufficient time to set for an hour or two at least. Although the flashing was fairly minimal for the most part, there was quite a bit on the slot that joins him to the base, but it came off easily enough with a craft knife. One thing I would say when working with resin is to be careful with mould lines and flash as it could be easy to take off too much! Overall though simple and trouble free! 

Final verdict

Although I have yet to paint the model, I am more than satisfied with it. The quality is great and is definitely a smart move for modelling, sharper details and easier to work with material! I am going to be apprehensive about buying models with older casts as the quality difference is quite noticeable the further back in time you go, and boxed sets might also be tricky. But hopefully these issues will be addressed in the coming months by games workshop. But don’t take my word for it go out and check out the models for yourself.

Painting will come over the next few weeks with a WIP log. So stay tuned!