A little over a month ago I came across an epic yarn of what happens when a Golden Demon level painter encounters Finecast. Now we all know the story of Finecast: GW wanted to get out of the metal business so decides to go with resin for certain models. For pure fun let me remind you what GW thought about Finecast when it was released…
Last week we announced something very special – so special in fact that it’s nothing less than a new era in wargaming, as we launch the highest quality miniatures the world has ever seen – Citadel Finecast.
Wow, that’s quite a statement isn’t it? Nonetheless, it is very true. On the 28th of May we launch Citadel Finecast, miniatures of such exquisite detail that they are the closest representation of the sculptors’ original that we have ever been able to make. Until you hold one in your hand and see it for yourself, it’s hard to describe just how detailed they are.
So, what are Citadel Finecast miniatures and why are we making the change? Quite simply, Citadel Finecast is the next step in the evolution in tabletop miniatures wargaming. From the start, Games Workshop has always innovated and sought to increase the quality of our models – Citadel Finecast is the next step in that process. There are no other miniatures that exist of this quality and manufactured on this scale in the world, and we’re proud and very excited for you all to see this for yourselves.
The Citadel Finecast miniatures are all made from a unique resin formula. For us as hobbyists, this is great news. The resin is easy to work with and quick to cut off the sprue, making assembling a miniature easier than it has ever been. Not only that, but it’s incredibly light too, which means pinning wings and other heavy components will be a thing of the past. So, quick and durable, that’s a good start. But of course, one of the main reasons for this change to resin was quality. One thing you’ll notice immediately when you pick them up is the exceptionally sharp detail on the model, which can only be described as staggering. For dedicated painters (which we all are to some extent) this is a dream come true.
You won’t be disappointed.
As for my two cents, I actually really like Finecast…. for the most part. I like the weight and the ease to assemble making it worth the hassle in spite of the other problems. If I were to have an ax to grind though it would be GW portrayal of what was an obvious cost cutting move, not the next step in model making. Going with a name like Finecast is extra ridiculous and shows an extra level of hubris on GW part. This is what makes the following story so compelling for me and anyone that had raised eyebrows about the “greatness” that is Finecast…
So on to the story…
#7 & #8… Fail…
Yes you read correctly. We have two other failures among us. I was hoping for success from a first look but, although they are not as bad as the previous batch, they are not acceptable. I’m at lost now. Through the 8 copies I have examined, I can now say that I have seen each issues I have encountered being perfectly cast at least once on a model with the exception of the belly part. So I know the perfect copy is not impossible, simply elusive. And as said before, I’m not asking for the perfect copy. Simply something that I can work with without spending more than 1 hour prepping the model which in fact shouldn’t take that long.
Yes I have the abilities to take most of these models and fix them. I can repair these issues using miliput, green stuff, files and sand paper (don’t talk to me about liquid green stuff). The question is why should I spend the extra time to repair a finecast model which Games Workshop labels as “incredibly detailed, high-quality resin kits”. You simply have to click on the finecast logo on their website to read the description. As a friend recently said on the topic: ” i shouldn’t HAVE to resculpt parts of it, the fact than i “can” is moot. I can accept mold lines and the ocassional sprue/vent, but resculpts should be a choice i make, not something i have to do just to get a stock mini”. When I pay 20.75$CAN on a model I do not expect to have to take my entire tool set to prep it.
The thing which disturb me even more is that I am not the major demographic buying their products. I have the abilities to see the problems with these minis and call them what they are: shit. But most customers, especially the younger ones, which we have to admit are GW’s main target, probably won’t see it as they are. So how many people actually bought these “high-quality resin kits” without further inspection and are now being played? If that doesn’t sound like ripping off your customers I wonder what does. I have seen perfectly casted Finecast minis. I know that they are not bad all over the board but I’ve been through 8 Overlords now and I am still hoping for a copy I can work with.
So far we had no issues getting replacement models at my local store. This time though they asked questions. Pictures were requested so I eagerly sent them the link of the previous article. The answer from our sales rep was to inform us about the existence of liquid green stuff… First of, as previously said, I shouldn’t have to buy a new products to fix extensive defects on a foot soldier model that cost 20.75$CAN. Second, if your company policy is to push you customers to buy an extra overpriced product to fix your inability to produce a “high-quality resin kit”, definitely you have major issues. Lastly, liquid green stuff has been out of stock at GW USA warehouses for the last three weeks. Well to be exact, we have ordered liquid green stuff the last three weeks and every time our order arrived without it and the invoice stating “not shipped”. Furthermore if you think you can fix the issues on the models #5 and #6 with liquid green stuff you are either simply blindly following your company guidelines on what to answer your customers or you are clueless. I don’t want to be mean but at one point someone is getting tired of being laughed at in such an obvious manner.
They did finally sent us two replacement copies… and here are the results:
Necron #7
Nothing majorly bad from this angle. Again we can already see that the part behind the knee is miscast. This part cannot be fixed with liquid greenstuff. It has to be properly re-sculpted to get the sharp angles and flat panels. Liquid greenstuff would either create a bubble on each side or simply run through if too thin. In either case it would be impossible to file or sand to get the proper angles. And look at the number of vents… I’ve never seen so many of them on resin model….
I highly recommend you read the entire story not just the snippet posted here. Now is this the insane ramblings of OCD perfectionist or does GW have a Finecast problem on their hands?