As a newcomer to the hobbie, most of my minis are 3D printed resin figures I've been buying off Etsy. I had no idea about the toxicity of resin. I've done some filing with no clue. Thank you for mentioning that.
When I first got into historical wargaming after years of just buying GW plastics, I dreaded the idea of having to buy metal minis. I knew that they were heavy, would chip paint, would need pinning etc. and just sounded like a hassle. However, after a few years of working with metal minis, I've actually come round to the opposite view and now prefer to buy metal over plastic. While metal has its obvious downsides as you pointed out, metal minis are generally single-piece and don't need any assembly, and most importantly the detail is a hell of a lot more pronounced which makes painting an absolute joy in my opinion - especially for periods like WW2 where trying to paint plastic webbing used to give me nightmares. While plastic minis have obviously come a long way over the past couple decades in terms of detail, I think a big part of that has been achieved through scale creep and the inflation of proportions to mitigate the soft detailing that's inevitable with plastic. For people who prefer a more true scale look, I think metal is able to still provide that pronounced detail that would be lost with plastic minis.
I didn't mind metal minis too much until I had 21 figures with built in metallic bases from Bolt Action to put on diorama and had to cut them off without damaging models too much... Suffice to say, I will triple check before next comission what material I will be working with
I vastly prefer painting plastic miniatures. I feel like even after priming the paint flows better on a plastic miniature. This might just be leftover frustration from cleaning and prepping the metal models...
It is a credit to you, as the man who taught me how to paint back in the day, that as soon as the video started I said "well once it's primed, not massively"
Painting wise, there's no difference. Prepping (cleaning, assembly, primer, etc.) is what gives plastic advantage over resin and resin advantage over metal. I enjoy painting the occasional metal mini from small producers (mostly for small scale elements, such as the super nice sci-fi range by Khurasan), but I dread the prepping required.
That rather depends on the company producing the figures. Front Rank (under the old owner anyway) cast figures that needed very little prep, whereas the Perry metals are notoriously badly cast with worm-threads everywhere. On the other hand most plastics generally have very soft detail unless they are really multipart (you only need to look at Gripping Beast figures to see examples) but the multipart figures really need to have care in assembly and greenstuff for the joints to conceal the lines unless they are very well designed, or were not really designed to be assembled in different ways.
i was not prepared for the prep work for metal minis... bought the GW Ratling snipers and didn't realize that one of the fellas needed assembly. the parts didn't fit together at all to begin with, did my best to get it to kinda look like it would fit, still didn't fit properly... ended up millitputting the two halves together, looks good enough now and you can't see the milliput unless you're actively looking for it. It is also worth keeping gloves on when prepping them if you got some kind of allergy towards various metals since metal minis usually are made from pewter and that isn't always the nicest of blends of metals. for example, still in this day and age poor quality pewter can still contain lead.
Thank you , Troy . As a gamer from the 70's it was all-ways Drastic , (erm I mean Plastic) , minis that i had issue with but ,As you pointed out todays Drastics minis are of a hugely better quality than they were !
I've build & painted a LOT of minis, as for the majorjty of modellers I started with the old Citadel's metal ones. Today 's plastics are really astounding, there's a details level that is fantastic, plus we can add an economic factor, with € 35/40 you can buy a lot of figures in a single box. Converting /modifying them is very Easy, expecially thanks to plastic cement, on the contrary of CA glue it forgive your mistakes.
I've been paining long enough to remember when metal (in fact, the dreaded LEAD) miniatures were the only game in town. Having come up in that era, it's really nice now being comfortable with "all of the above" as opposed to a more limited experience. For anyone unfamiliar, please pick up some old, pre-painted minis, and spend some time stripping off the old layers of lower quality enamel. It can be very rewarding breathing new life into some of the wonderful "old school" characters.
Plastic is definitely my favourite material to work with, especially with how the glue melts parts together. It's by far the best for vehicles (at least, the main hull) due to the ability to make large flat surfaces without a lot of warping. That being said, resin kits today are so much better than say, Forgeworld circa 2012 or Citadel "Finecast," to the point where I would generally take modern resin over metal, while I would have said the opposite back then. And I'm guessing GSC = plastic, "Krieg" Commissar = 3d print, historical Turk/Ottoman/other = metal, fantasy knight with gun = resin, even though the latter kind of looks like it has more surface irregularities than the previous. I'm mostly going on the assumption that historical tends to have more metal than newer fantasy games, which I believe the knight model is from.
Cracking video and advice. May I be permitted to point out that with some white-metal or pewter figures it's a good idea to ensure that all oxidisation is removed before painting, using Eg a glass fibre pen/brush or similar, perhaps then followed by some form of household sink cleaner. Also there are primers that etch well into white-metal and provide a good key for the top coat. If one isn't careful and methodical then paint can peel and chip from white-metal, pewter and brass.👍✌️😊 Also resin needs a thorough clean up to remove release agents etc too👍✌️😊
Good Content! The difference for me is in the use of the miniatures. If I'm building / painting an historical wargame army then metal is the way to go. Plastic figures add a step - assembly - and that adds considerable time to the process. For military modeling I am going to pick whatever works for the project. Rough surface / pitting on Metal miniatures is an issue but with multi-based figures on the table at normal viewing distance it is not noticeable.
No big news for me (little surprise, I've been doing this for a while), but I definitely have a friend or two who are newer to the hobby than me, whom I'll show this to. Excellent breakdown. (And I much prefer plastic over anything else, though I warming up to resin, and there are some gorgeous metal minis out there)
“Plastic” includes many different chemicals that can paint up very differently. Reaper’s Bones figures and many board game miniatures are PVC, very soft & bendy vinyl with low surface detail, and cannot be primed with most spray cans without reacting and becoming tacky. They must be thoroughly washed before painting directly on the plastic, or the first coat will bead up and refuse to adhere. I suppose an airbrush might help to spray prime those, if the painter has one.
Nice and very informative some very good points I paint all sorts metal plastic resin yes I enjoy plastics for the sharper details but the metals give you good variation of eras and figures another good watch 👍
You didn't mention that the quality of resin 3d printed minis depend a lot from the type of resin, the printing settings, the post processing (wash and cure) and the quality of the model. Some models are simple and bland and some others are real works of art with a lot of details (fabric, fur, scales, feathers, hair, wrinkles,...). In the end 3d printing is in a category of it's own, it's a hobby within the hobby but there is no limit to imagination, be it from the artists or from yourself (digital kitbashing...)
Well, no, but the commentary is more on the material itself rather than the relative quality of the miniatures. Especially given since most recent consumer grade printers are knocking out miniatures indistinguishable from plastic kits, I didn't think it was really relevant to go into processing and such.
I always spray my metal miniatures with Mr Surfacer 1000 from a rattle can first, then a coloured primer. Gets rid of the pitting and leaves a very smooth surface for contrast or washes.
I always struggle with resin - it just doesn't seem to respond in the same way to plastic when I paint it (3D printing - albeit based on limited experience - is even worse)
I honestly can't grasp why there'd be a big difference. It's not something I've experienced once a miniature is primed. Where is it that things are going wrong; when you mention it not responding the same way, how do you mean?
@@SonicSledgehammerStudio even with Halfords primer, paint doesn't respond in the same way and washes especially react differently. It was much more in the dark days of finecast, but even now working with resin feels different for some way. I get your point about metals though, esp. Warlord ones
That's... really weird? I've genuinely never come across that. I don't ordinarily wash my miniatures before priming and painting, but it might be something worth trying if you've still got any that need painting?
@@johnwalliss I think that some of the issues that you might have experienced maybe due to the changes in paint formulations over the past 5-10 years. They caught me out as they're not often declared or known about until one goes to use them, then it goes Pete Tong. If you're on about constructing resin models, they vary greatly from cottage industry supplier to cottage industry supplier. I model figures, railways and some military so I work in most mediums and resin is often a chore for me during construction and painting. White-metal is okay to paint as long as it's prepared properly. 3DP is okay, if it's a quality resin base, but it can be a chore too.
I cannot explain why but painting the three different materials feels very different to me. The way the brush feels as it makes contact is just... different. It's frustratingly hard to put in to words
Hmmm I I like them all but some are more challenging than others . However I will steal a line from sonic back when I where a lad I mostly got metal miniatures!
Metal is certainly my favourite for painting. Always feels smoother to me and more fun. I think it's also the lack of pointless details (usually) like behind rifles. Saves time. Helps I'm a massive fanboy for Perry, Empress, Artizan etc. Plus some plastics are TOO detailed and sometimes just boring rubbish (most GW stuff)
I like plastic more then 3D printed, but like everyone else I do have a number of 3D printed miniatures. Metal minis are good and solid, but you do have to wash them in soapy water, clean them up, prime them. Then they should paint really good. Resin miniatures are good also, but priming is the key to a great finish on them. Cheers 🍻🍻🍻
When I first got into miniature gaming (that required painting, X-Wing doesn't count here), Freeblades by DGS Games was my first game. They were all metal. While I love painting and the weight of metal, I have utterly fallen in love with plastics. Why? A good plastic kit be it from Victrix, Perry, Games Workshop, Warlord Games, etc all offer tons of customization and options that you really don't get with Metal. Even stuff like Infinity where there are tons of pieces to deal with there is little to change or make your own. Plastics do it in the build phase, metal does it in the paint phase. Resin done well is decent, done poorly, well, sucks.
He's Ibn Uthman, from the Beowulf miniatures pack. You can get them in white metal or STL - this is the metal version. handiwork.games/product-category/miniatures
I am an old timer and to me, the defects in the metal add to the miniature. I still prefer a weighty metal miniature to no weight of a plastic miniature. Also the assembly of plastic and resin just frustrates me. Maybe it is because I do 3 or 4 times as many 15mm miniatures as compared to 28s. Do I paint plastic and resin? Yes, but I just don't enjoy it as much as metal. So call me old fashion.
Thank you for the video! I really love my metal minis, much more than resin Plastic is good too Hey can you tell the manufacturers of the first minis you showed on the video? I really liked them :)
Anvil Industry's the armoured warrior in silver, GW does the Genestealer Cultist, the Valor Korps Marshal is from The Makers Cult and Ibn Uthman the swordsman is from Handiwork Games.
For me the biggest difference is the price. Painting exclusively military miniatures i do not really care about resin. I have seen resin figures for the price of 1/35 scale tank with full interior. Not worth for me.
Me too Mike. Cash is king in my thinking of anything I do in the hobby. When the plastics came along I re-entered the hobby as I like big units and big battles. My frugleness stems from some years of financial struggle so if I spend a few quid I have got to feel like I got my money's worth.
I have! I've got a couple of their STLs sitting in the queue to be printed, too. I'm not ordinarily hugely into cyberpunk stuff, but there's a charm to those miniatures.
The one issue I have with 3D printed minis is how *fragile* they are. I am a clumsy guy, and I tend to drop things fairly often, which isn't an issue with plastic minis as the vast majority tend to just bounce a little, maybe get a little bit of paint chipped off, but that's it. With 3D printed minis I found that they just shatter in sections. Granted, it's relatively easy to glue them back together. I think it's my fault, more than the material itself.
There are some really neat resin mixes you can look into if you're printing your own. Some resins are full-on flexible, and you can mix them with traditional ones to get a semi-flex more similar to the Reaper Bones line. Not a perfect solution, but it's something. "Beats a hard kick in the face," as mum used to say.
yeaah look im put off of resin models for life after games workshops "finecasts" they did. sorry but why am i paying 30 bux for a model that looks like i soaked it in mineral turpentine for 24 hours?
I just want to point out, plastic *is* resin. People often talk about sanding resin being toxic, but any particulate in your lungs is bad for you. I'm not sure if FW and other companies use a urethane resin or what, but it is probably just as toxic to be sanding the hard polystyrene, and you should not differentiate. The language used (resin vs plastic) is deceptive. All plastics are resins. The acrylic in your paints is a resin. Don't inhale any kind of particulate.
Fair point on the sanding. Yes, any airborne particulate is potentially hazardous, but it's honestly been so long since last I actually sanded plastic that it didn't occur to me to mention. I think I'd struggle to breathe in the knife shavings! As regards the language being deceptive, let me pose a hypothetical: Would you go into a Games Workshop and ask for a resin Baneblade like it's 2003, or do we accept there's common use to consider which is describing two different materials to a customer?
It's simply unfortunate vocabulary. I'd rather people recognize the difference between hard mold casting and soft mold casting, but the language is as it is. I just know I sand polystyrene models a lot when seam filling with super glue (the price of the much improved quality is dealing with seams in the worst places).
![Paint any Space Marine Vehicle the Same as Infantry! [How I Paint Things]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/GfS0pe8Sy-o/mqdefault.jpg)
As a newcomer to the hobbie, most of my minis are 3D printed resin figures I've been buying off Etsy.
I had no idea about the toxicity of resin. I've done some filing with no clue. Thank you for mentioning that.
When I first got into historical wargaming after years of just buying GW plastics, I dreaded the idea of having to buy metal minis. I knew that they were heavy, would chip paint, would need pinning etc. and just sounded like a hassle. However, after a few years of working with metal minis, I've actually come round to the opposite view and now prefer to buy metal over plastic. While metal has its obvious downsides as you pointed out, metal minis are generally single-piece and don't need any assembly, and most importantly the detail is a hell of a lot more pronounced which makes painting an absolute joy in my opinion - especially for periods like WW2 where trying to paint plastic webbing used to give me nightmares.
While plastic minis have obviously come a long way over the past couple decades in terms of detail, I think a big part of that has been achieved through scale creep and the inflation of proportions to mitigate the soft detailing that's inevitable with plastic. For people who prefer a more true scale look, I think metal is able to still provide that pronounced detail that would be lost with plastic minis.
I didn't mind metal minis too much until I had 21 figures with built in metallic bases from Bolt Action to put on diorama and had to cut them off without damaging models too much... Suffice to say, I will triple check before next comission what material I will be working with
I vastly prefer painting plastic miniatures. I feel like even after priming the paint flows better on a plastic miniature. This might just be leftover frustration from cleaning and prepping the metal models...
It is a credit to you, as the man who taught me how to paint back in the day, that as soon as the video started I said "well once it's primed, not massively"
Painting wise, there's no difference. Prepping (cleaning, assembly, primer, etc.) is what gives plastic advantage over resin and resin advantage over metal.
I enjoy painting the occasional metal mini from small producers (mostly for small scale elements, such as the super nice sci-fi range by Khurasan), but I dread the prepping required.
Agree, i hate metal minis the detail is not sharp and the body parts look glued to the body.
That rather depends on the company producing the figures. Front Rank (under the old owner anyway) cast figures that needed very little prep, whereas the Perry metals are notoriously badly cast with worm-threads everywhere. On the other hand most plastics generally have very soft detail unless they are really multipart (you only need to look at Gripping Beast figures to see examples) but the multipart figures really need to have care in assembly and greenstuff for the joints to conceal the lines unless they are very well designed, or were not really designed to be assembled in different ways.
i was not prepared for the prep work for metal minis... bought the GW Ratling snipers and didn't realize that one of the fellas needed assembly. the parts didn't fit together at all to begin with, did my best to get it to kinda look like it would fit, still didn't fit properly... ended up millitputting the two halves together, looks good enough now and you can't see the milliput unless you're actively looking for it.
It is also worth keeping gloves on when prepping them if you got some kind of allergy towards various metals since metal minis usually are made from pewter and that isn't always the nicest of blends of metals. for example, still in this day and age poor quality pewter can still contain lead.
Thank you , Troy .
As a gamer from the 70's it was all-ways Drastic , (erm I mean Plastic) , minis that i had issue with but ,As you pointed out todays Drastics minis are of a hugely better quality than they were !
PS , about 95% of my mini collection is White metal , (80's era ,) just a FYI there .
🐺
I've build & painted a LOT of minis, as for the majorjty of modellers I started with the old Citadel's metal ones. Today 's plastics are really astounding, there's a details level that is fantastic, plus we can add an economic factor, with € 35/40 you can buy a lot of figures in a single box. Converting /modifying them is very Easy, expecially thanks to plastic cement, on the contrary of CA glue it forgive your mistakes.
I've been paining long enough to remember when metal (in fact, the dreaded LEAD) miniatures were the only game in town. Having come up in that era, it's really nice now being comfortable with "all of the above" as opposed to a more limited experience. For anyone unfamiliar, please pick up some old, pre-painted minis, and spend some time stripping off the old layers of lower quality enamel. It can be very rewarding breathing new life into some of the wonderful "old school" characters.
Thanks for that comparison video. I never really thought about it before. Very informative! Thank you 🙏
Plastic is definitely my favourite material to work with, especially with how the glue melts parts together. It's by far the best for vehicles (at least, the main hull) due to the ability to make large flat surfaces without a lot of warping. That being said, resin kits today are so much better than say, Forgeworld circa 2012 or Citadel "Finecast," to the point where I would generally take modern resin over metal, while I would have said the opposite back then.
And I'm guessing GSC = plastic, "Krieg" Commissar = 3d print, historical Turk/Ottoman/other = metal, fantasy knight with gun = resin, even though the latter kind of looks like it has more surface irregularities than the previous. I'm mostly going on the assumption that historical tends to have more metal than newer fantasy games, which I believe the knight model is from.
Cracking video and advice.
May I be permitted to point out that with some white-metal or pewter figures it's a good idea to ensure that all oxidisation is removed before painting, using Eg a glass fibre pen/brush or similar, perhaps then followed by some form of household sink cleaner. Also there are primers that etch well into white-metal and provide a good key for the top coat. If one isn't careful and methodical then paint can peel and chip from white-metal, pewter and brass.👍✌️😊
Also resin needs a thorough clean up to remove release agents etc too👍✌️😊
Phewww thought the silver guy had been wittles out of wood. Lucky escape that!! All beautiful figures in their own right,
Good Content!
The difference for me is in the use of the miniatures.
If I'm building / painting an historical wargame army then metal is the way to go. Plastic figures add a step - assembly - and that adds considerable time to the process.
For military modeling I am going to pick whatever works for the project.
Rough surface / pitting on Metal miniatures is an issue but with multi-based figures on the table at normal viewing distance it is not noticeable.
No big news for me (little surprise, I've been doing this for a while), but I definitely have a friend or two who are newer to the hobby than me, whom I'll show this to. Excellent breakdown.
(And I much prefer plastic over anything else, though I warming up to resin, and there are some gorgeous metal minis out there)
Thanks for all you do!
I appreciate that!
“Plastic” includes many different chemicals that can paint up very differently. Reaper’s Bones figures and many board game miniatures are PVC, very soft & bendy vinyl with low surface detail, and cannot be primed with most spray cans without reacting and becoming tacky. They must be thoroughly washed before painting directly on the plastic, or the first coat will bead up and refuse to adhere. I suppose an airbrush might help to spray prime those, if the painter has one.
Nice and very informative some very good points I paint all sorts metal plastic resin yes I enjoy plastics for the sharper details but the metals give you good variation of eras and figures another good watch 👍
You didn't mention that the quality of resin 3d printed minis depend a lot from the type of resin, the printing settings, the post processing (wash and cure) and the quality of the model.
Some models are simple and bland and some others are real works of art with a lot of details (fabric, fur, scales, feathers, hair, wrinkles,...).
In the end 3d printing is in a category of it's own, it's a hobby within the hobby but there is no limit to imagination, be it from the artists or from yourself (digital kitbashing...)
Well, no, but the commentary is more on the material itself rather than the relative quality of the miniatures. Especially given since most recent consumer grade printers are knocking out miniatures indistinguishable from plastic kits, I didn't think it was really relevant to go into processing and such.
I always spray my metal miniatures with Mr Surfacer 1000 from a rattle can first, then a coloured primer. Gets rid of the pitting and leaves a very smooth surface for contrast or washes.
That's an awesome cowboy! Where is it from?
I always struggle with resin - it just doesn't seem to respond in the same way to plastic when I paint it (3D printing - albeit based on limited experience - is even worse)
I honestly can't grasp why there'd be a big difference. It's not something I've experienced once a miniature is primed. Where is it that things are going wrong; when you mention it not responding the same way, how do you mean?
@@SonicSledgehammerStudio even with Halfords primer, paint doesn't respond in the same way and washes especially react differently. It was much more in the dark days of finecast, but even now working with resin feels different for some way.
I get your point about metals though, esp. Warlord ones
That's... really weird? I've genuinely never come across that. I don't ordinarily wash my miniatures before priming and painting, but it might be something worth trying if you've still got any that need painting?
@@johnwalliss I think that some of the issues that you might have experienced maybe due to the changes in paint formulations over the past 5-10 years. They caught me out as they're not often declared or known about until one goes to use them, then it goes Pete Tong. If you're on about constructing resin models, they vary greatly from cottage industry supplier to cottage industry supplier. I model figures, railways and some military so I work in most mediums and resin is often a chore for me during construction and painting. White-metal is okay to paint as long as it's prepared properly. 3DP is okay, if it's a quality resin base, but it can be a chore too.
I cannot explain why but painting the three different materials feels very different to me. The way the brush feels as it makes contact is just... different. It's frustratingly hard to put in to words
Hmmm I I like them all but some are more challenging than others . However I will steal a line from sonic back when I where a lad I mostly got metal miniatures!
Metal is certainly my favourite for painting. Always feels smoother to me and more fun. I think it's also the lack of pointless details (usually) like behind rifles. Saves time.
Helps I'm a massive fanboy for Perry, Empress, Artizan etc.
Plus some plastics are TOO detailed and sometimes just boring rubbish (most GW stuff)
I like plastic more then 3D printed, but like everyone else I do have a number of 3D printed miniatures. Metal minis are good and solid, but you do have to wash them in soapy water, clean them up, prime them. Then they should paint really good. Resin miniatures are good also, but priming is the key to a great finish on them. Cheers 🍻🍻🍻
When I first got into miniature gaming (that required painting, X-Wing doesn't count here), Freeblades by DGS Games was my first game. They were all metal. While I love painting and the weight of metal, I have utterly fallen in love with plastics. Why? A good plastic kit be it from Victrix, Perry, Games Workshop, Warlord Games, etc all offer tons of customization and options that you really don't get with Metal. Even stuff like Infinity where there are tons of pieces to deal with there is little to change or make your own. Plastics do it in the build phase, metal does it in the paint phase. Resin done well is decent, done poorly, well, sucks.
Hello. Have you painted any Samurai or Ashigaru 15mm or 28mm before as I can't see any in your list. Cheers
Not yet, but there's a couple on the painting desk while I do the research!
Great will be looking forward to that one as hav got a 200 odd to painf.
Cheers
👍
Interestingly Fighting 15's said on Facebook last week that metal prices have plummeted
Well, that's encouraging to hear!
@@SonicSledgehammerStudio doubt if we as customers will see any change
That Saracen/Arab warrior in the beginning looks spectacular, where did you get him from?
He's Ibn Uthman, from the Beowulf miniatures pack. You can get them in white metal or STL - this is the metal version. handiwork.games/product-category/miniatures
@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Amazing, thank you!
I am an old timer and to me, the defects in the metal add to the miniature. I still prefer a weighty metal miniature to no weight of a plastic miniature. Also the assembly of plastic and resin just frustrates me. Maybe it is because I do 3 or 4 times as many 15mm miniatures as compared to 28s. Do I paint plastic and resin? Yes, but I just don't enjoy it as much as metal. So call me old fashion.
Thank you for the video!
I really love my metal minis, much more than resin
Plastic is good too
Hey can you tell the manufacturers of the first minis you showed on the video? I really liked them :)
Anvil Industry's the armoured warrior in silver, GW does the Genestealer Cultist, the Valor Korps Marshal is from The Makers Cult and Ibn Uthman the swordsman is from Handiwork Games.
@@SonicSledgehammerStudio thank you very much :)
For me the biggest difference is the price. Painting exclusively military miniatures i do not really care about resin. I have seen resin figures for the price of 1/35 scale tank with full interior. Not worth for me.
Me too Mike. Cash is king in my thinking of anything I do in the hobby. When the plastics came along I re-entered the hobby as I like big units and big battles. My frugleness stems from some years of financial struggle so if I spend a few quid I have got to feel like I got my money's worth.
off topic but have you ever heard of papsikels ? He has some cool prints!
I have! I've got a couple of their STLs sitting in the queue to be printed, too. I'm not ordinarily hugely into cyberpunk stuff, but there's a charm to those miniatures.
@@SonicSledgehammerStudio Have you seen the starship trooper/ arachnid line he has? very very cool.. and also the xenomorphs
The one issue I have with 3D printed minis is how *fragile* they are. I am a clumsy guy, and I tend to drop things fairly often, which isn't an issue with plastic minis as the vast majority tend to just bounce a little, maybe get a little bit of paint chipped off, but that's it. With 3D printed minis I found that they just shatter in sections. Granted, it's relatively easy to glue them back together. I think it's my fault, more than the material itself.
There are some really neat resin mixes you can look into if you're printing your own. Some resins are full-on flexible, and you can mix them with traditional ones to get a semi-flex more similar to the Reaper Bones line. Not a perfect solution, but it's something. "Beats a hard kick in the face," as mum used to say.
yeaah look im put off of resin models for life after games workshops "finecasts" they did. sorry but why am i paying 30 bux for a model that looks like i soaked it in mineral turpentine for 24 hours?
Well, that's on GW. The vast majority of other resin producers out there actually QA their miniatures before they're packaged and sold.
I just want to point out, plastic *is* resin. People often talk about sanding resin being toxic, but any particulate in your lungs is bad for you. I'm not sure if FW and other companies use a urethane resin or what, but it is probably just as toxic to be sanding the hard polystyrene, and you should not differentiate. The language used (resin vs plastic) is deceptive. All plastics are resins. The acrylic in your paints is a resin. Don't inhale any kind of particulate.
Fair point on the sanding. Yes, any airborne particulate is potentially hazardous, but it's honestly been so long since last I actually sanded plastic that it didn't occur to me to mention. I think I'd struggle to breathe in the knife shavings!
As regards the language being deceptive, let me pose a hypothetical: Would you go into a Games Workshop and ask for a resin Baneblade like it's 2003, or do we accept there's common use to consider which is describing two different materials to a customer?
It's simply unfortunate vocabulary. I'd rather people recognize the difference between hard mold casting and soft mold casting, but the language is as it is. I just know I sand polystyrene models a lot when seam filling with super glue (the price of the much improved quality is dealing with seams in the worst places).