Siocast Plastic is Replacing Resin, Metal and PVC Minis. Here's Why.
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- Опубликовано: 17 апр 2022
- Game companies are making the switch to a new type of plastic. Siocast is an injection molding thermoplastic that is viable for small and medium sized companies, and it offers some serious advantages over metal, resin, and pvc. We're going to be hearing a lot about this material!
Thanks to the Siocast team for explaining this stuff to me, and even whipping up a special mold to demonstrate their process! Thanks to Loot Studios for the epic Goober Baron sculpt :-)
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I'd been hearing about Siocast and Siores for a little while, and I finally got sample models from a wide range of companies, and I got to see the casting process with a sioform live at a convention! The Siocast team even brought a mold that makes a mini brent! Original sculpting of the Goober Baron was done by Loot Studios.
Other sculpts in this video are from Broken Anvil, Creature Caster, Enigma, Level 52, Reaper, and Titan Forge. Other notable companies like Corvus Belli are also making the switch to siocast!
Small quantities of sample minis were provided to me free of charge by Siocast, Reaper, Broken anvil, and Titan Forge.
Is your favorite company using Siocast? In this video, I showed samples directly from Titan Forge, Broken Anvil, Creature Caster, and Reaper, as well as several other sculpts cast at the Siocast booth. Corvus Belli and several other big names are using it too!
Reaper has gone on record that their newest Bones USA figures are in the new Siocast material.
Seeing their project a few months back really makes me wonder how much lower the barrier for entry is for creating your own small miniature company. Doubt they'll quote me a price for a machine for curiosities sake. But awesome tech nonetheless!
I have some Siocast Reaper models and I like them! Would recommend.
Do you know anything about the chemistry of what Siocast actually is? I love your videos on glue and paint chemistry, and I'd be really interested in learning more about this new material.
Galladoria games uses Siocast as well. Small company in Rhode Island. Entire new kickstarter campaign is Siocast!
Brent at this point must be the person with the most miniatures based on his likeness who isn't also a film star.
Lol, right next to the LOTR Cast.
I really like that you can reuse the material in case of a miscast or anything alike. And the less toxic material I have on my painting table the better.
Absolutely. I've been hoping for a casting material like this where the flashing and sprues and such could be reused in this exact way. I really think is amazing too.
Any production process that allows smaller companies to break into the mini-making space is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. And the upsides of this one seem pretty good, especially if it's the hard plastic version.
My only gripe is the proprietary technology on display. Hopefully, the process is replicated by other manufacturers. If for no other reason than to keep Siocast honest. Still, the fact that Siocast is competing with other production methods means we probably won't see them becoming the next dominant monopoly for a long while.
Hopefully they license out the technology rather than just selling machines
Seems the technology is patented so unless another similar but legally distinct method is developed I don't expect to see competition any time soon.
>>Any production process that allows smaller companies to break into
sure, the more the merrier, but there is already easier and cheaper way for smaller companies to break into the mini-making space:
resin casting
I successfully done it at home without any special equipment
And also: there is hobby-level injection molding equipment, that also works with rubber forms. Almost no one thrilled about it because its harder to use and more expensive than a resin, and this new stuff is even more expensive.
I am not stoked about resin, frankly resin sucks, but all this machinery seem to cost a fortune, like in a 10s of thousands $$? which is not in a range of small companies
AND also this material basically looks like PVC, well, it probably IS, for its properties.
@@Uterr Plastic Soldier company do a new range called ULTRACAST and Warlord Games do stuff like Napoleonic horses as well.
everything that will kick out toxic resins out from the hobby is a good move IMHO. I've heard that Corvus Belli want to replace metal with it.
From my understanding they've already started to. I saw a video update from them awhile back where they said the plan is to do their larger minis in Siocast first and slowly transition the other stuff so they don't need to increase all the prices due to metal costs. If that plan has changed since then I am unaware of it.
@@Zach_Walker from what i gathered all the minis in TAG RAID will be siocast. And yeah in infinity they started with some robots and take it at slower pace.
@@vladimirpalik6697 TAG RAID has no Siocast. It’s China Plastic for the Big Stuff and Metal for human sized models and smaller. But the planned Warcrow Range will be Siocast, at least the one after the planned Kickstarter, which will also be China Plastic instead.
@@alexanderuth3989 ok, thanks for the correction.
Thanks for the video, Brent! This new tech definitely looks interesting. Always good to see the hobby advancing/improving.
I've been buying the Reaper USA minis and the detail on them is fantastic. I had no idea it was a new process, hopefully some more companies use this material.
The dream would be machines like these living at hobby stores.
Imagine a store being able to run a print-on-demand service for literally anything a customer might want!
Resin is great but it's not automatically the best: space, resources, print time, finding suitable models (and proxies, or clones) all factor in. Injection moulded plastic is more expensive than resin, sure, but it's way more convenient and it's backed by many amazing mini companies who provide great models people want to assemble, paint and use.
Cost isn't everything.
@Kronin resin mini's are great for collecting, bad for gaming, they break and snap if you glare at them hard.
@@Kconv1 you clearly have never used Citadel fine cast minis
@@testaccount4191 Wasn't finecast awful? I assumed that's why GW moved to plastic character minis shortly after
@@IrateWizrd yeah, there where terrible but they had similar brittleness issues which pissed off a lot of people
I don't think this is replacing resin anytime soon for the super boutique Etsy sellers or for people who make things like ball jointed dolls, but this looks really cool for local companies. Now it all depends on the startup cost of the machine
The startup cost looks like it's ~~$85K. You're right, this won't be replacing boutique home uses, but for small/medium companies it's absolutely viable.
I wonder if they will provide any commision work for boutique level groups? Like, pay for a few molds, pay for labor and machine time and get a limited run of the gubbins or chintz you want.
@@Bobdd0 it not SioCast themselves, certainly 3rd parties will eventually. Just like ShapeWays :)
Well, okay... more like custom ink printing services, what with the setup and mold fees
No, not the Boutique-Stuff. (And I don't think, that this might be even the goal for siocast in any way.) But for gamingcompanys such as warlord games this realy might be a gamechnanger.
@@GoobertownHobbies $85,000 is a small company? Ouch... There goes my hopes of getting into the business.
Perfectly summed up. I did a commission of some creature caster siocast minis. They might need to up their QA a bit since I was missing part of a sprue and had a severe mold slip on a couple smaller bits. Otherwise the material was like working with a more rigid PVC.
Your painting is getting better and better.
Just a tip for anyone interested, I've found that buffing the mini with a piece of Scotch Brite helps clean up the fluffy bits residue on the Siocast models after removing the mold lines.
Good advice on the ventilation. I've heard it said that 'Just because it's non toxic doesn't mean it's good for you.'
This is quite interesting! It is nice that making models is becoming more accessible to small and local companies. Great video!
Am i allowed to fall in love with that orc with the red blade? Gosh...outstanding!
Hey thanks! I had fun painting the orcs :-)
It's good that the hard material is less of a pain than the original, that was the biggest complaint with Siocast all around.
Another thing: No idea if it's true, but I've heard that many of the things we use to strip minis eat away the Siocast materials, namely some alcohols and Biostrip from UK, have you tested this? If not, could you? Would be very good to know this if this material is entering the market, getting random minis from ebay to repaint would be more complicated if we can destroy them on the way to get them ready to repaint.
Good question. I've love to see Brent do some trials of stripping solutions with Siocast. Personally I'm a fan of brown Dettol [topical antiseptic] as a stripping agent. I'm not sure if it's available in the US, but it's a common stripping agent in AU/NZ, so it would be great to see a trial with that.
I'm not familiar with Siocast in particular, but having worked with other thermoplastics, I can confirm that this is a potential concern. Depending on the exact polymer, I have to be very careful with what I use on 3D prints, as what plays nice with one plastic will destroy another. That said, in theory at least, there should be something safe for use. It's just a matter of finding it and spreading the word.
Have a look a LMPAs (low melting point polyamides). These formulations (like DuPont's Elvamide 8066) are PA formulations that are mostly used for adhesives. Typically, they are dissolved in alcohol but they can also be made into hot-melt glue. Already 10 years ago, Henkel, Du Pont and others have experimented with injection molding of LMPAs - but basically that was "a solution in search of a problem"... the low durability of the final parts limited use in industry significantly. Until now: rubbery Ogers are not really a problem as long as you keep them away from alcohols and solvents.
Really glad you like the product Brent. Over at Galladoria Games we have been using the Siocast since July 2021 to great effect. Would love to send you some minis from our kickstarter to try out!
My source told me where you work... Maybe I'll come a-knockin one of these days :-)
This is why I love your channel so much! We get the science and rationale behind everything! Keep up the good work!
This looks really cool! As someone without a 3D printer, I hope this allows more boutique mini-makers to release physical models and not just STL files.
Very interesting stuff! I love that it's reusable and non-toxic. Thanks for the video!
I love every single Siocast mini I've bought and I've bought a bunch of Reaper USA. Amazing detail, durable and holds the primer fantastically.
Nice! that's great to hear :-)
I think some of the most recent Reaper figures I picked up were made of this Siocast material. Some were all one piece, a few had one thing, usually an arm, to glue on. They went together properly. they painted really really nice even with my bad painting skills.
It states on some of the reaper packages very clearly no primer needed or specifically no spray primer.
So I actually used to work with 2 of these for a company. They were super great to work with and the models were super nice and satisfying to pull out of the molds. Loved that job.
Great video, I'm always interested in these kinds of manufacturing related things. It's really awesome that there's options out there to put more power in the hands of smaller companies.
Hi Brent,
I just wanted to say that I appreciate how objective you are with your reviews. I always walk away feeling like I've learned something, especially so with products that you enjoy less as you provide such detail and reasoning for both your critiques and praises.
Much love Brent!
I can't believe how excited I get when a new Goober video drops! Love what you do and this makes me very excited to try SioCast!
hehehehe, thanks for watching!!! :-)
I was extremely pleased with everything I learned about this. I really hope this tech picks up in the industry.
I do not play any miniature games. I know nothing about miniatures. Your excellent summary of this new method of casting has made me very excited about the future of miniature gaming.
amazing. hope this gets us more mini companies and more quality minis!
This changes the game man, I love it! Great video documenting the whole thing :)
First heard of this material recently as I'm just now getting into Corvus Belli's Infinity, and as you mentioned, their new models are switching over from white metal to Siocast. Infinity minis are known for their insane, minute details; I can hardly think of a better torture test for Siocast than Corvus Belli's offerings. Here's to hoping it's up to the task.
Metal minis have been my biggest barrier for getting in to infinity, as all metal models I’ve ever painted have eventually chipped. If they transition to siocast I might just have to try it!
@@samurguy9906 well, it's happening, albeit slowly. They don't have current plans to recast old models in Siocast, but going forward all new releases will be in it. I will say, though white metal sucks, the game itself is very worth playing and their minis are indeed absolutely beautiful.
@@RyanEdwardsVA It still seems like the smaller human sized models are all metal though. It's the robotic remotes that seem to be siocast so far.
Would be interesting to see them in the future. One of Infinity's spinoff games, Aristeia, uses plastic minis and they had way less details compared to the metal ones. This wasn't Siocast, though, so hopefully they'll live to the same standard set by their metal minis.
Promising stuff! The consensus amongst me and my group, is that mould line removal will make or break it for us. If they could be easily and cleanly removed, we'd pick up some regular SioCast minis in a heartbeat. However, with the mould lines tearing and bobbling up when trying to scrape or sand them away like with other soft plastic figures, it will definitely be a hard pass on the regular SioCast plastic from us. Parallel cutting with a sharp blade works better for softer figures, but I hate how easy it is to gouge chunks out of the mini. I'm very keen to see more of how their harder plastic behaves. Glad more affordable and efficient options are en route for smaller studios though regardless.
No experience of this particular stuff (at least not knowingly), but the Reaper Bones I do have (mostly from old Kickstarter) has the same sort of issue with scraping and filing being pretty impossible, until you try a diamond file, still not as nice as some other plastics but a decent high grit diamond file gets the flashing off pretty easily, I expect this is going to be similar...
@@foldionepapyrus3441 Diamond files are definitely a god send when dealing with soft plastics. I've had some luck using a brass brush made for buffing suede on the newer Battletech plastics. It helps clear any frayed bits after scraping and isn't so abrasive that it shows scratches post-priming.
Thanks for another great, in depth review, Brent! Like you, I had heard of Siocast a while back and it sounded promising, so I really appreciate this report from the front lines!
This stuff needs to be used by everyone. Immediately. The impact on the environment of companies like GW needs to be dealt with.
I mean... GW COULD recycle their sprues..... they just don't...
@@GoobertownHobbies I'd really like it if you could recycle it at the store... I'm at a loss for what to do with my used sprues.
@Lando Tucker cut em up use em for terrain. Modify em to make bits on other models. Or just play orks with a lot of mechs and toss entire sprues onto the mechs
Such a fantastic piece of engineering! Can't wait to see how this changes the industry over the next few years.
it'll be fun to watch! :-)
I'm always happy to see advances in mini tech, outside of slightly larger or smaller existing tech. I wonder if they have a larger machine available, can't imagine doing a whole line one at a time, no matter how fast it is.
It seemed like 8 minis per mold was about right for this instrument... but yeah, I'd love to see a larger version of the sioform!
Neat, thanks Brent! Looking forward to seeing more of the Bones line with better detail than their soft plastics.
Can't wait to see it take off. Things like this are great to compete against bigger companies
Awesome video and very cool to see how good a painter you've become!
Oh hey thanks! :-)
Wadup Goobs, thanks for another upload! I’ve almost trained my body to live off the sustenance these videos give me. I’m literally depending on you and the rest of the yt mini community to keep me going at this point. I know you won’t let us down.. take care!
Love ya buddy, take care of yourself! ;-)
Love your Vids! Thanks for the quality and informative content as always!
I'm all for anything that can help small companies break into the scene. Hopefully Siocast and the small companies they work with see great success.
It must've wild walking away from their booth with a plasatic mini-Brent you weren't expecting!
Hehehe, yeah this was a ton of fun! I'm excited to see where this goes :-)
I always love your cats making their way into the shot.
I love that mini of the guy with the spear on his shoulder, so badass!
for real :-) That's one of the barbarians from the old Enigma line. "Lathiem" or somesuch.
This is awesome. This hobby has really come a long way
Your voice makes me happy. Keep making awesome videos.
Really interesting video, nice to see a little bit of what is going on "behind the scenes".
Sounds like interesting stuff. I’m glad you included the bit about removing mold lines, because that’s the one thing that drives me crazy about pvc- you can’t file it because it’ll just burr up on you.
Once again, another objective and wonderfully made video from Goobertown Hobbies
Really exiting technology! Any tech that hepls small companies produces quality products is a winner in my book.
absolutely! this stuff is pretty dang cool
Nice I was hoping you would talk about this. Especially with your background! Thanks 🙏
This is super exciting. I'd love for folks like CGL or IWM to look into this and bring some BattleTech plastics back home.
This video brought me back to material science classes in college.
the paint job on those broken anvil minis 😍
Great video Brent, very informative!
I saw their booth and was super curious about it. Great video!
hey jon!
The most interesting toob from Adepticon by far. Goober town going deep. That is indeed a most excellent Brent.
Best video I've seen o Siocast. Keep up the good work.
I had definitely noticed the higher quality in the Bones Black and Bones USA minis but it was super interesting to learn more about Siocast. Also love those action shots of dropping minis on the pavement 😄
Great video brent! Thank you for the information! Siocast seems really exciting and a great replacement for a lot of old metal models that companies like warlord have
I've seen this in other channels, but nobody talked too much about it. Luckily you where there too.
This is super cool to learn about!
great review as always :)
Beautiful video and impressive review. I want to start my own company now making stuff for game companies in Siocast!
Having gotten ahold of some of some siocast models from reaper, I've been blown away with the quality. Lightyears ahead of their old bones line. I have a soft spot for old school metal minis in my heart, but when it comes down to cost, I'd choose siocast material minis over resin. Every. Single. Time. Excited to see how this tech grows in the hobby as it gets utilized more and more.
Ooo I heard of this on the podcast. Fascinating, “totally a store owner” Brent. XD
I've had a few Bones USA models, and the details are amazing. I didn't mind the clean up (I'm very comfortable making parallel cuts), but I can see how that would be a deterrent to a lot of people (especially mold lines in hair and fur). That there's a harder plastic now that minimizes those issues is great. I'm also excited that the sprue and miscasts can be melted down and used for new injections, and that the mold making process is so much less expensive and seems much closer to mold making for metal minis (meaning a lot of that skill set would likely translate over). If we can have a renaissance of smaller companies casting their own stuff, making their molds in house, and the ability to do special one off figures with a similar ease to metal casted but with less cost of material, that would absolutely be amazing. Not to mention that paint sticks much better to most plastics than metals. I'll have to keep my eye on this material.
Fantastic video, really informative.
Incredible stuff.I can image one of these in every GW store with a few dozen popular forgeworld moulds in the back. They can print on demand. Wow.
this is a dream come true for recasting. damn, expensive forge world no more.
heh, I know a lot of "above board" companies are buying these, it'll be interesting to see if any shady characters wind up with them too.
@@GoobertownHobbies 90% of their customers will be recasters, I'm guessing.
Siocast is a game changer. The reuse factor alone is just the best part. Think of all those waste sprues that go into the bin from that larger gaming company
I feel like I've been seeing their targeted ads all pandemic. Glad to finally have some deeper explanation. If they're a step up from PVC I'm all for it, proprietary limitations aside
definitely a step up from PVC! and yep, I was glad to finally check this out too :-)
That’s amazing. Gonna change things for sure !!!!!
potentially cheaper mini's, more production, and you can skip the priming step!? That's a real game changer as far as accessibility for new and current modelers. Its a great time to be a mini modeler.
exciting times indeed :-)
This is good content. Looking forward to the next one.
I just was looking at this at Adepticon as well. I have a few friends and myself that do resin models and this is our next step.
nice! it's fun stuff :-)
Saw this briefly on Ninjon's adepticon video a few days ago, really interesting to see a deep dive though!
This really is an incredible technology. It makes plastic injection moulding as accessible as metal or resin casting, whilst retaining most of the benefits of working in plastic.
Eliminating the need to pay $1000s for mould tools for injection moulding is a game changer. And the fact it can be so easily swapped back and forth to produce minis on demand is also incredible. Not to mention the small size of the machine - you could easily fit several machines into just a small workshop.
This could be an absolute godsend for smaller companies who want to produce their own minis, and a gateway for companies like loot to start offering siocast minis in addition to their current STL offering for 3d printers.
I really hope this takes off, as it could be pivotal in helping diversify the miniature industry and increasing competition, which I think is sorely needed to help combat the dominance of a *particular company* which doesn't always have the best business practices....
Agreed, this is really exciting stuff. More options is a good thing! let 'em fight it out ;-)
Thanks for the video! It's great to see new options that are less reliant on Chinese flow of goods. The only grieve I have is, that plastic cement doesn't work, as it gives the easiest and best conversion options over a wide pallet of miniatures.
agreed, I still prefer polystyrene, but this stuff has some cool advantages!! :-)
This is really cool and the broken anvil models look fantastic. Looks like I might need to shrink my pile of grey to add some of theirs to my collection.
those rivenstone minis are pretty cool- I'm glad I took so many from the sample bin!! :-)
Another fine review, thank you
Reaper has been knocking it out of the park with their Bones USA stuff. They’ve managed to use a superb material while also still keeping prices reasonable. So proud of them.
I've painted some of the new Reaper USA minis and a promo mini from the Borderlands board game. I really like the look and feel of Siocast. Looking forward to Rivenstone.
As far as I got informed SiOcast is Polyamide aka. Nylon (most likely PA 6.6) 🙂
Interesting! :-)
replacing those big metal blocks could be a game changer, this looks very promising :)
It's a nice intermediate for small/medium sized game companies! :-)
Sounds awesome. Would be cool if it could replace "home" addative manufacturing methods.
I don't think it's a replace type of thing. SLA, FDM, and casting all have strengths and weaknesses, and the technologies can complement each other nicely.
Would still need an sla to make the master, but it could definitely reduce resin waste if the material is competitive (especially since sprues can be recycled)
Hullo Brent, I must say that you create some amazing videos and the variety of topics that relate to mini’s is very cool! I have looked at resin and different 3D printing solutions, but most if not ALL appear toxic to me and the environment! Thank you for sharing this new technology and I am hopeful that it will pave the way for more responsible mini creations! You take care out there and enjoy your day!
Have a great day yourself! :-) It's good to have choices on these things.
Now I know why my reaper miniatures were fighting me on sanding. It was totally annoying me to have to use my knife all the time and I sometime took too much off. But now I understand why. Thanks for the information.
Wow . Awesome Tech .. Looks Sweet ... ✌️💚
Effin Cool miniatures recently ran a couple kickstarters for models that would be cast in their new Siocast machine.
oh nice! I'll check them out :-)
I always love seeing new technology coming to the miniature hobby. And hey, that Goober Baron came out looking really good. I printed mine on a 4k printer, so it looks pretty good, but that looked so professionally done. Less toxic than resin is also a big plus. I'm curious about where this technology could go in the future. I tend to not buy minis as much just from the price and usually stick to my 3D printer, but this could encourage me towards getting minis from the stores a bit more if the prices go down.
pretty cool, eh? :-) Yeah that goober baron turned out better than my home print did hehehe
Very interesting topic. Extra points for kitty footage! Thanks!
Anything that can help smaller companies produce more goods in house is a good thing! Great vid!
Absolutely! thanks for watching :-)
Love the fact that they don't have the oily, mold release residue. Seems like it cuts down on the prep work a bit.
Thanks Brent! I'm most excited about the leftover material being recyclable. So much waste in the world
Yup! Companies just mix the sprues back in with fresh plastic :-)
OK, as someone who worked casting resin in spin molds, this looks FANTASTIC! Spinning resin worked but was quite a mess and had waste issues. I can't blame them for having a proprietary method and product, and I would love to try these out. I've been away from Reaper models as I was getting a bit down by the plastisol Bones line. I'll order a few up, though, and check them out.
THAT is really cool i really like how you can just remelt what you haven't used and just reuse it
yeah! I think a lot of companies will probably clip the bits at the factory and chuck the empty sprues right back into the plastic vat :-)
@@GoobertownHobbies well that and if you have failures or imperfections its really just like a "steel" mill, chuck it back in the forge and reuse it.
this to me is what TRUE recycling is
@@mrgoob76 heck yeah! :-)
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
I did not know Siocast material is reusable! Even better!
As a consumer I love it. I love how light it is and how good details are. I never want to see a metal mini ever again.
Now that I know it is reusable too, I will take it over regular resin if/when it is an option.
God I love a good mould reveal! So satisfying.
right? :-)
@@GoobertownHobbies Right!
As always, Brent is pushing forward the hobby like a straight up G. A PhG, man.