Federation Commander

I just read a report that Mongoose is switching from resin to metal to make their Starline 2500's. Is that true? Isn't it the resin that allows for greater detail? If their detail work isn't vastly superior to the 2400's, why would anyone make the switch?

They are having issues with the molding process, too many minis coming out mangled or with air bubbles, moving to metal for the smaller minis, some of the DN size will still be resin ---

The change in size is what allows for better detailing, which isn't supposed to change with move to metal ---

The metal has the same (if not better) details.

Size doesn't matter much. You could put the same details on the 2400s that you have on the 2500s.

Mongoose recently put up a comparison picture of the old resin and new metal minis. See here and look at them:

http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk

I for one, wasn't able to tell the difference between metal and resin Fed BCH.

Bill Stec wrote:Mongoose recently put up a comparison picture of the old resin and new metal minis. See here and look at them:

http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk

I for one, wasn't able to tell the difference between metal and resin Fed BCH.

As soon as you have a box of them you are carrying around or try to connect a magnetic stand so that you can put the ships at an angle (or as soon as the heavier ones spend a day at slightly above room temp) you will be able to tell them apart pretty easily.

Just because they are visually indistinguishable in a low-res photo taken from 5 feet does not mean that the metal and resin minis are not very, very different.

The_Rock wrote:

Bill Stec wrote:Mongoose recently put up a comparison picture of the old resin and new metal minis. See here and look at them:

http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk

I for one, wasn't able to tell the difference between metal and resin Fed BCH.

As soon as you have a box of them you are carrying around or try to connect a magnetic stand so that you can put the ships at an angle (or as soon as the heavier ones spend a day at slightly above room temp) you will be able to tell them apart pretty easily.

Just because they are visually indistinguishable in a low-res photo taken from 5 feet does not mean that the metal and resin minis are not very, very different.

Possibly you are right. If I had a better photo I might be able to better judge.

The metal BC is the one on the far right.If you look closely,you'll see that the sensor dish is slightly smaller than on the other two.You quite often get a little shrinkage on small details like these with metal.

The dishes are metal on all three. that was the one part that was cast as metal with the resin miniatures.

The_Rock wrote:The dishes are metal on all three. that was the one part that was cast as metal with the resin miniatures.

Actually... on the prototypes we received to paint prior to rulebook publication - the sensor dishes were also resin.
And since two of these three minis have been phtoographed before, they probably have resin sensor dishes.

And since two are most likely proto-types and a quick search of the pre-existing photos of hte BCs out there will show were they are, it only stands to reason that the metal one is - the udder one.

My concern is with the amount of "flash" that needs to be scraped away and the amount of detail I'm going to have to carve out myself.

I hate to say this, but I've been cutting and filling my resins for a while now... they were in pretty sad shape (I'm not complaining, just countering the argument made about having to cut flash on the metal).

Personally, I'm on the Resin team; they are lighter and easier to transport, won't bend in a carrying case, etc. That said, I totally understand the move to metal and I support it. I won't have a problem with a metal NCA or NCL because it's really the nacelle supports that bend up on me. I might be cautious of a metal BC or CA... but I already have a resin BC and DNG

While I like the metal because it FEELS solid to me, I have both a FED CA and FED CS in the Starline 2400. My problem is that the beams leading from the engineering hull to the warp nacelles are always bending, especially the CA when my friends handle it by gripping the nacelles. So I vote to have the nacelles still be resin as the beams are less malleable and the nacells will be lighter to avoid bending.

As for flash... resin also needs to be filed and filled. I just like metal better. I have two resin Battletech minis, they loog great, but the metal versions feel better when I am playing.

Also, most people prefer the metal Warhammer (BTW, I hate Warhammer). They moved to resin, and jacked prices up with fan backlash (thoguh their sales are still going strong).

Yeah, whether metal or resin there's going to be filling and filing, so I guess there's no perfect solution. Unless-- what are the Zocchi miniatures made of, polystyrene? THAT'S what I'm waiting for, a complete line done in polystyrene. And I'm holding my breath starting right...

...now.