Naagruz
Member
One item that would have easily roused as much of an outcry as Finecast (had only Al Gore created the interweb earlier), was the Great Lead Swap-Out of 1993.
Due to proposed restrictions in the U.S., & a possible lawsuit, the decision was made to use white metal that did not include lead in the U.S. Citadel minis. The fallout from this decision was significant as the new minis had soft detail or lost detail entirely. Additionally, superglues, which previously held like a weld with lead, failed to work well with the new casting medium.
Packs of "Gobbos", "Orcs", "Fighter", & "Dwarfs", "Chaos" etc, all became a uniform dark green with 2 minis/pack emblazoned with the fateful words "Hand Crafted in Pewter" plastered on the side.
As much as recasters are loathed in certain parts, Citadel could have done far better outsourcing their operation as the results were pretty poor. Here are but a few examples I drummed up:
Who needs toenails? This is just the tip of the iceberg here. Most of the armor detail & Skaven features are soft to the point where a painter would need to redefine them.
Note the shrinkage in the new cast, thinning of detail, & what exactly happened to that sward?!
The resculpted sword is ok compared to my battered original, but there is still detail lost in the hilt & the '93 version is definitely smaller.
On another note, I've noticed U.S. minis out of the early 90's age worse than their lead counterparts & develop discoloration along with a patina. Easily fixed with paint, but the qualitative difference in the pre-'93 minis stands.
Due to proposed restrictions in the U.S., & a possible lawsuit, the decision was made to use white metal that did not include lead in the U.S. Citadel minis. The fallout from this decision was significant as the new minis had soft detail or lost detail entirely. Additionally, superglues, which previously held like a weld with lead, failed to work well with the new casting medium.
Packs of "Gobbos", "Orcs", "Fighter", & "Dwarfs", "Chaos" etc, all became a uniform dark green with 2 minis/pack emblazoned with the fateful words "Hand Crafted in Pewter" plastered on the side.
As much as recasters are loathed in certain parts, Citadel could have done far better outsourcing their operation as the results were pretty poor. Here are but a few examples I drummed up:
Who needs toenails? This is just the tip of the iceberg here. Most of the armor detail & Skaven features are soft to the point where a painter would need to redefine them.
Note the shrinkage in the new cast, thinning of detail, & what exactly happened to that sward?!
The resculpted sword is ok compared to my battered original, but there is still detail lost in the hilt & the '93 version is definitely smaller.
On another note, I've noticed U.S. minis out of the early 90's age worse than their lead counterparts & develop discoloration along with a patina. Easily fixed with paint, but the qualitative difference in the pre-'93 minis stands.