I too would like to know this and would also like to know the status of newer minis going forward as well as any minis that are going to be revised/re-released. I don’t really mind, my Pokémon syndrome is so severe I’ll collect them whatever they’re made from, I’m just curious. I do understand though that others here have a more vested interest in what their miniatures are being made from which may or may not inform their decision to buy said minis.
New video in 4k from Goobertown Hobbies who does a review of the siocast, including their new materials, with his own tests of painting, crash-tests... (he's a chemistry grad, so so his video has an more scientific approach, than a feeling approach, that could have other videos on the subject). Siocast Plastic is Replacing Resin, Metal and PVC Minis. Here's Why.
I've just finished my second Plastic model the Bearpode. It was an absolute dream to put together (Obviously) And a dream to paint. I've got the Nomad remotes next, will let you know how they go, but I have to say so far I'm very impressed.
that new hard version of siocast looks like it may fix the issues I've had with it. being more rigid and less bendy along with actually being able to clean the models will go a long way if it is adopted.
Yes, I would say that using the hair dryer on these miniatures as I paint makes them go all floppy for a short period, not ideal but it doesn't appear to effect the paint at all.
So… anyone know if the miniatures produced for infinity from now on are going to be siocast or metal and if it’s siocast will it be siocast normal or SIOres hard?
The last thing I've heard was "big models - thermoplastic, small models still metal - for the forseeable future" (Warcrow models are to be plastic from the get-go). Seems this is the way CB are going now, as new drones and TAGs are released in thermoplastic.
Cool. Was just wondering as the Sargosh is siocast and the new warcrow minis are, as you’ve said, going to be thermoplastic from the get go. I was just wondering if there was any news that the infinity range would or would not be moving that way too. Generally just asking out of interest, lol.
Regular release Infinity infantry are going to continue to be metal for the foreseeable future - ITS special models are their own thing. This may change in the future, but Sargosh and Fiddler's Jackbots don't currently hint at an impending switch.
That’s cool. Thanks for the information! I was just curious as since sargosh was thermoplastic and warcrow is going to be from the start I was interested in what direction CB may go with infinity minis too.
My guess (which is as good as any other guess, I do not claim it to be an educated guess) is that CB are testing the waters. And learning as they go on how to do miniatures in thermoplastic to the level they deem adequate. Thermoplastic was brought in to reduce material costs of metal models, and these costs are most visible in the large models. Like TAGs, or large REMs. Which is why we see new releases of these being done in thermoplastic. Thus, widening CB's profit margin on these / allowing them to put them one the makret cheaper (and yes, I've seen it in action on my go-to store's webpage - Nomad zonds old sculpts, in metal, and sitting on the shelf for a while, s olikely with legacy price still on them being a notch more expensive than the new, thermoplastic ones). With smaller models, the cost difference of the material actually used is likely less significant. I would also assume that CB don't have that many machines for thermoplastic yet, so they have to weight carefully their manufacturing capability: one machine can crank out X molds of thermoplastic models per shift, if they are to meet their demand, they need to still cast some of their models the old way (in metal, by spin casting). Obviously, if the thermoplastic catches on as a technology and material, CB would be likely to invest money in more machines, and release new models in thermoplastic. Starting with the new large ones, but I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years they'd start releasing new small (S2 & S1) models in thermoplastic, and gradually retire their older, metal sculpts, replacing them with updated, plastic versions. Given the size of the Infinity catalog, I'd consider it a project with a very long time horizon, though. But that's my guess.
Thanks! Again, I was only intrigued by the sargosh being released in thermoplastic, it seemed like a “testing the waters thing”. It’s a lovely mini with great detail though I’m going to be careful with the sword… What you’ve said here aligns very, very closely with what I’ve been thinking will occur. In time I hope we’ll see the effect of thermoplastics on the prices of the Infinity range as a whole though as you’ve most correctly said, the size of the smaller minis will be a negligible cost so the larger ones are where we'll be seeing the effect that thermoplastics have on the prices the most. I completely agree that it wouldn’t be a surprise if in years to come we see the S2 and smaller minis being done in thermoplastics, especially if it becomes easier and even more cost effective to use. The Infinity catalogue is indeed huge though so as you said, it’s unlikely that it’ll happen overnight and would be a process taking many years. In any case, whether or not Corvus Belli move into thermoplastics completely, I hope in time they consider selling stls for the older discontinued minis in the range… (shameless plug here as I’ve been playing with my 3D printer and it’s been a lot of fun).
If I ask nicely it could happen? I’d totally buy the older minis to print whenever I wanted. If CB had any trepidations about people reselling they could always sell the stls as a commercial license. I know it’s unlikely to happen though. I shall just have to dream of printing Tikbalangs and other OOP stuff.
Just to put some light here regarding the "will Infinity become all plastic now?". Think about one simple thing: we have a huge bunch of machinery dedicated only to cast metal miniatures. We cannot simply remove all and change it all to plastic. We'll continue with the metal production in Infinity, as we said before. Obviously, if anything changes, we'll comunicate it properly. But, as far as I can tell you, Infinity will stay produced in metal with the release of some products in thermoplastic like the TAGs or big miniatures. For example, the new Operation Blackwind box will be produced in metal. Have a nice day!
Thank you @Koni! Just to let you know, that if Corvus Belli ever did want to sell stls of out of production minis or anything like that, I’d certainly buy them! Thank you for the clarification on the range, I was merely intrigued by the sargosh and the possibilities that it represented. I’m happy if the infinity minis all stay metal, I’m happy if not, the sargosh being thermoplastic was just interesting. Shameless question while I have you here, are Corvus Belli ever going to release a pack of D20s that aren’t faction based? I have the Parvati dice tin and I’d love to fill it with non faction Infinity D20s like the ones in the ITS packs.
