I bought the Aristeia collectors for the metal version of the core box and i am glad i did. The plastic versions of them... are not great. Definitely not quality that i have associated with CB miniatures. I understand that they are board pieces and low quality plastics which is what has made me hesitant on buying the expansion sets. Can anyone who have bought either of the two sets tell me if the quality of the miniatures are an improvement over the ones core set or not?
The SoF expansion is definitely a notch above the plastic in the core set but Valkyrie's halberd and Señor Massacre's katanas are a bit flimsy and bendy. However the latest S&M miniatures have a heft and detail such that my wife, the painter in the household, is excited to paint them. I think that the basic plastic are meant to be played. The metal skins are truly works of art. My son painted the Maximus Thermopylae shown as attached.
The quality of the miniatures in S&M are significantly better. Hoping to have a video that will include a showcasing of the models by the end of the week..
I’ve been lucky enough to see the metal versions of the SOF minis painted up alongside the PVC ones. The metal ones are more detailed in that the textures are deeper and the edges sharper but the difference is not noticeable and unless your very close up and in normal circumstances you would never be able to tell the difference. Compared to other board game miniatures the Aristea Plastics are a league above most everything else.
I've just uploaded a video that displays the miniatures in natural light All feedback welcome (privately or publicly).
Once painted the quality of the plastic minis does not matter that much, but it's rue that the quality is higher on extension even if Laxmee has a floating/disjointed head on my set :P