Plastic or Lead?

Sold on Plastic?

My first wargame figures were plastic... Airfix Romans & Britons. I didn't play wargames then, I just pushed them towards each other and imagined the noise, slaughter and victory (the Romans always won in the end). I am sure my experience is pretty typical. Even now almost forty years later the Airfix figures aren't too bad.

Their shine was tarnished a bit when I painted them. It didn't take much for the soft plastic figures to flex and the paint to flake off.

In the late seventies, I found lead mini's (Minifigs, Ral Partha, Custom Cast, etc). They painted up well (no flexing) and were durable. Over the years lead, then alloy (white metal/pewter) figures became the wargamming standard. With the advent of Citadel, Reaper & Wargames Foundry the sculpting became dynamic and dramatic. Still called "lead" by the players, these metal mini's have been the standard of the miniature wargamer for decades.

Last May, while I was attending Gamex in Los Angeles, I came across some plastic historicals. Perry Brothers and Warlord Games had come out with hard plastic American Civil War and Imperial Roman Legions respectively.

I bought a few boxes of the Romans and was impressed with the detail. Most people will tell you that you can get better detail with metal then you can with plastic. Frankly, I don't see it... plastic is easier to work with (conversions) and plastic resists bending better, allowing such things as rifles and spears to be cast with more realistic proportions. All that aside,the most impressive thing is the price. Foundry Romans are are almost $3 a figure. Warlord Games' plastic Romans are approx $1 each. I Currently have over 250 Foundry Roman legionaries & auxilia...do the math, its no contest.

If that weren't enough...Citadel (Games Workshop) has been releasing new plastic mini's for their new lines. I bought some of the new Dark Elf, Cold One Knights. Incredible miniatures, great detail and again low price - roughly $4 for each Cold One & rider; the metal version is going for almost $20. So I am sold on plastic. I hope more manufacturers and ranges spring up. The downside is that plastic is a petroleum product... and we all know what has been happening with the price of oil.

Wargames Factory is coming out with 28mm Caesarian Roman legionaries (my favorite). I can't wait to see them!