Are older miniatures better ?

[blinky465 17024xp 0]

On the whole, I think today’s miniatures are “better” than older, metal minis. But there’s a fine line in getting the details just right. Humanoid miniatures are very “stylised” – or, at least, they used to be (or should be?).
Big heads, big hands, oversized small details – in the past it was because everything had to be sculpted by hand and limitations in the manufacturing process. These days, it’s no longer necessary.

But I still prefer the stylised look of “old style” minis over today’s ultra-realistic, super-detailed digital renderings. But let’s be honest, a lot of the early metal miniatures were rubbish! Hands were little more than blobs with three lines scored into them. Faces sometimes looked warped and twisted.

For me, Artisan Guild and Cyber Forge are perfect examples of well-sculpted, modern minis. They’re pretty well detailed, but keep the charm and character of “old school sculpting”. There’s enough detail to make them interesting to look at, but not so much that painting them becomes a chore. I’d take these minis over any “older miniatures” any day.

So are older miniatures better? Nah.
Sometimes they’re more fun to paint than a hyper-realistic digitally sculpted resin print.
But that’s a failing of the modern sculptor, not because “older miniatures are better”. There are plenty of other sculptors to choose from!

Give me today’s minis over those nasty, blobby, poorly cast lumps of lead any day!

[onlyonepinman 18053xp 0]

I have a massive soft spot for old metal miniatures but being brutally honest, no I personally don’t think they are better. That’s not to say that there are no advantages or benefits to them and and depending on what it is that you are looking for maybe those attributes actually make them “better miniatures” to you. But when I look at what’s available today, the quality of models in terms of posing, dynamism, depath/sharpness of detail I just don’t think there’s really any comparison. I would definitely agree that in a lot of cases, older miniatures can feel easier to paint and more forgiving to the beginner. The lack of complex details actually makes them a lot easier to paint and allows them to be painted more quickly. Modern GW models are all too often guilty of being overly busy and/or fragile which, while it makes for a beautiful display piece, makes them somewhat difficult to paint and also, not very durable for gaming

[wolfie65Participant 1229xp 0]

Which ones are easier to paint depends on your definition of ‘easy’ and ‘paint’.

If you’re 6 years old – or a complete Newbie who has never painted anything – slapping thick, grainy coats of FolkArt arcylics on an older mini will obscure less detail than it will on the latest laserprinted plasto-resin.

However, if you know what you’re doing to some degree, you can pretty much pour ‘contrast paints’ over a new model and it will practically shade and highlight itself.

A proper metal figure from the 70s or 80s has to be PAINTED, precisely because there’s less detail. Those buttons do not stand out in razor sharp relief- because they’re not there. Until YOU put them there….

[onlyonepinman 18053xp 0]

Well, by paint I mean apply paint to a model without any.  Less detail is simply easier to paint than something like Forgeworld with lots of tiny details.  That doesn’t change just because I am not five and have a degree of competence; you can’t just slap a coat of contrast on and expect it to look good.  Overly busy, highly and intricately detailed models are harder to paint because mistakes show up much more.  An older model with less details allows you the option to freehand stuff if you like, but if not you can stick to a simpler paint job and the miniature is more forgiving.

[wolfie65Participant 1229xp 0]

Example:

Here’s 25mm Minifigs Pict from the 70s (takes me back, that one does): 

Very crude and extremely simple by today’s standards and whatever detail you want him to have will have to be applied by you via brush and/or putty. Very simple and easy to paint if you like him just the way he is – no additional detail – quite a challenge if you want that extra detail.

Here we have the character figure Nouveau from Demented Games : https://www.dementedgames.com/collections/entire-range-of-miniatures/products/nouveau-collectors-edition

HIGHLY detailed, extreme fine lines – just look at all those filigree swirls! – and yes, quite challenging to paint if you want to get him to the standard pictured on the website. You will need a very steady hand and some very fine brushes. However, if you’re ok with a nice gaming standard, you can just apply something like contrast paint and some washes, which will, by their own selves – settle into all those teeny tiny little crevices and will, if you did the smart thing and primed white, create their very own highlights as well, too, also…….

That technique wouldn’t work on the Pict, above, because there are no crevices.

So- which one’s ‘easier’ ?

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