[mcmuffin]

so i went to my local gw the other day and i was looking through the metal blister packs. there were several SM librarians, Njal stormcaller and the chaplain in terminator armour. i looked closely at the models, and not one of them had a staff or weapon that wasnt horribly bent. Njal Stormcaller's staff was like a banana. is the condition of the metal models in blisters this bad in all of the shops, or just my local one? what is your experience with this?

 

[Baltar]

They are always this bad.

GW's standards, IMO, have slipped over the years when it comes to the metal mini's.

 

[maddermax]

Most metal blister mini's, no matter which company they come from, are often bent out of shape somewhat. It's just a fact of life with soft metal minis. Luckily, it's usually a pretty trivial matter to straighten them up again, staves and swords quite often need a little retouching anyway.

If something was really horribly bent though, it might be difficult to straighten up without weakening or breaking the metal, or leaving a wavy bit in the staff. In that case, I probably wouldn't buy it, but would grab the next blister.

Hope that helps somewhat

 

[yanlou]

I havent reli had any trouble, worst was my chaplian top of his crozius was annoyingly bent towards the rear, as i moved it back into place it cracked luckly enough i repaired it, and i know what you mean about reli bent swords and stuff, one blister i picked up was lucius the eternal and his sword was literally bent in an almost S shape, put me right of buying that particular blister,

 

[Geist]

Not sure how I feel that this is not a isolated incident. Kind of glad I didn't get screwed for my new Macharius model, with a bent staff, but depressed that bent minis are such a problem.

 

[LucarioNid]

The only blister model I've bought is a Zoanthrope, and as it's a nid, with a huge skull, was pretty much perfect. My Brother's chaplain with termy armour was fine too, but that might have just been luck.

I really do hate the useless little bits of metal that hang off the peices that have no use at all. My Zoanthrope was covered in them.

 

[maddermax]

Not sure how I feel that this is not a isolated incident. Kind of glad I didn't get screwed for my new Macharius model, with a bent staff, but depressed that bent minis are such a problem.

Don't be. it's usually quite easy to bend things back if it's just a little out of whack. If it's really screwy, then you take it back, show them and complain, and they'll usually give you a new one. It's just part of the hobby that thin metal parts can get bent in the box. If you ever see reaper mini's, or some other types of metal mini's in blisters, you'll see that it's a common problem - hell, with reaper minis, I swear the weapons never come UNbent :laugh:. If treated carefully, small bends won't make a difference to the final product.

The only blister model I've bought is a Zoanthrope, and as it's a nid, with a huge skull, was pretty much perfect. My Brother's chaplain with termy armour was fine too, but that might have just been luck.

I really do hate the useless little bits of metal that hang off the peices that have no use at all. My Zoanthrope was covered in them.

It's just a by product of moulding, or sometimes they're supports to keep a delicate piece straight before assembly. Just treat it like plastic sprue, and cut it off carefully. It's just a part of our hobby.

 

[GrizBe]

Having played since 2nd edition... personally I can't remember buying a single metal mini that didn't have something slightly bent on it. The bends do seem to have gotten worse more recently though.

 

[chromedog]

The bending often happens in transit.

The rest of the piece is heavier than the shaft and as a result, it ends up bent.
The weight of the rest of the piece is generally enough. Also, many figures with swords, staves, etc have them as separate pieces and it is a combination of pressures and forces acting upon them from the rest of the model.

The thicker and more solid the piece, the less chance it will end up bent. If a thick piece IS bent, it's generally a miscast - or it was dropped before packing.

 

[MidnightSun]

Kasrkin sergeant with... a godamn Cutlass!!!!!

Hehehehe... Bent Macharius...

Midnight