Quote from: VectorSigma;354521You may very well be right - I thought I'd read somewhere that the minis in the D&D Heroscape box were essentially re-based D&D minis from one of the older runs.  I imagine that some kinds of molds would accommodate slightly-differing plastics, as well, but only time will tell.  I confess I've never handled either a Heroscape or a D&D mini.

Heroscape minis are made from a much harder plastic and the bases aren't the same. It might be possible to reuse the molds, but it's not really likely.

Wonder if the proliferation of WotC hardcover splatbooks and numerous miniatures over the 3.5E era (2003-2007), had to do with a decent economy (before the real estate bubble burst).  Perhaps people had more disposable income back then?

Quote from: MarionPoliquin;354388I noticed recently that to date there was only one 4e mini expansion announced  for 2010, which I found strange. Today, my retailer buddy informed me that even that single expansion was being cancelled (he orders directly from WoTC).

I wasn't aware that WotC sold direct to retailers.

Quote from: MarionPoliquin;354519Heroscape figures and D&D minis aren't made from the same material, so I'm pretty sure that makes it impossible to reuse the molds.

Dude.


Drow Spiderguard (DDM)


Deepwyrm Drow squad

You are not establishing yourself as a reliable source of miniatures information, here.

I'm jotting down "one beer for Thanlis" as we speak.

I knew I'd seen it somewhere.

Quote from: Thanlis;354547Dude.


Drow Spiderguard (DDM)


Deepwyrm Drow squad

You are not establishing yourself as a reliable source of miniatures information, here.

Yeah, the Heroscape minis that I dinked with at the local shop seemed pretty similar to the DDM stuff.  The bases are definitely a bit different/slightly larger, and on what D&D/DDM would call a "Large" critter, the bases were elongated, like a Mage Knight/*clix job (ovaloid), rather than the 2" circular, but, all in all, pretty much the same.

Quote from: kythri;354551Yeah, the Heroscape minis that I dinked with at the local shop seemed pretty similar to the DDM stuff.  The bases are definitely a bit different/slightly larger, and on what D&D/DDM would call a "Large" critter, the bases were elongated, like a Mage Knight/*clix job (ovaloid), rather than the 2" circular, but, all in all, pretty much the same.

Yeah, they've rebased them. I can't speak as to whether it's really a different plastic or not, but the molds are absolutely the same.

Quote from: Windjammer;354496Oh, they're just taking a leaf out of Paizo's book. I love Paizo and what they're doing with the adventure paths, but seriously, their supplement tread mill - selling Player's Guides and Companions* and Chronicles and small modules at $10-13 for 32 page offerings - really puts TSR in the shade. Basically, if Paizo has a choice of either doing a 200 page book at $30 or of doing 8 books at 30 pages a piece, they going to pick the latter route. Very, very customer friendly.

Paizo've already hit a stage where they charge you separately for the maps for a city supplement. That's right, you pay $18 dollars for a 70 page softcover on 8 cities, and then you pay another $15 for 8 flimsy medium sized maps showing those cities. So you're paying $33 for a 70 page book + 8 maps.

* One for elves, one for dwarves, one for "Gnomes of Golarion", one for... dragonborn, one for tiefling. Yep, same idea.

This is something I loved about the Midnight line in 3/.5...they had the big hardcover for the setting, the deluxe boxed set for the elves, and the rest were $15-$25 softcovers (depending on page count).  Made it much easier to buy them, even when I had no intentions of using them with the system built in.

Quote from: Thanlis;354554Yeah, they've rebased them. I can't speak as to whether it's really a different plastic or not, but the molds are absolutely the same.

Yeah, I seem to recall seeing a set of HS minis at Gencon that were all just D&D minis on new bases, or some such...

and I think they were billed as just that.

Quote from: Thanlis;354547You are not establishing yourself as a reliable source of miniatures information, here.

Quoteso I'm pretty sure

QuoteIt might be possible

I really don't have any idea why people think I'm trying to score points here or believe I have any interest in exchanging "gotcha" comments.

Both times you've replied in this thread, Thanlis, you've contributed pertinent information and that's exactly what I'm looking for. So please keep it coming, but shove the attitude.

They've indeed reused the molds. I'm still pretty sure that can't usually be done when not using the same material. It would be useful to find out whether the D&D Heroscape minis are made from the same plastic as the rest of the Heroscape line.

Quote from: MarionPoliquin;354519Heroscape figures and D&D minis aren't made from the same material, so I'm pretty sure that makes it impossible to reuse the molds.

This is nonsense. Certain molds will not work with certain materials, but most molds will work with more than one material.

Quote from: pawsplay;354579This is nonsense. Certain molds will not work with certain materials, but most molds will work with more than one material.

Wonder if the the same molds can be used to make metal miniatures.

Quote from: ggroy;354583Wonder if the the same molds can be used to make metal miniatures.

It's hard to say. There are certain WOTC miniatures that appear in plastic that were originally reworked metal versions from the early 2000s Chainmail game. In particular I am thinking of some axe-wielding orcs that were identical, and a goblin sniper..

Those were all slightly reworked.  In general- the softer plastic on most of the earlier WOTC miniatures doesn't hold detail that well. The exception has been the latest sets- way more detailed, way more use of special materials (translucents, especially). They've been really great compared to the first ones that came out.

The process for making miniatures generally involves sculpting a green and then creating a mold from that. Certain rules of physics have to applied when casting the model itself (things like an arm or a weapon are ok, but some pieces are complicated and have to be cast separately cast and glued on). I am guessing it isn't that the molds will be incompatible, but rather the sculpted original will be.

That said, the attempts to read the goat entrails on this are kinda funny (ie "It MEANS something..!" but if it regards D&D4, everything always seems to mean the exact same thing around here- high sales, bestseller list, a book drops off the schedule, a book ends up on the schedule.. somehow it always spells doom.. and doom never quite descends).

As a point of (not even a decade old) history: Plastic miniatures did not always exist alongside D&D3- they took a couple of years to appear-- an entire gameline (Chainmail) came out post D&D3, lived for a couple of years, and faded away before we even saw the first box of plastic minis.. I have a collection of metal models that dates from that period.

I have to admit- I also have a lot of plastic minis, but I rarely buy them- I just get people's castoff commons and uncommons. For player characters, both my girlfriend and I usually buy Reaper miniatures (sometimes we'll base the PC concept around the miniature). For monsters, I almost never have the right mini that matches- but I often have one that is close.

Plastic miniatures were a stroke of genius of WotC. Not too long ago I preordered a whole case of Huge mini boosters, the current 4e ones. Tough luck, WotC doesn´t want my money it seems. Still not delivered to any German store or distributor.

4e failed to create a new basis of Mini buying players that don´t already have everything they need.

Quote from: ggroy;354583Wonder if the the same molds can be used to make metal miniatures.

Generally, I think the answer is 'no'.  I'm calling on ancient knowledge from when I was at GW on this one, but metal minis are generally produced with a spin-casting method, whereas plastics are not.  You could take a metal mini and use it as a master to make a plastic mold, though, I believe - but not the other way around.