Siocast Plastic is Replacing Resin, Metal and PVC Minis. Here's Why.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Is your favorite company using Siocast? In this video, I showed samples directly from Titan Forge, Broken Anvil, Creature Caster, and Reaper, as well as several other sculpts cast at the Siocast booth. Corvus Belli and several other big names are using it too!

[@McPlatypus]

Reaper has gone on record that their newest Bones USA figures are in the new Siocast material.

[@travislankford9254]

Seeing their project a few months back really makes me wonder how much lower the barrier for entry is for creating your own small miniature company. Doubt they'll quote me a price for a machine for curiosities sake. But awesome tech nonetheless!

[@lordbaconbane6145]

I have some Siocast Reaper models and I like them! Would recommend.

[@blandedgear9704]

Do you know anything about the chemistry of what Siocast actually is? I love your videos on glue and paint chemistry, and I'd be really interested in learning more about this new material.

[@phyrexiarising]

Galladoria games uses Siocast as well. Small company in Rhode Island. Entire new kickstarter campaign is Siocast!

[@kmykz]

I really like that you can reuse the material in case of a miscast or anything alike. And the less toxic material I have on my painting table the better.

[@prometheuszero9]

Absolutely. I've been hoping for a casting material like this where the flashing and sprues and such could be reused in this exact way. I really think is amazing too.

[@casanovafunkenstein5090]

Brent at this point must be the person with the most miniatures based on his likeness who isn't also a film star.

[@chalkdemon8019]

Lol, right next to the LOTR Cast.

[@Bluecho4]

Any production process that allows smaller companies to break into the mini-making space is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. And the upsides of this one seem pretty good, especially if it's the hard plastic version. My only gripe is the proprietary technology on display. Hopefully, the process is replicated by other manufacturers. If for no other reason than to keep Siocast honest. Still, the fact that Siocast is competing with other production methods means we probably won't see them becoming the next dominant monopoly for a long while.

[@IVIRnathanreilly]

Hopefully they license out the technology rather than just selling machines

[@uckfayooglegay9982]

Seems the technology is patented so unless another similar but legally distinct method is developed I don't expect to see competition any time soon.

[@Uterr]

>>Any production process that allows smaller companies to break into sure, the more the merrier, but there is already easier and cheaper way for smaller companies to break into the mini-making space: resin casting I successfully done it at home without any special equipment And also: there is hobby-level injection molding equipment, that also works with rubber forms. Almost no one thrilled about it because its harder to use and more expensive than a resin, and this new stuff is even more expensive. I am not stoked about resin, frankly resin sucks, but all this machinery seem to cost a fortune, like in a 10s of thousands $$? which is not in a range of small companies AND also this material basically looks like PVC, well, it probably IS, for its properties.

[@MrPolicekarim]

@@Uterr Plastic Soldier company do a new range called ULTRACAST and Warlord Games do stuff like Napoleonic horses as well.

[@WASD20]

Thanks for the video, Brent! This new tech definitely looks interesting. Always good to see the hobby advancing/improving.

[@kendric2000-q3d]

I've been buying the Reaper USA minis and the detail on them is fantastic. I had no idea it was a new process, hopefully some more companies use this material.

[@orcd0rk]

Perfectly summed up. I did a commission of some creature caster siocast minis. They might need to up their QA a bit since I was missing part of a sprue and had a severe mold slip on a couple smaller bits. Otherwise the material was like working with a more rigid PVC.

[@leighmiddleton149]

Just a tip for anyone interested, I've found that buffing the mini with a piece of Scotch Brite helps clean up the fluffy bits residue on the Siocast models after removing the mold lines.

[@azuritet3]

Good advice on the ventilation. I've heard it said that 'Just because it's non toxic doesn't mean it's good for you.'

[@jherazob]

It's good that the hard material is less of a pain than the original, that was the biggest complaint with Siocast all around. Another thing: No idea if it's true, but I've heard that many of the things we use to strip minis eat away the Siocast materials, namely some alcohols and Biostrip from UK, have you tested this? If not, could you? Would be very good to know this if this material is entering the market, getting random minis from ebay to repaint would be more complicated if we can destroy them on the way to get them ready to repaint.

[@ghillieglas7379]

Good question. I've love to see Brent do some trials of stripping solutions with Siocast. Personally I'm a fan of brown Dettol [topical antiseptic] as a stripping agent. I'm not sure if it's available in the US, but it's a common stripping agent in AU/NZ, so it would be great to see a trial with that.

[@gatling216]

I'm not familiar with Siocast in particular, but having worked with other thermoplastics, I can confirm that this is a potential concern. Depending on the exact polymer, I have to be very careful with what I use on 3D prints, as what plays nice with one plastic will destroy another. That said, in theory at least, there should be something safe for use. It's just a matter of finding it and spreading the word.

[@f.d.6667]

Have a look a LMPAs (low melting point polyamides). These formulations (like DuPont's Elvamide 8066) are PA formulations that are mostly used for adhesives. Typically, they are dissolved in alcohol but they can also be made into hot-melt glue. Already 10 years ago, Henkel, Du Pont and others have experimented with injection molding of LMPAs - but basically that was "a solution in search of a problem"... the low durability of the final parts limited use in industry significantly. Until now: rubbery Ogers are not really a problem as long as you keep them away from alcohols and solvents.

[@vladimirpalik6697]

everything that will kick out toxic resins out from the hobby is a good move IMHO. I've heard that Corvus Belli want to replace metal with it.

[@Zach_Walker]

From my understanding they've already started to. I saw a video update from them awhile back where they said the plan is to do their larger minis in Siocast first and slowly transition the other stuff so they don't need to increase all the prices due to metal costs. If that plan has changed since then I am unaware of it.

[@vladimirpalik6697]

@@Zach_Walker from what i gathered all the minis in TAG RAID will be siocast. And yeah in infinity they started with some robots and take it at slower pace.

[@alexanderuth3989]

@@vladimirpalik6697 TAG RAID has no Siocast. It’s China Plastic for the Big Stuff and Metal for human sized models and smaller. But the planned Warcrow Range will be Siocast, at least the one after the planned Kickstarter, which will also be China Plastic instead.

[@vladimirpalik6697]

@@alexanderuth3989 ok, thanks for the correction.

[@saintdane05]

I don't think this is replacing resin anytime soon for the super boutique Etsy sellers or for people who make things like ball jointed dolls, but this looks really cool for local companies. Now it all depends on the startup cost of the machine

[@GoobertownHobbies]

The startup cost looks like it's ~~$85K. You're right, this won't be replacing boutique home uses, but for small/medium companies it's absolutely viable.

[@Bobdd0]

I wonder if they will provide any commision work for boutique level groups? Like, pay for a few molds, pay for labor and machine time and get a limited run of the gubbins or chintz you want.

[@ShadowDrakken]

@@Bobdd0 it not SioCast themselves, certainly 3rd parties will eventually. Just like ShapeWays :) Well, okay... more like custom ink printing services, what with the setup and mold fees

[@OrakelofDeath]

No, not the Boutique-Stuff. (And I don't think, that this might be even the goal for siocast in any way.) But for gamingcompanys such as warlord games this realy might be a gamechnanger.

[@Spidehman]

@@GoobertownHobbies $85,000 is a small company? Ouch... There goes my hopes of getting into the business.

[@harkejuice]

I love every single Siocast mini I've bought and I've bought a bunch of Reaper USA. Amazing detail, durable and holds the primer fantastically.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Nice! that's great to hear :-)

[@charleslatora5750]

I think some of the most recent Reaper figures I picked up were made of this Siocast material. Some were all one piece, a few had one thing, usually an arm, to glue on. They went together properly. they painted really really nice even with my bad painting skills. It states on some of the reaper packages very clearly no primer needed or specifically no spray primer.

[@twistedbrushminiatures3664]

This is quite interesting! It is nice that making models is becoming more accessible to small and local companies. Great video!

[@Ulrican414]

Your painting is getting better and better.

[@phyrexiarising]

Really glad you like the product Brent. Over at Galladoria Games we have been using the Siocast since July 2021 to great effect. Would love to send you some minis from our kickstarter to try out!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

My source told me where you work... Maybe I'll come a-knockin one of these days :-)

[@LemanoftheRussVI]

Nice I was hoping you would talk about this. Especially with your background! Thanks 🙏

[@RIPjohnbonham]

This looks really cool! As someone without a 3D printer, I hope this allows more boutique mini-makers to release physical models and not just STL files.

[@Shred2TheEnd]

Hi Brent, I just wanted to say that I appreciate how objective you are with your reviews. I always walk away feeling like I've learned something, especially so with products that you enjoy less as you provide such detail and reasoning for both your critiques and praises. Much love Brent!

[@richardmarriott-smith9517]

Another great review. Thanks for being so thorough.

[@CB-zq1ky]

I do not play any miniature games. I know nothing about miniatures. Your excellent summary of this new method of casting has made me very excited about the future of miniature gaming.

[@eBayMiniatureRescues]

This changes the game man, I love it! Great video documenting the whole thing :)

[@lord0shadow54]

So I actually used to work with 2 of these for a company. They were super great to work with and the models were super nice and satisfying to pull out of the molds. Loved that job.

[@jonbonne]

Great video, I'm always interested in these kinds of manufacturing related things. It's really awesome that there's options out there to put more power in the hands of smaller companies.

[@FairlySadPanda]

The dream would be machines like these living at hobby stores. Imagine a store being able to run a print-on-demand service for literally anything a customer might want!

[@FairlySadPanda]

Resin is great but it's not automatically the best: space, resources, print time, finding suitable models (and proxies, or clones) all factor in. Injection moulded plastic is more expensive than resin, sure, but it's way more convenient and it's backed by many amazing mini companies who provide great models people want to assemble, paint and use. Cost isn't everything.

[@Kconv1]

@Kronin resin mini's are great for collecting, bad for gaming, they break and snap if you glare at them hard.

[@testaccount4191]

@@Kconv1 you clearly have never used Citadel fine cast minis

[@IrateWizrd]

@@testaccount4191 Wasn't finecast awful? I assumed that's why GW moved to plastic character minis shortly after

[@testaccount4191]

@@IrateWizrd yeah, there where terrible but they had similar brittleness issues which pissed off a lot of people

[@Osmius]

Really interesting video, nice to see a little bit of what is going on "behind the scenes".

[@hauntswargaming]

Very interesting stuff! I love that it's reusable and non-toxic. Thanks for the video!

[@RyanEdwardsVA]

First heard of this material recently as I'm just now getting into Corvus Belli's Infinity, and as you mentioned, their new models are switching over from white metal to Siocast. Infinity minis are known for their insane, minute details; I can hardly think of a better torture test for Siocast than Corvus Belli's offerings. Here's to hoping it's up to the task.

[@samurguy9906]

Metal minis have been my biggest barrier for getting in to infinity, as all metal models I’ve ever painted have eventually chipped. If they transition to siocast I might just have to try it!

[@RyanEdwardsVA]

@@samurguy9906 well, it's happening, albeit slowly. They don't have current plans to recast old models in Siocast, but going forward all new releases will be in it. I will say, though white metal sucks, the game itself is very worth playing and their minis are indeed absolutely beautiful.

[@CTCParadox]

@@RyanEdwardsVA It still seems like the smaller human sized models are all metal though. It's the robotic remotes that seem to be siocast so far.

[@Malygon]

Would be interesting to see them in the future. One of Infinity's spinoff games, Aristeia, uses plastic minis and they had way less details compared to the metal ones. This wasn't Siocast, though, so hopefully they'll live to the same standard set by their metal minis.

[@LathanM]

I just was looking at this at Adepticon as well. I have a few friends and myself that do resin models and this is our next step.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

nice! it's fun stuff :-)

[@CommanderCheapSkate]

This is why I love your channel so much! We get the science and rationale behind everything! Keep up the good work!

[@MyFriendGoo93]

This video brought me back to material science classes in college.

[@endersblade]

I was extremely pleased with everything I learned about this. I really hope this tech picks up in the industry.

[@nnssggop3087]

amazing. hope this gets us more mini companies and more quality minis!

[@jammywesty91]

Promising stuff! The consensus amongst me and my group, is that mould line removal will make or break it for us. If they could be easily and cleanly removed, we'd pick up some regular SioCast minis in a heartbeat. However, with the mould lines tearing and bobbling up when trying to scrape or sand them away like with other soft plastic figures, it will definitely be a hard pass on the regular SioCast plastic from us. Parallel cutting with a sharp blade works better for softer figures, but I hate how easy it is to gouge chunks out of the mini. I'm very keen to see more of how their harder plastic behaves. Glad more affordable and efficient options are en route for smaller studios though regardless.

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

No experience of this particular stuff (at least not knowingly), but the Reaper Bones I do have (mostly from old Kickstarter) has the same sort of issue with scraping and filing being pretty impossible, until you try a diamond file, still not as nice as some other plastics but a decent high grit diamond file gets the flashing off pretty easily, I expect this is going to be similar...

[@jammywesty91]

@@foldionepapyrus3441 Diamond files are definitely a god send when dealing with soft plastics. I've had some luck using a brass brush made for buffing suede on the newer Battletech plastics. It helps clear any frayed bits after scraping and isn't so abrasive that it shows scratches post-priming.

[@ramironaredo8554]

Am i allowed to fall in love with that orc with the red blade? Gosh...outstanding!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Hey thanks! I had fun painting the orcs :-)

[@B__C__]

Victoria Miniatures is using SioCast for some of their range now including their beautiful line of halfling (read: ratling) snipers for the Imperial Guard. Mine came in the soft variety which is a pain to sand. Hopefully they'll move over to the hard stuff by the next time I order something from them.

[@AsgeirrSpjuth]

The new roughriders are in hard Siocast.

[@SerPounce23]

I'm always happy to see advances in mini tech, outside of slightly larger or smaller existing tech. I wonder if they have a larger machine available, can't imagine doing a whole line one at a time, no matter how fast it is.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

It seemed like 8 minis per mold was about right for this instrument... but yeah, I'd love to see a larger version of the sioform!

[@mattengelhardt]

Such a fantastic piece of engineering! Can't wait to see how this changes the industry over the next few years.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

it'll be fun to watch! :-)

[@MBusy]

I can't believe how excited I get when a new Goober video drops! Love what you do and this makes me very excited to try SioCast!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

hehehehe, thanks for watching!!! :-)

[@ericsmith6996]

Your voice makes me happy. Keep making awesome videos.

[@mindyfranke5279]

Neat, thanks Brent! Looking forward to seeing more of the Bones line with better detail than their soft plastics.

[@TheEnd]

Wadup Goobs, thanks for another upload! I’ve almost trained my body to live off the sustenance these videos give me. I’m literally depending on you and the rest of the yt mini community to keep me going at this point. I know you won’t let us down.. take care!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Love ya buddy, take care of yourself! ;-)

[@reverserobinhood1152]

Once again, another objective and wonderfully made video from Goobertown Hobbies

[@jamesmorss9940]

The most interesting toob from Adepticon by far. Goober town going deep. That is indeed a most excellent Brent.

[@Ulrican414]

Really exiting technology! Any tech that hepls small companies produces quality products is a winner in my book.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

absolutely! this stuff is pretty dang cool

[@JayAndNightASMR]

Can't wait to see it take off. Things like this are great to compete against bigger companies

[@AdamViklund]

Thanks for another great, in depth review, Brent! Like you, I had heard of Siocast a while back and it sounded promising, so I really appreciate this report from the front lines!

[@Joooooooooe11]

Having gotten ahold of some of some siocast models from reaper, I've been blown away with the quality. Lightyears ahead of their old bones line. I have a soft spot for old school metal minis in my heart, but when it comes down to cost, I'd choose siocast material minis over resin. Every. Single. Time. Excited to see how this tech grows in the hobby as it gets utilized more and more.

[@rburt3]

This is super exciting. I'd love for folks like CGL or IWM to look into this and bring some BattleTech plastics back home.

[@sysiphuspeart9012]

Awesome video and very cool to see how good a painter you've become!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Oh hey thanks! :-)

[@kl1thedominion]

I'm all for anything that can help small companies break into the scene. Hopefully Siocast and the small companies they work with see great success. It must've wild walking away from their booth with a plasatic mini-Brent you weren't expecting!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Hehehe, yeah this was a ton of fun! I'm excited to see where this goes :-)

[@opshlds]

Love your Vids! Thanks for the quality and informative content as always!

[@christopherpeery7436]

This is awesome. This hobby has really come a long way

[@fimbulkron]

Thanks for the video! It's great to see new options that are less reliant on Chinese flow of goods. The only grieve I have is, that plastic cement doesn't work, as it gives the easiest and best conversion options over a wide pallet of miniatures.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

agreed, I still prefer polystyrene, but this stuff has some cool advantages!! :-)

[@graefx]

I feel like I've been seeing their targeted ads all pandemic. Glad to finally have some deeper explanation. If they're a step up from PVC I'm all for it, proprietary limitations aside

[@GoobertownHobbies]

definitely a step up from PVC! and yep, I was glad to finally check this out too :-)

[@Evil_Tileman]

Love the fact that they don't have the oily, mold release residue. Seems like it cuts down on the prep work a bit.

[@Marshcreekmini]

I'm pretty impressed with the quality of Bones USA. WAY better than the old white bones stuff.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

right? I was pleasantly surprised!

[@Marshcreekmini]

@@GoobertownHobbies between the new bones and 3D printing, the old stuff is going to get donated.

[@KaptajnCongoboy]

Have you considering revisiting this subject? The last year has not been a good time for the companies who adopted Siocast, and additive manufacturing is really looking like the superior alternative for low volume producers these days.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

I've heard a handful of people say things like this, and I'd love to learn more. What specific companies / lines are you thinking of in relation to shortcomings of siocast? I have Siocast models from ~~ 7 different companies, and they all seem pretty good as long as they're made from the harder material. You're definitely right that 3d printing is gaining as a manufacturing process, and that's awesome to see. I know Reaper Bones USA uses both siocast and 3d printing. Siocast will still have an edge in durability, and PROBABLY models per hour over 3d printing, so I think there's still a solid niche for it?

[@KaptajnCongoboy]

@@GoobertownHobbies There is a lot. Ok if I PM you?

[@GoobertownHobbies]

@@KaptajnCongoboy sure, send an email to the address in the channel about section. And thanks!

[@KaptajnCongoboy]

Popped you an email@@GoobertownHobbies

[@lucaskeeton]

My favorite kind of Goobertown video. Educational, chill, and entertaining. Also, those orcs look pretty sweet. Great video, Brent!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

hey thanks! and yea, those orcs are fun :-)

[@markchristy9704]

Very interesting topic. Extra points for kitty footage! Thanks!

[@jauken83]

I always love your cats making their way into the shot.

[@DrexisEbon]

Sounds awesome. Would be cool if it could replace "home" addative manufacturing methods.

[@ShadowDrakken]

I don't think it's a replace type of thing. SLA, FDM, and casting all have strengths and weaknesses, and the technologies can complement each other nicely.

[@metalmanexetreme]

Would still need an sla to make the master, but it could definitely reduce resin waste if the material is competitive (especially since sprues can be recycled)

[@CesarIsaacPerez]

Best video I've seen o Siocast. Keep up the good work.

[@emchamberlain]

Incredible stuff.I can image one of these in every GW store with a few dozen popular forgeworld moulds in the back. They can print on demand. Wow.

[@SootyWebster]

Siocast is a game changer. The reuse factor alone is just the best part. Think of all those waste sprues that go into the bin from that larger gaming company

[@invisan00b]

Great video brent! Thank you for the information! Siocast seems really exciting and a great replacement for a lot of old metal models that companies like warlord have

[@panimauser970]

I did not know Siocast material is reusable! Even better! As a consumer I love it. I love how light it is and how good details are. I never want to see a metal mini ever again. Now that I know it is reusable too, I will take it over regular resin if/when it is an option.

[@superspecky4eyes]

I love that mini of the guy with the spear on his shoulder, so badass!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

for real :-) That's one of the barbarians from the old Enigma line. "Lathiem" or somesuch.

[@tinyfishhobby3138]

Sounds like interesting stuff. I’m glad you included the bit about removing mold lines, because that’s the one thing that drives me crazy about pvc- you can’t file it because it’ll just burr up on you.

[@garywhitehouse9682]

The moulds are not unlike the early GW ones used in the centrifugal lead casting machines, but here in stead of spinning a round mould at high rpm and pouring the liquid lead into the centre aperture it is injected into a static square one. I bet the manufacture of the moulds doesn`t differ too much either.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

yeah, I'm expecting "third party" workarounds to the mold side of things to pop up pretty quick. we shall see!

[@mjpete27]

Hullo Brent, I must say that you create some amazing videos and the variety of topics that relate to mini’s is very cool! I have looked at resin and different 3D printing solutions, but most if not ALL appear toxic to me and the environment! Thank you for sharing this new technology and I am hopeful that it will pave the way for more responsible mini creations! You take care out there and enjoy your day!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Have a great day yourself! :-) It's good to have choices on these things.

[@tassiasmith]

I've had a few Bones USA models, and the details are amazing. I didn't mind the clean up (I'm very comfortable making parallel cuts), but I can see how that would be a deterrent to a lot of people (especially mold lines in hair and fur). That there's a harder plastic now that minimizes those issues is great. I'm also excited that the sprue and miscasts can be melted down and used for new injections, and that the mold making process is so much less expensive and seems much closer to mold making for metal minis (meaning a lot of that skill set would likely translate over). If we can have a renaissance of smaller companies casting their own stuff, making their molds in house, and the ability to do special one off figures with a similar ease to metal casted but with less cost of material, that would absolutely be amazing. Not to mention that paint sticks much better to most plastics than metals. I'll have to keep my eye on this material.

[@JonSteitzer]

I saw their booth and was super curious about it. Great video!

[@GoobertownHobbies]

hey jon!

[@johnsmith3085]

Reaper has been knocking it out of the park with their Bones USA stuff. They’ve managed to use a superb material while also still keeping prices reasonable. So proud of them.

[@oculus1857]

Beautiful video and impressive review. I want to start my own company now making stuff for game companies in Siocast!

[@JennellJaquays]

Effin Cool miniatures recently ran a couple kickstarters for models that would be cast in their new Siocast machine.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

oh nice! I'll check them out :-)

[@IrateWizrd]

this material reminds me of what finecast claimed it was going to be... except actually good.

[@JeiFaeKlubs]

Great video, I always appreciate less waste products ... Now, where can I get my hands on that barbarian(?) mini at 10:02 ? Looks great especially with that paint job of yours! :D

[@SPQRKlio]

I commented to ask that, too :D The paint job at the end really made that figure great.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

thanks! The barbarian was a sculpt from Enigma... and I think they're out of business now? "lathiem" is the model name I think.

[@SPQRKlio]

@@GoobertownHobbies Aww... sorry to hear they're out of business, sorry for me not to be able to buy one--but we can hunt around and see if anyone is selling one! Thanks! :D

[@SPQRKlio]

I found it on ebay from an Australian seller, on sale from a Spanish shop, and available for pre-order in I guess a new version (the new mold version?) from a few places in the US, so it's only a google away!

[@mrgoob76]

THAT is really cool i really like how you can just remelt what you haven't used and just reuse it

[@GoobertownHobbies]

yeah! I think a lot of companies will probably clip the bits at the factory and chuck the empty sprues right back into the plastic vat :-)

[@mrgoob76]

@@GoobertownHobbies well that and if you have failures or imperfections its really just like a "steel" mill, chuck it back in the forge and reuse it. this to me is what TRUE recycling is

[@GoobertownHobbies]

@@mrgoob76 heck yeah! :-)

[@bolicob]

the paint job on those broken anvil minis 😍

[@LegionaireSiggi]

Thanks for the review! Would the Monument Hobbies Mold Line/Seam Scrapper tool have worked on the mold lines? Oh and who makes the Rogue model at 6:31? That model looks awesome.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

I think the skeletor rogue is from level 52? It was one of the random molds they had at the booth, so I'm not entirely sure.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

oh, and yes, any scraping device should work on the siocast HARD, but not the siocast soft.

[@SPQRKlio]

@@GoobertownHobbies I was going to ask about the model right before it at 6:29. I suddenly need it, because there isn't nearly enough grey around here yet. For science, of course. Off on a tangent: I originally was studying for a degree in materials science engineering, and if young-me ever imagined I might get to work on developing something for this sort of application instead of that boring ol' spaceships stuff, I might have stuck with it XD

[@harazhangf5782]

Love your review videos. They are always neutral, you point the good AND the bad. You always warn if you received samples from the manufacturer or not. They are the best review videos in my opinion. And this one is no exception.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Nice! I'm glad these are useful/ interesting. Thanks for watching!! :-)

[@harazhangf5782]

@@GoobertownHobbies They are useful and interesting. It's always a pleasure to watch your videos. :-)

[@KederektundUnx]

I've seen this in other channels, but nobody talked too much about it. Luckily you where there too.

[@Manyhigh]

I would be curious if some other common solvent can be used as platic cement for this plastic and make a nice experiment. The ability to basicly weld styren minis to one piece adds a lot of durability and is a huge plus on its side.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

I've tried a few solvents, but nope, I haven't found a good plastic cement for this yet. Superglue on this stuff!

[@siocast]

@@GoobertownHobbies Yes, you need Cyanoacrylates like superglue.

[@therealoball]

@@GoobertownHobbies how about piranha solution? :P

[@KriusAerion]

I was so excited when I heard Corvus Belli was switching some of the bigger models to sio cast. I bought some of the first wave models and admittedly I was not hype about how difficult the mold lines were to remove. I didn’t lose hope and bought some of the newer pieces in the sio cast hard material and boy I was BLOWN away. I’m excited to see what this brings to our hobby.

[@brianblather]

OK, as someone who worked casting resin in spin molds, this looks FANTASTIC! Spinning resin worked but was quite a mess and had waste issues. I can't blame them for having a proprietary method and product, and I would love to try these out. I've been away from Reaper models as I was getting a bit down by the plastisol Bones line. I'll order a few up, though, and check them out.

[@lordbiscuitthetossable5352]

Ooo I heard of this on the podcast. Fascinating, “totally a store owner” Brent. XD

[@Lawnmowlester]

Hi, I would just like to note that the leftover resin does not just get thrown out. Resin can be reused by putting it back in the container right after printing.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Obviously the un-used liquid resin isn't trash. The printing supports and miss-prints DO often get thrown out, though. In the case of thermoplastics and metals, the miscasts and extra bits can be melted down and used again. pros and cons to everything.

[@HypothermicIce]

This is super cool to learn about!

[@shawnmichaelis1609]

replacing those big metal blocks could be a game changer, this looks very promising :)

[@GoobertownHobbies]

It's a nice intermediate for small/medium sized game companies! :-)

[@atlasallen-manning6092]

I had definitely noticed the higher quality in the Bones Black and Bones USA minis but it was super interesting to learn more about Siocast. Also love those action shots of dropping minis on the pavement 😄

[@Scubasgamecorner]

Great video, really interesting to see....Which company were the Orks from those were really great looking minis.... Nevermind I see it now I have a habit of I need to ask the question now when I should wait til the end of the video, my apologies 😊

[@Stampstudio71]

That’s amazing. Gonna change things for sure !!!!!

[@dwarrenmsp]

Great video with end to end coverage of something really big happening for small game makers. I'm excited to see where it goes. Corvus Belli's new Warcrow game will all be in Siocast and they've moved some of their large figures for Infinity over to it too. Exciting stuff. I'd love to see Mantic switch to Siocast for some of their models they currently do in resin. Also, "painting without priming is kind of against my religion" is a quote for the ages.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Yeah! I'm excited to see the warcrow stuff too. soon, soon! :-)

[@TheEr910]

I've painted some of the new Reaper USA minis and a promo mini from the Borderlands board game. I really like the look and feel of Siocast. Looking forward to Rivenstone.

[@rafindeed]

this is a dream come true for recasting. damn, expensive forge world no more.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

heh, I know a lot of "above board" companies are buying these, it'll be interesting to see if any shady characters wind up with them too.

[@youtubevanced4900]

@@GoobertownHobbies 90% of their customers will be recasters, I'm guessing.

[@markmorris2207]

Dang it! I discovered your wonderful videos after Adepticon. I would have liked to have had a conversation with you. I really enjoy it when you bring your knowledge of chemistry into the hobby. It really dispels a lot of myths floating around out there. Does this plastic react well to spray primer? Bones is so disappointing in that respect. No tackiness issues I hope.

[@GermanNightmare1976]

This looks like a great option to produce high quality miniatures without the need for steel molds. Have you tried something akin to EMA Plastic Weld on the sprue instead of the regular model cement? It'd be interesting to see if that would work. (Super glue is trickier to work with in my humble opinion)

[@GoobertownHobbies]

I tried a couple different organic solvents that I know melt polystyrene, with no luck. I don't own EMA plastic weld, but I'm guessing it won't work? I'm not sure exactly what solvents are in there.

[@GermanNightmare1976]

@@GoobertownHobbies I believe its main ingredient is Dichloromethane (Methylene chloride). [I have it because of Toy Polloi's repair videos, imported from England]

[@firebird8600]

I hear through the grapevine that these machines are a bit over 80k to start out, which is a whole house. However. It would be really cool if game stores started having these pop up, and there was a service for sharing, or distributing the molds. A person could check the game store for a specific mini, and then the game store could check the "library" to see if that mold is available for share. Maybe the game companies would get a kick back whenever their mold is sent out or something. The game stores could advertise that they'll have a limited time with molds in high demand, and it might help get more people in their doors, helping small businesses, too. This sounds so exciting. (It's also possible that I'm not fully awake because I don't get up this early)

[@GoobertownHobbies]

Yeah, I'm curious to see what the competition/ prices are like for stuff like this in 5 years. I could totally see this showing up in a makerspace eventually! More local manufacturing would be really cool