Siocast is starting to replace resin, metal, and PVC plastic miniatures- in this review, Goobertown sees what it’s all about…
Goobertown Hobbies is a great content creator who has interesting takes on the hobby. Whether it’s a collaboration with other hobby YouTubers or a challenge for himself, he has a broad range of topics he covers. Since he has so much great content, why not check out what else he has done?
This week he is doing something a little different. He’s seeing the type of detail you can get with the new Siocast, how it is to paint, what companies are starting to use it, and goes over the less toxic materials and how you can recycle them! Let’s check it out!
Plastic Alternative Siocast Review: Goobertown Hobbies
There are a lot of companies already moving to the new solution as it’s non-toxic, the sprues can be recycled, and is cheap enough for smaller companies to get good molds that are still fast.
The process uses two halves of vulcanized rubber that get put into the machine and then the plastic is injected in. The longest part of the process is only about 20-30 seconds. They give some great results with tons of detail.
What Do Businesses Think About it?
They are educating gamers about the new plastic, but they are trying to sell to game companies, as they are directly in competition with all the other methods out there. First off, the molds are much cheaper to make, which lets companies make smaller runs of casts.
Plus, they can be used in smaller amounts, which makes it easier for smaller companies to actually make their own casts and take chances on smaller batches.
Siocast can make masters and molds for companies, or you can mold your own, but most companies make their own. Meaning you never have to deal with factories in China.
You can keep all your production in house and support your local economy!
Compared to resin or plastic, it is less toxic, the miscasts and sprues can be reused, and when compared to resin, it doesn’t take nearly as long and doesn’t have to cool. Overall, it is lighter, can make colored models, and is cheaper than metal.
It also paints up easier than a lot of other materials. Especially considering how expensive metal is, this is a good alternative. The main issue right now is everything is proprietary to Siocast, meaning you have to go through them and there are no competitors currently.
Is this Good News for Gamers & Hobbyists?
For the Reaper Bones USA models, they are starting to use Siocast. He was actually surprised at how high quality all the models were. The quality is high, which in itself is good for hobbyists.
Creature Caster is also starting to make their smaller minis out of Siocast and the quality looks great! However, there are a few issues with the soft version of the Siocast.
Working with the material feels somewhat like PVC but better. With that said though, scraping mold lines is hard because pretty much the only thing that works is using a knife on the soft version.
The newer Siocast hard plastic is better because you can file off the mold lines and it is better overall to build with. So he expects the majority of companies to go with the harder version since it’s better for hobbyists to work with. It’s way more durable than resin or metal but when you’re gluing it, he uses super glue.
For painting, they say you can actually paint without priming, since the base material doesn’t have much oil, it is possible, just like the picture above. Once the first coat is on, it’s just like painting any other minis, so he would still prime them!
Are Siocast Miniatures Good Quality?
Overall, the detail is high, they are pretty durable, and overall, having more competition for game companies on what materials they use is good. So overall, you shouldn’t be worried if your favorite company switches over their miniatures to Siocast!
If you are curious about the whole review with more details don’t forget to watch the full video above! Also, be sure to Subscribe to Goobertown Hobbies if you enjoy his content!
Click Here & Subscribe to Goobertown Hobbies!
About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
