Finecast
When Games Workshop decided they wanted a new way to screw over their customers, they switched from pewter to Finecast models. Finecast is a type of plastic resin that is supposed to offer "finer casting" than the pewter models do, but the real reason that they switched is because the price of pewter has gone up as the price of most metals has gone up lately, while the price of plastic resin has gone down. Thus, each Finecast model costs them only a fraction of what casting a metal one would.
However, GW, being the money-loving trolls they are, they decided not to pass on these savings to the consumer, despite the switch in production actually cost very little, as they simply used the same dye that they used for the metal models for the Finecast ones. This means that the profit per model for Games Workshop has gone up, on average, about 300-500%. This pleases Games Workshop.
However, there are other problems associated with Finecast. The most notorious problem is that this first batch of Finecast has apparently come out with lots of bubbles that destroy detail or ruin the model entirely. This could be due to any number of reasons, such as the fact that they're still using dyes made for metal models to make plastic ones, or that they're just not giving much care to quality control (which is actually very likely; players have recieved models with detail problems for years).
As if to make a bad situation worse, Flash, the little plastic line that runs along the surface of a model and is a leftover from the Casting process, is notably harder to trim on Finecast miniatures because the new material is so much softer. The traditional way of cleaning flash away is easy - simply scraping it away gently with a hobby knife's edge. Doing this with Finecast Models, of course, tends to leave them with unsightly scratches. In a surely unrelated note, GW has released a new kit for trimming Flash from Finecast Models - it goes for about $20.
The best part is that GW packages some of them in the same boxes as their plastic kits, which means that unlike the old metal line of models, which shipped in clear plastic blister packs, no one can see inside to check on model quality once the models have been shipped. As a final note, many customizers are up in arms over the fact that you can no longer get at some of the cool metal parts that the old metal models had, because Finecast attaches some of the parts for you. Now you have to saw the model apart if you still want those unique and shiny pieces.
In any case, Finecast has caused quite a bit or rage among Warhammer players and modelers on /tg/.
Musical accompaniment for when you assemble your Finecast miniatures provided by Don Ho.
Gallery
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A Finecast Assault Marine backpack. Jesus, look at this.
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A Chainsword, looking all in the world like a rabbit chewed on it.
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Games-Workshop charged full-price for this. Think about that for a second.
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Oh god ;_;
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This is what Finecast and GW's rote incompetence has brought us.
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Quality Control? What's that?
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Again, they charged full-price for these. /tg/ hopes to fuck that someone's head got blown the fuck up for this one.
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Lookie here! Games Workshop decided to put out a series of (naturally ludicrously expensive) tools for clearing away Flash now that your traditional means of doing so are likely to damage models.
