I'd go with a lead alloy pewter. The tin does add detail but can run to the brittle end of things. The only reason the industry abandoned lead was due to the kid safety over-reaction.

On a practical manufacturing level, lead seems to flow better, if I remember correctly. Would help esp. with the 6mm figure casters who seem to be having a problem with miscasts (judging by the lack of arms and weapons on minis I've gotten). That Rouge Trader Space Marine thread I just put up this week are lead figures. And they look better than most 6-8mm metal figure I've run into for detail. Some lead in the mix would allow simple bending to become part of the 'coversion' practice again. (I know your just concerned about vehicles, but you never know)

Health concerns don't eat it (as an adult you'd have to eat quite a bit, lead is more of a danger to childrens development than an adult)!
As for dust etc., that's a little too overboard with the nanny state thinking (don't smoke, don't drink, what do you do?)
Don't walk outside in the rain you might get struck by lightning, heck a meteor could hit you right now

But to each his own.

Must be something inside.

Heck, the Chinese use lead paint on Thomas the tank engine models, it must be safe.

To be fair, maybe they're just trying to thin out those children who think trains are edible.

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I know, with the second or third child, parents become a good deal less neurotic about 'child-proofing.' Maybe it's something about the 'heir and a spare.'



Heh. In seriousness, they'd have gotten my two-year old. At three, his 'mouthing' has calmed down somewhat -- just the occasional hand in mouth. Which leading me to wonder what kind of dust or dirt that hand has been in before being 'mouthwashed.'

And hence my concern about little piles of lead dust near my miniatures or my workspace (with all of its interesting tools and shiny models.

No question, it's all cumulative, and I should try to keep a cleaner and more child-free (lead-free) workspace. (He has learned that he can play with plastic miniatures but not metal)... and I've talked with folks who remember the rewarding crunch of (lead-based) paint from their childhood -- no evident ill-effects.

But there's enough to worry about, and enough lead floating around already (I live within earshot of a freeway, which means the ground is fairly contaminated from 40+ years of leaded gasoline).

In some ways I prefer lead. I find it easier to work with.

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"I don't believe in destiny or the guiding hand of fate." N. Peart

When I first read this thread I remembered with fondness the ease of working with the higher quality (harder) lead figures.

After reading about kids and the dust I remembered the shear horror when I found one of my children by my bench after I just got done filing parting lines off a figure. I was pretty careful about things, but all it takes is one second of having your guard down. Nothing bad came of it, but we even ended up having his blood tested at a physical. But still, not cool at all.

This issue is also brings up memories of all the complaints when the industry went from lead to 'white metal'. Pretty much matched the drama the switch to resin is making.

I suppose lead once in awhile wouldn't be bad, maybe for the larger stuff (to save money). If it wasn't every mini you could contain it, but in general perhaps not so necessary after all.

Yeah... one interesting thing I'm learning as I go through the process of parenting -- other parents' recollection of parenting is often very hazy. And, now, as my son pushes 3 3/4, I'm beginning to realize my own recollection of the ones and twos is fading into haze.

It'd take a specific memory-jog to recollect some of my 'gut-wrenchers:' you're playing with.. .WHAT!!!?

There's an interesting literature now about stupid things every kid should do: lick a frozen fork... but not a frozen light pole, lick both contacts of a small battery, but not a car battery... fall down an scrape your knee on pavement... but not fall out of a window, touch a hot pot with the tip of your finger, but don't grab it.

Thinking about it that way, one of the biggest problems with lead and children is that there's no negative feed-back loop, unlike the frozen fork, the hot stove, or the 6v(?) battery contacts.

Yes, that is strange how quickly memory fades.

One thing that non-parents don't realize, is that even "normal" kids can have strange behaviors. For example, Bella has only recently started this "thing" where she touches lots of stuff on a shelf in succession. This, given her natural kidly tendency to refuse hand washing, gives me considerable anxiety.

So, I can easily foresee a circumstance where a normal kid might briefly rub a lead miniature, then run off for a snack, unknowingly ingesting lead residue.


As an engineer, I can now answer my own question with the guidance of Saint Murphy - Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

I suppose I didn't factor my 2 year old's obsession with daddy's toys..... perhaps lead wouldn't be so great for that reason.....

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Wandering off topic... or onto the topic of St. Murphy.


Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party


10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.

9. There’s always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in a corner.

8. It’s best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someone’s going to start banging on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You’ve got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There’s definitely going to be a fight.

3. You’re not sure whether anything you’re doing is right, you just hope it won’t get you arrested.

2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

http://www.shitmykidsruined.com/2011/03 ... rat-party/

dude offer leaded or unleaded like at the pump

hu hu hu so true

Would it be possible to just do a trail? get a few spins of something cast in lead and lead-free, price accordingly, see which moves best?

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