While natural resins from plants are very expensive and have some rather exclusive properties the use of synthetic resins have gained increasing popularity. For many purposes usually a urethane or epoxy resin is used. The advances in the use of resins have been responsible for increasing detail that can be achieved in resin action figures and models.
Many people now collect these figures, with anime and comic book or movie figures being particularly popular. Often a particular resin figure will be released as a limited edition which adds to their value as a collection. Many collectors will hunt for their favourite action figure on auction sites like EBay and are prepared to pay a high price for them.
Resin is now being used more often in the fine arts too. Artists are finding that a resin statue can accommodate very fine detail that is not always possible with other finishes such as bronze. These fine art resin statues are not to be compared with the super cheap garden variety of ‘tacky’ ornaments that use a very cheap form of resin for mass production. Resin beads and pendants are also developing a strong following. These often use a clear or very lightly coloured resin with objects embedded into their shapes.
Resin model kits are now a firm favourite with model hobbyists. Resin models are available for vehicles, planes, ships, in fact anything a model enthusiast might desire. A resin kit usually includes an epoxy or urethane resin mix to assemble the model which is then carefully sanded back. The resin models can accommodate a huge variety of types of paint, including automotive. This along with the fine detail possible has led to their rise in popularity.
While synthetic resins have many other uses, particularly for furniture and flooring, there is no doubt that its use as a medium for producing intricate detail has taken off among collectors, crafters, artists and hobbyists everywhere and its uses continue to grow.
