Overall I rank best to worst medium as:
1. Pewter - very durable, minimal assembly for rank and file, great details, difficult to convert, limited poses
2. Plastic - durable, good details for modern kits, easy to convert, best choice by far for large models,
requires a lot of assembly time
3. Lead - Basically the same as pewter although less durable and slightly easier to convert
4. FW Resin - amazing details, have to deal with warped pieces, air bubbles and material is fragile
5. Finecast - Similar to FW resin but casting errors are far more common. Material is a bit softer which
helps reduce breakage but also lowers the warping temp
I'm a true gaming fanatic and have thousands of models across all of the above materials. Every casting medium has pros and cons and they serve different functions. I used to prefer metal over plastic with no question, but plastic technology has advanced to the point that the two mediums are almost interchangeable... and large elaborate kits are far and away better realized in plastic. If plastic tech keeps advancing it very well may edge out pewter for me in a few years. I just love living in the golden age of wargaming.