Citadel Miniatures Limited is a company which produces metal, resin and plastic miniature figures for tabletop wargames such as Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000. In the past Citadel Miniatures was a separate company but it has become a brand for Games Workshop miniatures. Although its models are used for the wargaming hobby, the painting of its miniatures (and miniatures in general) is a hobby in itself. Early history In 1976, Bryan Ansell co-founded Asgard Miniatures with Steven Fitzwater and Paul Sulley in Nottingham and became its lead sculptor. Ansell was an experienced sculptor, having previously worked at Conquest Miniatures. Ansell left Asgard in 1978 to form successful rival Citadel Miniatures with funding from Games Workshop. Less than a year later, in early 1979, Citadel Miniatures became part of Games Workshop as announced in White Dwarf issue #11: "Games Workshop and Bryan Ansell have got together to keep-alive Citadel Miniatures, a new miniatures company that will be manufacturing several ranges of figures. Ral Partha are already in production, but Citadel will also be producing own ranges, including the Fiend Factory figures, Fantasy Adventurers and Fantasy Specials. Citadel will not be limiting production to SF/F figures, but also new ranges of historical wargaming figures". The following issue of White Dwarf contained the first advertisement for Citadel's forthcoming figures. Materials and Construction Originally miniatures were produced using a white metal alloy including lead, although in 1987 Citadel began to produce plastic miniatures as well under the name "Psychostyrene" and "Drastik Plastik". Citadel has continued to produce white metal miniatures as the economics of plastic make it only suitable for large runs. Some models are a combination of both materials, with the arm-less bodies and heads metal and the arms, weapons and other accessories plastic. In 1997 Citadel switched to a lead-free white metal because of concerns about lead poisoning, particularly in children. Most of the models created by Citadel require some form of construction after purchase. With smaller models this usually involves attaching arms, weapons and the base. Larger models come in many pieces and require more construction. On 16 May 2011, Games Workshop announced a new range of Citadel models known as Citadel Finecast. Finecast has had mixed reviews by modellers. For example, Wayland Games, a retailer in UK, includes the following note on Finecast on their website: "Note: If you wish to purchase any Finecast products please accept that this