WizKids, the creators of the popular Mage Knight miniature game, have announced that they're creating a new line of metal figures made from lead-free pewter in conjunction with sister company Ral Partha.  Unlike the regular Mage Knight miniatures, which come pre-painted, the Mage Knight Metal figures will arrive without paint.  The Mage Knight website will include instructions for assembling and painting the Metal figures.

The Mage Knight Metal figures series will eventually encompass all the figures in the Mage Knight series, giving collectors the opportunity to own all the Mage Knight characters.  But the Mage Knight Metal figures are for collectible purposes only; they will come with a standard base, and will not have the statistical combat dial and so can't be used in game play.

Mage Knight (see 'December Product of the Month') is a miniatures game that is ready to play right out of the box.  Each figure comes pre-painted and equipped with combat dials that make the game easy to play.  Mage Knight borrowed its packaging concept of 'starters' and 'booster packs' from collectible card games, along with the random insertion of rare figures, which are the equivalent of rare cards in ccgs.  The Mage Knight Metal series will allow collectors to obtain rare figures and to utilize their painting skills, but they won't be able to use the metal figures in actual games or tournaments, which should limit the appeal of this series to more traditional gaming miniature collectors.