As you can see, I've got both as part of my eternal Albion army project. If the Age of Rebuilding has achieved nothing else, it has made me a master of the Ebay watch list, and these two both come up at reasonable prices. I like them both, but let's compare them.
Size
Now, in a world where the Ghorgon exists, it might be futile to ask which of these is more fitting of the name 'giant'. But if we look past that, the 2006 kit has the clear advantage of height. That being said, the metal does have a more brawny physique. Overall I think that the tall gangly fellow encompasses the descrption of a Warhammer giant a bit better, but the metal giant does feel more like he'd eat you!
Character
I'm always a bit leery of talking about the 'character' of models, because there have been a few times when miserable old goats like me have used it to be critical of newer models which they can't articulate an actual fault with. Still, I think I'm going to go with the metal one for this. There's something about his brutish appearance which suggests the lumbering, towering thug he's meant to represent. Now, there's a very important caveat to this: the metal model was designed to represent an Orcs and Goblins giant. The plastic giant was designed to accommodate for Orcs and Goblins, Ogre Kingdoms, Chaos and generic Dogs of War giants. And in fairness, given that, it manages to have several pretty decent personalities crammed into the sprues. Which leads us to...
Usability
There's really no competition here. Sorry, fellow oldists, but the plastic giant wins absolutely hands down here. The old metal giant is a model where you need to come packing a pin vice and plenty of metal rod or very solid paperclips or he will fall apart. And he's heavy: you could use this bloke as a bludgeon. Whilst this makes him very satisfying in hand, painting him can be tedious and absolutely necessitates him being firmly pinned to the base - which makes it annoying that the contact points are small.
Multipart plastic kits are almost always easier for the user, particularly for inexperienced hobbyists (who we want to have a good experience, remember). The plastic giant was one of the first kits which emphasized easy construction and customization. He has a number of heads, weapons and ancillary bits and pieces that can be swapped in and out without causing undue stress. As you can see from mine, converting him is easy (again, because of the material). Incidentally, if you're going to drop one of these models, I recommend it being the plastic one.
Storage
If you want to carry the giant to a game somewhere other than home, or safely pack him away because you don't have a dedicated display area, the metal giant is your friend. His frame is compact enough that he can be nicely nestled into a foam carry case. You'll need to varnish him to keep his paintjob safe. I wouldn't recommend storing him in those ghastly GW channel foam cases, but that's just because I wouldn't recommend putting anything into them if you're fond of it.
The plastic giant is hampered in this regard by those flailing arms. He's a funny shape. You can, if you're strategic about it, lay him down on his side in an appropriately cut piece of foam, but you'll be worried about it until you open the case again.
Bitz
Anyone familiar with my work will know that I'm a pathological converter., and in this category the plastic giant wins. The metal giant does have a few nice bits like some tied up halflings, but as is the nature of old metal miniatures, there's not that much. The plastic giant has birds, a cow, a goat, and the infamous running Empire villager. Plus, all the alternate giant bits you don't use can be used to make other monsters or wotnot.
So which do I prefer?
Well... that's difficult, and the reason being that my own experiences distort my feelings. The Orcs and Goblins metal giant is a product of the early sixth edition. This was the high days of Warhammer Fantasy in many ways. And I was attending a University (the same one I came back to work for many years later) during that time. Those were great years for me, and a certain fondness for the models of that era remains. When the plastic giant came out, I was actually working at Games Workshop as a store henchman. It's a job you can learn a lot from, but apart from that I really can't recommend it. They want too much for too little. That being said, we were given a special seminar about the giant because he was the first of those user-friendly multipart kits. I was already planning my exit from GW at that point in mid-2006, but it was one of those moments where I felt like we were on the edge of a wonderous new hobby world. So actually, the plastic giant is associated with wonder and hope for me too!
In the end, by a thin margin, I'm going to give it to the 2006 plastic giant. His versatility and ease of use really put him over the line. However, I'm really happy to have both in my collection!
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