RE: the dispute of cost, modernness, etc, between metal or plastic.
I think there can be no doubt that it was cheaper to produce plastics, whether it being thermoset or thermoplastic materials. The cost benefits abound from raw material sourcing, delivery, molding, handling, and shipping to consumers.
WeCo was not the first to take this direction. Throughout the 1930s consumer products were increasingly made from plastics. Bakelite was a revolutionary product and inspired immense research efforts to produce new plastics with varying properties. The possibility to produce inherently colored materials, that did not need painting which made products subject to peeling and chipping, was a tremendous economic benefit.
In addition, at the time, 1920-1940s, I do not think that plastic was viewed as "cheap", but rather as a modern advance that permitted colored products with new properties and applications. I think, this view is hindsight from the experience of cheap products from Asia quite a bit later.
