There is an enhanced interest in magnesium alloy castings for automotive and aerospace applications, often with a view to replacing aluminum alloy castings. Lost Foam Casting (LFC) is a favored process mainly due to its near-net-shape capability. However, LFC of magnesium alloys poses unique challenge mainly because of the endothermic nature of the process, and hence the tendency of the magnesium alloy to 'freeze' before filling the pattern assembly. In this pioneering research, magnesium alloy AZ91-E was cast to study the effects of melt superheat, mold medium preheating, foam density and coating permeability on freezing range, mold filling and metal flow. Image analysis of microstructural features was carried out.