3d printers and war gaming

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Neon

Neon

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So, at this point even high end 3d printers, resin and curing / cleaning stations seem to come out way cheaper than buying miniatures. That is if one is into armies rather than the occasional skirmish game with a handful of miniatures.

The problem appears to be that I'm not finding stl files for warhammer fantasy battles that are blowing me away. I mean I see some ok proxy minis for the empire, but that's about it.

Do you peeps know of good companies that can fill that niche?

Have any of you printed full armies?
 
I've been buying 3d printed stuff for terrain... and pretty happy with that. But I've tried a few figures and... not really satisfied with those. Some have been really bendy/rubbery... similar to the crappy Reaper Bones stuff. Others have been more rigid but feel fragile.
I want something of similar or better durability as the GW plastics. But for now I'm not buying anything else, figure-wise.
The price is right for getting my own printer and finding my ideal resin recipe, but I don't think I have the patience to get through the learning stage... and I'm only interested in skirmish games anyway. So I think I'll stick to metal and hard plastic.
 
Simlasa said:
I've been buying 3d printed stuff for terrain... and pretty happy with that. But I've tried a few figures and... not really satisfied with those. Some have been really bendy/rubbery... similar to the crappy Reaper Bones stuff. Others have been more rigid but feel fragile.
I want something of similar or better durability as the GW plastics. But for now I'm not buying anything else, figure-wise.
The price is right for getting my own printer and finding my ideal resin recipe, but I don't think I have the patience to get through the learning stage... and I'm only interested in skirmish games anyway. So I think I'll stick to metal and hard plastic.
Click to expand...
What's your setup?
 
Simlasa said:
I'm not sure what you mean. I don't own a printer... and haven't been all that wild about 3d figures (though 3d terrain is nice).
Click to expand...
Oh ok, gotcha, tried a few figures as in bought some. I know the material does make a difference. I’ve been generally pleased with the resin figures I’ve bought so far. Haven’t encountered any BonesBendy ones, but I have had a couple with real thin parts break, but the sellers were easy to deal with.

I should do a better job of keeping track of the printers I order from so I can identify the standouts.
 
CRKrueger said:
I should do a better job of keeping track of the printers I order from so I can identify the standouts.
Click to expand...
A late arrival just got in, an armored golem from Artisan Guild. I ordered it weeks ago, but I DO like the quality of the material it's cast in... not too soft, not too brittle. So I might order some more from them.
 
Just found this site, they sell their own minis not .STLs but they specifically target Warhammer/Warhammer Quest as well as Heroquest and other board games as well as D&D minis.
Minis3D.shop
 
CRKrueger said:
Just found this site, they sell their own minis not .STLs but they specifically target Warhammer/Warhammer Quest as well as Heroquest and other board games as well as D&D minis.
Minis3D.shop
Click to expand...
That appears to be an elaborate printing service shop. I recognize (and own) a lot of the STLs. If you click "Product Details" in a mini's store page, the STL creator is listed under "Diseñor". You could use that to track down their MyMiniFactory shop.
 
Psychopomp said:
That appears to be an elaborate printing service shop. I recognize (and own) a lot of the STLs. If you click "Product Details" in a mini's store page, the STL creator is listed under "Diseñor". You could use that to track down their MyMiniFactory shop.
Click to expand...
Cool. I also saw some that are “Fan Made”. Then there’s some that don’t say either, so maybe some of their designs are mixed in.
 
Neon said:
Have any of you printed full armies?
Click to expand...
I have printed a metric shit-ton of miniatures over the past 14 months with my Phrozen. Not focused enough to create a single, gigantic rank'n'flank fantasy army, but tons of models for OnePageRules' scale of forces.
 
We've been playing Kings of War for a while and a mate's just brought Oathmark but I fancy trying OPR's Age of Fantasy so I'm planning on printing a vampiric undead army. Hopefully I can use it for all three.
 
Neon said:
So, at this point even high end 3d printers, resin and curing / cleaning stations seem to come out way cheaper than buying miniatures.
Click to expand...

What we really need is for the price of 3d scanners to come down. :smile:

Neon said:
Have any of you printed full armies?
Click to expand...

Nope. I've just started printing some test minis to see if I can remember how to paint and oh my god these things are much smaller than I remember.

I have the resin printer working, but now all I have to do is figure out how to get the FDM one working. I really wish that I had bought one from a solid manufacturer rather than from a Kickstarter. *sigh*

If my son doesn't get into wargames all this effort is going to be hard to explain as a closet gamer. :smile:
 
Kage2020 said:
What we really need is for the price of 3d scanners to come down. :smile:



Nope. I've just started printing some test minis to see if I can remember how to paint and oh my god these things are much smaller than I remember.

I have the resin printer working, but now all I have to do is figure out how to get the FDM one working. I really wish that I had bought one from a solid manufacturer rather than from a Kickstarter. *sigh*
Click to expand...
What FDM printer do you have?
 
Bunch said:
What FDM printer do you have?
Click to expand...

Maker PI P3 PRO.

The combination of a duplex printer with removable second print head (low temp, high temp, flexible and carbon filament etc.) coupled with a low-powered laser just appealed.

If the OP was into 40k I would suggest Heroes Unlimited and, if you can get it, their "Arcadia Elves" sets. Their "Void Reaper" remains on of my favourite minis ever.

The_Void_Reaper.jpg
 
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Kage2020 said:
What we really need is for the price of 3d scanners to come down. :smile:



Nope. I've just started printing some test minis to see if I can remember how to paint and oh my god these things are much smaller than I remember.

I have the resin printer working, but now all I have to do is figure out how to get the FDM one working. I really wish that I had bought one from a solid manufacturer rather than from a Kickstarter. *sigh*

If my son doesn't get into wargames all this effort is going to be hard to explain as a closet gamer. :smile:
Click to expand...
Have you looked into OpenScan?
 
Aye, but the detail is never good enough for wargame minis--even with the cheaper high-res 3d scanners. IME, I hasten to add.

I've been meaning to test out the blue light scanner that I got ages ago. Maybe this is the perfect time to show how it turns out. :smile:
 
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