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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Fred Mills on October 08, 2024, 10:06:44 PM
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I've never bought any terrain items from Etsy, but am pondering a few 15mm products for Napoleonic and Ancients gaming. Does anyone have experience doing this, and reliable sellers to recommend? (I'll be buying intact, and not files to print later.)
I'm much prefer the local gaming shop, but there are none near me that carry such things.
All advice kindly received.
Fred
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I've bought figures, scenery, jewellery and clothing items from Etsy, from a variety of sellers, and never (touch wood!) had a problem with any of them.
I don't tend to use the same sellers repeatedly so can't really give recommendations.
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Same here. I've bought from a number of sellers and no problems.
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Etsy's best strength is reviews with pictures, etc. If you're in doubt, order something small...see how well it's produced.
I've had 90% good luck on etsy with a couple of poorly printed figures ruining a perfect run.
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Never had a bad experience with an Etsy seller. If something is broken in shipping or missing from an order, the seller has always rectified the situation.
I do have a small list of sellers that I use - mainly because repeat orders get a 15 - 25% discount from them.
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I can only agree, Etsy seems very well regulated so the sellers are quick to respond and sort things for you.
I can't recommend 15mm stuff as I don't dabble, but generally speaking the cheaper something is the lower the print quality. Have a good trawl through the reviews before you buy.
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I’ve used a number of sellers on Etsy for figures and only had one problem - kyoushenko models (probably not correctly spelled) of samurai (can’t remember the print company) ordered in 15mm and printed at a total of 15mm high - obviously a print business not a hobbyist. They didn’t reply when I reported the problem.
The best looking printed scenery I’ve seen in 15mm is from BattleHonours3d - I haven’t purchased any yet but they look good, are printed in 8k resin (print lines make any model look crap no matter how well you paint it) and aren’t extortionate (I think their website is slightly cheaper than Etsy - like most people). Certainly worth a look.
Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain
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All good times on Etsy. I would recommend for terrain, Highland3DPrintsUK,LaserXdesigns and RealityAtWork. One thing to be careful about is location of the seller. I live in the UK so buy from Etsy UK but it can become hard to tell the exact location of the product(there is a way of screening out non UK sellers). You get to the final payment screen and find the cost has doubled because its coming from the States. The other issue is that you buy a product unaware of its worldwide location at the correct price stated and then after 2 weeks wonder where it is ? Its 6 weeks away in transit coming from Canada and to add to your woes customs will charge you when it arrives :o
So as long as you check the location its coming from and that customs fees have been paid(if its coming from abroad) your all set to go.
One other thing,all of the above sellers I have mentioned are very flexible on what you require and it seems no issue to them to create bespoke sizes,commissions ets if you need them which is great for us customers.
The filters button on the left hand side lets you choose item location and despatch time. You need to search for your item first and then the filter button appears. Hope that all helps ;)
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I've bought a bunch of buildings from centurionstudio in the US and had no problems at all.
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I use woofooworkshop, he'll happily rescale stuff for you
Outside etsy I use these guys
irongatescenery.co.uk again resizing stuff isn't an issue
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I've purchased from various vendors via Etsy in 15 mm and generally no issues. One vendor has been quite slow in getting items out lately - and sometimes ships the wrong item but has always made it right. Etsy has a robust system in place to make things right for customers. I had an order earlier this year for some model railroading items meant to be in N scale but I was shipped all HO - vendor 'promised' to make right but took so long I went to Etsy to get a refund and it was done right away.
Bigger challenge can be finding items in 15 mm. A few to look into are Dungeon Torch (exceptional service) and Dungeon Artifacts. I haven't yet placed an order but am planning one through Tabletop Terrain for some additional Old West buildings.
Do make sure to double check that what you have ordered is both available in 15 mm and that you properly selected 15 mm. I speak from experience!
edit: I am referring only to vendors that sell pre-printed items and asking about vendors that sell pre-printed items, not STL files.
And, please, if you find vendors with a good selection of items in 15 mm, to let us all know what you found!
For 3D buildings (if you count that as terrain) many times the buildings include 'scatter terrain' with it - attached rather than separate mostly but sometimes separate. If there is any downside to 3D printed buildings it is that sometimes there are a LOT of parts but once assembled not an issue - oh, and sometimes there is great interior detail that will never be seen, a small price to pay for the diversity of offerings.
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Contrary to all the positives I'll have to say take care if you are buying things that are advertised in different scales.
I've found that often smaller sizes are just 'automagically' shrunk in the slicer or other tool with little or no thought given to finer details. This quick fix has given me with windows where the grill is just broken / missing, roof supports so thin they broke while painting or animals with ankles / tails / antlers etc so thin I dare not put them on the table.
Often you also see the generic render or designer photos and have no idea what the actual output looks like - one set of statues looked like they where printed out of Play-Doh and went straight in the bin so you may want to get a sample or accurate picture first.
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Partrick miniatures in Germany I can recommend. They are fine for 15mm - I have a number of pieces .
Also a company called Highland 3d in the UK - they have done stuff for me
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Amazingly detailed and helpful replies, chaps, and many thanks for each one. I appreciate all the time and advice. It is, in fact, buildings I'm looking at, and they include BattleHonors, Patrick, and a couple of others. I'm in Canada; almost all are in the US or Europe, so I'm afraid I'll have to deal with the national customs sees (sigh), but I'll be mindful of the 'location' tabs, etc., as several of you have cautioned.
Really glad to hear of the dispute settlement process too.
More suggestions welcome. When I order and receive, I'll be sure to post an update.
Thanks again for the generous aid.
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Partrick miniatures in Germany I can recommend. They are fine for 15mm - I have a number of pieces .
Also a company called Highland 3d in the UK - they have done stuff for me
I'll second that. Very good to deal with. 1X misprint and one scale error over several orders and he replaced them swiftly.
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Yep, Patrick Miniatures is good - expensive/lengthy to order from the US, but good products.
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Keep 'em coming, folks. A few of the recommendations either don't ship to Canada or don't do 15mm scale. Too bad.
But BattleHonours3D and Patrick Miniatures both look very good. At the moment, this is where the search has led.
Additional thoughts or cautions very welcome.
Thanks again.
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My other favourite 3D printer via Etsy is 3d Printing Valley. They are UK based and service is very good. I have most of a small European town and a goodly portion of my Berlin terrain thanks to them.
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/3dPrintingValleyLtd
You can always contact them directly via their proprietory shop too. and of course that's easier to navigate than their Etsy shop, although not everything shows up on both.
https://www.3dprintingvalley.com/
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Thanks for everything, friends. To update:
I placed my first order just now, although - based on a suggestion above - I went direct to the company (BattleHonours3d) and not via Etsy itself. The cost saving to order direct from BH3D was very substantial, so I did that. Estimated delivery date was immediately provided via email, so now we'll see.
I'll drop an update in here when it arrives in a few weeks: a spanking new Austrian village in 15mm for my 1809 French and allies to surge towards.
I still have Patrick and 3D Printing Valley to consider (thanks for those suggestions!); when the disposable income jar refills, I'll probably splurge in their direction also. Can one have too many terrain pieces? I say no.
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Fred - did you order 15mm or 1/100 from Battlehonours? I ask as I’m not sure what to go for (I’ve asked BH about the difference but they haven’t replied) as whilst I game in 15mm most companies use 1/100 for vehicles and buildings as it looks better.
Looking forward to seeing the results,
Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain
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Hi Andrew,
I ordered 15mm. I'll try to add a photo when they arrive, estimated in a few weeks.
Best,
F.
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Hi Andrew,
I ordered 15mm. I'll try to add a photo when they arrive, estimated in a few weeks.
Best,
F.
That would be great - I am interested in their Napoleonic Austrian buildings.
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Thanks Fred I’m very interested so I’ll keep an eye out. Battlehonours did get back to me stating that the 15mm is 15mm and the 1/100 works out at 16.1mm. Now whether this is to the eyes or top of the head (or door frame) I don’t know but I’ve asked the poor chap more questions lol . I think I’m going to order a couple of small buildings and go for 1/100 as the print quality/lack of terrible layer lines (often a product of doing things too fast to make it cheaper - according to my printing savvy friend) really sell this company to me.
Battlehonours (have replied, again, and) state that they measure to the eyes/bridge of the nose - as we’d expect for (in this case 15mm) miniatures. Hope this helps anyone else considering ordering.
Looking forwards to seeing what you get,
Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain
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Looking forward to seeing any purchases from others also. I've never bought 3D printed buildings before in any scale, from any supplier, so this is a small new adventure for me.
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Just a quick update on this. After all the helpful advice from people here, I ordered the Austrian village from Battle Honors 3D on Oct 11 and it arrived in Canada on Oct 24, which I thought very fast. It was very well packaged and precisely as pictured, so I was very pleased with it. Communications with the company were fast and pleasant and I will be ordering from them again, no question.
A few things to note:
1. Images of the 'village' on the website include walls and haystacks and such, but these do not come with the set. Walls and fences have to be purchased separately, or supplied from elsewhere or scratchbuilt. My mistake on that, but a note on what the images do NOT include would have been helpful.
2. Each building has multiple pieces; while assembly and test fit are more or less easy to figure out, a short diagram or maybe having the parts numbered would have been helpful.
3. Several buildings are multi storeyed, with small mounting pegs to attach the upper storeys to those below. Some of these were precisely aligned, but most were not. I'll need to shave those off or redrill peg holes for a smooth fit, if I want removable storeys.
4. A 15mm figure (but maybe not the larger 18mm ones) will fit inside each story, for combat purposes, but figures on a mounted base, with bayonets or flags, will not as they will be too tall. This makes it less likely that having removable storeys will matter, so I think I will just glue the storeys together and be done with it. i will, however, try to keep the roofs removable so that troops inside can be positioned on the upper floor.
5. Several of the doors are molded in the open position, which I liked a lot, and these and the thatch-like roof texture give the set a very nice look and feel. The online photos were super helpful in this regard.
6. There was virtually no clean up required on these. They were crisp and clean models and the positive comments on the web site from satisfied customers do not lie.
7. The fit of roofs to upper storeys was slightly off in a couple of cases and will require some sanding to make snug, but this should not be too difficult.
In short, I was very pleased with what I ordered and had a great experience with the company. I'll be a repeat buyer for sure.
Thanks to everyone here on LAF for taking the time to make suggestions.
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That’s very quick service, excellent breakdown and thoughts. Sorry should have said the couple of test pieces I ordered (small Russian house and barn) from Battlehonours turned up a couple of days after I’d ordered them. Very helpful chap and very well packed. They look pretty good but due to nonsense real world hassle I haven’t yet had a chance to really have a proper poke at them. Certainly a good experience in terms of service.
Would love to see some pics if you get a chance Fred
Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain
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Glad you got quick service. Concerned, deeply, about the alignment issues - none of the companies I've ordered from have had any alignment issues at all for my 15 mm stuff; not a good sign.
One challenge with every single 3D company I've ordered from - no marking on packages as to what is what so when ordering a bunch of items it can be a real chore to determine if everything was sent or not. Most recent order was missing a few items but was in the mail the following day and should arrive very soon - that was good - but took a couple of hours to determine the items were missing (I think there were around 16 or so structures with all multiple parts). It is a real pain with parts for one building in three separate wrapped items which I've seen a few times.
And in 15 mm, despite all the lovely interiors in many pieces I've purchased, I plan to glue the pieces together and not bother about the interiors unless visible from outside somehow - like open doors or windows. Spaces almost always too small to maneuver based figures inside.
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It's a feature of the medium it seems. I've had very few problems with 3D kits, a bit of warpage here and there, easily fixed with hot water. Occasionally you get loose bits of filament on finer parts like window frames. I've found the quickest way to remove the cobwebs of filament in windows is a very quick (and I do mean quick) pass with a cigarette lighter. Removes them instantly, alot less laborious than a craft knife but you do need to be careful lest you melt frames.
Yet to see a model that comes with instructions ors even parts lists and I've had a couple of examples of additional parts and only one of a missing part but that was easily replaced. Most kits are fairly intuitive and reference to the photos of the built kit is enough. The most complex ones have been a couple of the 3D Printing Valley items which have included interior room detail and also quite complex roof shapes but a through dry fitting gets you through.
I don't do the opened up for figure placement thing, I glaze and seal up all of mine so fitting troops has never been an issue. That said the 3D printing Valley stuff with internal rooms does take 28mm minis fairly well, at least height wise.
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I'll try to post a few pics when I get a minute.
Never having posted pics here before, what could go wrong?!
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So, I got my replacement parts from Tabletop Terrain today - I'd rate their customer service as excellent.
Finally, from a different company - and after a reminder prompt from me - getting my wrong building (in tact as ordered rather than ruined as received) on its way (supposedly - but they've printed a shipping label and then not shipped for a couple of weeks - which seems a bit dodgy).
Of the at least six 3D pre-printed companies I've ordered from, this one is the one least likely to get repeat business. The products themselves have been fine and I certainly understand that errors occur and that's fine as long as they are fixed but I shouldn't have to make multiple contacts with the company to get it fixed and then also have to remind them to fix the problem when too much time has passed; disappointing because they have other items I might have ordered. But if someone else has the same item...
And I'm not naming the company because I don't want to damage their business, just disappointed at the quality of customer service; others stand in stark contrast: Tabletop Terrain and Dungeon Torch especially good and prompt service.
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A wee update to this post (and apologies, but I've not done any photos yet).
Based on my first experience with Battle Honors 3D, I placed another substantial order this month: some 6mm European villages for microarmour and the entire Carentan town set in 15mm, for WWII gaming.
I placed the order Feb 5 and received it complete and well packed here in Canada on Feb 18, which is wicked fast. Communications were excellent, as per my last order. I had also questioned an online price - which actually seemed low - and the owner responded that I had found an error, but that he would sell it to me at the mistakenly quoted price. Very generous. In partial recompense, I ordered some extra material from him.
It took a minute, using the online images of the set, to figure out which pieces fit together, but they all did easily, with one or two small pin hole misalignments. The items are exactly as advertised, and are quite lovely.
In other words, I'd highly recommend Michael at BH3D. That's a Napoleonic village, a SWW town, and two small 6mm sets from him - and all of them terrific.
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to Canada from where?
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I have ordered 3D printed figures on Etsy and it have all been good apart from one supplier - MiniMegastore. Ordered a couple of figures from them and they didn't show up. Sent numerous emails and got not reply. Only a small order so I gave up. Thankfully other companies supply the same figures so I just ordered from someone else no problem.
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Dear 'anevilgiraffe',
BH3D ships from Kent, UK, so I felt the shipping time was rocket fast.