They came from the Dark Lands...(Chaos Dwarf project)

[fred]

Aah, indeed. I’m just starting to scratch the surface of 3d printing - through requesting prints from a mate. But the variety, and quality of what can be produced is huge.

There are definitely challenges on the scope of some ranges, but other ranges are bigger than many traditionally produced ones.

My only concern is over the commercial longevity of the 3d printing ‘industry’ seems to be a lot of hobby produced files out there, where cost is probably very much lower than it really should be if someone was running a full-time business. Let alone the impact on traditional miniature production companies.

[Elbows]

I think there will be a huge mix of impacts from the increase in 3D printing.  I think small mom-and-pop shops doing old hand-sculpted metals will suffer a bit, though people who want that style will continue to buy them.

Companies like GW will be fine because they produce kits every other week, and charge insane prices (which people pay)...so they'll labour on, though stuff like their Forgeworld stuff will disappear.  People who are 3D printing large GW styled armies...weren't going to buy the GW stuff anyway, so that's not technically a lost customer.

Companies like Victrix will probably be fine, as a lot of people don't want 3D printed minis, and Victrix has fantastic prices and great sculpts/kits.  I wouldn't want 3D prints of something I can get in plastic at a reasonable cost, so I don't see it replacing any of that...unless your prices are stupid, or your sculpts suck.  Even if I myself owned a quality 3D printer...I wouldn't print 30 hoplites if I could buy them in plastic, etc.  I might print a cool general, or a special cavalry model, or an extra chariot, or a banner or some shields or heads or something...but I'd always take plastic over resin when given a chance - and I think "most" gamers would as well.

With the right combination of large orders and discounts, I get my Chaos Dwarf minis a bit less than $2 a mini..and that's shipped, so it's a very fair price, while I know the printer isn't spending that much resin to make them, so I think it ends up being a solid purchase.  I am only hesitant about the longevity of resin in various environments.  I think it's very possible we'll see a 'great resin catastrophe' in 10 years time as resin becomes more brittle over time, etc.  So, best to get my gaming and money's worth out of them while they're brand new. 

[dwbullock]

Agree with Elbows.  I've bought a few interesting figures in resin, but most of my figures are still good old plastic and metal.  I have found many of the resin to be entirely too brittle to be played with on a regular basis.  Perhaps it's just me, but a few tumbles, the odd mishap while painting ... I find a lot of my resin etsy prints snap pretty easily.

I do, however, know of more than a few folks who have entire armies of resin models.  I'm not doing that, and cannot imagine carrying those models from game to game.

[Elbows]

Yeah it depends entirely on the resin, how it's printed, and the sculpt.  It's one of the key highlights of these Fabelzel prints.  The guy I get them from prints them really well, better than anyone else I've tried (and better than all my buddies!).

But more importantly the sculpts are robust, and made for painting/gaming.  Way too many 3D sculptors are going GW style and over-styling, and using non-heroic proportions or real-scale weapons, ankles, hands, etc...all of which means your resin mini has a terrible fate ahead.

These minis all have chonky handles on weapons, chonky details, chonk...chonk, and chonk.  They're still hosed if I drop them on a floor from table height, but most of my plastics would lose weapons/shields/arms similarly.

I have received some random etsy purchases that I basically tossed right in the trash due to being super slender, brittle, broken in the package or just way too thin to bother trying to put on a table.

[Elbows]

Finished another detachment of Sneaky Gits.  These will likely run as detachments in the game, but they can combine into a larger single unit if necessary.

[beefcake]

Very cool. Love the variation in grasses too.

[Daeothar]

Ah yes, more Sneaky Gits are always good. Especially when painted to such a nice standard! 

Do they lap around?

[HerbertTarkel]

So much great nostalgia! I had a large Chaos Dwarf army back in the day; it was always a people magnet when it came to the club mostly because of how rare it was!

Your painting is fantastic on this army. The 3D printing is perfect for this style of project too!

[Elbows]

Ah yes, more Sneaky Gits are always good. Especially when painted to such a nice standard! 

Do they lap around?

Technically no, however detachments (i.e. units of 3-4 bases) can take specific traits, including stuff like 'Backstabber', etc. which provide a bonus for attacking units which are engaged with other friendly units.  So there are build-a-bear workshop style trait lists allowing you to build units that "feel" like their counterparts in various other games.

[Elbows]

I forgot to post up pictures from one of the games I ran last weekend against a buddy's new Undead army (filled out with Battle Masters baddies as he's a little shy on models).

[Elbows]

Cranking out more characters and figures for the army...I'm almost done with the Hobgoblins which means proper Chaos Dwarfs coming up!

A Hobgoblin general on foot with his banner.


A Hobgoblin general/character on wolf


A trio of Hobgoblins on wolves, for use as couriers


The first of many Chaos Dwarf sorcerers (ignoring the previous character!)

[blacksoilbill]

Lovely work once again.This is an army I'd love to see in the flesh: so many fantastic figures!

[Elbows]

I have another unit I should finish in the next day or two (weather permitting), and I'll do an updated army shot.  I do think, by the end...this will be a pretty sizable force.

[Frugalmax]

Another great looking battle and more beautiful miniatures! I think I said this before, but I really like the way the three miniatures per square base looks when you group them in units. It seems a very natural looking (dis)order especially when they are get into melee combat- like people are being shoved around, ranks don't stay nice and neat and so forth. Great stuff and thanks for sharing!

[Elbows]

Thanks, Frugal.  The three-per-base started as a necessity, but I agree I think it looks great on most of the minis.  The Chaos Dwarfs themselves are tough to layout like that, but...it is what it is!

Another unit of Hobgoblin cavalry, archers this time.


And a Sneaky Gitz hero I forgot to snap a picture of a few weeks ago...