Customizable 3D Printed Tabletop Miniatures

A kickstarter I found a while back: <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heroforge/cus" rel="nofollow">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heroforge/cus</a>... It's still got 4 days to go, so if you're interested in tabletop minis that you can customize to match your character, give it a look.

I was commissioned about 6 months ago to test the feasibility of a similar project, and the results were less than satisfactory. The prototypes from three different printing companies were delivered, and we started checking them out. They were all incredibly brittle, especially near the fine details. Thinner parts easily snapped from what would be routine handling, and some parts were broken in transit. Further research found that the plastic used is approximately 30% the strength of traditional injection molded plastic. Additionally the cost was a bit on the extreme side. One of our intended lines was to be various vehicles for sci-fi games, as we were not pleased with the cost of certain other companies (GW). However, we quickly found that the price was more expensive to 3d print them. While the Kickstarter is a step in the right direction, I'm unsure if the technology of 3d printing is up to task. Once they've delivered suitable products I am sure we will hear reviews.

And they actually show awareness of possible issues: "Risks and challenges ---While we want to offer as many options as possible, we also want to ensure that we have the absolute best base product we can before sticking baseball cards in the spokes and painting flames on it. Some of the more ambitious customization options may have to be prioritized or wait for things like print technology to catch up. ----3D printing tech is rapidly improving, but just as the injection mold production process has its challenges and problems (flash or mold lines, limited shapes, etc.) so does 3D printing. Current print technology still has some disadvantages that it is working to address. For example, the strong material is not especially detailed, and the detailed material is not very strong. Another example: we've pointed out that the sandpapery texture of the 'strong plastic' material is not especially suitable for painting (paint sticks just fine, it just is harder to layer on). And the ultra-detail plastic is not as durable as most plastic miniatures. Much like a resin model or miniature, if you drop one from high up, it very well may break. ---The ultra detail material can also come with some visual artifacts in the plastic's consistency. This is different than the "stair-stepping" effect of earlier 3D printing. In most cases it is a primarily a visual quirk rather than a physical one--and will be undetectable once a figure is sprayed with primer. Of course, these are challenges that are actively being researched and addressed. We are especially excited about new material offerings that are stronger, more detailed, and even allow for fine color application. These are advances we hope, and expect, to see in the very near future." And yes, GW prices are...well. GW prices. And as I said, those interested in these minis should take a look, but keep in mind the essence of kickstarter campaign: you're throwing money at a promise (parapharising TotalBiscuit). I certainly hope that come October, they will be able to deliver on their promises, if not...