I would argue one of the major barriers is the resin itself, the VOCs and possible toxicity of the resin will always be a barrier to people having one in their homes, especially with pets or children. More so than the models or the ease of setting up the printer at least
It’s exactly why I don’t have one. I have the space and the money, just not the environment to do it hazard less. Too many pets and people in the house. It sucks cuz I have great ideas for a Sons of Horus army that a bunch of 3D printed bits would make possible!
That is really the main reason I haven't gotten a printer. If I could setup in a shed, have proper ventilation, or know the resin is safe I would have bought one years ago. The printers are only getting better and cheaper. Plastic printers are a little better with fumes but can still have some concerns. There is a lot of stuff like that in the maker or hobby space in general. I will say a lot of people don't think or know about the VOC concerns so probably won't hold back sales. And companies are developing less smelly resins, although not necessarily safer resins.
Several Ex-Citadel sculptors have gone out on their own - some are old-school in the techniques (like Trish Carden/Footsore Miniatures) but some have transitioned to digital/STLs, like Bob Naismith. More recently, Stephen May left Citadel/Forgeworld and started Dead Earth Miniatures. He was mostly Necromunda focussed, and he has kept that aesthetic. There are probably others.
A quick comment here just to say that I've been following various painting mini channels and yours has clearly stepped up in the past year or so. Videos quality, production and painting level have all steadily been improving noticeably. Can only commend the hard work, you are now at the top of my painting youtube daily check. Happy painting!
Really need more emphasis on safety. Any time you are in the same room as open resin (yes in the printer counts) you need to be wearing a respirator with VOC cartridges. The room should also be constantly vented, filtering even with active charcoal is not enough. Even cured resin should be handled with gloves until primed. If you are sanding or cutting mask up again. People are playing with fire, resin health risks are incredibly serrious
This! Nothing but facts in this comment. @Ninjon: given your role model status in the hobby this cannot be underestimated. Even with proper safety equipment allergic build up remains a serious risk in the hobby.
One thing you said - no GW sculptors have left and gone on their own... There is actually a former GW Forge World sculptor that has a Patreon called Stephen May / DeadEarthMiniatures He started off offering one mini a month, but has expanded it to a couple. He only just recently started, so releases have been patchy, but I think he's hitting his stride now, and he's making some stellar nostalgic Necromunda adjacent sculpts.
My main problem with 3D printing is that I live in a city with crazy property costs and don’t have the space in my house for a full workstation. Really hope we see more maker spaces and libraries with 3D printing options available.
You just need a large enough table near a window. Buy a growth tent (it can hold 2/3 printers) and a small fan to vent fumes outside (even 120mm pc fan works).
Yea what I do is in my room I put a large long table near a window, a grow tent with a fan and vent the fumes out the window. All of my workstation is on that table. Wash and cure station is all there.
Look around for a "FabLab". Those are places where you rent out machines or are allowed to use them for being a club member. Many universities have one where don't need to be a student.
What I like most about printing is that you can use a first batch of minis to freely try out paint-schemes without fear of wasting money. Once you've found "your" scheme, you just print up another batch to paint correctly, at pretty much no additional cost.
Loot Studios have awesome models, although I’ve left the realistic fantasy aesthetic behind. I’ve found that Durgin Paint Forge or Cobra Mode’s models are more to my taste. I wonder if that has to do with my style of painting…
despite their popularity, i think they are not good at all. 28 mm models have weird body scale (mostly too skinny), overwhelmingly high details which are super tiresome to paint, not to mention shamlesly using their community to promote the company without even giving credits to the artist (often using personal photos and comments without consent). also, most latest bundles are just reworked old models. i do wanna mention that their busts and larger models are supreme and fun to paint.
Pleas @Ninjon don't handle uncured resin bits with bare hands, like when you removed them from supports. Even if they are cleaned and you don't see any resin on them, the IPA have resin still in it. Wait until they have been in the curing chamber before removing gloves. Its is allergenic so maybe no reaction the first 50 times but then allergies can start to develop.
@@ThisisCitrushe also airbrushes and apparently prints in a room with no ventilation, using only a air purifier…which doesn’t really eliminate tvocs, just the smell.
I think the "over-detail" is a perk for most people, and I love it (even if it is more difficult for a skilled painter like you): If you are the *paint it quick and move on type, you can ignore the extra detail.* It doesn't matter that the armor has more details, just hit it all with a metallic and move on with life. If you are the *fast **_results_** type, ink washes are perfect cheat mode.* You can target a few areas for manual extra effort to make the overall effect seem much nicer than it really is on close inspection. If you are the *slow perfectionist but lack artistic-painting skills, the detail gives you the perfectionism without having to mentally create it.* That's a nice de-stresser, as you don't have to worry about coming up with something that doesn't turn out and can just focus on colors and what stylistic technique you want to use. (eg realism gradiented? comic with black outlines? exaggerated lighting/coloring?) I alternate between the fast _results,_ and perfectionist lacking skills painting. For that, I look for models that cut the detail in deep. I play dnd a lot, and it's really a lot nicer to play when the models are easily distinguishable. For that purpose, 1 follow a 3 color rule: unpainted the model looks ok, painted 1 color the model looks slightly worse, painted 2 colors the model looks a lot worse than 1 (but is more distinguishable), and with a 3rd color the model finally starts looking much better than it started. Painting while we play is a focus mechanism for me, so I'll swap out a model mid-play and quickly get the 3 main colors distributed so it looks better and distinguishable. Once most of the players characters are looking better at a table glance, I'll enjoying some detail work or start filling in more of the models. I'll use a wet palate most of the time, and alu foil for the inks or metallics (I should probably get a silicone pop-it tray for those, but alu foil is cheap, on hand, and also a safe place to paint over) PS my favorite way to hold models so far is with "quake hold" museum tack. While painting, I can stick the models at different angles, and for DND I can cut temporary cardboard bases to stick them to. It works so well, you can turn it upside down a do some light shakes without the mini falling off. Tip: Don't try to stick the tack to the model 1st. Work the tack soft, then press on the base/flat piece, lastly stick the model down to it. (holds better and don't risk breaking the model)
Found a shop in my country that prints miniatures for 5 times cheaper than GW sells them. I'm not playing warhammer, I'm painting as a hobby so for me it's prefect.
This is really the way to do it imo, just to essentially rent printer time and print off a bunch of minis for cheap without having to deal with all the extra work and overhead that comes with your own printer.
"prints miniatures for 5 times cheaper than GW sells them." You just described copyright infringement in the most open and shut case to ever case. Get caught stealing GW models or even worse selling stolen sculpts and you can be looking at time and a fine in most EU/US countries.
I've been a supporter of artisan guild for over a year now. I love their models. Also I very quickly had to bookmark this video for reference. I love the way you painted this one.
I'm sure you're already somewhat aware- But PLEASE if you're going to sand down resin: WET YOUR FILES AND SANDPAPER, resin is carcinogenic so obviously you don't want any particles in the air- so wetting your file or sand paper or even the model itself ensures it sticks to it and doesn't go airborne. Also smaller tip, I heard some people will wash off the models with isopropryl alcohol in multiple vats- so like 3 cups of alcohol, 1. really dirty, sit it for awhile, 2nd kinda dirty, and 3rd last one is cleanest and mostly a precaution. Anyway stay safe, nice vid.
Do you have a source for photo-resin being carcinogenic? I've tried looking into this and all I can find is that it's a respiratory, skin and eye irritant. Some of the polymerisation agents in *some* resins are known to be carcinogenic, but that's when they're uncured.
Everyone should listen to the point about it not being a company that creates awesome minis, it is the artists and designers that do that and those people are who we should be aiming to support.
This is a big sell for me. I’ve been able to scale up D&D characters for Enlarge spells, but also just to have decorative centre pieces not just as statue scenery but for the mantle piece too
Artisan Guild is one of my favorite producers of fantasy miniatures. Huge variety, awesome sculpts, and an assortment of simpler as well as highly detailed models.
Great video! The freedom you feel painting something you’ve 3D printed is REAL. It also means I feel 0 trepidation handing one to my 10 year old to try out painting, too, and that’s amazing.
Same, it is so freeing and for once I'm able to properly enjoy my hobby. Not only can I print whatever 40k model I want with exactly 1:1s or redesigns readily available but being able to print various models from a wide range of IPs or unique fresh designs as well. Over a year of printing and seeing 40k Christmas boxsets being more expensive than ever, codex's being out of date and costing nearly the same as a new video game just makes me wince due to how cheap printing has been for me. It reshifted my view and relationship with the tabletop wargaming hobby and allowed me to be more adventurous and invested in it outside of a financial point of view. Allowing me to try systems like OPRs where I can have rainforest storm troopers fighting against ww2 trench soldiers with mechs has been a blast to just enjoy a game both artistically and narratively without the stress and worry over rules bloat, new models and lore to insite more spending, bi seasonal price increases every year, etc. It just lets me be happy with my hobby.
8:20 So true. Just knowing you COULD get a replacement or have another go at it makes you so much more confident. That's why when I am coloring a drawing I made, I first scan the lineart. I never had to print it out for a retry, but knowing that if I mess up I won't have to start from scratch takes much pressure off me.
This is why I've taken to taking photos of my models and testing out some quick color schemes in Affinity Photo before starting painting on models that I can't really afford to mess up. Sure, I can visualize things fairly well, but layers in Affinity/Photoshop are a quick way to test things and get feedback from other people. ...and of course, this feeds well into the 3D print "just do it again" fun.
I bought an Elegoo Mars 3 Pro at the beginning of this year as my first printer. It was plug & print for me, the community profile for my resin & printer in Lychee yielded perfect results from the first print on. I did a lot of calibration prints & tests, just to get the same settings as I had from the beginning with the community provided profiles in Lychee. The most important thing imho is that you get a solid workflow and procedures for cleaning & curing that work for you, then it´s no mess and fun, not a chore ;) And btw, I really like the models from OPR, they are great.
you're the first creator I've seen that has actually shared their known working settings. Just wish it was for a Saturn 2. Most (almost all) creators hide their settings like it's Fight Club and stick to coy "you gotta dial in your settings buddy ;) " crap. And yes. I consider the phrase "you gotta dial in your settings" to be the "thin your paints" comment of 3d Printing. Never described how, just do it or leave the hobby.
Have you checked Lychee Slicer? In the slicer you can configure your printer and resin, and then you'll see configs by other users and a confidence rating on how well it works. That's often an excellent starting point to fine tune (if need be).
I'm mainly an elegoo user. Mars 3 Pro settings work for me on Saturn 2. Lychee slicer times can be off, but the prints are spot-on. All my Elegoo fails were always the same issue with the fep so I upgraded to PCS PFA liner and had zero issues since. You should be subbed to Uncle Jessy if you're elegoo by the way
The main reason you have to dial in your settings on printers is largely due to resin type and opacity, and inconsistencies in the printers themselves. There are tons of guides on how to dial in your settings out there. And tons of prebuilt settings for various resins on the market. But every printer is different, and thus requires dialing in. What works on my Mono X doesn't work on my Mono X2, even if every other variable is the same. Even the ambient temperature can change your your exposure times and the quality of the print.
I think my comment may have been removed, but it needs to be repeated. One of the most Iconic GW sculptors already does have his own store selling 3d sculpts for printing... Bob Naismith. THE Bob Naismith. The sculptor of the original space marines and terminators. He's independent and sells a whole range of sci-fi sculpts.
May I point you into the direction of Bob Naismith's Patreon? He sculpted a huge swaithe of GW's earlier minis and the Perry Twins (Who did most of TLOTR) also release STLs. GW sculpters are doing this.
Everyone's experiences can vary. I use Siraya Tech resin and their factory-recommended printer-specific settings were basically a 99% solution for me right out of the box. Settings are resin/printer specific so always worth a few test prints to fine-tune, but that is a one-and-done step if you don't switch resins/brands. Add a wham-bam flex plate and I've only had to zero my build plate the one time. I love your tip on mixing, I absolutely recommend mixing the resin in the vat like you describe to also fish around for bits stuck to the FEP- I use a 100% silicone cooking spatula to do that. Also- it is worth learning how to do your own supports as then you can make your own files or use any sculptor's files and orient prints to strategically hide those support nubs and get the best results out of the printer. Print orientation is a big part of an acceptable final result. Running all slicer files through UV Tools has saved me from any failed print issues. It might take more time to prep, but that is major time saved avoiding failed prints due to supports or suction cups, resin traps, etc...
I gave up 3d printing due to the massive amount of failures I would get after my first initial print and the amount of space it took up. I had to buy a 1600 dollar grow tent with a 500 dollar ventilation system in order to vent out the fumes with proper filtration. the large grow tent would allow enough space to fully vent the fumes while working with the uncured resin. Taking it all down was the best day of my life. I would pay a person to print my files moving forward as the savings was not really there for me.
I cant believe how irresponsible content creators on youtube are! Cashing in on 3D printer deals while recklessly handling uncured prints, sanding resin without showing appropriate PPE, not talking about the ventialation requirement of 3D printing etc. We are going to have a whole generation of influencers and hobbyists slowly poisoning themselves thanks this cowboy attitude to home 3d printing promoted by inlfuencers who havent been educated on the risks and appropriate risk mitigation!
When you're scraping minis off the plate, i really recommend placing the plate on the table with a paper towel underneath. It's much easier to apply some force with the plate on a flat surface.
Highlands Miniatures does *excellent* miniatures that are wonderful to paint. He is inspired by the old-school warhammer aesthetic, but does his own thing.
As somebody who's been subscribed to Highlands patreon for the past year or so I have to agree in everything but the "does his own thing" part. Most models are just recreations of the original Old World kits with little to no changes! 😂
@@kettusnuhveli didn’t know these and went to take a look. I have to agree with you, they’re very close to old school warhammer. There’s some differences here and there, but I can only agree.
PA-CHOW - so happy to see the fellow gamer love here. Thanks for the great video. You're so right about 3D printing. It's better than it was a few years ago, but there are definitely so many tricks and tips that make a huge difference.
Perfect timing, DPF has a KS campaign going on right now. Great job with the DPF 75mm dwarf! Would love to see you have a go at his Green Knight too. For other 3D minis: Cobra Mode - my second favorite sculptors right after Durgin Paint Forge PreyCollection - cartoons and all things geek related I guess - TMNT models are awesome Lord of the Print - some mind shattering minis with realistic aesthetic Broken Anvil - hit and miss, but when they hit it's a bullseye
Honestly, for the curing station, I glued a layer of aluminum foil on the inside of a bankers box with spray adhesive, cut a rectangular hole in the lid and put a $5 uv light on the hole. I put my models on a cheap light driven spinner and bobs your uncle. It's held up for over 3 years and still going string. Much cheaper than other options
Given that I have been doing resin prints for 5+ years, I have thoughts 1. Ditch the razor scraper and add a magnetic flexible build plate. Give it a twist and the model pops right off. 2. A wash station is indeed a game changer, especially combined with the above - you can wash them and then pop them off. 3. Try to find a cure station which cures them in water. Most resins cure better in a low oxygen environment, so I cure mine in water. Surface finish is better too. 4. I actually have 2 wash bins. One is just IPA, and I use to wash of excess resin. The other is IPA (call it 25%), water, and a squirt of dish soap (to cut surface tension), which is my standard "get the mold release off" mix. So I wash in IPA, pop the models off, remove supports, wash in the model wash (to get off any sprue pieces), cure, wash again, glue/fill/sand, wash again, prime, paint.
Loot Studios has some pretty incredible models. Idk if I'd say GW even comes close to alot of the available proxies now. Painting highly detailed models is just as much fun to me as painting a simple model if not more so, I tend to want to add l.e.d.s and water effects to everything lol.
I was originally frustrated with resin 3D printing until I discovered one of the magic tricks: temperature. I was getting all kinds of weird failures with no real apparent logical reason why... until I discovered that my printing area was too cold. Once I figured that out and started making sure my print room was warm enough, failure became nearly a thing of the past. They also sell VAT heaters that wrap around the VAT to make sure the resin stays uniformly warm enough. And I 100% agree with you about many of the models being over-designed. I get how that can happen, having done some 3D modeling -- you're looking at the mesh very large on your screen, so it seems like there's not enough detail. You're building it as though it were going to be a full size figure, instead of something in the 28-30mm range. It's always like a treasure find when I come upon some STLs that were obviously designed by or had the input of painters.
Nah, the day GW (or any company) loses the war is when you can run one of these in the dinkiest studio apartment or mom's basement without fumigating yourself and contaminating your living space with harmful particulate and the toxic chemicals used to not only produce the models, but also cleaning them, as well as ending up with a bucket of hazardous waste you need to properly dispose of. Don't get me wrong, I'd absolutely love to have a printer. I don't want to pay 70 bucks for two shipping containers and a couple of barrels, and I absolutely can't be bothered to dig around garbage for DIY crap. I would run a printer 24/7 if I could. But after recently getting the opportunity to operate one, not just fiddling with a slicer and pressing print mind, but setting up and cleaning up afterwards, the tech is just not there yet and maybe this branch of it never will.
As much as I love Ninjon, I cant take seriously the opinions expressed praising the Phrozen mini 8K thats SPONSORED by Phrozen. Even if its good, Its still Bias, as much as youtubers assure us they were allowed to say what they wanted. Also, talk about Clickbait in this one...
A good suggestion for anyone just getting a resin printer or even a fdm printer, get a magnetic flex print bed sheet, it can make removing a print super simple. I have even had fdm prints separate after the print bed cooled to room temp after it was done.
I have a flexplate on my resin, and recently the magnet pealed from the corner. gonna try to fix it with some tape when it arrives, however... the glass scraper that he suggested over the spatula may be even better, I should try my spare buildplate without the magnet, which is a pain, but my prints allways stick, but dont over stick.
Instead of mixing with a playing card, and or using paper towels, consider silicone. I use a silicone spatula to stir my resin, saving the film and my hands. Instead of dropping the parts into a paper towel, I use a silicone mat, that I then use silicone tongs to pick up the models and place in the wash station (you get the idea). A lot less waste, safer for you and the environment, and ultimately cheaper.
This is his full time job and youtube consistently rewards titles like this. If you went into this video genuinely believing Jon discovered something this past week that's going to put GW in trouble you're a moron
wow...i was just curios if you were live streaming after i bumped into you. just as you were signing off, and made it into a video. Glad i could help with my 2 sandbags. im still south and fighting the frontline -barkervancity
I was pleasantly surprised by Anycubic's Photon Mono 2. I picked one up on sale for $139 and procrastinated on setting it up because I was dreading the process of testing, failing, tweaking, testing again, failing again, on and on and on. But to my immense surprise, it literally worked out of the box, plug and play, zero issues. The closest thing to a failed print it's ever had was when I set up a print too close to the build plate in the slicer and the model clipped into the raft. I've been printing every day for two months, six separate armies and nearly a hundred different markers and game aids, and zero failures or problems. 10/10 would recommend
The "way over desinged" models are very much sculpted with the painting in mind. We're churning out so many models/objects that traditional way of painting isnt realistic. We can paint a small model in roughly 10 minutes with the slap chop technique(s), and the high level of details it what smakes it look so good.
If you want an easier time with your prints, make sure you're keeping the resin at around 25-30C. You can DIY small heaters to go in the enclosure, or set up an enclosure for your printer to run in with a heater. I find it gives me much better and more consistent results with my prints.
The consumer mindset is so important for technology. I have an engineering background, and the idea that a resin printer could be as easy to operate as a toaster is crazy to me, but to you it's obvious! And that's what pushes engineers to do better and create more consumer-friendly products that ultimately make the technology better in every way.
Bob Nasmith is making 3d sculpts for printing. For you who don't know his name he designed some of the first space marine models and a bunch of other RT era minis.
This could not have been a better times video! I legit just purchased this same printer, and am daunted at the thought of using it. This video has given me that hype i needed to get it moving!
Great video!!! I have been a huge fan of yours for a long time as well as a 3d printer hobbyist for at least 12 years and own several FDM printers and 3 different resin printers, I've been resin printing for about 8 years. Resin printing has always been a bit tricky and frustrating until Phrozen came along. I got my Phrozen 8k mighty about a year ago and I can honestly say it changed the resin printing game for me drastically. When they released the wash and cure station I quickly picked one up and added that to my "arsenal". I am so glad that you released this video because resin printing still has quite the stigma for being too difficult and messy to really be worth it. Also make your own "putty" with the resin you are using already. Mix some baby powder into the resin to get a nice putty consistency, you can vary the consistency to match what you want to do with the putty from patching the small support zits to filling in the holes you make to drain extra resin from inside the models. Thank you for another great video and keep them coming. Love your style!
the final final hurdle is also the price of a resin printer + wash station + Curing station. It costs like 500-750 bucks for those (asuming you get a 4K or 8K printer)
Get a jewelry cleaner, with a reservoir and a basket that vibrates for a cleaning station. For filling gaps and repair, you can often paint resin on the model and hit it with the UV to cure in 10s. Sand and repeat until what ever it was is gone.
If you are worried about VOCs and smells than there are a few things you can do, but you will need more space. 1. Use good quality resin. It tends not to smell as bad. Keep in mind that just because you can't smell it doesn't mean it isn't harmful. 2. Get a grow tent to keep all 3d printing stuff. I got a 4ft by 5ft one, just big enough to keep a desk on the inside of it. I put the printer on the floor and the wash station there as well and I use the table as a work surface. Keep the grow tent closed while you print and it will create a negative pressure environment. 3. In line fans. You can get some that are bundled with the grow tent. But 2 fans at about 195 -230 cfu should be more than enough. I position one at the bottom to vent the fumes from the 3d printer and wash station and one at the top of the tent for everything else. Both run exhaust to a window nearby. 4. HEPA air filter. You can get one for pretty cheap and it will take care of any remaining chemicals in the air. Also an n95 mask. Combine the above with the other common safety tips: eye protection, gloves (nitril, never latex), dont print in your living room (or bed room or kitchen), and keep your area clean. These steps will make it actually pretty safe to 3d print with resin at home. But if you are extra paranoid, like me, you can get an air quality meter and actually measure the VOCs near your printer. Mine read quite high before I got a grow tent and fans (1500ppb). With all my precautions the same meter gives me a rating of only 150 ppb.
I would say to the point that the BIG COMPANIES are not down and out yet comes down to 2 points. 1. Simply the assumed difficulty to get into 3D printing (now very easy) as well as the initial startup cost for some is either not understood or prohibitive. 2. The universes that people enjoy have great IP and rightly so are well protected. I think when you said that GW and other big creators have the best creators, honestly, those in the game know that there are FAR better creators than those currently working for GW and the other big companies. Not taking away from any of the massive talent at GW at all, as those creators do a great job of capturing their respective universes for us all to enjoy, but Some of the 40k sculpts out there just tare shreds from GW offerings especially in anything Xeno - take some of the Tyranids for example, mind blowing creations that are truly terrifying! Keep up the great content! This was great!
You can buy a spring steel plate kit to glue a magnetic spring steel build plate directly to the original build plate. You then remove the prints by taking the spring steel plate out of the machine and just flexing it (like you do on the Prusa FDM printers). The prints just pop off the plate. I have had one for years and haven't had a need for a print removal tool since.
Well I just got my elegoo saturn 3 ultra, and its a beast. Plug and play, instantly printed high quallity models. It feels like Ive wasted soooooo much money on GW products.
I think people overestimate how many would actually be interested in printing. It is basically a new hobby. Sculptors could leave GW in droves. It does not mean that more people would join the 3D printing community. I have a printer myself and I still rather buys miniatures most of the time for SEVERAL reasons. I don't partcularly think 3d prints keep senior leadership awake at night. Like, at all. It will always be sort of fringe IMHO.
Forrest Harris at Knuckleduster Miniatures (Normal IL) is great. He’s a modeler and painter first, then physical sculptor, and now has transferred to 3d printing designs. Cowboys, Indians and Cavalry!
If you use luke warm water to remove support I would urge you to cure the water as well. Any resin in the water poured into the drain is highly toxic to water organism. Just do as I do, I use a large clear glass jar with luke warm water for removing support. But then I also cure in the same water. Curing in water reduce curing time, even curing insides of hollow models and no chalky residues. No sticky resin left either.
The video was so great that I've decided to share some of my experience with 3D Printing and painting. I started to paint minis because I bought a 3D printer. I bought a 3D printer because I play a lot of D&D and needed custom minis. Once you sink hundreds of hours into dialing in your settings you can indeed achieve not only the same results as the bought models but results can be better. I was shocked when I printed for the first time on Anycubic DLP (different technology than Sonic 8k) and the results were even too crisp. We were able to actually see where the sculptor made the tiniest mistakes. But here comes the same experience as Ninjon had, you really need to avoid overdesigned complicated minis when you order STLs. Personally, I use various "design your own mini" websites and I buy STL looking exactly as I envisioned it (easy to paint). If you don't want to waste time designing, just order premade minis but really look for "painting-friendly" ones.
So I dnd in 28mm and wargame in 15/18mm and I have found that I can make a miniature character stl in Heroforge, and then can print it for both scales, custom miniatures both 18 and 28mm its great!! You can create a totally custom wargaming army!
I think the issue is less "3d sculptors need to be painters" and more "3d sculptors need to spend time sculpting physical miniatures". So much of miniatures and design aesthetics (especially faux-GW) makes sense when you understand the material limitations and design limitations that both influence the design and are needed to make a model read well and be paintable. There's whole discussions to be had about how facial features, posing, and proportions can differ in 28mm/32mm scales, and when someone is coming at this from a 3d modeling background, that isn't carried over or referenced as much and so you get the overdesigned, bad silhouettes that plague so many 3d designers. Also, keep the physical sculpting alive!
The Phrozen sonic mini 8K I have is back in it's box. Tried to print 4 times. Went crazy about the fan noise (and I don't have a spareroom / garage / whatever to put it in, while printing). Phrozen says it is normal. I don't think it is normal your printer should sound like an airplane ready to take off. Didn't even get a replacement fan for this printer still under warranty. So I am happy with my Elegoo printers and their GREAT customer support. Something wrong? You get a replacement, even if your warranty expired. Look Phrozen, that is how you keep your customers happy! Perhaps I should take it out of it's box again, with these printsettings and buy the freaking fan myself. But my Elegoo's are printing so good. And one last thing: use PLASTIC razorblades to remove your prints, your buildplate will love you for it.
If I had the space and facilities I would buy a resin 3D printer. I find that the world if full of amazing beautiful models that you can print use with any rules set.
Apart from an increase in poisonings due to the health hazard of 3D Printing - which is well documented - the one thing that speaks against it is, well, reality. In the last 3-4ish years, 3D printing has not only become more precise but also easier to use. Phrozen and co. prove that. But in the same time-frame Games Workshop has doubled, if not tripled in value. The Convenience & "monkey brain instant reward" of buying Minis, rather than looking for good sculpts, buying sculpts and printing them for a day or two is the thing that makes printing unattractive.
DM - Stash, Witchsong Miniatures, Archvillain Games, and Flesh of Gods all put out excellent models. Added pro tip for printing, make sure you keep a consistent room temperature for the most part 70 to 80°f will reduce failures decrease the needed exposure time and give you better detail in your prints.
"I want it to work like a toaster": proceeds to show me the printer PC setup, washing station, curing station .. this some complex toast my dude, but I appreciate the recipe none the less
I'm happy to see one of my kits in your video, what a honor!
Thank you, and congrats for the awesome paintjob!
Are you tagged in the description or am I being blind?
@@ZedLeppelin1989 no tag, I searched for it myself XD. Or maybe we’re going blind together.
Durgin Paint forge please make more painting videos if you have the time. Your painting skill is amazing!
@@ZedLeppelin1989 can't see description mention however name is mentioned around 11:40 :)
Thrilled to see your models here
I would argue one of the major barriers is the resin itself, the VOCs and possible toxicity of the resin will always be a barrier to people having one in their homes, especially with pets or children. More so than the models or the ease of setting up the printer at least
There is acrylic resin if you want to, in addition it does not smell.
It really depends but that is sometimes a hurdle yeah
@@MrBlackgobbo Odorless doesn't mean hazardless.
It’s exactly why I don’t have one. I have the space and the money, just not the environment to do it hazard less. Too many pets and people in the house. It sucks cuz I have great ideas for a Sons of Horus army that a bunch of 3D printed bits would make possible!
That is really the main reason I haven't gotten a printer. If I could setup in a shed, have proper ventilation, or know the resin is safe I would have bought one years ago. The printers are only getting better and cheaper. Plastic printers are a little better with fumes but can still have some concerns. There is a lot of stuff like that in the maker or hobby space in general.
I will say a lot of people don't think or know about the VOC concerns so probably won't hold back sales. And companies are developing less smelly resins, although not necessarily safer resins.
Several Ex-Citadel sculptors have gone out on their own - some are old-school in the techniques (like Trish Carden/Footsore Miniatures) but some have transitioned to digital/STLs, like Bob Naismith.
More recently, Stephen May left Citadel/Forgeworld and started Dead Earth Miniatures. He was mostly Necromunda focussed, and he has kept that aesthetic.
There are probably others.
The Perry Brothers, the OG sculptors of Citadel.
@@Invaderzim2004 can't believe I forgot them... #facepalm
Consider wearing gloves when touching uncured prints. That is still uncured resin and it can enter thru skin contact.
Do you own a microwave? It poisons your food worse than those prints can affect you ever time you heat something in a container that's not glass.
Any studies that indicate this? Most seem to indicate that only the monomers are dangerous and once cured, those are no longer present.
Yup
Lol if you have uncured resin on your print you failed washing it.
If you clean them properly they will look flawless once dry.
@@scottyboy6269 yeah but to wash it you have to touch it, genius
A quick comment here just to say that I've been following various painting mini channels and yours has clearly stepped up in the past year or so. Videos quality, production and painting level have all steadily been improving noticeably. Can only commend the hard work, you are now at the top of my painting youtube daily check. Happy painting!
Really need more emphasis on safety. Any time you are in the same room as open resin (yes in the printer counts) you need to be wearing a respirator with VOC cartridges. The room should also be constantly vented, filtering even with active charcoal is not enough. Even cured resin should be handled with gloves until primed. If you are sanding or cutting mask up again. People are playing with fire, resin health risks are incredibly serrious
This!
Nothing but facts in this comment. @Ninjon: given your role model status in the hobby this cannot be underestimated. Even with proper safety equipment allergic build up remains a serious risk in the hobby.
If you have your printer in a box that vents out a window there is no risk at all while printing.
One thing you said - no GW sculptors have left and gone on their own... There is actually a former GW Forge World sculptor that has a Patreon called Stephen May / DeadEarthMiniatures
He started off offering one mini a month, but has expanded it to a couple. He only just recently started, so releases have been patchy, but I think he's hitting his stride now, and he's making some stellar nostalgic Necromunda adjacent sculpts.
My main problem with 3D printing is that I live in a city with crazy property costs and don’t have the space in my house for a full workstation. Really hope we see more maker spaces and libraries with 3D printing options available.
They take up almost no space. Even with a dedicated wash & cure station, you can fit a 3d printer and wash station in a 1ft x 2ft area.
You just need a large enough table near a window. Buy a growth tent (it can hold 2/3 printers) and a small fan to vent fumes outside (even 120mm pc fan works).
Yea what I do is in my room I put a large long table near a window, a grow tent with a fan and vent the fumes out the window. All of my workstation is on that table. Wash and cure station is all there.
Look around for a "FabLab". Those are places where you rent out machines or are allowed to use them for being a club member. Many universities have one where don't need to be a student.
"Full workstation" ? It takes up about as much space as a small airbrush setup.
What I like most about printing is that you can use a first batch of minis to freely try out paint-schemes without fear of wasting money. Once you've found "your" scheme, you just print up another batch to paint correctly, at pretty much no additional cost.
Loot Studios has always blown me away with their themes and attention to detail, especially as a D&D player! Love what they come out with every month
Loot Studios have awesome models, although I’ve left the realistic fantasy aesthetic behind. I’ve found that Durgin Paint Forge or Cobra Mode’s models are more to my taste. I wonder if that has to do with my style of painting…
despite their popularity, i think they are not good at all. 28 mm models have weird body scale (mostly too skinny), overwhelmingly high details which are super tiresome to paint, not to mention shamlesly using their community to promote the company without even giving credits to the artist (often using personal photos and comments without consent). also, most latest bundles are just reworked old models. i do wanna mention that their busts and larger models are supreme and fun to paint.
Try ArchVillian if you're looking for killer stl files.
Pleas @Ninjon don't handle uncured resin bits with bare hands, like when you removed them from supports. Even if they are cleaned and you don't see any resin on them, the IPA have resin still in it. Wait until they have been in the curing chamber before removing gloves. Its is allergenic so maybe no reaction the first 50 times but then allergies can start to develop.
The man licks his paint brushes with paint on them, I doubt he cares even if it is dangerous.
there's a difference between acrylic paints designed to be non toxic because kids handle them and freakin reasin@@ThisisCitrus
@@ThisisCitrushe also airbrushes and apparently prints in a room with no ventilation, using only a air purifier…which doesn’t really eliminate tvocs, just the smell.
@@Cj2329 Yep cause non-toxic means it won't hurt you to consume lots of it... You ate crayons and glue as a kid didn't you?
Be careful with resin lads
That was such a cool video. Great job Ninjon 👍
I think the "over-detail" is a perk for most people, and I love it (even if it is more difficult for a skilled painter like you):
If you are the *paint it quick and move on type, you can ignore the extra detail.* It doesn't matter that the armor has more details, just hit it all with a metallic and move on with life.
If you are the *fast **_results_** type, ink washes are perfect cheat mode.* You can target a few areas for manual extra effort to make the overall effect seem much nicer than it really is on close inspection.
If you are the *slow perfectionist but lack artistic-painting skills, the detail gives you the perfectionism without having to mentally create it.* That's a nice de-stresser, as you don't have to worry about coming up with something that doesn't turn out and can just focus on colors and what stylistic technique you want to use. (eg realism gradiented? comic with black outlines? exaggerated lighting/coloring?)
I alternate between the fast _results,_ and perfectionist lacking skills painting. For that, I look for models that cut the detail in deep.
I play dnd a lot, and it's really a lot nicer to play when the models are easily distinguishable. For that purpose, 1 follow a 3 color rule: unpainted the model looks ok, painted 1 color the model looks slightly worse, painted 2 colors the model looks a lot worse than 1 (but is more distinguishable), and with a 3rd color the model finally starts looking much better than it started.
Painting while we play is a focus mechanism for me, so I'll swap out a model mid-play and quickly get the 3 main colors distributed so it looks better and distinguishable. Once most of the players characters are looking better at a table glance, I'll enjoying some detail work or start filling in more of the models.
I'll use a wet palate most of the time, and alu foil for the inks or metallics (I should probably get a silicone pop-it tray for those, but alu foil is cheap, on hand, and also a safe place to paint over)
PS my favorite way to hold models so far is with "quake hold" museum tack. While painting, I can stick the models at different angles, and for DND I can cut temporary cardboard bases to stick them to. It works so well, you can turn it upside down a do some light shakes without the mini falling off.
Tip: Don't try to stick the tack to the model 1st. Work the tack soft, then press on the base/flat piece, lastly stick the model down to it. (holds better and don't risk breaking the model)
Found a shop in my country that prints miniatures for 5 times cheaper than GW sells them.
I'm not playing warhammer, I'm painting as a hobby so for me it's prefect.
This is really the way to do it imo, just to essentially rent printer time and print off a bunch of minis for cheap without having to deal with all the extra work and overhead that comes with your own printer.
Honestly that sounds amazing so long as you can print the exact "sculps" you want for whatever given reason eg painting, game system etc...
"prints miniatures for 5 times cheaper than GW sells them."
You just described copyright infringement in the most open and shut case to ever case. Get caught stealing GW models or even worse selling stolen sculpts and you can be looking at time and a fine in most EU/US countries.
@@zaccthirkettle8209 It sounds like crime doesn't pay, but it certainly saves!
@@commentarytalk1446 I get why people steal food. I even turn a blind eye. This is so far beyond a luxury that it's incredulous and unethical.
Printing & painting minis from Bite The Bullet is always a joy for me! They definitely make their minis with painters in mind.
Bite the bullet has a nice style
Forgot to list Bite the Bullet, I knew it!
I've been a supporter of artisan guild for over a year now. I love their models. Also I very quickly had to bookmark this video for reference. I love the way you painted this one.
I'm sure you're already somewhat aware- But PLEASE if you're going to sand down resin:
WET YOUR FILES AND SANDPAPER, resin is carcinogenic so obviously you don't want any particles in the air- so wetting your file or sand paper or even the model itself ensures it sticks to it and doesn't go airborne.
Also smaller tip, I heard some people will wash off the models with isopropryl alcohol in multiple vats- so like 3 cups of alcohol, 1. really dirty, sit it for awhile, 2nd kinda dirty, and 3rd last one is cleanest and mostly a precaution.
Anyway stay safe, nice vid.
Do you have a source for photo-resin being carcinogenic? I've tried looking into this and all I can find is that it's a respiratory, skin and eye irritant.
Some of the polymerisation agents in *some* resins are known to be carcinogenic, but that's when they're uncured.
You're looking at the material in contact with skin, you need carcinogenic database.@@hobomasterxxx
@@hobomasterxxxmost of this comes from China, so I doubt we get well designed MSDS from them... So anyone's guess I suppose
Sanding cured resin is no more dangerous than sanding plastic, end less dangerous than sanding metal.
@@thrrax all of those are dangerous to inhale, imo. No solid particulates belong in our lungs...
Everyone should listen to the point about it not being a company that creates awesome minis, it is the artists and designers that do that and those people are who we should be aiming to support.
What I like about 3D printing is being able to scale up my prints, which makes it easier for me to paint them.
This is a big sell for me. I’ve been able to scale up D&D characters for Enlarge spells, but also just to have decorative centre pieces not just as statue scenery but for the mantle piece too
Artisan Guild is one of my favorite producers of fantasy miniatures. Huge variety, awesome sculpts, and an assortment of simpler as well as highly detailed models.
The quality of their supports is stellar as well. Plus PROPER file organization, others have terrible folder systems or their supports suck
Great video! The freedom you feel painting something you’ve 3D printed is REAL. It also means I feel 0 trepidation handing one to my 10 year old to try out painting, too, and that’s amazing.
Same, it is so freeing and for once I'm able to properly enjoy my hobby. Not only can I print whatever 40k model I want with exactly 1:1s or redesigns readily available but being able to print various models from a wide range of IPs or unique fresh designs as well. Over a year of printing and seeing 40k Christmas boxsets being more expensive than ever, codex's being out of date and costing nearly the same as a new video game just makes me wince due to how cheap printing has been for me. It reshifted my view and relationship with the tabletop wargaming hobby and allowed me to be more adventurous and invested in it outside of a financial point of view. Allowing me to try systems like OPRs where I can have rainforest storm troopers fighting against ww2 trench soldiers with mechs has been a blast to just enjoy a game both artistically and narratively without the stress and worry over rules bloat, new models and lore to insite more spending, bi seasonal price increases every year, etc. It just lets me be happy with my hobby.
8:20 So true. Just knowing you COULD get a replacement or have another go at it makes you so much more confident. That's why when I am coloring a drawing I made, I first scan the lineart. I never had to print it out for a retry, but knowing that if I mess up I won't have to start from scratch takes much pressure off me.
This is why I've taken to taking photos of my models and testing out some quick color schemes in Affinity Photo before starting painting on models that I can't really afford to mess up. Sure, I can visualize things fairly well, but layers in Affinity/Photoshop are a quick way to test things and get feedback from other people. ...and of course, this feeds well into the 3D print "just do it again" fun.
A playing card works but using a silicone spatula for stirring resin was a game changer for me, especially with resins that separate a lot.
SILICONE SPATULA FROM THE DOLLAR STORE!!!!! your absolutely right!! and the resin drains off of them!!!
Grab some silicone tongs while you’re at it, and maybe a silicone mat too
Silicone spatula is a must IMO, great for stirring resin and draining the vat if you ever need to.
I come back every time for Darryl, but I stay for the electronic disco music...
I bought an Elegoo Mars 3 Pro at the beginning of this year as my first printer. It was plug & print for me, the community profile for my resin & printer in Lychee yielded perfect results from the first print on. I did a lot of calibration prints & tests, just to get the same settings as I had from the beginning with the community provided profiles in Lychee.
The most important thing imho is that you get a solid workflow and procedures for cleaning & curing that work for you, then it´s no mess and fun, not a chore ;)
And btw, I really like the models from OPR, they are great.
you're the first creator I've seen that has actually shared their known working settings. Just wish it was for a Saturn 2. Most (almost all) creators hide their settings like it's Fight Club and stick to coy "you gotta dial in your settings buddy ;) " crap. And yes. I consider the phrase "you gotta dial in your settings" to be the "thin your paints" comment of 3d Printing. Never described how, just do it or leave the hobby.
It's "the get good" of the hobby world.
Have you checked Lychee Slicer? In the slicer you can configure your printer and resin, and then you'll see configs by other users and a confidence rating on how well it works. That's often an excellent starting point to fine tune (if need be).
@@privat9605 yes. yes I have. It didn't really help.
I'm mainly an elegoo user. Mars 3 Pro settings work for me on Saturn 2. Lychee slicer times can be off, but the prints are spot-on. All my Elegoo fails were always the same issue with the fep so I upgraded to PCS PFA liner and had zero issues since. You should be subbed to Uncle Jessy if you're elegoo by the way
The main reason you have to dial in your settings on printers is largely due to resin type and opacity, and inconsistencies in the printers themselves. There are tons of guides on how to dial in your settings out there. And tons of prebuilt settings for various resins on the market. But every printer is different, and thus requires dialing in. What works on my Mono X doesn't work on my Mono X2, even if every other variable is the same. Even the ambient temperature can change your your exposure times and the quality of the print.
I think my comment may have been removed, but it needs to be repeated.
One of the most Iconic GW sculptors already does have his own store selling 3d sculpts for printing...
Bob Naismith. THE Bob Naismith. The sculptor of the original space marines and terminators.
He's independent and sells a whole range of sci-fi sculpts.
May I point you into the direction of Bob Naismith's Patreon? He sculpted a huge swaithe of GW's earlier minis and the Perry Twins (Who did most of TLOTR) also release STLs. GW sculpters are doing this.
Everyone's experiences can vary. I use Siraya Tech resin and their factory-recommended printer-specific settings were basically a 99% solution for me right out of the box. Settings are resin/printer specific so always worth a few test prints to fine-tune, but that is a one-and-done step if you don't switch resins/brands. Add a wham-bam flex plate and I've only had to zero my build plate the one time. I love your tip on mixing, I absolutely recommend mixing the resin in the vat like you describe to also fish around for bits stuck to the FEP- I use a 100% silicone cooking spatula to do that. Also- it is worth learning how to do your own supports as then you can make your own files or use any sculptor's files and orient prints to strategically hide those support nubs and get the best results out of the printer. Print orientation is a big part of an acceptable final result. Running all slicer files through UV Tools has saved me from any failed print issues. It might take more time to prep, but that is major time saved avoiding failed prints due to supports or suction cups, resin traps, etc...
I gave up 3d printing due to the massive amount of failures I would get after my first initial print and the amount of space it took up. I had to buy a 1600 dollar grow tent with a 500 dollar ventilation system in order to vent out the fumes with proper filtration. the large grow tent would allow enough space to fully vent the fumes while working with the uncured resin. Taking it all down was the best day of my life. I would pay a person to print my files moving forward as the savings was not really there for me.
I cant believe how irresponsible content creators on youtube are! Cashing in on 3D printer deals while recklessly handling uncured prints, sanding resin without showing appropriate PPE, not talking about the ventialation requirement of 3D printing etc. We are going to have a whole generation of influencers and hobbyists slowly poisoning themselves thanks this cowboy attitude to home 3d printing promoted by inlfuencers who havent been educated on the risks and appropriate risk mitigation!
The overloaded Dwarf with the Puppy, is Adorable.
personally, I love the sculpts that come from Battle Yak miniatures as well as Artisan Guild. Interesting models with just the right amount of detail.
When you're scraping minis off the plate, i really recommend placing the plate on the table with a paper towel underneath. It's much easier to apply some force with the plate on a flat surface.
Highlands Miniatures does *excellent* miniatures that are wonderful to paint. He is inspired by the old-school warhammer aesthetic, but does his own thing.
As somebody who's been subscribed to Highlands patreon for the past year or so I have to agree in everything but the "does his own thing" part. Most models are just recreations of the original Old World kits with little to no changes! 😂
@@kettusnuhveli didn’t know these and went to take a look. I have to agree with you, they’re very close to old school warhammer. There’s some differences here and there, but I can only agree.
PA-CHOW - so happy to see the fellow gamer love here. Thanks for the great video. You're so right about 3D printing. It's better than it was a few years ago, but there are definitely so many tricks and tips that make a huge difference.
Perfect timing, DPF has a KS campaign going on right now. Great job with the DPF 75mm dwarf! Would love to see you have a go at his Green Knight too.
For other 3D minis:
Cobra Mode - my second favorite sculptors right after Durgin Paint Forge
PreyCollection - cartoons and all things geek related I guess - TMNT models are awesome
Lord of the Print - some mind shattering minis with realistic aesthetic
Broken Anvil - hit and miss, but when they hit it's a bullseye
Honestly, for the curing station, I glued a layer of aluminum foil on the inside of a bankers box with spray adhesive, cut a rectangular hole in the lid and put a $5 uv light on the hole. I put my models on a cheap light driven spinner and bobs your uncle. It's held up for over 3 years and still going string. Much cheaper than other options
Loot Studios have some absolutely fantastic sculptors and artists working for them and their models are fantastic!
Given that I have been doing resin prints for 5+ years, I have thoughts
1. Ditch the razor scraper and add a magnetic flexible build plate. Give it a twist and the model pops right off.
2. A wash station is indeed a game changer, especially combined with the above - you can wash them and then pop them off.
3. Try to find a cure station which cures them in water. Most resins cure better in a low oxygen environment, so I cure mine in water. Surface finish is better too.
4. I actually have 2 wash bins. One is just IPA, and I use to wash of excess resin. The other is IPA (call it 25%), water, and a squirt of dish soap (to cut surface tension), which is my standard "get the mold release off" mix. So I wash in IPA, pop the models off, remove supports, wash in the model wash (to get off any sprue pieces), cure, wash again, glue/fill/sand, wash again, prime, paint.
"Well my dwarf's weapon is a two-handed pug, which does 1 damage, and has a break chance of 77% per hit. I haven't found a pugsmith yet."
3d printing is a chore. Sometimes i would just rather spend 50 bucks on a kit rather than lug the cancer goo out
Hi you won.
No mold lines sure seems worth it. The problem for me is having a safe ventillated work area where I can use this.
If that Dwarf was bald, it would easily be me and my pug
Loot Studios has some pretty incredible models. Idk if I'd say GW even comes close to alot of the available proxies now. Painting highly detailed models is just as much fun to me as painting a simple model if not more so, I tend to want to add l.e.d.s and water effects to everything lol.
I was originally frustrated with resin 3D printing until I discovered one of the magic tricks: temperature. I was getting all kinds of weird failures with no real apparent logical reason why... until I discovered that my printing area was too cold. Once I figured that out and started making sure my print room was warm enough, failure became nearly a thing of the past. They also sell VAT heaters that wrap around the VAT to make sure the resin stays uniformly warm enough.
And I 100% agree with you about many of the models being over-designed. I get how that can happen, having done some 3D modeling -- you're looking at the mesh very large on your screen, so it seems like there's not enough detail. You're building it as though it were going to be a full size figure, instead of something in the 28-30mm range. It's always like a treasure find when I come upon some STLs that were obviously designed by or had the input of painters.
Hi you won^
Yep local climate is by far the most important factor
Nah, the day GW (or any company) loses the war is when you can run one of these in the dinkiest studio apartment or mom's basement without fumigating yourself and contaminating your living space with harmful particulate and the toxic chemicals used to not only produce the models, but also cleaning them, as well as ending up with a bucket of hazardous waste you need to properly dispose of.
Don't get me wrong, I'd absolutely love to have a printer. I don't want to pay 70 bucks for two shipping containers and a couple of barrels, and I absolutely can't be bothered to dig around garbage for DIY crap. I would run a printer 24/7 if I could. But after recently getting the opportunity to operate one, not just fiddling with a slicer and pressing print mind, but setting up and cleaning up afterwards, the tech is just not there yet and maybe this branch of it never will.
I’ll share some nice creators:
• Blackthorn: female, display pieces
• BruteFun: Blood Bowl
• Clay Cyanide: mythology
• Claymore Miniatures: fantasy
• CobraMode: whimsical, anthropomorphic animals
• Cripta Studios: great sculpts
• NomNom: anime figures
• RN Estudio: pin-up, anime style
• Twin Goddess: pin-up, cartoon style
• Witchsong Miniatures: epic centre pieces
As much as I love Ninjon, I cant take seriously the opinions expressed praising the Phrozen mini 8K thats SPONSORED by Phrozen. Even if its good, Its still Bias, as much as youtubers assure us they were allowed to say what they wanted. Also, talk about Clickbait in this one...
Hi you won.
A good suggestion for anyone just getting a resin printer or even a fdm printer, get a magnetic flex print bed sheet, it can make removing a print super simple. I have even had fdm prints separate after the print bed cooled to room temp after it was done.
I have a flexplate on my resin, and recently the magnet pealed from the corner. gonna try to fix it with some tape when it arrives, however... the glass scraper that he suggested over the spatula may be even better, I should try my spare buildplate without the magnet, which is a pain, but my prints allways stick, but dont over stick.
Instead of mixing with a playing card, and or using paper towels, consider silicone.
I use a silicone spatula to stir my resin, saving the film and my hands. Instead of dropping the parts into a paper towel, I use a silicone mat, that I then use silicone tongs to pick up the models and place in the wash station (you get the idea). A lot less waste, safer for you and the environment, and ultimately cheaper.
Sorry Jon, you're an amazing painter but the clickbait titles I think have finally got too much for me
He has bills to pay and clickbait works
And he’s kinda not wrong
@@OkieDokieCreationshe’s not.
I forgive the clickbait every time Darryl shows up.
This is his full time job and youtube consistently rewards titles like this. If you went into this video genuinely believing Jon discovered something this past week that's going to put GW in trouble you're a moron
wow...i was just curios if you were live streaming after i bumped into you. just as you were signing off, and made it into a video. Glad i could help with my 2 sandbags. im still south and fighting the frontline -barkervancity
I was pleasantly surprised by Anycubic's Photon Mono 2. I picked one up on sale for $139 and procrastinated on setting it up because I was dreading the process of testing, failing, tweaking, testing again, failing again, on and on and on. But to my immense surprise, it literally worked out of the box, plug and play, zero issues. The closest thing to a failed print it's ever had was when I set up a print too close to the build plate in the slicer and the model clipped into the raft. I've been printing every day for two months, six separate armies and nearly a hundred different markers and game aids, and zero failures or problems. 10/10 would recommend
The "way over desinged" models are very much sculpted with the painting in mind. We're churning out so many models/objects that traditional way of painting isnt realistic. We can paint a small model in roughly 10 minutes with the slap chop technique(s), and the high level of details it what smakes it look so good.
If you want an easier time with your prints, make sure you're keeping the resin at around 25-30C. You can DIY small heaters to go in the enclosure, or set up an enclosure for your printer to run in with a heater. I find it gives me much better and more consistent results with my prints.
One artist I like is Galaad Miniatures, exactly because his models arent stuffed with Details and fun to paint. Yet still every model is unique.
10:22 Jon I’ve referenced this to so many people in the last week and will continue to do so. Been saying it so long and you put it so succinctly.
The consumer mindset is so important for technology. I have an engineering background, and the idea that a resin printer could be as easy to operate as a toaster is crazy to me, but to you it's obvious! And that's what pushes engineers to do better and create more consumer-friendly products that ultimately make the technology better in every way.
Bob Nasmith is making 3d sculpts for printing.
For you who don't know his name he designed some of the first space marine models and a bunch of other RT era minis.
This could not have been a better times video! I legit just purchased this same printer, and am daunted at the thought of using it. This video has given me that hype i needed to get it moving!
Great video!!! I have been a huge fan of yours for a long time as well as a 3d printer hobbyist for at least 12 years and own several FDM printers and 3 different resin printers, I've been resin printing for about 8 years. Resin printing has always been a bit tricky and frustrating until Phrozen came along. I got my Phrozen 8k mighty about a year ago and I can honestly say it changed the resin printing game for me drastically. When they released the wash and cure station I quickly picked one up and added that to my "arsenal". I am so glad that you released this video because resin printing still has quite the stigma for being too difficult and messy to really be worth it.
Also make your own "putty" with the resin you are using already. Mix some baby powder into the resin to get a nice putty consistency, you can vary the consistency to match what you want to do with the putty from patching the small support zits to filling in the holes you make to drain extra resin from inside the models.
Thank you for another great video and keep them coming. Love your style!
the final final hurdle is also the price of a resin printer + wash station + Curing station. It costs like 500-750 bucks for those (asuming you get a 4K or 8K printer)
You can make your own wash and cure stations for pennies...
Get a jewelry cleaner, with a reservoir and a basket that vibrates for a cleaning station.
For filling gaps and repair, you can often paint resin on the model and hit it with the UV to cure in 10s. Sand and repeat until what ever it was is gone.
Saturn 2 8k is the only printer I have ever owned and I figured it out in one evening. Now I have 2. Works so good.
If you are worried about VOCs and smells than there are a few things you can do, but you will need more space.
1. Use good quality resin. It tends not to smell as bad. Keep in mind that just because you can't smell it doesn't mean it isn't harmful.
2. Get a grow tent to keep all 3d printing stuff. I got a 4ft by 5ft one, just big enough to keep a desk on the inside of it. I put the printer on the floor and the wash station there as well and I use the table as a work surface. Keep the grow tent closed while you print and it will create a negative pressure environment.
3. In line fans. You can get some that are bundled with the grow tent. But 2 fans at about 195 -230 cfu should be more than enough. I position one at the bottom to vent the fumes from the 3d printer and wash station and one at the top of the tent for everything else. Both run exhaust to a window nearby.
4. HEPA air filter. You can get one for pretty cheap and it will take care of any remaining chemicals in the air. Also an n95 mask.
Combine the above with the other common safety tips: eye protection, gloves (nitril, never latex), dont print in your living room (or bed room or kitchen), and keep your area clean.
These steps will make it actually pretty safe to 3d print with resin at home. But if you are extra paranoid, like me, you can get an air quality meter and actually measure the VOCs near your printer.
Mine read quite high before I got a grow tent and fans (1500ppb). With all my precautions the same meter gives me a rating of only 150 ppb.
I would say to the point that the BIG COMPANIES are not down and out yet comes down to 2 points.
1. Simply the assumed difficulty to get into 3D printing (now very easy) as well as the initial startup cost for some is either not understood or prohibitive.
2. The universes that people enjoy have great IP and rightly so are well protected.
I think when you said that GW and other big creators have the best creators, honestly, those in the game know that there are FAR better creators than those currently working for GW and the other big companies. Not taking away from any of the massive talent at GW at all, as those creators do a great job of capturing their respective universes for us all to enjoy, but Some of the 40k sculpts out there just tare shreds from GW offerings especially in anything Xeno - take some of the Tyranids for example, mind blowing creations that are truly terrifying!
Keep up the great content! This was great!
If you weren't happy with miniatures quality before getting an 8K printer, you are quite a princess sir....
Just as a note, there are actually multiple ex-GW sculptors in the 3d printing sculpting space already!
You can buy a spring steel plate kit to glue a magnetic spring steel build plate directly to the original build plate. You then remove the prints by taking the spring steel plate out of the machine and just flexing it (like you do on the Prusa FDM printers). The prints just pop off the plate. I have had one for years and haven't had a need for a print removal tool since.
We don't need sponsored videos. They are bad for the community and only benefit you and Phrozen
My Elegoo Mars 3 also worked right out of the box, and they've produced three newer units since then.
Well I just got my elegoo saturn 3 ultra, and its a beast.
Plug and play, instantly printed high quallity models.
It feels like Ive wasted soooooo much money on GW products.
Hi you won.
I think people overestimate how many would actually be interested in printing. It is basically a new hobby.
Sculptors could leave GW in droves. It does not mean that more people would join the 3D printing community. I have a printer myself and I still rather buys miniatures most of the time for SEVERAL reasons. I don't partcularly think 3d prints keep senior leadership awake at night. Like, at all. It will always be sort of fringe IMHO.
My first resin 3D print I bought was the elegoo mars 4 Ultra and it’s been super reliable I haven’t had any fails, my prints are gorgeous.
Forrest Harris at Knuckleduster Miniatures (Normal IL) is great. He’s a modeler and painter first, then physical sculptor, and now has transferred to 3d printing designs. Cowboys, Indians and Cavalry!
Knucklebones Miniatures have serious personality and a unique style. I would love to see you paint a few!
A used cool whip container for the hot water? Jon really is a midwestern grandma.
If you use luke warm water to remove support I would urge you to cure the water as well. Any resin in the water poured into the drain is highly toxic to water organism.
Just do as I do, I use a large clear glass jar with luke warm water for removing support. But then I also cure in the same water. Curing in water reduce curing time, even curing insides of hollow models and no chalky residues. No sticky resin left either.
GW should use these too. Have some in the back of each shop, that way they will never be out of stock.
The video was so great that I've decided to share some of my experience with 3D Printing and painting.
I started to paint minis because I bought a 3D printer. I bought a 3D printer because I play a lot of D&D and needed custom minis. Once you sink hundreds of hours into dialing in your settings you can indeed achieve not only the same results as the bought models but results can be better. I was shocked when I printed for the first time on Anycubic DLP (different technology than Sonic 8k) and the results were even too crisp. We were able to actually see where the sculptor made the tiniest mistakes.
But here comes the same experience as Ninjon had, you really need to avoid overdesigned complicated minis when you order STLs. Personally, I use various "design your own mini" websites and I buy STL looking exactly as I envisioned it (easy to paint). If you don't want to waste time designing, just order premade minis but really look for "painting-friendly" ones.
How do you deal with support fails and partial model fails
So I dnd in 28mm and wargame in 15/18mm and I have found that I can make a miniature character stl in Heroforge, and then can print it for both scales, custom miniatures both 18 and 28mm its great!! You can create a totally custom wargaming army!
"I was not aware of such failure!" gw legal team after they shut down the 3d printable moving chainsword project that a fan was running
Just keep raising prices GW. You will be your own slayer.
Please remember that if you're sanding resin to wear a protective face mask. Resin dust is very very bad for your lungs!
Looks like the link to the sculptor is missing. Would really like to click through and support them.
Jort Storm seems to a favourite musical undertone atm, i hear it everywhere
I think the issue is less "3d sculptors need to be painters" and more "3d sculptors need to spend time sculpting physical miniatures". So much of miniatures and design aesthetics (especially faux-GW) makes sense when you understand the material limitations and design limitations that both influence the design and are needed to make a model read well and be paintable. There's whole discussions to be had about how facial features, posing, and proportions can differ in 28mm/32mm scales, and when someone is coming at this from a 3d modeling background, that isn't carried over or referenced as much and so you get the overdesigned, bad silhouettes that plague so many 3d designers. Also, keep the physical sculpting alive!
The Phrozen sonic mini 8K I have is back in it's box. Tried to print 4 times. Went crazy about the fan noise (and I don't have a spareroom / garage / whatever to put it in, while printing). Phrozen says it is normal. I don't think it is normal your printer should sound like an airplane ready to take off. Didn't even get a replacement fan for this printer still under warranty.
So I am happy with my Elegoo printers and their GREAT customer support. Something wrong? You get a replacement, even if your warranty expired. Look Phrozen, that is how you keep your customers happy!
Perhaps I should take it out of it's box again, with these printsettings and buy the freaking fan myself. But my Elegoo's are printing so good.
And one last thing: use PLASTIC razorblades to remove your prints, your buildplate will love you for it.
This is the first time I've noticed your grimdark syringe tattoo. I friggin love it!
Also, word on the street is curing prints while submerged is ideal as the oxygen reacts with the resin, can make the surface rougher or gooeyer
Printing using black resin can get you even sharper details. personally I go for UV tough black resin so you get some flex and durability.
Rockin the Pa-chow shirt! Nice nod to Uncle Atom. It’s cool how you creators have developed a friendship and support each other.
You're timing on this is perfect. I've been trying to get my Halot Mage online and it's way tougher than my elegoo printers
Wargames Atlantic and Anvil Industries (who produce plastic kits and resin kits respectively) also produce STLs.
If I had the space and facilities I would buy a resin 3D printer. I find that the world if full of amazing beautiful models that you can print use with any rules set.
Apart from an increase in poisonings due to the health hazard of 3D Printing - which is well documented - the one thing that speaks against it is, well, reality. In the last 3-4ish years, 3D printing has not only become more precise but also easier to use. Phrozen and co. prove that. But in the same time-frame Games Workshop has doubled, if not tripled in value. The Convenience & "monkey brain instant reward" of buying Minis, rather than looking for good sculpts, buying sculpts and printing them for a day or two is the thing that makes printing unattractive.
DM - Stash, Witchsong Miniatures, Archvillain Games, and Flesh of Gods all put out excellent models.
Added pro tip for printing, make sure you keep a consistent room temperature for the most part 70 to 80°f will reduce failures decrease the needed exposure time and give you better detail in your prints.
The Perry twins left Games Workshop and produce black powder miniatures to an incredible standard
I recall seeing later lines on the lion when they first showed him, which tells us FW are printing prototypes
"I want it to work like a toaster": proceeds to show me the printer PC setup, washing station, curing station .. this some complex toast my dude, but I appreciate the recipe none the less