3D Printing: Friend or Foe?

Whilst there is no doubt that 3D printing is a useful tool, its effect on the miniature wargaming/ scale modelling hobby on a wide scale is questionable. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with making use of 3D printed materials in your creative endeavours, but more a comment on the wider trend of overuse of this cool “new” tool.

A prime example of this can be seen in the changing outputs of hobby youtubers in recent years, which has seen a significant increase in 3D printing related videos. This is of course to be expected, as 3D printing as a tool is refined and becomes more accessible, it is natural that the number of people who find it relevant to them increases. My main gripe is that it seems as though many obstacles which were once solved through manual creative labour (“modelling”) is now a nuisance task which is fixed with the minimal possible interaction (through a screen of course), slapping an OBJ file in a printer and pressing go.

One of the great things about 3D printing is that it gives individuals the ability to create brand new sculpts- provided they can create them using 3D modelling software- and produce them at a pace that simply would not be possible for anyone but the most skilled manual sculptors. However, this leads me to my second biggest problem with 3D printing and that is that rather than being used to broaden the pool of concepts available in 3D form, it is actually being used to create “legally distinct” recreations of existing miniatures. It is hypocritical in the extreme for me to criticize this practice as I have made use of this type of file myself, but I do find it disappointing that “we” have unlocked this massive creative capacity, but it seems as though half or more has become just another way to obtain space marines. My objection isn’t from an IP or copywrite perspective, I don’t have the expertise or motivation to approach that, but rather from the perspective that a derivative work is generally less interesting than a wholly original one.

I will say that I make an exception to this belief when it comes to niche subject matter, ignoring the fact that miniature wargaming is a niche in itself. There have been and surely will be, many models that people have a strong attachment to, but for one reason or another are no longer produced by the original manufacturer. 3D printing has been an excellent technology for preservation, not necessarily of originals, but for concepts. Before the recent reappearance of the screamer-killer carnifex (legally distinct counterpart shown above) in 10th edition 40k, most people had assumed that the original design was too goofy and out of place to ever make a comeback. 3D printing allowed community members to step in and keep a much-loved miniature available to the wider miniature community and I would argue that this remains the case even after the release of the new SK carnifex, given the significant change in design language between the 1991 and today.

I’m not quite sure where I was going with this article, so I will conclude with the statement that I think it will be interesting to see how the involvement of 3D printing with craft related hobbies evolves in the next few years and if it proves to be a fad or the basis for more sophisticated tools/ techniques in the future.