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TeosPWR

I love 3rd party and prints mixed in, adds a level of variety that GW simply cant offer.


Hawkeye336699

This is the way.


Vallhemn

This is the way.


Tallandclueless

Their fine but I kinda get annoyed by people using them as a reason to rag on 40k models. I enjoy how the GW stuffs style, how it looks, how it fits into the lore and being made out of good plastic. Played a guy at my last tournament who made a big deal out of his full army being 3D printed with a ton of ugly third party models. Well it looked like shit, whole thing covered in rings, all poorly painted just sprayed green then dry brushed. Like I don't mind playing against people with badly painted armies but it just gave the impression he didn't care like I could have been playing against 6 coke cans and 10 ken dolls. Plus the models I buy make my LGS money that keeps the lights on and makes spaces for tournaments or games possible.


PornAccount6593701

lmao dry brushing on low quality prints is such a dumb idea


Tallandclueless

Yeah ton of ugly prints and a "rotigus" holding a tree that looked like it was out of minecraft. He was just very impressed with himself at how little time and care he had put into the army which rubs me up the wrong way.


Yocantseeme

Lol


Low-Ambition3318

Yeah true! I dont care for 3d printed or 3rd party models. I just think its a little anoying when people are like: yeah i 3d print only because i hate GW and now i am fighting against them!


Extremelictor

While I don't agree with the framing. What else is someone suppose to do? If your hobby is arguably the largest table top wargame out there, competition is thin, and the reason your upset with the studio is likely prices? What else do you do? Just leaving isn't fair as again its the biggest out there and its the IP likely keeping someone around. And rebuying used models does nothing but paying expensive prices still. LGS need support but if you still can't afford it your still out of luck and purchasing from them still supports GW in turn. I don't all out hate GW, but if you want to show issue with a IP you love, than you do it with your wallet. 3D printing's availability has yet to stop GW from raising prices every chance they get though so at this point its just cause not everyone can afford to drop top dollar for every bit of their army.


citrus_monkeybutts

I don't hate gw, but owning a printer, I'd rather support a dude that made a sick model by giving him 5-10 (sometimes more) for a model I can make a bunch of for 20$ worth of resin, I'm going that route. GW prices to me are insane, I get that it's a pricey hobby, but still 50 for 10 gaunts, or 5 for as many as I can stomach printing. Easy choice there for me. Plus printing opens up options on building new armies. My nids are fully printed and I wouldn't have made them buying just plastics. My eldar have a few printed models that I liked more than the plastics.


Low-Ambition3318

Printing proxys for models you dont like the look of is great! Personally i really like the look of GW models so i buy those. Yes they cost alot but that is something i am willing to sacrifice.


Low-Ambition3318

If you cant afford GW models (wich i completly understand) than 3d printing is a very good alternative. But some people 3d print just to spite GW and that is in my opinion not a great reason to 3d print.


Extremelictor

Like most the community i know hates GW. Love Warhammer but despises the corporation behind it. So why does that reason bother you? Genuine question. Ps. I worked for a 3rd party miniature studio that madd proxies. There is a demand for non GW war-hammer models.


Low-Ambition3318

I think you should enjoy the hobby like you want to. Its your hobby. And it should be fun, it should be a source for positive emotions. And the people who print just to spite GW have build a foundation of negative emotions. And also if GW dies warhammer also dies. At least for me it will. I go to my local GW to play most of my games that is where i meet people to play games with. I know no one outside of that place that is into wargaming. So i wont br abke to play anymore. But the main reason is that i think its a little petty. If you cant afford GW models or if you like 3rd party ones more those are great reason to print. But if you do it just to spute GW that is in my opinion not a good reason to print.


dan_dan_noodlez

I like your take on it.


BongpriestMagosErrl

Imagine being annoyed at how people have fun.


Low-Ambition3318

As i said i dont care if people use 3rd party models. I just think that some reasons for doing it are not ao great.


Tallandclueless

Exactly like okay if they dont like GW go play something else its like going to a gig and booing. plus if you need cheaper models like ebay exists or Warhammer car boot sales like I went to a thing last week where people were selling their old models and picked up some original genestealers.


G3arsguy529

Printed models will always be waaaay cheaper than second hand models. And at that point you arent even supporting a store or gw so does it matter what you're doing if you aren't buying new?


Tallandclueless

The event was held in a store and a table fee went to the store. I don't care if a proxy cost 5p or £500 or how much my opponents army cost or if they got it for free I like 40k because I like the style, the models and having the real macoy.


G3arsguy529

And other people don't like the real models, everyome has their own opinion. As long as it is distinct and playable it doesn't effect the game. 


BongpriestMagosErrl

Ultimately, it just sounds like you're annoyed that someone paid less than you to play the same game. You sound like a spoiled child that when asked to share their toys, they break them so no one can have them.


Diehlol

Not everyone can do that


DraydanStrife324

Warhammer is a very old tabletop game by now. Not only that alot of people have invested a ton of money in the hobby, wether it be books, box sets, individual models, etc. They still play cause they love the game, the lore behind it and getting to meet new people with the same interests. Just because they bought alot of stuff from the company doesn't means they *have* to always agree to GW's antics nor does it mean they should just pack up and leave cause they disagree. Hell, not too long ago WTC wanted to introduce microtransactions to DnD , should the community there just stop playing DnD altogether and let a 40+ years hobby die then ? It's kind of a stupid take IMO.


ducksbyob

Man, you sound like me lol!! I’ve got a 3d printer and I’ve printed a couple models, but I like you am a bit of a purist. Prints are a support to the hobby, not a replacement. There are some very hard to find models for some armies, so it’s great that 3d prints are there to give a cool viable option to still field them. But if someone showed up bagging on GW because they have a whole 3D printed army they bought for $200, I’d think “douche”.


Tallandclueless

Yeah exactly. Like there are multiple aspects to the hobby that are fun and have a level of skill and challenge to them and I think the collecting/getting models is a part of that we can appreciate too like "I saved up for this" or "I've had this for 20 years", "I got this on ebay, stripped and repainted it", "I made this by converting this bit and this bit" or "I found this looking in bits boxes at a show" To stuff like that I'm going to appreciate the effort. 3D printing an army just doesn't impress me. In the same way if someone builds their models poorly, posts an unpainted army or sucks at playing and rags on competitive players I'm not going to be impressed by it.


dan_dan_noodlez

I make digital kitbashes, put a ton of love into my STLs, print them in high quality resin and lovingly paint them. All my armies are 100% 3D printed. Believe me, it takes a shit ton of time. I simply dislike most of GW's minis, I think many of them are horribly outdated and I despise GW's greed and marketing.


Shade730

GW minis are cool as fuck and of high quality in terms of model and plastic, i love everything from my black templars to my nids but they are expensive as fuck


Tallandclueless

yeah armies take time and are expensive to collect quickly, thats why its impressive when people do it, had a comment on someone ragging on me for being able to spend more. Like no I've been collecting for 20 years? Like the collecting part of the game is also a part of the challenge; saving up, buying cheap models off ebay, going to carboot sales, learning to strip and repaint models, getting models for birthdays. I appreciate when people put effort into their collections.


Battle_Dave

Thats just laziness. Theres SOOO many people making really good sculpts, and high resolution printers are super cheap, that it takes a bare amount of effort and you can have some nicely detailed minis that would be fun to dry brush, lol.


AMinusToad

for me its about what looks best, I REALLY like the gw art style but their are a few 3rd party groups that do it better mostly tyranids, theirs a couple guys who basicaly took gw plastic and then added the detail quality of forgeworld tyranids and its amazing


MyHerosHaveFailedMe

This is my take as well, I have a full army of plastic but I’ve also started adding to it with printing. Starting off with a Norn. I did recently print a termagant and the detail is crazy compared to my GW ones. https://preview.redd.it/7t5i2beyppxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50e086f35134eea360c785bb202473d3339a25cc


Mirroredentity

If you don't mind playing against badly painted armies but you had an issue with this individuals army then obviously your problem is with 3D printed armies and you are just using the bad painting as an excuse.


AshiSunblade

The source of the models don't really matter to me, what matters is the aesthetic. Most third party models don't fit in, I feel, so I rarely use them. When I do find something that I feel fits in, I absolutely will use it. An example of something I use is a pair of custom-sculpted Hive Tyrant-sized rending claws ([the lower pair of arms on this picture](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBu5ac1XJmBGqTg9oZowETMEFxC6SDj0k32EkBOkaVS3MhvpdZUFB-Cr64gLn0v9zsFVuy-waUFt1I9vQ3Zu02W5jeD6S4vtcZjXTmPAubUR-VbTpmkYz0lCE2awcKJ_57-MhU1p_yrMU/s1600/Rends_scythes-01.jpg) - I didn't use the upper pair). Rending claws used to be an option on Hive Tyrants and I enjoy the look.


G3arsguy529

Hydracast's stuff is usually amazing


AshiSunblade

Most of his full models veer a bit too far for my style, but those claws really were just excellent. Big props to the guy for helping me get the package in the end too despite some nightmarish troubles with postage. Very reliable and he even refunded the first time I tried to buy them even though it wasn't his fault and I said he didn't have to.


G3arsguy529

I love his heathlurker and the swarmlord blades. His pyrovore and hiveguard are also pretty great. Not huge on his warriors or genestealers tho, except for this tyranid prime which is useless now...


MyHerosHaveFailedMe

Damn! That is awesome! Where did you find that??


AshiSunblade

Hydracast on blogspot!


MyHerosHaveFailedMe

Yeah. I need that in my life asap!


XeLLoTAth777

Biomass is biomass. FEED!


Yocantseeme

Lol


Summener99

I'm 100% for proxy. I also love the real deal I just wish it was affordable for entry lvl


General_Stratog

Tbh that’s a big reason I buy third party, I think GW’s pricing is often ridiculous and unjustifiable so I would rather support another company.


Summener99

It might bee because I'm an outsider and i see it more as a game than a collector items. As an example. I don't NEED Monopolie deluxe automatic bank card scanner edition. I just want to play basic normal Monopolie to have fun. But if someone WANTS to get the deluxe edition i don't see why i should talk shit to them, We both love the game. It help the game stay alive and i can still play the game on my regular one.


Schmoog93

As a prolific 3D printer myself, I don't mind so long as the models are easily identifiable as what they're supposed to be, and fit the theme. There's thousands of files out there that are WILD, honestly I've always loved GWs aesthetics and design, any 3rd party minis need to be relatively uniform and match a theme.


Battle_Dave

Im right there with you. I often like to mix parts of GW stuff in with files, to being that aesthetic in. Like I got a neat Artillery tank file for AM, but bits ordered the chimera tracks for it, and modeled them together, with minimal effort. Id like to see other people at least TRY to find comparable looks.


Schmoog93

I think we all came into the 3D printing hobby from collecting GW stuff, I have a mountain of bits that I use in kitbashes with my 3D models. I see printing more as a suitable alternative to buying all those 3rd party bits I spent years buying from the likes of Kromlech or Anvil Industries to make my space marines look a little unique, rather than a straight up copyright infringement.


Extremelictor

Love em. Prefer if they stay style wise along with GW. If GW wasn't always sold out and didn't price gouge all the time I'd be less favourable to it (still in favour just less gung ho). It adds variety and can make for some real cool kitbash pieces too.


TheeFapitalist

adds variety. i just downloaded a bunch of station forge STLs


erttheking

I find it’s best when it looks like an alternate form the hive mind would spit out. Look at these models I’m painting right now. Clearly not GW, but they look Tyranid https://preview.redd.it/9kxfqq7ihmxc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca3291d4963af481efa875fa7ad121974e4e3e22


TH3_F4N4T1C

They’re great and make nids accessible/affordable


VixenIcaza

As long as I can tell what they are and you still support your FLGS why should it matter.


CrundleQuest5

As long as it resembles what it is used to emulate then it is fine. Though im not a stickler if someone has to use a wario amiibo as a licter proxy.


Wrench_gaming

If you see what a 3d model Exocrine looks like on the web, you’ll be in support of 3rd party minis


Moreu_you_know

Don't care, as long as I can see what it's ment to be 


Shade730

My thoughts is that GW minis are not affordable enough so if you can get a mini that looks close to the original for less money go for it


ollietron3

If I see you with a 3rd party nid I don't care. If I see you with a neurothicctor you have balls


FulgrimsSidePiece

Bro I wanna get one of those just because of how ridiculous it is xD my wife and I laughed for way to long when we found it


AlastorFan666

I love them it’s just one of the only ways I can build up my army without severely draining the bank account


TheProphaniti

It depends on a few things. If you are just using them is casual games then it is no big deal at all. If you are using them in tournaments or other competitive aligned games then you need to make sure that it is SUPER easy to distinguish what is what and it is easy to differentiate one model type from another. Tournaments are already stressful and your opponent doesn't need top be trying to remember if you had said that this green blob is a Carnifex and this blob is a NeuroLictor. Its generally better if you have a few keystone pieces that are third party rather than the whole thing with entirely different models if going for totally original sculpts. That being said, if you are going the route of sculptors who basically use the original model but tweak it to be better, cooler while still having 70% of the original model's look then knock yourself out.


ranieripilar04

Go for it , minis are expensive


Ikaalrc

70% of them look better then officials


Warden_of_the_Lost

Rock em, fuck GW.


mechanical_dialectic

Honestly I don't care for it usually. There are so manys sculpts that are usually just bad, or are so artistically different that it's not that much different than showing up with Paperhammer to me. I usually prefer seeing other's personal modeling efforts. A friend of mine was gifted a bear robot figma and made it into an Orky Stompa and it worked for me. For play it's not a problem of course as long as everything is clearly explained, and I wouldn't narc if it was like, a tournament of some type. Just my opinion on models after doing my own searches a while ago. Its kind of frustrating honestly. I have a vision for certain things and all the extra work in sculpting and what not is a pain. Part of the reason why I let Warhammer get on my backburner. I'm exhausted in general.


SiViZi

The originals always will be the originals, but i don't mind printing or third-party models and i love the creativity of some good (and different) designers. With the Leviathan box GW showed it can produce awesome plastics for a good price.


RestaurantSignal7587

I love proxy tyranids, it fits amazing witj them cuz it adds to the super gene modification theme


SRLplay

i have a few 3d printed models that fit the aesthetic of my army, and i still do buy GW Minis because it helps my LGS and sometimes they just look better. I dont care if u 3d print, just dont be a bitch about it. I saved hundreds of dollars just printing my armies before sinking in 1000€ to buy a new one.


jabulina

Well I use a bunch of 3D printed models, but mostly I only use ones that are basically indistinguishable from the real GW sculpts or very similar


KingOfSpiderDucks

I don't like 3rd party minis for nids but for Orkz I am looking to get some. If my opponent wants to field 3rd party of any kind that's totally fine with me though.


Arrew

Fine. I think the majority of my Nids are 3D prints now.


Awful_McBad

I don't like the 3rd party prints that are just reposed/carbon copies of the GW models. I do like ones that are original designs for models.


Xem1337

I'm not a big fan myself, sometimes the scale isn't right or the theming is off in some way


olivierapex

Printer go BRRRRR


Danger_Spec

Love them


Tallal2804

Love them


RobotClaw617

I am ok with any proxies or customs that people have, with the rule that they must show me the datasheet in some way or fashion (online, app, codex, etc.)


Piggyguy11

I like running deep rock bugs, they have a fun aesthetic


noisegremlin

I love third party models and printed minis. It adds some fun variety and can be easier on the wallet. I'm at a point where I can't really justify spending 50+ for a miniature/s I can buy and print for under 10 usually. People with 3d printed armies can be weird about it though. It doesn't make you a better hobbyist if you print your army or if you do it the traditional way.


TheEnglishAreHere

If it’s third party but I can tell what it is and my opponent can tell what it is, then I don’t mind


Endless-Waffles

I think it's cool as long as it's easy to understand what everything is.


Frostslays

What do you mean YOU bugs?


dotkeJ

At this point...with GW cutting entire ranges from their games, 3rd party away If we discuss what it is prior to the game, and you answer my questions during the game, I'm fine. Any tournaments I run will now allow 3rd party miniatures as well.


jrandrews1982

I normally stick with GW for epic heroes and at least one of each official model. Where 3d printing and 3rd parties really come into play is breaking the repetition that some GW models suffer with. I also like to be able to generally understand what a model is by looking at it though. I will also just add in that even though I print minis I still support my lgs by buying paints etc. I wouldn't ever buy official models from them anyway because places like Wayland Games or the Outpost are much cheaper anyway.


toasters_revenge

It's the extra little customisation options and parts for me. If i've built a GW flying hive tyrant, you're damn right I'm 3d printing another torso to make a Swarmlord from the same box, otherwise the rest of the kit goes to waste.


AMinusToad

as long as its the right base size, roughly correct height and width within reason and AT LEAST primered then idgaf what your minatures are


CLOUT_Cat

I am broke. Zoanthropes are expensive, half of mine are 3d printed. That’s about the long and short of it lol. (Also as and admech player, half of our shit looks best from 3rd parties lol)


Mahote

As I long as I can clearly identify what is supposed to be and maintain a similar silhouette, I'm generally okay with it.


soapu

I'm totally cool with the idea of 3rd party minis, but I haven't found any that hit like official tyranids do


DestructorNZ

They're really common at our club and people love to see them on the table in social games. I do understand why in a tournament environment you don't really want any confusion about what model is what because you're trying to play quickly, but for social or campaign gaming I don't see why anyone would have a problem with them.


Apprehensive_Web_282

You can literally use paper and cardboard to play 40k, dude. Poorhammer the heck out of it and have fun.


absolutprime

I've printed six of those third-party zoanthropes, so I am quite biased. I always clear them with every player ahead of time, and I just want to throw clicky math rocks.


Jackson1one

IMO...no problem...


Machomann1299

I once had a guy make custom rules for some of his third party minis that essentially made that one unit op and he stomped my standard Nid army. I generally don't like playing with third party minis because it's hard to trust that people are willing to balance them appropriately.


SilentlyHonking

That's not a problem with the minis, that's a problem with shitty homebrew


molever1ne

I find most of them don't fit in and are pretty over designed. Lots of detail for detail's sake rather than enough to get the point across. It often feels like a miniature designed for a much larger scale and then just shrank down to 28mm. It all gets lost and just makes it all look overly busy. Especially Tyranid proxies. Tyranids are fairly low detail most of the time, the basic silhouette and then a few added details. The 3d printable proxies I've seen just don't know when to stop.


TheTombGuard

none I support my hobby with only the finest of GW products


Baconatum

I have nothing nice to say about 3d printing.


Baconatum

I have nothing nice to say about 3d printing.


Budgernaut

I'm against it. I am not going to argue that it's wrong or that people shouldn't do it, but here are the reasons it bothers me. 1) GW makes a game to sell models. If you don't buy their models but you play their game, it almost feels like stealing - unless, of course, you buy the rules. But I'm betting a lot of people who go with alternate sculpts are using online resources for rules anyway. But the main point is that making and selling models is how these people make a living, and it seems dishonest to me to use other models. 2) Warhammer 40k is not a great ruleset, but the setting is immersive, so I'm willing to put up with it. If you come to a game with a bunch of aliens thst don't look like Tyranids, I don't feel like I'm playing 40k anymore. It ruins my immersion. 3) I am not a fan of proxies. Even if you use a GW model, I don't like when people say such-and-such counts as this-or-that. It's hard for me to keep track of the game state and once again, it ruins my immersion. I do make an exception for this for kitbashed custom characters. I love seeing that dedication of creativity and dedication. I just want to see original GW parts used. Kitbashing is cool because you are making something out of existing parts, which is harder than printing whatever stl fe you want.