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Years ago I bought a squad of resin sci-fi guys online. They were really cool but extremely fragile.
I still have them in foam, in a box because they will break if i game with them. I had breakage just painting them. It really made me never want to deal with anything that wasn’t metal or HIPS.

Now one of my gaming buddies has a 3D printer and he’s been printing us various miniatures. Recently he sprang for high end resin that would make figures more durable. The figures are better but still prone to breaking just from prepping. Only a few but enough that I still don’t care to shift completely to 3D prints for everything. Miniatures are nice looking playing pieces to me. They have to withstand a little unintentional adventure.

What’s your experience or recommendations?

Resin is just brittle by nature. The bendy stuff can be a little better but has its own issues. I have NEVER had a problem with breaking during painting though. That sounds like the result of printing stuff that's just too small for resin. A few metal parts for that kind of stuff can go a long way towards mitigating these kinds of issues, but you have to be a little careful about weight balance and chipping.

In general, the printing resins I've used thus far are on-par with most resins from various minis companies. Yes, they break easier than metal or plastic, but that's just the way resin is. I've seen some printer resins that appear a bit more flexible, but from what I've seen so far those also often have a little bit softer details (though this greatly depends on your printer settings, too).

I typically use Phrozen Aqua Grey 4k, and I'd say it's slightly stronger and more durable than the Wild West Exodus/Warcradle minis I have, but only by a little bit. Definitely stronger than old Spartan resins, and probably pretty close to Privateer Press resin from 3-4 years ago (I don't have any newer models from them, so can't compare).

So I would never suggest someone go "3D printing for everything". To me 3D printing is two things

1) its a different production method that allows a whole new generation of creators to access the market without having to build a huge company and cast resin or use factories in china to get to market.

2) Its a hobby unto itself which allows you to create amazing models at home, either those you've bought or those you've designed yourself.


It doesn't replace traditional cast models, its simply bolts right on alongside and compliments it giving you a wider choice of options. For some markets, like those who like busts, 75mm models and the like, its been a massive growth in those market sectors.




In general when it comes to the brittle nature my observations are

1) Those who are more used to DnD PVC models tend to be more "OMG this resin stuff is super fragile"; whilst those from a wargaming background are more used to have dealt with resins in various forms and tend to have more awareness how to work with and game with slightly more delicate models

2) Some resins, not just cheap ones; are just fragile by nature. Sometimes you can mix the resins - eg taking a high resolution resin (oft a bit more fragile) and mixing it with a stronger one (eg Tenacious resin) to get a mix that has elements of both.

3) Some designers don't print or game. The patreon model of cheap models every month is also a barrier to this and many times the fragile nature can be because the sculpt itself is just poorly designed as a game model. Esp if the designer comes from a video game or art background and isn't a gamer/modeller themsleves. So they don't print; they don't experience the fragile nature and don't pick up on little things like making arrows thicker through the body etc..

You also get it where the model is sculpted in one scale and then resized for another. Eg a model made for 75mm can scale down to 28-32mm and print, however it might result in some ultra thin details that were perfectly fine at 75mm scale, but not at the smaller scale.




That said there are many great models out there that don't suffer from this. Again I'd say that 3d printing isn't a replacement, its a complimentary element. It gives you a wider range of choices and if you print at home its another angle on the hobby of miniature gaming.
So if you're interested I wouldn't hesitate at taking a look in the market; there are some awesome and very affordable printers out there on the market now.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Valander wrote:
In general, the printing resins I've used thus far are on-par with most resins from various minis companies. Yes, they break easier than metal or plastic, but that's just the way resin is. I've seen some printer resins that appear a bit more flexible, but from what I've seen so far those also often have a little bit softer details (though this greatly depends on your printer settings, too).

I typically use Phrozen Aqua Grey 4k, and I'd say it's slightly stronger and more durable than the Wild West Exodus/Warcradle minis I have, but only by a little bit. Definitely stronger than old Spartan resins, and probably pretty close to Privateer Press resin from 3-4 years ago (I don't have any newer models from them, so can't compare).

Yeah I've also used that same resin and had good results and would agree that its quite similar in final performance to cast resin models.

I've not had much issue even with the cheapest resins when handed properly. I accept that any model that falls to the floor is probably gonna be gone but hey, they cost pennies.

Cool discussion. Really appreciate the insights. I guess I just kept hearing about how revolutionary 3D had become and wondered what others were experiencing.

As long as you're not mistreating them and the sculptor knew what they were doing 3D prints should be fine. Some sculptors can try to print very thin, fragile details that will break, but that's bad design.

Of the 3D prints I've had (which are mainly bits, rather than full models) the only issues I've had is dropping them from the painting desk twice, both times resulting in breakages to extremities that just wouldn't have happened with metal or plastic. Obviously, that's the result of clumsiness on my part rather than through normal usage. I'd also point out it's better than many of my old metal models, which would have been in about 6 or 7 bits after the same treatment.

3D print quality and durability is highly dependent upon the resin used. I've dialled in several in my time, and experimented with more. Even thin items can be made much more durable if you use the right resin or mix.

The problem is that as a consumer, you have no idea what sort of resin the manufacturer is using, and most of the sellers don't specify. They also often vary what they're using depending on what they can buy for cheap if you're on etsy or the like.So you're slightly adrift. Not to mention that the only way you learn the properties of different resin is by using them - and if you had a 3d printer/idea of this stuff, you wouldn't be buying the models off them!

So I'd say - don't be put off 3d printed items altogether - but be aware that quality of product bought off the web is -highly- variable.

One solution might be to ask the maker before buying and then ask about the resin elsewhere.

Alternatively, if you want a suggestion for your mate, doing an 80% Elegoo ABS like/15% Siraya Tenacious/5% rubber flex mix should frankly give you models you can bounce off a brick wall. You might lost some finer detail if on a lower res printer, but damn they'll take some handling!

Thanks, privateer4hire, for starting this thread. Not planning on getting a 3D printer myself, but I have bought some prints from Heroforge, and now some .stl files, so material considerations are now a consideration. And thanks to the folks with printers who are sharing that knowledge.

So, as regards 3D printed bits. Let's say the vendor was offering alternative arms for 28mm minis (like Wargames Atlantic is apparently starting), would it be okay to get them printed in resin, or should they be printed in plastic?

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:
Thanks, privateer4hire, for starting this thread. Not planning on getting a 3D printer myself, but I have bought some prints from Heroforge, and now some .stl files, so material considerations are now a consideration. And thanks to the folks with printers who are sharing that knowledge.

So, as regards 3D printed bits. Let's say the vendor was offering alternative arms for 28mm minis (like Wargames Atlantic is apparently starting), would it be okay to get them printed in resin, or should they be printed in plastic?

You're probably going to get the cheapest resin if you buy printed, so I would maybe avoid truescale (LotR, Infinity) minis with thin parts like spears. 40k knockoffs, no problem.

I've not been bothered with breakages and have printed some pretty thin bits. The little MG barrels on this are maybe 1mm thick. I wouldn;t try to pick the model up by them, but I have accidetnally jammed my fingerintothem and the have survived



Similarly, the sword here is pretty thin, but as long as you don't deliberately smoosh it around, it is strong enough for gaming.

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:

So, as regards 3D printed bits. Let's say the vendor was offering alternative arms for 28mm minis (like Wargames Atlantic is apparently starting), would it be okay to get them printed in resin, or should they be printed in plastic?

Resin will typically mean SLA printers and that means the liquid resin kind and they generally produce the highest grade of detail retention.

Plastic will typically mean FDM printers which work with a spool of material that's melted and poured out to create the model. They can achieve quite a high level of detail, but not as good as SLA


In general most people use FDM for practical things (containers etc...) and for terrain for models. Meanwhile almost all the models out there will be SLA so resin. Yes the plastic is more durable, but the detail won't be as good as from the resin printer.

Resin is a bit more brittle as everyone has posted but there is also a few things to consider with this. First resin is UV sensitive, and all of the polymers and chemicals in UV resin bond to form a solid matter when exposed to UV light. No two resins are the same and resin is quite dynamic in that sense. Under cure your resin and it will be liquid like and have low quality, over cure your resin and it becomes utterly brittle. I am using the Phrozen Aqua Gray 8k resin right now for my prints and they seem to be sturdy enough for normal use and normal wear and tear on the tabletop but i don't plan on dropping them on the floor or throwing them anytime soon.

Each resin is formulated differently, there are harder more sturdier resins out there as well if you want to go for durability. This may or may not impact print quality though. Just remember most things have trade offs, and resin printing is the same in that regard. I would, however, NOT RECOMMEND, mixing resins together. Resins are a collection of chemicals, oligomers and monomers. When exposed to UV light they have a chain reaction, in which they bond and create a polymer. I am no chemist and I am going to bet most folks who 3D resin print are also not chemists, so mixing resins you are gonna have an imbalance of these chemicals and who knows what polymer they will bond to when exposed to UV light?

Thus, if you need a hardened more sturdier resin, go buy one and use it exclusively on a print. There are a plethora of resins, there are even resins that Dentists use for making dental appliances and crowns and such. Ever go to the dentist to get work done and they shoot your tooth with that little UV ray wand thingy? It is curing resin, or a polymer like resin.

Lastly, you should always look up the profile of your manufacturer's resin, it should have the recommended uses, specs and printer settings to get the best results. Those results may vary since every print environment is different, but they are at the very least a good place to start

I have noticed some of my prints being more brittle than others, and I think *maybe* the reason why is because of how the models were treated in the time between printing and post-curing.

Models that I popped off the build plate, cleaned as quickly as I could, popped off the supports as quickly as I could, and then shove straight into the curing station... those models seem to come out tougher. The ones where I maybe left them sitting for a while, or left them in the cleaning fluid while prepping for my next print, or cleaned them then put them aside before popping off the supports and post-curing them, I think those models have been the ones that ended up more brittle.

I noticed on the AnyCubic resin I bought, they have some precautions about post curing procedure (point 4).

 Crom wrote:
Resin is a bit more brittle as everyone has posted but there is also a few things to consider with this. First resin is UV sensitive, and all of the polymers and chemicals in UV resin bond to form a solid matter when exposed to UV light. No two resins are the same and resin is quite dynamic in that sense. Under cure your resin and it will be liquid like and have low quality, over cure your resin and it becomes utterly brittle. I am using the Phrozen Aqua Gray 8k resin right now for my prints and they seem to be sturdy enough for normal use and normal wear and tear on the tabletop but i don't plan on dropping them on the floor or throwing them anytime soon.


Thus, if you need a hardened more sturdier resin, go buy one and use it exclusively on a print. There are a plethora of resins, there are even resins that Dentists use for making dental appliances and crowns and such. Ever go to the dentist to get work done and they shoot your tooth with that little UV ray wand thingy? It is curing resin, or a polymer like resin.

Having a bit of experience in both worlds, there are some difference in materials and applications here.

The most common use of this is in white fillings, the material is a light cured polymer but with varying amounts of ceramic particles in it. The higher the proportion of filler, the higher the "strength" but the more viscous the uncured material. The wavelength that the resin cures at is slightly different - 435nm as opposed to the 405nm that we're more familiar with; pushing it down just into the visible spectrum.

The applications are different as well, fillings are generally 1-8 or so mm. thick, bonded to and supported by the remaining tooth structure - you'd still stand no chance of making a 1mm. thick spear with dental materials - if you could use this stuff for modelling I'd have been all over it decades ago!

 Chillreaper wrote:

 Crom wrote:
Resin is a bit more brittle as everyone has posted but there is also a few things to consider with this. First resin is UV sensitive, and all of the polymers and chemicals in UV resin bond to form a solid matter when exposed to UV light. No two resins are the same and resin is quite dynamic in that sense. Under cure your resin and it will be liquid like and have low quality, over cure your resin and it becomes utterly brittle. I am using the Phrozen Aqua Gray 8k resin right now for my prints and they seem to be sturdy enough for normal use and normal wear and tear on the tabletop but i don't plan on dropping them on the floor or throwing them anytime soon.


Thus, if you need a hardened more sturdier resin, go buy one and use it exclusively on a print. There are a plethora of resins, there are even resins that Dentists use for making dental appliances and crowns and such. Ever go to the dentist to get work done and they shoot your tooth with that little UV ray wand thingy? It is curing resin, or a polymer like resin.

Having a bit of experience in both worlds, there are some difference in materials and applications here.

The most common use of this is in white fillings, the material is a light cured polymer but with varying amounts of ceramic particles in it. The higher the proportion of filler, the higher the "strength" but the more viscous the uncured material. The wavelength that the resin cures at is slightly different - 435nm as opposed to the 405nm that we're more familiar with; pushing it down just into the visible spectrum.

The applications are different as well, fillings are generally 1-8 or so mm. thick, bonded to and supported by the remaining tooth structure - you'd still stand no chance of making a 1mm. thick spear with dental materials - if you could use this stuff for modelling I'd have been all over it decades ago!

ok cool to know, and I also tell my friends who are new to war gaming, but not 3D printing, to just buy some green stuff epoxy putty tape. You can fix and modify prints a lot with a tiny bit of putty. For things you cannot print due to size you can also use model kit bits, or green stuff to sculpt/modify your own.

It's been mentioned a few times here already, but resin figures are like any other in the way they're affected by miniature mechanics - the smaller they are overall, the tougher they are. The larger they are overall, the more force sits behind every interaction they make, and the more likely they'll break at weak points.

That said, I agree common printing methods for SLA (using pixels in an analogue way) can compromise even small figures, and before they even get to the vat. I make REALLY small figures for my printer (anycubic photon zero baby!) and the challenge of that process lies in cultivating the pixels efficiently. It takes some getting used to. But I find getting the software stage right is far more important than the type of resin used.

Worthy of note though, one very obvious benefit of resin is that it's crystalline - so when it breaks, it'll typically break very clean. You can usually glue pieces back together without any visible damage from the join. In small figures, that's actually really useful - metal and plastic miniatures are very difficult to repair at small scales because their breaks are so messy and mutilated.