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It's always struck me as odd that no one makes dedicated polystyrene sprues of biological mutations and mechanical robot parts for kitbashing / enhancing other models. (Stargrave Automaton sprues are great for biomechanical cyborgs and servitors, but I'm talking specifically about purely biological mutants and mechanical robots.) If there's a market for Wargames Atlantic's generic dead animal bones kit, surely there's a market for mutant and robot limbs? Both strike me as having obvious utility and wide appeal, but right now our only modding options are either buying other expensive kits and cribbing parts from them or buying overpriced bits from those kits secondhand. Neither is economical.

Some miniature manufacturers peruse these boards, so what would you tell them you'd want from potential mutation and robot sprues? Should they be 28mm or 32mm? Should they be dedicated kitbashing sprues devoted to a few body parts, or traditional kits that make complete mutants and robots?

And what specific parts would you definitely want included? Tentacle arms? Robot tentacle arms (a la Dr. Octopus / Mechanicus?) Monowheel legs? Torsos with fanged mouths? Buzzsaw arms? Bat wings? Scorpion tails? Overall, what would be your ideal mutation / robot kitbashing kits?

Remember when Atlantic had the big poll of public suggestions for what kit to make, the one Landsknecht Ogres won? My entry was Robot Builder. Didn't make it as far as I thought.

Werewolves were also in the poll and have been made, mediocre as they are.

No robots for me.

But I buy a lot of robot STLs.

A few thoughts -

Generic mutation sprues are difficult, simply due to the range of different models out there and the different ways they all go together. As we've seen from GW's efforts over the years, it's also difficult to do mutants that don't look either cartoony or downright silly.


A robot sprue seems like a no-brainer, but they would have limited use in the bigger games systems which have the stranglehold on the market, so actual sales appeal is considerably lower.

That said, I'd love to make a sprue of modular robots... a couple of different body sizes and shapes, and as many different limb/weapon/motive options as can fit on the frame.

I probably voted for your robot builder, and I still think it's a great idea. If North Star can ever quit recycling variations of their existing humanoid sculpts (which I'm now very tired of seeing,) a robot kit would be a great release for Stargrave, too. Or even a mutant kit.

STLs are certainly an option for modding, as they are for all miniature-related things these days, but it doesn't feel like the twilight of hard plastic is here quite yet. I really prefer the convenience and lesser toxicity of polystyrene.

It was silly of Wargames Atlantic not to make a mutation sprue for the Damned, which would have enhanced their core set and had crossover appeal for modding other lines. I hope they revisit that decision some day.

Ramshackle Games did a (resin) robot bits kit a while back, for assembling your own custom mechanical menaces. Might be at least adjacent to what you're looking for.
https://shop.ramshacklegames.co.uk/home/490-kill-bots-x-5.html

 insaniak wrote:
That said, I'd love to make a sprue of modular robots... a couple of different body sizes and shapes, and as many different limb/weapon/motive options as can fit on the frame.

I'm very glad you wrote that, partly because I can imagine someone saying "Maelstrom's Edge already makes robot sprues." Yes they do, I own most of them, they're great . . .

. . . and I still want more options, so I hope you'll get a chance to make that robot sprue someday.

I get the argument that the variety of different sci-fi styles makes designing a robot sprue harder than you'd expect, i.e., 40k has a very different aesthetic than star wars. But even if the sprue wasn't 100% suitable for every style, done right I bet a lot of it could fit in well in most settings. Mechanicum / Doc Ock tentacles, servo claw arms, and insectile piston legs work well pretty much everywhere, for example.

Robot hands would be great... especially ones scaled for a certain heroic size.

I have burned through so many Gundam kits looking for appropriately scaled hands for Tau battlesuits.

As stated picking an aesthetic and size to tie them to.
There's so many possible combinations of mechanical bits and proportions that look out of place. And that does matter to some hobbyists.
Like heroic scale versus more realistic human proportion. 28mm vs 32-35mm. With 3d printing, you mostly rescale or edit a part. Plastic is fixed.
Even 40k has different style bits depending on the faction and edition:
Ork robotics will look different from imperial, votann, eldar etc. and that's just one game.
And some of those might work with a steampunk game but not a near-future cyberpunk.
Star Wars droids have certain proportions and style to them that doesn't pair well with 40k or anime-like game setting, etc.
Something as "simple" as tire pattern on a wheel can throw off a feel for model.

I could see a sprue for claws or weapon bits for the ends of mechanical tentacles, but the mechanical tentacle itself being done with putty rollers or coiled wires, 3d printing. Otherwise the maker would have to anticipate the most common pose, length, size, segment shape, number of tentacles and variations to fit on a sprue...In the end which might not even match what a hobbyist wants.
And in regards to plastic robots, do makers go for fully original design sculpts and hope hobbyists like them for what they are, or do lean into something from media (videogames, movies, comics) which might vibe with wider audience through familiarity but risk a cease and desist.
The latter would suck if they've sunk not insignificant time and money into designing molds you now can't use legally; whereas the former might never see a financial return on.
There's a financial risk assessment involved, where 3d printing or resin casting productions are more flexible.
Maybe if there's another break in short-run low cost injection molding we might see more risks taken.
And that's just robots, which are more forgiving visually than organics.
Like modeling and arm connected to a bare-chested torso, you can turn the arm to change the pose but now the deltoid doesn't visually line up with the rest of the body. and having to anticipate variations like that. in a fixed plastic medium. that might not sell.