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Yeah, Armada ships stl files are good for printing, not especially to play Armada actually. People looking for count-as Man O War or just their own naval fantasy game, they're nice since you have what constitues the core of a fleet (a big ship, a medium ship and a small ship).

The halfling upgrade sprues are okay, just too generic to bother to make copies. Balloon is nice.

Reason why GW is copied isn't just because of the price. Most of the copies are made from 40k universe, and it's not a hazard : it's their strongest characterfull design. GW made the gothic space marines. Mantic Games just did generic SF / fantasy with few quality, that's why there's no real point to copy that. Better to make your own original design at that point. And while Armada is their "original game" ('cause the rules are, you know, inspired from another existing game)... it still doesn't have the same aura / soul than GW's old Man O War game. Copying the copycat is really pointless, and you certainly don't make money from that.

Besides, 3D printing will always be the cheapest one once you already have a 3D printer. Once the original cost absorbed, it's only benefits forward. Even Mantic Games products are more expensive in comparison. That's why people 3D printing use 3D printed armies for KoW : it's still cheaper and...well, it usually looks better than any Mantic Games army to be honest. Saw one using Artisan Guild's miniatures for an army of elves. There's simply no comparison to make here (I know, it's easy 'cause MG elves are crap).

making my own minis is always cheaper than buying them if you don't care about the investment

3d printing, resin casting or even metal casting, once you have the equipment you make or own stuff always cheaper
this has always been that way

and for 40k it is all about the price
no one would care to do the extra work of making their own resin models if the plastic models were cheaper
but if a full plastic Space Marine army cost 3 times the amount of a printer+resin the extra work is worth doing it
same is in the past were people started re-casting at home as buying 5 marines, silicone and resin was much cheaper than buying a full plastic army

if a full army for 40k would cost 250€ in plastic, not many would care to invest the same amount + lots of extra time to print knock offs in a worse material
compare what the most popular files are for 40k and KoW, the one has carbon copies from plastic models, the other one gaming aids

the other point is availability, as printing stuff that is otherwise not available
hence why we see STL files sold for niche armies in historicals, they are not available in plastic and never will, hence it is worth printing them


when it comes to printing farms it depends on how many models you are going to sell
doing it at home for a hobby is different than doing it as a company
specially as you cannot just print everything you find on the web as you want to avoid legal issues
there are stores that had their own resin-casting, mainly for bases and bits, and those have resin printers now and they need to charge more than 1€ per model to cover the costs

 McDougall Designs wrote:

Boss Salvage wrote:

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Yea I agree and wish to see this from other companies too. While I do still understand that it is frustrating for the less enfranchised to see other people have access to more options than you do, this is a much more benign version than, for example, kickstarter or event exclusives. It only takes one person with a printer in a play group for everybody to get all the options.

Mantic offering files for the unit upgrades makes them far more accessible to me, a person living in the US on the other side of some serious shipping for very cheap bits. Even if I didn't have a printer and was paying someone stateside to print them.

Hi. Mantic retail trade account located in the states with reasonable shipping, if needed. I'm all for accessibility to miniatures lines.

Actual Question: Can I get Mantic Direct stuff from you? Because I would have added some to my last order but they weren't on your store and I assumed Mantic didn't do that, since other companies have similar lines that go around retailers (GW, PP).

scarletsquig wrote:
Yep, when I'm getting 40 goblins and 2 chariots for £35, (£28 with usual webstore discounts), there isn't much of a reason to break out the printer, or online print services.

Tossing a +1 at the KOW ambush boxes being pretty great. I'm 3 deep into the Goblin one myself.

 Boss Salvage wrote:

 McDougall Designs wrote:

Boss Salvage wrote:

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Yea I agree and wish to see this from other companies too. While I do still understand that it is frustrating for the less enfranchised to see other people have access to more options than you do, this is a much more benign version than, for example, kickstarter or event exclusives. It only takes one person with a printer in a play group for everybody to get all the options.

Mantic offering files for the unit upgrades makes them far more accessible to me, a person living in the US on the other side of some serious shipping for very cheap bits. Even if I didn't have a printer and was paying someone stateside to print them.

Hi. Mantic retail trade account located in the states with reasonable shipping, if needed. I'm all for accessibility to miniatures lines.

Actual Question: Can I get Mantic Direct stuff from you? Because I would have added some to my last order but they weren't on your store and I assumed Mantic didn't do that, since other companies have similar lines that go around retailers (GW, PP).

scarletsquig wrote:
Yep, when I'm getting 40 goblins and 2 chariots for £35, (£28 with usual webstore discounts), there isn't much of a reason to break out the printer, or online print services.

Tossing a +1 at the KOW ambush boxes being pretty great. I'm 3 deep into the Goblin one myself.

Yes. It's 10% off vs the normal 20% though. Also, the extra 5% off from my "away, delayed shipping" sale would not apply to mantic direct items.

I don't have everything mantic on the web shop. Their catalog is too volatile for me to commit to keeping it updated.

 McDougall Designs wrote:
Its the availability of printed models and printing service. Mantic has already said that subscribers can send the files to print services for printing, so long as the print services are ethical about it and don't market those items for wider sale.

Not everyone has a 3D printer.

Everyone has google and 20 seconds to find a print service local to them.

and 90% of the hobby community is budget conscious, leading them to the most inexpensive option: 3D prints of models that were otherwise available in conventional formats.

This is a negative to anyone who invested heavily in armada at its launch and has orc and basilean product sitting on shelves.

Have you actually looked at the cost of 3D printing services? For anything that isn't really low quality, you're going to be paying more than you would to just buy the miniature from Mantic.

If people were already not buying Armada, offering the models as STLs is unlikely to have much of a negative effect on those sales.

 insaniak wrote:

 McDougall Designs wrote:
Its the availability of printed models and printing service. Mantic has already said that subscribers can send the files to print services for printing, so long as the print services are ethical about it and don't market those items for wider sale.

Not everyone has a 3D printer.

Everyone has google and 20 seconds to find a print service local to them.

and 90% of the hobby community is budget conscious, leading them to the most inexpensive option: 3D prints of models that were otherwise available in conventional formats.

This is a negative to anyone who invested heavily in armada at its launch and has orc and basilean product sitting on shelves.

Have you actually looked at the cost of 3D printing services? For anything that isn't really low quality, you're going to be paying more than you would to just buy the miniature from Mantic.

If people were already not buying Armada, offering the models as STLs is unlikely to have much of a negative effect on those sales.

Yes, I have. I am one. I started at rates of $2.50 per infantry figure, with a little more for characters or more involved models, and discounted rates on multiples.

I used standard resin and reliable machines, though not top of the line. My subjective view of "miniature quality" may be different to yours.

I was inundated with orders and had to shut it down. I've spent most of a year cleaning it up.

Now I'm offering pre printed packs of bits, and a limited queue of custom printing. At slightly increased rates to account for more time supporting and the slight increase to resin costs that has been seen in that years time.

There are several good printing services serving North America I can recommend. I'm not to up to date on the European market.

"More than what you would pay for the mantic figure" is true only at the behest of mutable factors.

https://www.manticgames.com/news/mantic-vault-june-preview/

June Update for the Vault: XL Ships, Dwarf Ships and Veer-Myn/Ratkin

the more interesting updates: adding pre-supporting files and adding a commercial license (also adding a map with print on demand stores)

June 2023 image for the curious:
Thrilled to have the Impaler to mess around with, I really dig that sculpt ... but not that there's a critter trapped inside. Going to see if I can plate over the openings and hollow it out for printing

The more high-tech looking Veermyn are cool.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
The more high-tech looking Veermyn are cool.

I'm pretty sure those are the old Volt-chaser models.

https://www.manticgames.com/news/in-there-stepped-a-stately-raven-northern-alliance-pre-orders/

New models for Northern Alliance

Upgrade Set coming to turn Tribesman into Huscarls
New Hero, Ambush, Army & Mega Army Set
New HIPS Ice-Kin Hunters & Berserker kit
HIPS Storm Rider Regiment (Dwarfs riding giant Ravens)

NA VS NS 2 Player Set is updated with the new models

Pics:

Hero, Ambush, Army & Mega Army Set


units:

Wow pretty neat that they're doing such a niche unit on HIPS, good sign for things to come

Wow is right, those are absolutely great! Even better than the Oathmark Light Infantry elves. I can see kitbashing the ravens into Wood Elf "eagle" riders while the Ice Kin/Berserker kit looks excellent as-is. I'll be picking up some kits for kitbashing at the very least.

I might pick up that 2-player set and try Ambush out

Hm, they totally gave up on trying to design their miniatures to be actually put in regiments with individual bases, do they. You can see they're too dynamic to be used in anything other than multibasing.

A unit of 2 ravens is weird too. I suspect it will be a double kit like the halflings to make the production profitable.

Otherwise, they look passable enough. Mantic Games standard average quality, as usual.

Do those half elves come with the mound they're scrambling over? Bit unusual otherwise to have them on quite such a sculpted base on the box

Sarouan wrote:
Hm, they totally gave up on trying to design their miniatures to be actually put in regiments with individual bases

Well they are trying to be GW circa 20 years ago, it's on brand

What are they feeding those birds?

 privateer4hire wrote:
What are they feeding those birds?

Stone curry from the looks of it!

Seriously though, absolutely love the sculpts and will be picking up a couple of ambush sets and maybe the new starter set as soon as it's for sale.

Has anyone played Ambush? Is it actually good, thoughtful design, or just KoW played at extremely low points?

kind of both
play it with my son until we paint up full armies, it is KoW at low points but still thought thru

Ambush is really great, although I would recommend it more at 750 or 1000 points than 500.

You get a condensed play experience without hordes or legions and it works great on a 3x3 or 4x4 mat.

Since KoW is a fast play ruleset anyway, Ambush games are a good intro to wargaming in general.

I like the giant ravens, but the tall-rocks-so-we-don't-have-to-include-flight-stands thing isn't doing it for me. I thought Mantic had finally gotten over their aversion to doing proper, clear flight stands. I'm never a fan of miniatures having built-in contextual scenery that will look out of place in different environments.

I could see getting one to kitbash on to a flight stand, though, should inspiration strike, and depending on how many feathers I'd have to resculpt on the bottom. Giant raven-riders are a great idea, and would work well with a variety of archetypes. Orcs? Sure. Vikings? Sure. Tzeentch cultists? Sure. Undead necromancers? Sure. Edgar Allen Poe? Meta veering into tacky, but sure. Tengu? A little redundant, but what the hell, sure. Imperial Army? Um . . . sure?

I’m surprised you didn’t mention how well they’d go with Ratkin for that Secret of Nimh look.

 Talking Banana wrote:
I like the giant ravens, but the tall-rocks-so-we-don't-have-to-include-flight-stands thing isn't doing it for me. I thought Mantic had finally gotten over their aversion to doing proper, clear flight stands. I'm never a fan of miniatures having built-in contextual scenery that will look out of place in different environments.

I could see getting one to kitbash on to a flight stand, though, should inspiration strike, and depending on how many feathers I'd have to resculpt on the bottom. Giant raven-riders are a great idea, and would work well with a variety of archetypes. Orcs? Sure. Vikings? Sure. Tzeentch cultists? Sure. Undead necromancers? Sure. Edgar Allen Poe? Meta veering into tacky, but sure. Tengu? A little redundant, but what the hell, sure. Imperial Army? Um . . . sure?

Rocks are separate pieces according to Facebook Group.

well, mantic is proper and good flight stands for their SciFi Flyers/Skimmers

but I have to say I usually replace the clear ones that come by default with such models, either with a solid acrylic rod or scenic base
so for me this is rather positive than negative and the rocks are not part of the model but glued on so should be easy to magnetise or replaced with something different

Great to hear they're separate from the terrain. With that headache removed, these look much more appealing.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I’m surprised you didn’t mention how well they’d go with Ratkin for that Secret of Nimh look.

You're right, they're a shoe-in for a Skaven / Veer-myn force.

If you prefer Watership Down, you could pair them with bunnymen.

I don't have my rulebook handy. Are those dwarves on birds already part of the northern Alliance army or a new addition?

 Eilif wrote:
I don't have my rulebook handy. Are those dwarves on birds already part of the northern Alliance army or a new addition?

A new addition.

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:

 Eilif wrote:
I don't have my rulebook handy. Are those dwarves on birds already part of the northern Alliance army or a new addition?

A new addition.

Interesting. It's a long and unlikely shot but it would be cool if it made it's way into the Varrangur list, my army of choice.

Eilif wrote:I don't have my rulebook handy. Are those dwarves on birds already part of the northern Alliance army or a new addition?

new addition. they'll be showing up in the Dwarf lists too, when those get their refresh. the raven riders first showed up in Armada, along with the lore about the dwarfs domesticating the giant ravens of the the mountains they live in. according to the schedule discussed at the mantic open knight at adepticon, they'll eventually be getting a version for the imperial dwarfs, which i'd guess is going to be just different riders, since the Northern Alliance furs and plate style wouldn't fit the imperials.

 Ancestral Hamster wrote:


Interesting. It's a long and unlikely shot but it would be cool if it made it's way into the Varrangur list, my army of choice.

probably not, as the Ravens are a dwarf thing, which means the Northern Alliance's dwarfs can get them, but the Varangur, which lack elves, dwarfs, etc, probably won't.