3D File Monthly Membership and Store


  • We've been thinking about launching a Patreon style subscription service for a large number of digital files each month. You can print them or use a service to do so. There would be something for everyone across our ranges. The files would be available later for individual purchase as well. 

    As part of the subscription there would be a welcome bundle as well. We're working on ideas for this that could include conversion parts and extra parts for existing sets and/or terrain, vehicles, new figure sets, characters, game aids (dice tower themed), and other things. 

    what would you like to see in a welcome bundle and ongoing?



  • @Hudson Adams Well, I dont 3D print. So I am not sure... :) 

    But... being able to purchase these from a 3D print service, like @Lord Marcus means that I am tangentially interested. 

    Things I would like to see... in general.

    Female heads in the styles of the released conquistador minis. I.E. Females heads with morion helms, etcs... also some female torsos in the same armor styles. Then with a little clipping I could have some female conquistadors in my fantasy army. 

    Same goes with the Irish and goths... and Halflings. And... the upcoming ogres... which since the front part of the body is changeable, makes these even easier... 

    Other than female parts... giggity... weapons, heads, alternate poses for the irish dogs and the upcoming german dogs... Alternate heads for the horses... Some artillery for the Conquistadors and halflings... rider legs for the... well... for everything...


  • Alternate heads. Elves, aliens, beast people, females, special troops for historical kits (i.e. Kepis with neck cover for North African French, any Commonwealth ones not included on the British WW1 sprue). 

    Cyborg upgrade sprue.

    Undead upgrade sprue.

    Terrain. 

     


  • @Mark Dewis Oooh. Yeah. Undead heads with other ranges helmets and weapons. So... you could make roman, or goth or conquistador undead... 


  • iron-core tank


  • @vissly cao 

    YES...I'm in... Marks vihicles from iron-core... and the Gravo-Stug III...

    And I like the idea with print-service... "make it so"... 😇


  • @Hudson Adams 

    The whole Patreon subscription thing is a huge turn off for me. I've passed on some really cool STLs for this reason.

    Just sell the STLs in the store like any other product.

    That's my two cents.


  • @JTam I think we will probably change your mind with this one. ;-) 


  • @Hudson Adams I'm very much against this form of supplying wargaming. To be honest, I have friends in the trade who do printing and two of them do Patreon services. After speaking with them, I don't see that it works out particularly well. At the moment printers for amateurs who just wish to print for themselves are expensive and require, as all printers, ventilation and if used to the advantage of the owner, high maintenance.

    All my friends have at least 3 or 4 large machines. Some have free holdings with the machines stored in barns or outbuildings. Only one works in a garage. At least one machine seems to be down all the while and the work that they do is varied with only a small amount being modelling. Although they hold the licences for some products.

    Each one has advised us that for our humble needs just ring but, although we pay, you can't always get it done when you wish. As a result of not wishing to abuse friendships we now no longer bother. If the system adopted by WGA allows the purchase of any individual item printed to be bought direct by people without their own printing facilities, this would be much better.

    Rubicon does not sell files to the public but is starting a marvellous printing service which will see quality items made for tank tracks, spare wheels, jerry cans and multiple spare parts. These items will allow excellent quality conversions and improvements to their models. If WGA goes down this route with heads, arms, spare parts etc., that would be fantastic.

    I think, at the moment, there is still poor quality in machines that the general public buy and a Patreon style service asks too much money to be forked out for little return.


  • @Hudson Adams

     It is, of course, your prerogative, you must do what is best for your business. And if the market is there, go for it.

    However, I don’t do 3D printing, and have nowhere to print them that doesn’t cost me at least double in postage fees.

    I would love to have some of the suggestion that have been put forward, especially by @William Redford  (great minds think alike) , but not as 3D printing or STL purchases.

    But I am only one client, and remain a big fan of your work, and will continue to buy your miniatures, just not your STLs.

    Sincere wishes of good luck.

     


  • @Vitor Soares where are you located. I have colleagues and will happily refer you to save you postage.


  • @Geoff Maybury most issues with machines are easily diagnosed with only a few hours of dedicated testing. If one machine is consistently down then that could either be waiting on parts from the manufacturer or a time management issue on maintenance.

    As a 3d printing business owner, I work to always have at least 2 machines running at all times. If sales volume is heavy and you have extra space for sealed units (such as the outbuilding you mentioned) then there is no reason not to have more machines to keep production levels high


  • As long as old Stls are still avaliable in some way.


  • I don't have a 3d printer but I support the idea. A number of other small companies seem to be having success with this model so I'm confident WA can too.

    The first thing that comes to mind for what I'd be interested in is parts to make the French Partisans more pulpy and some more weapons for the Lizardmen.


  • @Lord Marcus I thank you for your attention, and I know you are a very good professional. I am particularly impressed by yout legion project .

    I live in Portugal, in the Azorean Island of São Jorge. Beautiful place, voted several times a paradise archipelago. 

    To be honest, I have lived in the Azores for 12 years now, and it is an absolute nightmare to get anything here. Especially in the smaller islands.

    I mean no disrespect, but you would be doing your friends a disservice, sending something here on the cheap would eat into their profits.

    And, to the point at hand, again. I remain a big fan of the company, they have my support and my continued business, your shop is great and so is your work, I don't like Patreon, I especially don't like subscriptions on Patreon, and buying STLs would be as useful for me as buying snow shoes (again, almost tropical islands).

    But I honestly, really thank you for your effort. 


  • I know you guys don't want to be a Warhammer proxy company, but some 3D files may be a good outlet for that inescapable aspect of the business.

    Other then the Warhammer 40k crowed there is also One Page Rules players, and other games that use the same weapon variety as 40k, they would eat up some extra weapon options. Some extra heavy weapon options that are compatible with the Support Team's chassis, and to round out the options for infantry squads.

    Most of the community knows Warhammer 40k doesn't really have much original content as far as Imperial weaponry goes, it's basically generic sci-fi gear. Expanding further past the Warhammer 40k range of weapons would be cool as well.

    On the historic side, rare, wacky and experimental weapons from history. Forgotten Weapons on YouTube had a upload about a 14 barrel rifles the other day, I've also seen a double barrel revolver on there.

    This would also be a good space to experiment with historical-fantasy, a growing genre in the hobby community.

    Expanding on the Death Fields and fantasy options for kits like the giant spider's and lizard men. As cool as those kits are, I don't think that I'm the only one that feels those kits suffer from a jack of all trades, master of none issue. Some more robots arms and maybe even a cyborg drider upgrade would be awesome.

    Let's give some people some nightmares!


  • STLs for wings. Bat wings, bird wings, insect wings, undead wings, tech wings. Human sized, mount/monster sized. Dragon sized.

    Insect wings in partiucular may be a good thing to print out, as they work well if translucent. Being able to vary the scale a bit for the project in hand is also an advantage - sometimes you do want puny vesigal wings, other times you need big, sweeping ones.

    Textured bases. Although my guess is these would make a better sprue project, since they sell cross game. Flagstones, textured steel flooring, floorboards, rubble etc.

    Those criticising this idea, please. The economics of a digital market are different to those of HIPS sprue production, and this isn't replacing the other since it's really for projects that would be uneconomical to do as sprues, or which are so far in the future production schedule that the only way to make them available in the next few years is by STL.

    Those that want it can judge their own economies (either making use of their own 3D printing setup or a commercial service). 


  • @Hudson Adams 

    Its a good idea but you'd need to make it so that the people who buy models don't feel left out. Maybe have a myminifactory page as well as on-site selling.  Like a with the Dark Age Irish I felt there wasn't enough slings, if I could by say, 20 resin sling arms off y'all I'dve probably done so.

    Perhaps you could do both individual models/parts off sprues, as well as some custom models as part of like bulk purchases (like what the Perry Brothers do with their army deals.)


  • @Mark Dewis Don`t mind things that ar`nt worth a mold cost done in print, thats just plain common scence. I`ve a problem when it`s a two teir ( money trap) aka AVP. Where a £110 for a corridor from Aliens is common, and the Patreon system is king. Spares are great printed if you can buy them with out the high costs of a printer, and those with them enjoy printing as many as they wish. This is brilliant, what hurts is a large file of goodies,waiting to be printed only to find that your printer will not make the grade. Remember most printers in general public use are not comercial printers and a lot of STl`s do need commercial toget the best results. If WGA use good commercial printers to print items for those who have none at a reasonable cost,I love it, I`ve yet to see this in a Patreon style however.


  • Whether you do it through patreon or straight from the shop I would love to see you guys sell just more bodies. I appreciate all the variety that comes in the kits but it leaves me with massive piles of heads and arms and I can't get more bodies to use them without also getting more extra heads and bodies. Generic bodies that I could use all the leftover bits from the Irish and Goth kits would be awesome or just providing additional body options for each kit as stls.


  • Hi! I literally just made an account to reply to this with my excitement. As someone who spends about $100 backing various patreon campaigns, if there was some $5 or $10 option for Wargames Atlantic, I would absolutely be on board. Often I am with various extra arms or heads, searching for extra bodies and if I could 3D print some bodies from the Raumjager infantry or some of the Death Fields stuff, that'd be great. As someone who lives in a part of Canada without stores locally that carry your sprues, 3D printing is great for me. I have three machines, a Mars 2 Pro, a Saturn and a Halot lite. Would love to talk about this further and do some test prints. Cheers! 


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