In case you missed it, here is the video from the Metalhead Minis YouTube channel about ordering scale miniatures from Shapeways in the right materials. The idea for this video came into fruition because of the fact that I, myself made a mistake by ordering miniatures in the wrong material. Therefore, I decided that it would be a good idea to share the advice that I was given on the right materials to choose.
The video is about 7 minutes long and gives you the low down of what happened, and the material comparison between the following 3 materials:
-White, strong, flexible.
- Black hi-def acrylate
- Frosted Ultra Detail
Now, without further ado, I will get into the follow up part.
Some parts of the video did not automatically go into focus to show the miniatures more clearly and there was a bit of me holding the miniatures and moving them around. I know for some, seeing comparison photos is more helpful, so here we are.
In the first demo segment of the video, I show the 40mm miniatures in white, strong, flexible material.
As you can see, in this size the miniatures both lack in detail and look very fuzzy. It ends up that this material caters to low cost prototyping. This can also work for much larger models as long as you are not aiming for a display quality paint job.
As you can see by clear comparison, the Frosted Ultra Detail shows much more detail so that painters, like myself can achieve a good paint job after the typical proper preparations. There is a small bit of fuzziness that can be taken care of by going over the model with products such as Reaper brush on sealer. As for priming so far, I have been achieving good results by using Badger Stynyrez primers . You actually see: the girl's face, her hair actually has definition, the pumpkin has a much more detailed face, and the spider web pattern on the skirt.
Since black hi-def acrylate is a little tougher to see in photos, I took the liberty of doing a couple of different views which I hope is helpful. This material does have good detail as well. There are 3d print lines that are slightly noticeable that can be fixed with proper prepping. There are also some smalll nubs that it looks like comes from some cutting off of a sprue. These can also be removed with preparation such as filing.
As a bonus, I figured that I would also apply a little ink on the figures as an effort to show how the details look on the figures as well as how the ink applies with no primer on them. The WSF material (on the left) seemed to absorb the ink, but even so you can see better the fact that there is practically no detail in the face and hair. On the right, you see that the Frosted Ultra Detail shows a lot more detail in the face, hair, pumpkin, and the skirt.
Anyway, that is my story and I am stickin' to it! I really hope that these photos helped you as well as the small tidbits of additonal information.
Here is some Shapeways web info :
40mm Kandi, the Succubus and 40mm Pumpkin was designed by Manaworld. Check out their design page here:
Stay crispy in milk!
--Lyn