Wargamers and RPG players are always looking for cool terrain to print on there new 3D Printers and Warlayer offers some of the best modular design sculpts available.
Introduction
The question I get the most about 3D printing is, “What kind of stuff can I print?” followed closely by, “Where do I find said stuff?” My goal with this column and its future entries is to offer some great choices for you to print at low to no cost. The whole point for most of us purchasing a 3D Printer was to lower the cost of our gaming. For others, it may be just to make some cool stuff the enhance our gameplay experiences.
Why Warlayer?
Recently during the COVID 19 epidemic, I caught the bug…the wargaming bug. This may seem absurd since wargaming involves a social component that we currently cannot achieve. That being said I fell in love more with the look and sculpts of the items that Games Workshop and other wargaming companies have to offer. I also have done a nosedive into the lore of the 40k Universe which is a hobby and time consuming unto itself.
Robin Brooks has covered Games Workshop extensively on this site and I totally recommend reading all that he has to offer on this topic.
To be more specific I have chosen Necromunda as my preferred game for the 40k Universe. Necromunda appeals to me for several reasons:
- Small gangs over big armies make it more affordable
- Small gangs mean I don’t’ have to paint hundreds of minis
- I love the Post Apocalyptic aesthetic
That aesthetic is what led me to Warlayer. The Necromunda Box Set comes with terrain but not miles of terrain. As a true geek, I want the best post-apocalyptic/cyberpunk hive (cities in Necromunda are referred to as hives) as I can possibly get! My 3D printer also is beckoning me to create some cool stuff so there is my start point.
After searching the web for great low-cost solutions I landed on the Warlayer sample Packs provided by Andrew Aaskedall on Thingiverse. I wanted to see what I could first accomplish with the sample set.
I was able to build my outpost along with some great hallways and more with this Free Sample kit provided on Thingiverse. Being totally modular you can use this kit to create endless options and it all breaks down easily for transport.
The options are not limited to just these models! I also used the Free Warlayer Tower Kit to built some sweet towers to put anywhere on my game board. The tower kit offers two different heights to give you some options when building and some ladders to get from point A to point B
How Much and How long?
If you are already a seasoned 3D Printer the main questions on your lips may be as follows: How many can I print and how long will it take?
So I tried the sculpts in both FDM and Resin with wide and wild results.
Resin not expectantly was far faster since quantity did not effect build time. I was able to print 10 columns in roughly 6 hours. The FDM printer took One Day and Ten hours to print 20 columns.
Quality should normally be a no-brainier for the resin printer but an interesting issue came up. The slots used for the parts to connect printed far too thick forcing me to spend hours grinding them down with a dremmel to get them to slide together. Also, the thinner walls with only the braces had a tendency to snap when taking them off of the build plate so please print these with supports and a skate if you are using resin!
Price is a big loss for resin as each wall uses 30ml of resin which adds up when you are printing 3 walls at a time which drained the vat in my Photon two thirds or more with each print. But if you feel that buttery smooth walls without the blemish of PLA lines are a must then the cost may be a good trade-off. Since I am building these for a Post Apocalyptic world of ruins the lines are not only tolerated but are a feature.
What Else Do They Make?
Warlayer provides some amazing sculpts above and beyond their sample kits and at extremely affordable prices. I recommend the Orbital Navy Shipping Containers that cost an astounding 1.99
The Orbital Navy Heavy Lifter is just too awesome to pass up at $4.99
And the absolute coolest thing yet…by far…a must own is the Industrial Train Set for $5.99
Final Thoughts!
So if you are sitting there in quarantine wondering what to 3D print and paint to give yourself a little bit of enjoyment (Or a great deal of enjoyment) Ride the interwebs over to Warlayer or Thingiverse and give these great sculpts a try!
The thoughts expressed in this article are the writers own and not that of Warlayer or the editorial board.
