First Experience with the 3d printer
I have the Anycubic Mono 4K for about 1,5 months now and went through the first litres of resin. Therefore, I'd like to share my first experience with owning a 3d printer.
First of all, the choice of the printer and technology. I don't have the need to print whole armies in 28mm or larger things, it was always about bits and small-scale items. And with that need, FDM was out of the picture, because it wouldn't provide the level of detail that I wanted for those. Resin print was the option I was left with, but the challenges of where to run it and the initial costs.
I estimated roughly for the costs, that as long as my invested in 3d printing services wouldn't be higher than 500 EURs, investing in a printer of my own wouldn't pay off. And 500 EUR is a high threshold just for bits, but with 3 or 4 mid-sized army projects I would rapidly get there. From that point of view, going for two Epic armies and a few bits, I might just be below that. But we all know, once you have access to such a device, you're going to use it. So, that decision was made, that it would be cheaper and more flexible for me to own a printer for what I have in mind (but more on that later) - at least that was my assumption at that point.
Stargrave – Mercenaries
The third plastic kit from the initial Stargrave release are the SG003 Mercenaries. Probably the most colourful from the trio, and certainly worth a look. So, let's upon up this box.
Where the Troopers are the uniform wearing military force of a corporation or government, these mercenaries are coming along still as veterans of their trade, but a lot more specialised and unique. You get troops in once again heavy armour, but with more humanoid (and less humanoid) variation in terms of face and a wilder mix of their gear / weaponry.
Throwback to Salute 2012 in London
Another throwback! 10 Years ago, I went for my first trip to Salute and it was not just any Salute, it was their 40th anniversary.
This was during my time as editor-in-chief for a large German wargaming portal, and to cover all (or at least most) of the novelties, we put it in our schedule to fly to London, take a lot of pictures, talk to a lot of people and arrange for some review material to cover in the upcoming months.
Most of the shows I participated until then where local conventions, held in community centres or similar and the largest was the Crisis 2011 in Antwerp or Action 2011 in Rheindahlen at the British Army HQ. And people already told me, wait until you see Salute, it's huge! I knew the South London Warlords from their elaborate participation tables on other shows and was eager to find out for myself.
Frostgrave – Knights
One of the first boxes that came along with the second edition of Frostgrave was the new kit for Knights. But it covers a lot more than just knights, but let's take a closer look into this new plastic set.
Unlike the other troop kits, we have had so far, this just covers 10 models instead of 20, but the sprues and layout are similar to the latest male and female Wizards. You get two sprues of the new unit and a base sprue with 10 round bases with a 25mm diameter. The kit is 15 GBP instead of 20 GBP for the other plastic kits of 20 miniatures.
Stargrave – Trooper
The next two plastic kits for Stargrave after the crew are far more combat orientated, and we cover the SG002. To be honest, if you wouldn't know about Stargrave being a skirmish with role-play elements, you'd assume this is a generic Sci-Fi soldier kit.
The Troopers for Stargrave are an 28mm scaled multi-part plastic kit and has a RRP of 20 GBP for 20 miniatures. This kit is compatible with the other Stargrave kits of the Crew and Mercenaries. And its content is spread across four sprues of five miniatures each, along with two additional sprues covering the 25mm round bases.
Warhammer 40,000 – Battlezone: Fronteris – STC Hab-Bunker and Stockades
Let's look into the final plastic kit of the Nachmund bundle, the Fronteris STC Hab-Bunker and Stockades.
With a price tag of 65 EUR or 50 GBP (~60 EUR) it is the most expensive of the three "new" (the STC Hab-Bunker is a re-release from the Sector Fronteris) plastic kits from the extended Fronteris range. Like the others, the Hab-Bunker and Stockades don't cover the rules for Warhammer 40,000 with the instructions, but the terrain traits and additional Narrative Play abilities are part of the War Zone Nachmund: Vigilus Alone campaign supplement that is available separately for 42,50 EUR.
Warhammer 40,000 – Battlezone: Fronteris – Battlefield
The final piece from the Nachmund bundle is the Fronteris Battlefield for Warhammer 40,000.
At a price of 45 EUR or 35 GBP (~42 EUR) RRP, you receive two double sided battlefields made from card board. Each is measuring 30" by 22.4" (76cm x 56.8cm) and 1.5mm thick. These are the new measurements for Warhammer 40,000 games, not the classic 4 by 6 feet anymore.
Stargrave – Crew
As Stargrave was supported right away with three different plastic kits, there is no real "first" one - but we have to start somewhere, so we grab the Crew kit as it has the product number 001.
We have a 28mm scaled science-fiction kit, covering a total of 20 multi-part hard plastic miniatures for a RRP of 20 GBP. That goes for all of the three initial kits, the crew, the mercenaries and the troopers. The crew is the "core" of most warbands, not just armed up troops, but actually people who make up the crew of spaceship - thus the name.
The Crew box covers 4 sprues of 5 miniatures each, along with two stripes of 20 flat 25mm diameter round bases. Casting is properly done and on the same high level that you get from the Renedra, Plastic Soldier Miniatures or Warlord Games kits. Proper use of the available space, so you have a lot of options for the five bodies to add to, lots of heads, different arms and gear.
Warhammer 40,000 – Battlezone: Fronteris – Vox-Antenna and Auspex Shrine
Next individual review from the Nachmund bundle is the Vox-Antenna and Auspex Shrine.
Like the Fronteris Landing Pad, this is a 28mm scale terrain set has a RRP of 55 EUR or 42,50 GBP (~51 EUR). It covers two large sprues, each covering one of the items shown on the packaging. The assembly instructions don't cover a data sheet for the Vox-Antenna or Auspex Shrine, those rules (suggested terrain traits and additional narrative play abilities) are part of the War Zone Nachmund: Vigilus Alone campaign supplement that is available separately for 42,50 EUR.
Warhammer 40,000 – Battlezone: Fronteris – Landing Pad
As announced on Saturday with the Battlezone Fronteris Nachmund bundle for Warhammer 40k, we'll be covering its contents one by one, starting with the Landing Pad.
The boxed set with terrain in 28mm scale and has a RRP of 55 EUR or 42,50 GBP (~51 EUR). It consists of a large sprue and single casted piece for the topper. The instructions don't cover a data sheet for the terrain piece itself, those rules are part of the War Zone Nachmund: Vigilus Alone campaign supplement that is available separately for 42,50 EUR.
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