3d Printed Superhero Minis

Way back in October when I posted the first article in this series, I’d planned on writing up this page as Part 2 within a week or so after that. It’s been a long time coming, though, mainly because there’s a weird sort of simultaneous embarrassment-of-riches / plague-of-paucity dichotomy that I’ve struggled with every time I’ve sat down to work on this.

Do I provide information on actual 3d printing processes and products for those who are considering a purchase? (Answer: No. It’s a big subject in a fast-evolving marketplace and there are whole sites and YouTube channels dedicated to it. It deserves more than a single write-up and could be completely out of date in a few months’ time.) Do I include the build-your-own-mini services even though they’re mostly geared toward fantasy figures? (Answer: Yep.) Do I cover the large numbers of Patreon accounts where 3d designers sell packs of themed STL files for printing, and if so what’s the threshold for inclusion? (Answers: Kind of, and see below.)

Because of the flexibility of the superhero genre, there are vast numbers of printable minis that can easily fit into a supers campaign. Fantasy, science fiction, cyberpunk, even western or military themed characters can have their places. But if what you’re really looking for is some capes-and-spandex characters, as of this writing you’re going to have a pretty tough time finding anything that’s not a fan-made copy of a famous existing comic character. For all the availability of minis patterned after traditional comic book denizens, it’s still difficult to get away from, “Oh, you painted Batman purple!” when you set that mini for your very own Captain Periwinkle PC onto the table on game night.

Keep in mind that I’m largely going to be talking here about the availability of downloadable STL files that you can print at home or give to a 3d printer owner or service for printing. The variety of 3d print services available (often through the sources listed below) are beyond the scope of this article.

The Freebies

While the various marketplaces listed below often include some mini designs that can be downloaded for free, the behemoth of free STL files is Thingiverse. Granted, it’s slow and clunky, and the quality of available files varies widely, but the up side is that there is just. So. Much. Stuff.

An example recent search for the term “superhero miniature” reveals a sampling of the kinds of things that are available there. Searches on specific characters will often turn up busts and figurines as well.

Minis found here will often be inconsistent in scale (and resizing before print can create too-thin areas or expose flaws), and sometimes have seen limited testing for actual print… but for all its flaws it’s still a great source if you find something that works.

The Marketplaces

A number of marketplaces exist where creators can give away or sell their creations individually or in bundles. MyMiniFactory is the best known of these; it doesn’t rival Thingiverse in size and variety, but there seems to be a little bit more in terms of getting away from the focus on existing copyrighted characters.

Gumroad and Cults3d, and CGTrader are other sites similar to MyMiniFactory, allowing creators to distribute and sell their work. The newest such site is called MiniHoarder.

All of these are worth checking out!

Search Engines

While not serving 3d objects themselves, there are a number of sites that specialize in searches across multiple STL providers. Yeggi and STLFinder are the best known of these.

Custom Mini Builders

A number of sites are available now which allow users to design their own minis by choosing from collections of predefined body shapes, limbs, faces, outfit parts, weapons, poses, etc. Once satisfied with a selection, the user can purchase the STL for download or order a printed version directly, often from a list of multiple different materials.

All of these are slanted toward fantasy minis, but all also have some modern and sci-fi elements. All could stand to have some more supers-ish costume options, but there are a lot of possibilities to work with as they are.

Hero Forge is the best known of these and probably the one with most extensive costume options. Its other claim to fame is that if you plan to purchase a printed mini from them, you can colorize it on their site and order a full-color version (at a considerable price premium).

Purchasing a basic STL from Hero Forge costs $7.99 at this time. Printed models go up from there depending on material, size, etc.

Eldritch Foundry is newer and not as feature-rich as Hero Forge but also a good alternative with its own collection of artwork. Downloadable STLs cost $3.99.

Another option is Desktop Hero 3D, which takes a slightly different approach than its competitors. Instead of selling individual STLs, downloads are free but they’ll sell asset packs to give you more character options beyond a basic selection of free ones. Though the packs range from $25 to $35 in price, they’re a cost-effective option if you plan to create a lot of minis sharing a common theme. For instance, if you want a bunch of minions who are unique but similarly outfitted, this may be the way to go vs. multiple single STL purchases. For instance, the Sci Fi asset pack at $35 could be used to create a group of power-armor troopers in various poses, with variations in poses, weaponry, faces, etc. – and you never have to repurchase those assets for future minis that might use them.

Kickstarter and Patreon

Over the last few years 3d printer ownership has become common enough that many talented modelers have taken to Kickstarter initiatives and Patreon accounts to create printable models as side incomes or even full-time jobs.

A brief and possibly oversimplified summary of the difference between the two, for those who may not be familiar, is that Kickstarter involves pledging to pay a fixed amount on some specified completion date for a set of products to be delivered shortly after the completion date. Patreon, by contrast, is a monthly subscription to some set of products or services. Both have some risk involved, but much of this can be mitigated by only paying into Kickstarters run by people who have fulfilled other KS projects in the past and Patreon creators who have a history of delivering on their promises.

I’ve participated in two successful KS pledges that netted me together probably over 100 STL files with very nice detail for well under $1 per STL. Patreon accounts let you subscribe for as little as a month, so I’ve probably contributed to a dozen or more of them for 2-3 months at a time, and I keep tabs on those and others to see what themes they have coming up that might interest me. Most of them have some form of “Starter Pack” that becomes available in your first subscription month, meaning you get even more value for the initial purchase.

Kickstarters come and go, and there are a lot of ongoing mini-centric Patreon projects, so I’ve spent quite a bit of time debating how to proceed with creating a listing here. What I’ve decided is to post a separate comment on this page for each, starting with the list I currently have (to be added gradually) over the next week or so and updated on an as-needed basis. Criteria for inclusion will look something like this:

• The project/subscription must feature substantial content based on printable gaming miniatures. Terrain, game rules, etc. are sometimes included in projects, but they’re not what this page is about.
• For brevity, Fantasy-only projects will not be included. I hate to do it because I love the genre, but a) fantasy themed minis are far easier to find than any other kind, so I want to focus elsewhere, and b) there are just so many to keep track of!
• Projects that focus on or include some genre (besides fantasy) that also fits well into a supers setting will be included.
• Minis must be scaled for 28mm to 35mm print. (Yes, 35 is a little big for the games I play, but it’s the scale all the (adult) kids are using these days in them thar newfangled supers skirmish games.)
• For Patreon pages, there must have been releases in the three months prior to the month they are added to the list OR the creators on a recent hiatus must have a record of regular releases and must have suspended payment collection during time away.
• If something violates the criteria but seems really cool, I might just add it anyway.

I probably won’t actually show user comments on this page, but I will see them if submitted; so if you know of a relevant site or KS/Patreon that’s new or that I’ve simply missed, feel free to enter a comment below and I’ll research them for possible addition here.