For my new TTRPG campaign coming up, I plan on using miniatures heavily. It’s a fantasy campaign (but not D&D) and I want to make an immersive experience. I’ve also been trying to improve my 3d printing and painting skills. At the start of this month I subscribed to Loot Studios.
The Models
I’m very impressed with both the quantity and quality of models that Loot Studios gives. This month the fantasy pack came with six characters, eight monsters, an enormous arena, a lot of scatter objects, four busts, and a life size sword prop.
The models come in both unsupported and presupported versions. I like the presupported models because they save a lot of time. However I find the supports were not optimally placed. There were many places where the supports connect back to the model rather than to the base of the build plate. There were others where they could have put the support on a nonvisible surface but instead put it on the face. A few supports were too close to the model.
In the future, I’ll probably still use the presupported models unless it’s a character I really care about. Then I might go through and adjust the supports myself.
My Prints
I printed eight models total. This was about half of the set. Some I have immediate use for, and some I don’t know what I’ll do with.
Probably the biggest drawback of Loot Studios is that you end up with whatever the theme of the month is rather than picking through and buying the models you want. They do release most, but not all, of their models on My Mini Factory. Also, if you subscribe to them you get a discount on their past models and you can purchase previous bundles.
I played with a few different things when painting. I switched between Phrozen 4k water washable resin and Elegoo Plant based resin. I found the Elegoo to be stiffer and it took the primer I use better. Once I’ve finished off the Phrozen resin I have, I think I’ll switch to the Elegoo.
Paints
I played with a few different paints. I bought some contrast paints from the local game store and I’m very impressed. In fact, this model has nothing except primer and contrast paint. I did finish it off with a few other colors, but the speed and ease of the contrast paints has me sold on them.
The other thing I focused on was getting the models to “ready to play” and not feeling like I had to make them perfect. I have a friend who makes beautiful models that I would put on a shelf. For me, these are enjoyable to paint but I want to primarily use them in game. So I’ve been focusing on keeping my expectations at the right level. Any of these, when viewed from 3 feet away is perfectly good for play.
Cost
The Loot Studios bundle cost $15 and I probably spent about $5 or so in print material. Getting 8 evocative minis for $20 is a great deal, but I doubt I’ll be able to print and paint so many within a month in the future. I suspect it’s probably closer to 2-3 per month.
Last thoughts
I feel like Loot Studios is worth what they’re charging. I also recognize there is no way I can keep up with the amount of models they give out. The models are high quality. I’d like to print a bust or two at some point.