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So we did a thing. And then completely forgot to tell anyone about it.

Where have we been? When we set out on this journey in September 2022, we had 3 goals: Stabilisation and financial reporting Consolidation and organisation Build and grow We’re really happy to report that phases 1 and 2 worked, and we managed to do a bunch of behind the scenes stuff: Converted a US-based sole [...]

2022-11-29 Update Thanks to the support of all the creators who were impacted, 459/519 files have been restored so far. We’re responding to creator and customer emails as soon as we’re confident everything is back where it should be, so if you’ve contacted us over the past few days, you should be hearing from us [...]

Playable Prints, a new company, is taking ownership of MiniHoarder and Wargaming3D. Jon is still reachable, but correspondence regarding the sites will go directly to Piete and Steve of Playable Prints.

Building and Fielding an Italian Army in Bolt Action ** the contents of this article is solely the opinion of the author, and I alone am responsible for the opinions herein** Recently the Italian Army has received some overdue attention in miniature gaming. Italy has long relegated to the “Minor Axis power” corner of Bolt [...]

Some of you might have noticed a few products going up under the store name Wargaming3D Charity over the past week or so. You might have also noticed that these products were actually some of the work of our other incredible creators and asked yourself, “What’s this all about?” Wargaming3D Charity is the brainchild of [...]

At the beginning of January, I tried to order some miniatures in Great Britain. They arrived in Germany quite quickly but have now been stuck at customs for 5 months already. Seriously, we are completely cut off here! With my collaborator, we wanted to replay the great battles of the Punic Wars. Since we are [...]

As an Amazon Associate Wargaming3D.com will earn from qualifying purchases. Back in the Before Times I wrote up an article outlining my trepidatious journey into resin printing. That article, a Worrywarts Hesitant Plunge into the Resin Pool, outlining how I quickly lost my inhibitions about resin printing and consider it a perfect partner for my [...]

With the upcoming release of Warlord Games “Epic Scale” version of Black Power ACW (and the excellent freebies on the front of last months issue of Wargames Illustrated) there has been a renewed interest in ACW, especially the idea of 3D printing ACW forces. This combined with my recent Christmas day hike of the Manassas [...]

Kiss goodbye to 2020, say hello to 2021 2020 has been a rough year for us all, when COVID-19 hit, our FLGS went into lockdown for a few months, we haven’t seen our gaming buddies for close to 10 months, and we spent most of the first few months printing face shields for local first [...]

I started 3d printing for my wargaming in January 2018; way back then FDM the home hobbyists’ tool of choice was an FDM, or filament, 3d printer. That soon changed as inexpensive SLA resin printers came to the market – the Anycubic Photon and the Elegoo Mars leading the charge. These printers gained wide acceptance [...]

Find out how to quickly and easily add an analogue ammeter to a K40 laser and prevent yourself from overpowering your laser.

Hidden Units in Bolt Action – Maybe there is a better way…. A modest proposal and some free .stls   The rules for Warlord Games “Bolt Action” are purposely designed to ensure a rapid pace of play, and some aspects of realism is forfeited to that end. For the most part this balancing act works [...]

The Little Engine that could… pack some hurt! Armoured Trains in Bolt Action   Recently I posted an article on the tactical use of railways in military warfare in general, and specifically in WW2. I noted that as soon as railways came into widespread use, their military application was realized. Not long after that the [...]

‘I hear the train a comin’ It’s rollin’ ’round the bend…” (with apologies to the late, great Johnny Cash) Printing and Using Railways in Bolt Action As soon as railways were widely introduced in the mid-19th century, progressive Armies soon saw the advantage of employing them for both strategic and tactical purposes. The logistical benefit [...]

I never took any interest in Naval Wargaming until Warlord Games released Cruel Seas (an excellent, if poorly proofread beer and pretzels type game focusing on the smaller ships battling it out on the coast during World War Two in 1/300 scale, you can read our 3D printing guide here). Following on from this success, [...]

Author Wargaming3D View all posts

Author Wargaming3D View all posts

Author Wargaming3D View all posts

Author Wargaming3D View all posts

When you have an army to paint, time can be the enemy. Let's look at several speed painting schemes for different WWII miniatures.

From Wikipedia: The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack (or Virginia) or the Battle of Ironclads, was a famous and arguably most important naval battle of the American Civil War. It was fought over two days, March 8–9, 1862, in Hampton Roads, a roadstead in Virginia where the Elizabeth and Nansemond rivers meet the James River just before it enters Chesapeake Bayadjacent to the city of Norfolk. The [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

I’ve been putting together a 15mm ANZAC Force for Battlefront’s Nam, and keeping an eye on the unofficial “Bolt Action Vietnam” Facebook group and the free miniature at Historicon (yes, sometimes it takes just one free mini to get me to collect and army) has got me thinking about gaming the Vietnam war in 28mm [...]

As I live just outside of Washington DC, I’ve been meaning to go to a large convention like Historicon for some time, so on Saturday I got up nice and early and drove the two hours north from Alexandria, Virginia to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to take a look at Historicon and get an idea of how [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author Wargaming3D View all posts

Article by VJM787, you can find his store in the marketplace here, or his page on thingiverse here. In starting a section on this site for 20mm war games and models, the old chestnut of 1:72 or 1:76 for vehicle models emerged. This is worth revisiting in the context of 3D printing, and the decision [...]

Another great video from Little Wars TV: Once you take the plunge and buy a 3D printer and find some STL files you like, you’ll want to master the basic printer settings. In part four of this introductory series, Steve zeroes in on the most important settings you need to know for getting a good [...]

Most of our focus so far on Wargaming3D.com has been around printing large items like WW2 AFVs and terrain, but what are some other things you should consider 3D printing for miniature wargaming, regardless of the scale? One thing I’ve found myself printing a lot of recently is accessories and “greebles” on both my FDM [...]

Recently, one of our customers – Hendrik De Coster had this crazy idea to take the 1/300 file for a kriegsfischkutter designed by Black Hussar Miniatures and upscale it to create a 1/56 resin printed version. We thought he was crazy, then he sent the photos of the results. We asked him to provide a [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Once again, Little Wars TV puts out a great video on 3D printing for historical wargaming with a guide on some of the more well known sites (yes, they missed us out, but I’m told we may feature on a future episode), you can check out the full show here: Make sure you tell them [...]

Little Wars TV just released another great video in their series of 3D Printing for Wargamers that works really well alongside Deweycat’s seriest of 3D Printing 101 articles, we suggest you check it out below: Author Wargaming3D View all posts

The team over at Little Wars TV have started a great series focusing on 3D Printing for Historical Wargaming, which you can check out below. We like these videos so much that we’ll be sharing each and every one as they come out. They are ideal for folks who are starting out in 3D printing, [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Heading down the Wargaming Roadway…   Terrain on a gaming table can’t affect your dice rolls and it won’t prevent you from forgetting that your opponent’s shrek team was on “ambush’ as you advance your T-34, but it can greatly improve your gaming experience. Terrain is most often thought of in terms of buildings, trees, [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

The Italian SPA Autoprotetto S37 The FIAT SPA S37 Auroprotetto (“self-protected”) was developed in 1941 on the chassis of the FIAT TL37 light artillery tractor. After some trials by FIAT, the Regio Esercito (Italian Royal Army) ordered 150 vehicles in 1942. This lightly armored vehicle was used primarily for police and law enforcement missions, especially [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

The following is a modification of the scenario “Supply Drop” which was put out by Warlord games on line a few months ago. I have play tested it and tweaked it to remove some ambiguity in the original scenario and playability. I also have designed an .stl of an objective marker ideal not just for [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

So you’ve got the basics down, you’ve either got a 3D printer or are thinking of purchasing one. Now you are going to need to find something to actually print. This means you are going to need to track down some .STL files that match your needs. You’ll then turn them into .gcode files if [...]

Recently I’ve been asked what it costs to print a model in FDM vs Printing it in Resin, as well as printing a hollowed vs solid model. Lots of prices get thrown around, but I haven’t really dug into how much it costs me in raw materials. So I thought I’d take a look at it and break down some of the costs. Please note that this doesn’t take into account power usage, wear and tear etc, as that will depend on printer, and the cost of power where you are locally, but it should at least give you a rough comparison.

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

A call to (standardized) arms for 1/300 naval ships.

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Owning a 3D printer can make wargaming more affordable, but for many folks just buying 3D printed models is a great option as well.

Here's the ultimate Wargaming3D Guide for printing 1/300 ships for WWII Coastal Naval Battles!

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

I grew up in New Zealand and went to the South Auckland Miniature Wargames Club as a child when Flames of War was being playtested, but due to my collection at the time being 20mm, I ended up playing Rapid Fire. It took me about 15-20 years to actually get around to creating an army. It started last year when I picked up a box of Plastic Soldier Company 15mm figures with the intention of 3D printing tanks using my Monoprice Maker Select V2, which I never go around to, due to not liking the print quality at such a small scale.

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Nicholas Astrov's design team at Moscow Factory No. 37 was assigned the task of designing amphibious and non-amphibious scout tanks in 1938. They produced the T-30A and T-30B prototypes. The former was to be manufactured as the T-40 amphibious tank starting in 1940. It also led to the T-40S (sukhoputniy, "dry-land" version), a heavier tank prototype which was considered too complex to manufacture. The T-30B prototype, sharing the T-40's chassis but simpler in construction and with heavier armour, was accepted as the T-60 scout tank, and production began in July 1941, just after the German invasion.

Where an idiot describes all his screw ups on his adventures in 3D printing in resin, and how to avoid them when you finally take the plunge!

The Bob Semple was one of the first AFV's I printed. Here is some background on New Zealand's "Bulldozer" tank, where to find the files, and how to use it in Bolt Action.

New Zealand produced two homegrown tanks, the Schofield and Bob Semple, neither of which saw combat. This post will provide background, files for 3d printing, and rules for Bolt Action so you can use a Schofield in Home Guard themed games.

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Regular contributor to Wargaming3D.com Deweycat just dropped a bunch of original and remix files up on his Thingiverse and CGTrader accounts respectively including: A Marmon Herrington AC, a Citroen car, a 25 pounder and more!

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Learn how to setup Octoprint/Octopi on your FDM printer so you can print and monitor your wargaming models remotely via network using your phone or laptop.

Author deweycat I feel that I am an 12 year old boy trapped in the body of a much older man, and I am an enthusiast for tabletop miniature gaming as well as 3D design of AFVs and wargaming terrain pieces. I assure my spouse that it is all still cheaper than buying a Harley [...]

Right now, most of us who are 3D printing WW2 28mm vehicles are using FDM printers, which aren't detailed enough to print miniatures and high detail items like crew and small accessories. With the advent of sub $1000 resin printers like those available from Anycubic, Wanhao and Creality, this is likely to change, expect to see high quality crew pop up on sites like shapeways, or even files to print on thingiverse. For now though, most of us will have to settle with either converting plastic models or using models created especially to use as crew from manufacturers such as Company B, Perry, Rubicon, Warlord Games, Victory Force, Gaddis Gaming, Stoessi's Heroes, Die Waffenkammer and more.

We all want to find the right balance of value and quality, but I tend to want to tip the scale to quality. The adage of “penny wise, pound foolish” is one you will want to keep in mind. Saving $80 by skipping on the heated build plate may seem logical until you realize your prints are consistently failing to seat on the plate. I have an acquaintance who bought a new entry level economy car and skipped the air conditioning option, which when combined with the mandatory “environmental” tax on that option, runs to an additional $1800 or so. At the dealership sales desk the decision made sense. But when you are stuck in traffic in August with an outside Humidex reading of 42C the logic of that choice may be less solid. Add in the reduced value on the resale market. The same rationale applies to 3D printers. So please don’t sell yourself short when choosing quality over price.

With the release of the Bolt Action: Western Desert campaign book by warlord games, many of our local gaming groups have been focused on North Africa, and I've been busy printing off Long Range Desert Group Trucks and Jeeps lately. Of course for a decent game, you need a good looking table, and if you are printing vehciles, then you are set up to print great looking terrain pieces as well.

As I wrote in the introductory article, I would like to start this series by explaining what your options will be, should you choose to venture into 3D printing at home. I will review what you will be looking at to get set up into the hobby. Most of the cost, in the monetary sense, will be up front. The second cost will be time. That may be a bigger issue. But l will get back to that in a future article. For now, let’s, as they say, start at the beginning.

Prolific 3D Printing model designer TigerAce1945 (whom we interviewed a few days ago), just dropped a great new pack of .stl files on free 3D printing file site Thingiverse.

I have been invited to write a few posts regarding 3D printing in the miniature wargaming world. While my experience is mostly within the 28mm WW2 genre (essentially Bolt Action but this is also applicable for Chain of Command and other similar games), the same concepts carry over into other scales and time periods.

Author Wargaming3D View all posts

Here is a (as) complete (as possible) list of all the vehicles used by New Zealand during WWII in North Africa, Greece, Italy and the Pacific, along with all currently available sources of STL files. Enjoy.

Learn how to rescale your wargaming STL files to any scale you want, quickly and easily with this simple guide to scaling 3D prints for wargamers.