The last time I asked for new blog topics, Brian Sterma suggested a spotlight on my favorite sculptors for 3D printable tabletop figures. So I set out to do that several months ago and finally settled on the following design studios (in no particular order): Goon Master Games, CobraMode Miniatures, Print Your Monsters, Heroes & Beasts, Flesh of Gods, and Manuel Boria. There are many more really good sculptors out there but for the purpose of this post I had to limit the number I could cover.
Once I decided on the sculptors to feature, I wanted to find a model for each that was not only typical of their individual style but also larger than the typical 28 mm figure. I was lucky to find several dioramas/multifigure models as well as a couple of larger-than-life single figures. I purchased most of the 3D prints through Etsy or other online stores, but a couple were from STLs purchased from MyMiniFactory and printed by Greg. I typically paint figures that would be classified as Fantasy. I rarely do hard-core, sci-fi space marine things, so even though I looked at some good sculptors in that genre, I could not get excited enough to include them here.
All of the models shown in this post were primed in matte black and painted primarily with Turbo Dork colors supplemented with Army Painter Warpaints and accented with washes. I have been known to use shiny paint on all sorts of surfaces, but I draw the line at skin and wood. Lastly, I sprayed everything lightly with Dullcote to take the shine down a bit before photographing them in natural light.
Goon Master:
Goon Master Games has been a long-time favorite of mine and Turbo Dork in general. The Ice Golem swatches, displayed on the website and at conventions, are a Goon Master design. In addition, have painted a number of their models as examples for product pages and Learning Center materials.
Goon Master minis are detailed, highly stylized, yet whimsical. Many of their figures, as those shown in the diorama (Aztec Temple depicting a battle between pigs and chameleons) below, are quirky anthropomorphic animals known as "critterfolk". In addition, Goon Master is a great source for unique basing bits and scatter terrain pieces such as lawn flamingos or garden vegetables.
Paints:
Pigs - Silver Fox/Tin Star/Six Shooter (armor), Dork/Maguro/Death By (clothing)
Chameleons - Absinthe/Curacao (skin), Death By/Bullion/Shifting Sands (clothing)
Temple - Da Ba Dee/Redrum/Cartridge Family (design)
CobraMode:
I have long admired the figures from CobraMode Miniatures. However, I only purchased and painted one fairly recently. I love the highly stylized look of these East Asian-influenced animal kin and mythological characters. You will not be disappointed in the detailed nature and high quality of CobraMode figures.
The figure shown below (Summos Jow Kyoka, The Fisherfolk) displays the fanciful yet artistic approach their hybrid-animal figures display. This figure is a perfect example of the serene, slow-paced vibe characteristic of CobraMode works.
Paints:
Turtle - Grave Robber/Death By/Gordian Knot (body), Dark Net (shell), Black Ice/Death By (claws)
Fisherfolk - Gordian Knot/Afterburner (skin), Appleseed (fins)
Accessories - Multipass/Appleseed (carrot), Cool Ranch/Maguro/Box Wine/People Eater/Black Ice/Six Shooter/Silver Fox/Tin Star (equipment)
Print Your Monsters:
Print Your Monsters produces a large number of dark fantasy and mythological creatures, including a host of carnivorous plants such as the one I featured in Feed Me, Greg! In addition, a variety of scatter terrain pieces from different locations (jungle, swamp, frozen, alien) are available under the name of Fantastic Plants and Rocks. I used several of these pieces in the underwater diorama that I posted a while back.
The models are action-oriented and often menacing, though I find many of them to border on being cartoonish, in a good way. The photos below show examples of an almost smiling Leviathan and a variety of fanciful scatter pieces.
Paints:
Leviathan - Cool Ranch/Gordian Knot (body), Cool Ranch/Curacao (gills), Shifting Sands (belly), Death By/All That Glitters (highlights on suckers), Red Queen (face)
Base - Da Ba Dee
Scatter Pieces - Hotline/Turbo (tube plants), Bouillon/Spicy Meatball (clam shells)
Heroes and Beasts:
Heroes and Beasts miniatures are known for their strong characters and fine craftsmanship, often created using traditional-inspired clay sculpting techniques. I have long been impressed with the range of these models, from conventional fantasy characters and classic monsters to sci-fi and steampunk. In addition, you can get customized minis or purchase “SwapMini” components, which are composed of interchangeable magnetic parts. I cannot wait to try to paint some of the goblins I have recently discovered.
The group of models shown in the photo below (Book Store Owner) is one of the Heroes and Beasts NPC Townspeople collection themes. You can populate a whole village with these characters, from artisans to laborers to entertainers and more.
Paints:
Dress - Forrest Flux
Glasses - Scarab
Books/Bottles - Black Ice/Cool Ranch/DaBaDee/Death By/Dork/Gold Rush/Gordian Knot/Redrum/Silver Fox/Spicy Meatball/Two Cents
Flesh of Gods:
When I first realized I could buy 3D printed models, I found Flesh of Gods almost immediately. It stood out as producing figures with sharper details and more intricate textures than anything else available at the time. Flesh of Gods models are always described as representing grimdark fantasy, which did not exactly match my tendency to go for whimsy rather than dark horror. However, I was struck by the imagination that went into every piece and immediately bought more than I should have. Over the years, I have painted up quite a few as gifts for friends and still have a few tucked away in my drawer of gray shame for the future.
Roark, Dragonborn Scholar, as shown in the photos below, was the perfect foil for Turbo Dork paints. Of course, dragon skin is shiny, and so are silks and satins. Besides, it was an ode to a friend who once spent a night with a dragonborn bartender.
Paints:
Ring - Redrum
Body - Afterburner
Highlight on skin - Bullion/All That Glitters
Scales/nails - Death By
Coat - Cyberia/People Eater
Pants - Black Ice/Six Shooter
Necklace - Cool Ranch over Tin Star
Belt - Black Ice/Tin Star
Scrolls - Shifting Sands
Books - Cool Ranch/Red Queen/Life on Mars/People Eater
Manuel Boria:
The work of Manual Boria is a fairly recent discovery for me. I ran into his baby monsters (which are nothing but cute) and have several ready to be painted for the next Turbo Dork release of new colors. Other pieces by Manuel Boria include Carnival Grotesque dark-fantasy performers, beast-folk like the Ratkin, and a series of knights and cultists. All Manuel Boria models have dramatic poses and strong silhouettes.
One can immediately identify a Manuel Boria when looking at a new figure. I can only describe the style as "sweeping". The lines are all smooth and expansive, as with the Herd Goliath shown in the photos below. It turns out all the skin on this humanoid was a great foil for the pops of color generated using various Metallics and TurboShifts.
Paints:
Column - Shifting Sands
Loincloth - Let Them Eat Cake/Cool Ranch
Material over the knee - Dream On
Back pouch - Cool Ranch
Circle medallions - Redrum
Miscellaneous metals - All That Glitters/Gold Rush/Cartridge Family/Two Cents
Small pieces of armor - Tin Star/Silver Fox/Six Shooter
Leather ankle/arm pieces - Box Wine over Death By
Crossbow - Box Wind with Redrum
Skulls - Pearly Gate mixed with Death By
Ropes - Death By
Straps - Black Ice
Conclusions:
I hope you have been inspired you to try painting a fantasy figure or two from one of these truly wonderful design studios. If not, then there are many more really good sculptors out there waiting for you to discover them.