Hey gang, I’m back with a new horde of excellent models for historical 3D printing enthusiasts. These models represent a sample of the best historical 3D printing releases for the Summer 2023 and several that are coming soon.
Wherever possible I’ve completed test prints to share how the finished product comes out. My test prints use presupports when they’re available. I’ve also grouped them by category so you can skip straight to the section you’re interested in!
Ancient
Sons of Mars – by Resin Warfare [Frontiers] [Myminifactory]
Resin Warfare has moved from fantasy to historicals with their release of a Frontier campaign (myminifactory.com’s version of a kickstarter) for Romans in 28mm. Their campaign is quite large, with over $300 minis included.
The campaign covers minis from the Republic, Late Republic, Imperial, and Late Imperial eras – with lots of auxiliaries included throughout. The campaign has ended, however it appears backers can still buy in from the Frontiers link, or buy individual model sets from their store page.
Test Print: As a test print, I went with a Republic-era Slinger. Both the body and hand with sling printed without issue. I didn’t use the pre-supports, as I wanted to scale them down a little bit to fit with my existing ancient ranges.
Medieval
Reconquer Designs [Myminifactory] [Patreon]
Reconquer Designs (Previously Caballero) is specifically focused on the Reconquista period in Medieval Iberia. Each month patreons receive about a dozen models scaled for 15mm and 28mm. The miniatures themselves are extremely well sculpted, with their best feature being how dynamically sculpted they are. No stiff or awkward poses here – each model appears paused mid-action.
August’s Patreon release comes with the following:
- Charging Castilian Knights
- Castilian Royal Standard Bearer
- King Alfonso VIII
- Shepard with Mastiffs
September has only been partially announced, but promises female warriors of the Order of the Hatchet.
Reconquer’s models are perhaps the best Medieval wargaming minis on the market. If this period of history interests you, then I highly recommend checking them out.
Print Test: For this test print I went with something simple and printed out a Mastiff from August’s release. I used the presupports. Everything printed okay, but one paw did break off while after cleaning while trying to remove him from supports. I’ve printed Reconquer in the past and they normally print easily. For this particular model, I think the paws could probably be enlarged to strengthen them a bit.
Medbury Miniatures – [Myminifactory] [Patreon]
Medbury Miniatures offers an impressive collection of Medieval era models, primarily focusing on Western Europe. They have recently completed their Medieval run and have switched to the Dark Ages.
August’s historical release contains 12 Dark Ages skirmishers, armed with javelins and bows.
Print Test: I printed a javelin skirmisher from the August release. All of my Medbury test prints have come out great, and this was no exception. I used the presupports, but opted to print him bare-handed as I didn’t want to deal with weapons and shields yet.
World War II
The Last Charge Kickstarter – by Propylene Foliescu [Kickstarter]
Propylene is, in my opinion, the best WW2 sculptor around right now – putting out models that put many physical miniature companies to shame. His latest kickstarter project features WW2 German cavalry in winter gear, along with an array of stretchgoals.
The kickstarter just ended, with all stretch goals are unlocked. For $37 backers could get practically an entire WW2 winter German force. It is unknown if late backers will be accepted yet. Having backed his projects before, I can attest to how nice his sculpts are.
Black Death – by Flank March Miniatures [Kickstarter] [Wargaming 3D]
3D printers have been absolutely spoiled for great WW2 content recently, and newcomer Flank March Miniatures have helped with that, releasing an entire Soviet Naval Infantry army on kickstarter. The range comes with both infantry and support weapons, equipped with a variety of uniforms and weapons.
The kickstarter has ended, but all the currently finished models can be bought individually through Wargaming3D. The models are nicely sculpted and posed and a welcome addition to the growing WW2 selection available for 3D printing enthusiasts.
Test Print: I opted for a very nicely sculpted Naval Infantry Sniper for this test print. The model looks lovely once printed, however I used the presupports and they just weren’t strong enough. A couple wispy strands detached during printing, and part of the cape misprinted due to that. Likely I will manually support these models going forward.
Operation Plunder – by RKX Miniatures [Kickstarter] [Website]
RKX Miniatures has followed up their successful Hurtgen Forest kickstarter with another relatively obscure piece of WW2 history. This kickstarter focuses on Operation Plunder, offering Canadian infantry and vehicles from the 1945 campaign.
The kickstarter has ended, with a ton of stretch goals added. Models are currently in production and will be available via their website once the kickstarter has been fulfilled.
Test Print: I printed the free presupported sample model from this campaign, who is a heavily-laden Canadian with a Bren gun. The model printed nicely, with lots of protruding parts all printing successfully. I did break a bit off the model’s helmet while trying to remove some of the small connecting supports, however.
Colonel Muller Miniatures [Wargaming 3D]
Colonel Muller Miniatures is a newcomer on the 3D printing scene but has made a big splash with his excellent WW2 French models, which he seems to be releasing at a prodigious rate. The models mostly focus on 1940 French units, including some relatively obscure ones.
Windham Graves [Patreon] [Thingiverse]
Windham Graves is unique, in that everything he creates is eventually released for free on thingiverse. However, for those who want early access to his models and a chance to vote on what he creates next, subscriptions on his patreon are available. Models range from scenic items, to vehicles, to tanks – with an emphasis on WW2 AFV’s.
His august releases includes:
- URAL 4320
- Huey UH-1H
- 1930 Cadillac Fleetwood
- Unimog 404/406
- Ford GTB Burma Jeep
- Horch 901
Eskice Miniatures – [Myminifactory] [Patreon]
Eskice Miniatures by French sculptor Aron offers 28mm historical models from a variety of different eras. His models are stylized, and definitely scaled heroically. The large heads and hands are perhaps even beyond Warlord Games’ exaggerated proportions. This can be a turnoff for some, but for ease of printing and painting can be advantageous. If you like the proportions of the models, Eskice is great value for your money, particularly for WW2 enthusiasts – with $9 getting you multiple packs of models each month.
His August Patreon/Tribes release comes with the following:
- WW2 Slovak soldiers (conveniently timed for the release of the Campaign: Case Blue Bolt Action book coming out in September!)
- Panther tank
- WW2 US Marines
- Griffon Multi Role Armored Vehicle
- Hippos
Utility Vehicles – by Wargames3D [Kickstarter] [Website]
The quest to model every piece of equipment produced during WW2 continues. Here, Wargames3D has put out a new kickstarter focusing on a variety of utility vehicles. This includes: The Panzerwefer, Studebaker truck, Katyusha, Matador Tractor, Breda Artillery Tractor, Scammell Pioneer Transporter, Schlepper, Carden-Loyd Mark VI, Opel Maultier, 3-Ton Truck, 76mm F-22 Gun, 88m Pak-43, 85mm AA Gun, and a 128MM Pak-44.
For $38 this kickstarter offers a ton of unusual vehicles. I imagine they’ll also be available for individual purchase once the kickstarter ends. The kickstarter runs until August 30th.
Horse & Musket
Wargames Atlantic [Myminifactory]
Wargames Atlantic is probably the best bang for your buck for historical wargamers who have a wide range of interests. You get 11 releases each month, one for each of their ranges. A couple are sci-fi or fantasy, but the majority are historical – ranging from ancients to WW2.
For August the theme is “Dregs & Skirmishers”. As of the date of publishing these hadn’t been released yet. Previews included:
- WW1 Indian Cavalry
- Female Napoleonic infantry
- Boshin war infantry
- WW2 Chinese
This is probably my favorite 3D printing subscription. Every month I get a very eclectic bunch of models, but always something that pleasantly surprises me. The main thing I like about it is how often they make obscure models that no one else makes. One downside is they are often behind on their releases. For example, it wasn’t until mid-August that all of July was available to subscribers.
Print Test: Since the August release hadn’t been sent out at the time of this article I went ahead and printed a presupported German Seebataillon model from a previous month instead. Everything printed great, including the head which I printed separately but did not photograph.
Kozak [Wargaming 3D]
Kozak continues to put out regular releases for his two main ranges: WW2 and Napoleonics. Natively scaled to 20mm, the artist’s sculpts can also be scaled down to 15mm or up to 28mm, as desired. Recent releases consist of Russian Jagers and WW2 British SAS Raiders.
Test Print: I printed a free sample SAS Raider model from Kozak. The model was natively scaled to 20mm and I upscaled him to 28mm so I could compare him to other 28mm models. He printed quite well at 28mm, although was a bit skinny as most 20mm models are when upscaled.
MC Miniatures [Wargaming 3D]
If you’re looking for anything Napoleonic, chances are MC Miniatures has what you’re looking for. With an astounding 600+ releases on Wargaming 3D, MC Miniatures has just about every conceivable Napoleonic model at the ready. This includes obscure forces like the newly released Piedmontese army. Models are generally available in two scales: 28mm and 15mm.
Henry Turner [Wargaming 3D] [Website] [Patreon] [Kickstarter]
For wargamers who like their minis absolutely tiny, Henry Turner has you covered. The master at 6mm sculpting, Henry Turner offers everything from Napoleonics, to WW1, to moderns. Scales generally range from 6mm to 15mm. He also boasts a large selection of 1:1200 Age of Sail ships as well. Currently he has a kickstarter running for 6-15mm Waterloo Napoleonic miniatures.
Test Print: For Henry Turner I printed a free British infantry sample from their Waterloo kickstarter. When looking at the 3D model I was a little put off by the bobble-head look of the model, however once printed I really came around to it. The model printed right on the plate, with no supports needed. Despite being 6mm it printed great and looks awesome for how tiny it is.
War Bear/Madox – [Patreon] [Wargaming3D] [Myminifactory]
This studio has two product lines – a Horse & Musket line focusing on the AWI, French & Indian War/7-Years War/War of Spanish Succession and a WWII line. You can subscribe to one or both tiers, each of which delivers about 30 models a month. Subscribers occasionally also get Medieval models thrown in as a bonus.
The August release on Patreon includes:
- SYW Saxon High Command
- WSS French Guard du roi
- AWI Spanish Infantry
- German mountain troops
- German flamethrowers
- German sniper teams
- German heavy mortar teams
- Cargo Mules
Meanwhile, September comes with:
- AWI Spanish Artillery
- SYW Spanish High Command
- WSS French high command
- WWII Polish motorcycles
- WWII Polish Jeep
- WWII Polish medium artillery
The sculpting style is definitely stylized and somewhat heroic. For bang for your buck, War Bear/Madox is a great deal for the amount of models you receive.
Terrain
Piotr Stachu [Thingiverse]
Normally the aphorism “you get what you pay for” is true, except for the case of Piotr Satchu who puts out outstanding terrain for the incredible price of nothing. All of his designs end up on thingiverse for free, and boy, they’re great.
His releases are fairly slow, with only four items released in 2023, but they’re all excellent. This summer he released his 12th townhouse, meaning that an aspiring wargamer could print out a whole town with his models for no cost beyond the materials. Besides being free, his models are also well designed to print easily and look great on the tabletop. Definitely check him out if you need terrain.
And that’s all folks! Check back in a couple months for the Autumn Historical 3D printing roundup! If you know any historical 3D printing options I missed let me know down in the comments so I can check them out for next time.
