Illegal? The Current State of 3D Printing Warhammer

Illegal, unethical, or perfectly acceptable? Let's talk about the current state of 3D printing in the Warhammer community, how we got here, and when it’s OK (and not OK) to 3D print warhammer.

Special thanks to @DanaHowl @billiondollarclownfarm @Terrainosaur @EricsHobbyWorkshop @GoobertownHobbies for being amazing & inspiring!

0:00 - Intro
1:18 - The DJ Khaled Prophecy
04:10 - 3D Printing Levels Up
05:18 - Community Responds
08:28 - "Obvious Copies"
09:50 - 3D Printed Proxies
10:36 - Printable "Obvious Copies"
11:42 - GW Responds
12:15 - Challenging GW
12:51 - The Official Stance
13:51 - Everywhere Else
15:07 - Execution & Intent
17:45 - Oldhammer
20:00 - Adepticon 2018
20:28 - #SquareBaseMay Collab
20:54 - The Glow-up
21:32 - My #SquareBaseMay Submission

✌Currently Printing On:

Filament/Resin I Use:

✂️Supplies I used often:

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[Illiadofmalorne]

It is cheaper to buy a resin printer, resin, and print a Necron Monolith then it is to buy one. This is GWs fault, since they sell their models at that 900% markup.

[theoverpreparerlamentersr]

"You can't 3D print a duplicate of my models, I'll sue you!"
"Still cheaper than your models."

[spookyindeed]

I like how in the 90's GW literally included instructions on how to make terrain from the trash and now you need like $1000 to have a playable army.

[sylvandanica]

My son was very excited to play Warhammer 40K. He is just at the edge of being a teenager, and I love that he wants to start a hobby like this that involves planning, creating, reading, etc. If it weren't for 3D printed miniatures he would never be able to play. The books are insanely priced, the miniatures are insanely priced, and there is no way for teens or broke adults to start playing. Dungeons and Dragons is rapidly getting to that point as well. I am so freakin' grateful for 3D printing.

[ClockwerkMan]

Here's the real question- Why would anyone give a shit if GW went under? The IP would still exist, and it's hard to imagine a company buying it doing a worse job than GW

[jameshunt]

There's a seriously easy solution to this problem. GW just need to lower their ludicrous prices and then people won't look towards 3D printing

[MrTwistedLizard]

Im sorry but who are these "fanboys" that are griping on this
Majority of the Warhammer fans I know laugh at the idea of GW losing profit, or promote kit bashing using cheaper models.

[totallynottrademarked]

I'm so old, I remember when GW had holiday sales in America. Those were the days. In all honestly, I worked for GW for two years right near US HQ. All I can say is after the accounting guy bought out the creatives the company became about one thing. Milking the customers.

"They [customers] are morons for buying plastic at double the price of handspun pewter. They are addicted and will pay anything we say" - literal coporate head at a region meeting when I asked him how it was more expensive to make guard in plastic than pewter lol.

[Watcher]

MAYBE if they didn't Overcharge, and intentionally UNDER PRODUCE products people wouldn't 3d print.

[marcusinfestus]

I know lots of people who love warhammer, 40k, blood bowl, battlefleet gothic, and on and on. I don't know a single person who likes GW...

[seangrimm]

The disdain I have for GW can only be described as galactic. As someone who's been involved in this hobby since the late '80s, I've seen GW gouge prices year after year after year like clockwork with no regard for the community. Removing models from play, changing additions, blatantly power creeping armies for the sake of sales, and waiting until God's tears hit the ground before they release a new Tyranids codex makes me care not one bit for the ethos behind 3D printing.

If they were smart, they'd get in front of this in certain embracing it rather than chasing the almighty investor / shareholder capitalist dollar

[fenrirsrage]

With the shit GW's pulling especially with Fan Animations I think they're inadvertently pushing people to try and find other ways to grab models besides officially.

[Gozokukolat]

GW, "... ensuring that our worlds are synonymous with quality."
Me, "GW, ensuring that their worlds are synonymous with outrageous prices."

[Miscast]

"Yeah danny, do whatever you want with my footage"

[skelo]

I don’t know why GW doesn’t just sell the files for money online, its another way to make money.

[roundishwhale]

Really strange to hear anyone even partly defending GW. It is so questionable how they treat all their IPs, and by god they got enough money already. Print whatever you want.

[Jazza]

I haven't be so immersed in a YouTube video in a long time... what the hell does that say about me? - I'M INTERESTED IN INTERESTING THINGS

[kyosai]

Hey Danny, thanks for showing off my glamorous Warlord! Great discussion, unbiased and informative. Loved it!

[blackknight]

If GW would lower their overpriced merch by 50% people wouldn't want to "pirate" their stuff. Easy fix.

[dontnerfmebro]

I've wanted to get into 40k for years. Dropped 100 bucks years ago for what i later learned was not even a quarter of enough points to even play. The cost of paints, decent supplies, ect, on top of the crazy prices for the minis made me already drag my feet in actually getting into it. Then i found out how much ONE book costs, not even including the faction books, the supplement and equipment books, the subchapter books.... i threw my marines in a box and years later just gave them away. Fast forward to about 2 years ago and i bought some tau pathfinders. Absolutely love the look of their mechas. Havent touched them since painting them, most arnt even finished cuz when tf was i ever actually going to afford to build an army? Now i got a 3D
Screw GW.