Howdy.
John Bear Ross, here.
I used to freelance for Rebel Minis, Critical Mass Games, Khurasan, Reaper, Wizkids, Conflict Horizon, ClearHorizon Games, Xtreme Hobbies, and a few more little upstart companies.
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| One of my first work-ups from the mid-2000s to show clients a size ref chart for 15mm/1-100th Scale |
I apologize for the lack of content, as of late, on this venerable blog that helped launch and nurture so many 15mm companies.
So, I'm going to do my part to blow some dust off it, and try and breath some life back in to it.
The miniatures industry has shifted, as you may or may not know.
Production and shipping costs have gone through the roof.
Inflation has kicked us all in the teeth, sapping our purchasing power and driving up costs.
Heavier taxes and customs punish international shipments, which UK and EU companies and customers depended on to access the US market, and vice versa.
Advertising has moved to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a shedload of other outlets, causing old voices to go quiet.
I, myself, have moved my focus from traditional means of getting miniatures on your tabletop from the casting/shipping model to selling data to folks with their own 3D printers, cutting out the middleman.
There are 3D printers in public libraries, now, as well as some gaming clubs. Vendors offer licensed copies from other artists, or rent their machine to print files that you provide on your own.
For the price of a few box sets from certain big companies, you can buy your own machine that puts out better quality prints than I was renting time on to make production master models, 10 year ago.
It's a brave new world. We are living in the future, and I am glad to see that my predictions of consumer-level printers came true.
Obviously, this change is not enjoyed by many, whether they prefer buying via the traditional method, or are involved directly in the standard production model. It is not my intent to replace that, only to offer an alternative.
So, I believe that there is room for both, and more. 15mm has always been about possibilities, not restrictions.
Here's a few decades worth of my thoughts on the matter...
https://johnbearross.blogspot.com/search?q=15mm
Who's with me?
Best,
John Bear Ross
(JBR if you're into the whole brevity thing)
I know that pretty much ever since I got my first FDM printer I was trying to find mini's to print - though t hat had more luck with terrain and vehicles.. even for 1:300/6mm.
ReplyDeleteSince getting a resin printer I've switched to pretty much 90% digital sources with a few 15mm from the likes of Alternative armies & Brigade
Huzzah!
ReplyDeleteIts great to see this blog getting some activity again!
I must admit I'm still a massive fan of traditional sculpting over the more modern digital stuff but it has to be said that 3d printing is moving on in leaps and bounds over the last few years and theres some fantastic stuff coming out and it does seem to be that 3d printing 15mm sci-fi is increasingly an affordable option.
With folks hobby budget extra tight at the moment, 15mm and its inherent affordability deserves to be getting much more attention than it is, as so many blogs have gone quiet and as you mentioned the siren call of instagram and to a lesser extent, facebook seems to have replaced them but even they have noticeably dropped on the content department over the last few years which is a real shame.
I'd love to see this blog become the hub for a fresh wave of interest in 15mm gaming as it was seminal in my own 15mm scifi projects!
Coincidentally, I have recently found my 15mm SF fires to have been rekindled, so I applaud this great turn of events!!!
ReplyDelete