Greetings!
What brands of gaming miniatures do you love?
Lately, I really like Artisan Guild, Beastarium, Cast & Play, Bite The Bullet, Signum Workshop, and RN Studio.
There are so many awesome miniature companies and lines! Lots of variety, and different classes, races, poses, and gear. I have been doing 32mm in most miniatures, as I think that the details are superior and easier to see! Also, just being a bit larger than the older 28mm miniatures makes it much easier to paint as well.
What paints do you like? I have mostly Reaper paints, as well as some Citadel paints and Vallejo paints.
So many cool options for everything!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
If you are trying to paint large numbers of models quickly (or even if you want to speed up that one you need for tonight), I cannot recommend The Army Painter's Speedpaints sets enough. You get all the highlighting, detailing, and dry-brushing in a single wet coat. It's incredible. Add a little zenithal undercoat, and it looks really good for less than 10 minutes per model. It's changed the way I paint....
I'm pretty deep into wargaming on my end.
When it comes to minis where I go depends on what I am after. WW2/Nam? Rubicon is the best.
Generic fantasy reaper or NorthStar's frostgrave kits are great.
the last few years I just print what I want.
As for paints I am partials to Vallejo. I find citadel pots and price too unappealing. I also like Pro Acryl by monument hobbies.
Quote from: SHARK on August 01, 2022, 01:29:07 PMWhat paints do you like? I have mostly Reaper paints, as well as some Citadel paints and Vallejo paints.
I don't use miniatures with RPGs but I do play historical miniature wargames. I'm pretty much exclusively 15mm either Ancients or WW2. For paints I primarily use Vallejo.
Quote from: Eirikrautha on August 01, 2022, 01:37:20 PM
If you are trying to paint large numbers of models quickly (or even if you want to speed up that one you need for tonight), I cannot recommend The Army Painter's Speedpaints sets. You get all the highlighting, detailing, and dry-brushing in a single wet coat. It's incredible.
I saw a bunch of videos on them a few months ago but didn't know if they were out yet. I've also heard that GW is reformulating their Contrast paints so I'm not sure whose are better. As I said earlier, however, I mainly do historical so all the bright colors of the Speedpaint line are not very useful. Unless someone has a good formula for OD green or feldgrau.
QuoteAdd a little zenithal undercoat, and it looks really good for less than 10 minutes per model. It's changed the way I paint....
Do you use an airbrush for the zenithal or drybrush white over black?
Quote from: Eirikrautha on August 01, 2022, 01:37:20 PM
If you are trying to paint large numbers of models quickly (or even if you want to speed up that one you need for tonight), I cannot recommend The Army Painter's Speedpaints sets. You get all the highlighting, detailing, and dry-brushing in a single wet coat. It's incredible. Add a little zenithal undercoat, and it looks really good for less than 10 minutes per model. It's changed the way I paint....
Greetings!
My friend, that sounds pretty damn awesome! I haven't tried those yet. I will have to get some now! Army Painters *Speedpaints*
Eirikrautha, do you have a huge collection of miniatures? ;D
Yes, my own collection is enormous. I confess, I have much work to do!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Most of my paints are Reaper. I have some Vallejo and GW (primarily washes). I like AK Interactive's "Deep" color line, it covers well.
I'll second the Army Painter Speedpaints. When you put it on you'll wonder what the hell have you done to your mini, but when it dries, it's awesome. I may actually finish all my Goffs someday at this rate.
For RPG's I have been switching over to multi-pose plastics. They are lighter and easier to transport compared to the metals I used to use. Almost all of my gaming is human-centric so I can rely on the many fine makers of historical figures in 28mm. Scale creep is evil and I refuse to buy anything in 32mm. I buy from Warlord, Gripping Beast, Fireforge Games, and Victrix. For humanoids and demi-humans, I can get good stuff from North Star's Oathmark range or from Wargames Atlantic. For monsters I can usually get what I need from Reaper's Bones line of plastics. Reaper's casts are a bit bigger than my other 28's but I don't mind it for monsters.
I don't remember who made my paints. My painting sucks no matter who's paints I use.
Quote from: SHARK on August 01, 2022, 06:04:29 PM
Quote from: Eirikrautha on August 01, 2022, 01:37:20 PM
If you are trying to paint large numbers of models quickly (or even if you want to speed up that one you need for tonight), I cannot recommend The Army Painter's Speedpaints sets enough. You get all the highlighting, detailing, and dry-brushing in a single wet coat. It's incredible. Add a little zenithal undercoat, and it looks really good for less than 10 minutes per model. It's changed the way I paint....
Greetings!
My friend, that sounds pretty damn awesome! I haven't tried those yet. I will have to get some now! Army Painters *Speedpaints*
Eirikrautha, do you have a huge collection of miniatures? ;D
Yes, my own collection is enormous. I confess, I have much work to do!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
I have a 3Dprinter... needless to say, I have a backlog... ;D
I use mostly Vallejo - https://acrylicosvallejo.com/en/category/hobby/game-color-en/
Also, welcome back SHARK!
Given where I have been spending my miniature dollars as of late (pretty much the entire Reaper Bones 6), it would be Reaper.
The majority of my paints are Vallejo Game Color, with a small number of Reaper paints.
I use minis and ships from Blood & Plunder for a pirate themed campaign I am running. These ships look amazing. 28mm scale replicas of 17th century ships.
I like weapons and armor to look historically accurate. I have great disdain for anime-style swords with huge blades that would break your wrist if you tried to swing them. Nor do I like armor with cleavage, or large gaps that you could attack through.
For non-printed figs, I mostly have Reaper (metal and Bones Black or Bones USA; I hate the Bones PVC figs, at least the ones smaller than an ogre) and Darksword. I have a fair amount of Otherworld as well, which are good if you like old-school looking monsters. Also a smattering of GW, Effincool, GF9, and Wizkids (similar to old Bones, not a big fan of the humanoid Wizkids figs, but their larger miniatures aren't bad).
For 3D-printed miniatures, my favorite is Avatars of War, mainly because I subscribe to their Patreon for $4/month and get a boatload of figs every month :) There's a lot I don't really care for (their orcs and goblins, for instance), but what I get for the money is a great deal. Their figs tend to be on the busy side, but they're very cool. Rocket Pig Games has a bunch of cool monsters, and STL Miniatures is good for things like NPC craftsmen. Lots of others I've bookmarked on MMF but I just need to get caught up on painting.
Speaking of which, I'll add my recommendation for speed paints. I used to use GW's contrast paints (still do for some things), but I've come to prefer speed paints. Half the price and they do a great job. My main complaint is they don't have enough shades of certain colors for my taste (I'd like two or three more browns, another green, and maybe another blue).
Reaper and many of the miniatures WOK made pre primed are very good. I also have quite a few CMON board games that have some fantastic miniatures with them (I bought one of their games because the miniatures were so good, the game is pretty good, but the minis are great). I also like Games Workshop (again, I bought a couple of their "board game" sets for the miniatures with them, their minis are great but the assembly does take more work and time) but they are a bit pricey.
Paints I prefer reaper and army painter, they keep for a fantastically long time and make a large range of colors. I like army painter brushes and GW, I have some nice brushes (Windsor Newton) but I feel they are too good for me (I am not good enough a painter to need them....it is like an average shooter thinking they need a springfield M1A1 to hit targets at 100 meters) and I worry more about wearing them out from even casual use to use them.
Some other miniatures I have used are also surprisingly good such as Perry Miniatures, the Monolith Conan board game, Osprey (the Frostgrave series are great for adventurers...the game Frostgrave is also a great skirmish game) and the miniatures with the Descent board game.
I am also a pretty big fan of Army Painter's primer paints. Considerably cheaper than citadel, lots of colors, and I really can not tell a difference in quality from Citadel with my limited application (I am getting miniatures ready to play with, not art pieces...my limit on paint ability is a decent looking human eye and that is dependent on whether I had too much coffee before attempting).
Quote from: Vidgrip on August 01, 2022, 07:49:23 PM
For RPG's I have been switching over to multi-pose plastics. They are lighter and easier to transport compared to the metals I used to use. Almost all of my gaming is human-centric so I can rely on the many fine makers of historical figures in 28mm. Scale creep is evil and I refuse to buy anything in 32mm. I buy from Warlord, Gripping Beast, Fireforge Games, and Victrix. For humanoids and demi-humans, I can get good stuff from North Star's Oathmark range or from Wargames Atlantic. For monsters I can usually get what I need from Reaper's Bones line of plastics. Reaper's casts are a bit bigger than my other 28's but I don't mind it for monsters.
I don't remember who made my paints. My painting sucks no matter who's paints I use.
Greetings!
The miniature brands you mention Vidgrip are all outstanding, too! I like them very much as well.
"Scale Creep is evil". *Laughing* I sympathize, my friend. I have come to appreciate the 32mm scale for the provision of greater detail, visible to myself and players, for example--but also for greater ease in painting the figures.
Yes, I probably am only a modestly skilled painter at best. Much of the fun is after all in the process, if not always in the final result. ;D
Perhaps as I have gotten older, I also appreciate the larger scale details. When I look at some of my older 25mm scale miniatures, I am often gobsmacked by how *tiny* and miniscule the details are. It seems like most of them are terrible, undetailed blobs compared to the 28mm and more so the 32mm scale miniatures.
But I digress. The scale creep is a concern for me a well though. I have seen more and more miniatures being pushed at 36mm and even 40mm scale. It' like, come on! Stop it! *Laughing*
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Just jump to 54mm and get it over with now.
Quote from: David Johansen on August 03, 2022, 10:31:43 PM
Just jump to 54mm and get it over with now.
Greetings!
Crazy, I know. ;D
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Quote from: David Johansen on August 03, 2022, 10:31:43 PM
Just jump to 54mm and get it over with now.
As soon as I switch to 54mm, all the miniature companies will start making 60mm miniatures.
For roleplaying games, if it becomes necessary to, I prefer micro machines figs. Compact and pre-colored.
For wargamming, I like 80's cartoon action in a compact package, so I choose Trader's Galaxy's Bot War. For painting, Citadel and Army Painter for pre-thinned air paints that match rattle cans and contrast or quickshades followed up with a wash for color and brush on Army Painter Strong Dip with a hardware store water based satin poly finish.
The Army Painter Speedpaints have got me painting again. It's so easy, prime, single coat of speedpaint in each area, some dry brush highlight, sealer, bam done!
The MODIPHIUS miniatures for use with 'Star Trek' and "Fallout" - do they need to be primed white first? Or are they said to be 'primed' already in the box and I can put colors on them immediately?
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar on August 11, 2022, 03:13:56 PM
The MODIPHIUS miniatures for use with 'Star Trek' and "Fallout" - do they need to be primed white first? Or are they said to be 'primed' already in the box and I can put colors on them immediately?
- Ed C.
I am a proponent of priming. If there are going to be issues with paint adhering, finding out before you do any detail work is best. Even if they say that it doesn't need priming, I don't think it hurts. You're of course not limited to white primers - there are a host of different colors. A lot of people like to prime with the base color if they want to get decent results quickly.
I recently purchased a couple of airbrushes and I really like the YF youfu Cordless Airbrush Kit ($69.00) from Amazon. You can replace the airbrush with a higher quality/more expensive version, but it's been working well for me. I've switched to priming using the airbrush - in the past I used the rattlecan. For most minis I've been using the Zenithal prime (black first, then spray with white from above). That helps define where your shadows will be. There's some debate about whether there's any point to it if you're using opaque paints, but I find it helpful when planning the mini.
I'm riding with Army Painter Speedpaints. I got the full set. Love them. I also fill in with Warhammer Contrast paints - which are obviously very good, but twice the price. For actual paints, I used to go Vallejo (which I think are still the best) but lately because of how good Army Painter Speedpaint is, I just do highlights and details with Reaper paints.
My minis are not for display, but for use. So while I want them to look good, I'm also cognizant that I have a lot of minis to paint and I need to get them done and don't want to spend a month on one. Speedpaints have been a godsend, I can technically do 90% of my painting with them, but a little highlight work over the speed and contrast paints really makes a big difference.
Currently Reaper miniatures for fantasy. The newer Bones USA and Bones black lines are big improvements over the older bones miniatures. The former is from a thermoplastic called siocast, and the latter is some sort of resin. Both are a pain to clean, but take primer and paint very well. I would like to get some Otherworld minis someday. Are links permitted? Eh, just search for it then, and the images alone will be explanation enough for why an Oldster like me would appreciate them.
For paints, a combination of Vallejo game color and model color, Reaper paints, and a few 'craft paints' from Delta Ceramcoat. For thinners, matte medium and distilled water.
Use good lighting, at least 2 sources and have some sort of easy magnification handy, like a pair of +3.00 reading glasses. Things are easier to paint when you can see them clearly. A neat trick is to take a photo of the mini with a macro setting, then zoom in to see what you've done.
Greetings!
Do various miniatures inspire creatures, environments, and adventures for your campaign?
I recently bought a dozen Giant Fly miniatures. For a standard sized Human, these Giant Flies are probably the size of a large medicine ball. I'm guessing about 50 to 100 pounds in weight. They are like 22mm scale, sized for 32mm scale, so that seems about the approximate dimensions. Maybe the size of a Medium-sized dog, but of course, being FLIES. *Laughing* Anyhow, each of them comes mounted on a clear plastic "Flying Stand" with a clear base. They are fucking very cool looking.
It has definitely inspired me to write up some stats and a profile for them, and to include them as creatures in my campaign world.
The girls are going to shriek over these things for sure! *Laughing*
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Quote from: SHARK on August 13, 2022, 12:49:36 AM
Greetings!
Do various miniatures inspire creatures, environments, and adventures for your campaign?
I recently bought a dozen Giant Fly miniatures. For a standard sized Human, these Giant Flies are probably the size of a large medicine ball. I'm guessing about 50 to 100 pounds in weight. They are like 22mm scale, sized for 32mm scale, so that seems about the approximate dimensions. Maybe the size of a Medium-sized dog, but of course, being FLIES. *Laughing* Anyhow, each of them comes mounted on a clear plastic "Flying Stand" with a clear base. They are fucking very cool looking.
It has definitely inspired me to write up some stats and a profile for them, and to include them as creatures in my campaign world.
The girls are going to shriek over these things for sure! *Laughing*
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK
Yes. Even now, with my game moved semi-permanently to VTT.
Glue, adhesive...
Which 'glue' works best when attaching arms, legs, piecing together plastic or 'resin' miniatures.
Yep, I am still on the verge of putting together and painting those MODIPHIUS "Fallout" and "Star Trek" miniatures...
- Ed C.
Quote from: Koltar on August 13, 2022, 07:53:21 AM
Glue, adhesive...
Which 'glue' works best when attaching arms, legs, piecing together plastic or 'resin' miniatures.
Yep, I am still on the verge of putting together and painting those MODIPHIUS "Fallout" and "Star Trek" miniatures...
- Ed C.
It depends.
For small minis I try to get by with using super-glue gel. Sometimes I will have to use pin to give the joint sufficient shear resistance. If that doesn't work, then I use green-stuff epoxy.
For large minis I go with pinning and green-stuff epoxy. Five-minute JB-Weld could also be an option.
YMMV.
I'm looking to get back into painting minis after I found out about zenithal priming and contrast paints. Looks so dead simple with great results. Just need to pick up an airbrush now!
For minis, outside of official D&D material, what other sources are you all using for minis? I'm really looking the Song of Ice and Fire miniatures for all my human type needs. Conquest has some great looking Orc figures. The Hate boardgame has awesome looking models for like barbarian and savage type enemies. Only issue is that their bases aren't all 20mm like D&D miniatures. But I'm likely abandoning using one inch squares and just going to measure for movement so I don't think the mixed base scales will be that big of an issue.
Any other great sources for minis that may not be super obvious?
Quote from: Monero on August 13, 2022, 10:50:54 AM
I'm looking to get back into painting minis after I found out about zenithal priming and contrast paints. Looks so dead simple with great results. Just need to pick up an airbrush now!
For minis, outside of official D&D material, what other sources are you all using for minis? I'm really looking the Song of Ice and Fire miniatures for all my human type needs. Conquest has some great looking Orc figures. The Hate boardgame has awesome looking models for like barbarian and savage type enemies. Only issue is that their bases aren't all 20mm like D&D miniatures. But I'm likely abandoning using one inch squares and just going to measure for movement so I don't think the mixed base scales will be that big of an issue.
Any other great sources for minis that may not be super obvious?
Reaper, Heresy, Effin Cool, Ral Partha, RAFM.
Quote from: dkabq on August 13, 2022, 11:52:19 AM
Quote from: Monero on August 13, 2022, 10:50:54 AM
I'm looking to get back into painting minis after I found out about zenithal priming and contrast paints. Looks so dead simple with great results. Just need to pick up an airbrush now!
For minis, outside of official D&D material, what other sources are you all using for minis? I'm really looking the Song of Ice and Fire miniatures for all my human type needs. Conquest has some great looking Orc figures. The Hate boardgame has awesome looking models for like barbarian and savage type enemies. Only issue is that their bases aren't all 20mm like D&D miniatures. But I'm likely abandoning using one inch squares and just going to measure for movement so I don't think the mixed base scales will be that big of an issue.
Any other great sources for minis that may not be super obvious?
Reaper, Heresy, Effin Cool, Ral Partha, RAFM.
I would add Darksword, Lead Adventures, Northstar, Otherworld.
Does anyone here have experience with 3d printing models/terrain? Looking at sources like Dwarven Forge and Warlock for my tile needs and they get pricey very quickly. I feel like I'd have to drop $200-400 just to have a functioning set of tiles. So I'm wondering if maybe 3D printing is more efficient overall? From the printers I was looking at, the upfront cost would be similar for a printer, materials, etc, but on the long term there's potential to make tons of minis/terrain for pennies on the dollar. But that's my uneducated guess, as the cost for resins, files, plus needing materials to paint them may keep pace with just buying the models outright from places like DF.
Anyone have hands on experience with 3D printing that can give some real world cost/effort comparisons to just buying premade stuff?
I guess Im the outlier in that I dont use any of the miniature paint brands for anything except Vallejo primer.
I tend to do a zenithal primer, then use liquitex acrylics and mostly inks.
Quote from: Monero on August 17, 2022, 10:04:56 AM
Anyone have hands on experience with 3D printing that can give some real world cost/effort comparisons to just buying premade stuff?
If you're only going to print a few pieces here and there, 3D printing isn't worth it. But if you're really into terrain (as I am :) ), then long term it's definitely more cost effective to print your own stuff. I believe the estimate for a standard dungeon wall tile from Dragonlock (Fat Dragon Games) is about 40 cents. Plus, if you need a single piece you can easily print it as opposed to buying a set (if that's the only way to get it).
There is the upfront cost for the STLs, but again, cheaper than buying pre-made terrain. Kickstarters, Patreons, sales, etc. help bring those costs down as well. As for the printer cost, that varies quite a bit and depends on how much tinkering you want to do. My preferred printer company is Prusa (my current printer is a Prusa MK3), but they can be pricey (~$900-$1000 for a pre-built, though that includes shipping from the Czech Republic). The most popular filament printer right now is probably the Ender 3, which you can get from Amazon for like $200-$300. It's a good printer, though it requires more work/maintenance than Prusa, so I prefer the latter which is essentially "fire and forget". But again, whether Prusa or Ender, in the long run it's still cheaper if you use it a lot.
The big downside with printing your own terrain is you obviously need to paint it yourself. When I bought Dwarven Forge in the past I'd always go for the pre-painted versions since I found the additional cost (compared to unpainted) to be definitely worth it. Though painting terrain generally isn't nearly as involved as painting figs (and can usually be done with cheap craft paints and dollar store brushes).
Miniatures are a little different. Conventional wisdom is that you print terrain with filament since it's cheaper and you don't need as much fine detail. For miniatures, you want a resin printer, with at least 4K resolution. You can get decent results with some figs in filament, but the model really needs to be designed for filament printing, plus you really need your printer settings to be dialed in just right. Resin printing gives great results, but there a lot more caveats:
- The toxicity of the liquid resin requires a lot more overhead in terms of PPE, venting fumes, etc.
- Resin prints need additional curing after the printing is done; filament just pops off your build plate and is good to go (though it may need a little cleanup).
- Resin is more expensive than filament.
- Resin printers are more expensive than filament generally, and checking Amazon the prices not only have gone up a lot of the printers are out of stock.
The other thing to keep in mind that is that the cost of individual STLs for resin figures is often as high or higher than the cost of an individual figure from a company like Reaper. I would say the quality of most resin figures is probably on par with Reaper's Bones Black or maybe Bones USA lines. But the typically cost for one STL is about $5, which is actually about the same as Bones Black (Bones USA is a little higher). If you buy a Reaper fig in the store, other than maybe cleaning some flash lines, you're done. With a resin STL you have to go through the process of slicing, printing, washing, and curing before you can get it to the point where you can paint it. And that's assuming the supports worked properly :)
Not trying to discourage resin printing - I love my Sonic Mini 4K and the results you can get are incredible. There are STLs out there that you just can't find from the physical miniature brands, and we're spoiled for choice. It's just that resin printing has a lot more to be aware of than filament.
Well, that was a lot :) Hope that's helpful!
Quote from: Monero on August 17, 2022, 10:04:56 AM
Does anyone here have experience with 3d printing models/terrain? Looking at sources like Dwarven Forge and Warlock for my tile needs and they get pricey very quickly. I feel like I'd have to drop $200-400 just to have a functioning set of tiles. So I'm wondering if maybe 3D printing is more efficient overall? From the printers I was looking at, the upfront cost would be similar for a printer, materials, etc, but on the long term there's potential to make tons of minis/terrain for pennies on the dollar. But that's my uneducated guess, as the cost for resins, files, plus needing materials to paint them may keep pace with just buying the models outright from places like DF.
Anyone have hands on experience with 3D printing that can give some real world cost/effort comparisons to just buying premade stuff?
I love 3d printing some basic 3D kit bashing skills, or buying a custom mini from heroforge allows for a greatly individualized mini of your character.
However if you are mostly TotM, impatient, lack funds or desire to deal with resin then it might not be for you.
If you decide to go the printing route, look into some of the patreon pages of content creators. They tend to offer themed monthly content that is far cheaper than buying individual files. Also thingiverse is free, and you can find a ton of content there.
Quote from: Kanyenya on August 17, 2022, 11:19:57 AM
Quote from: Monero on August 17, 2022, 10:04:56 AM
Anyone have hands on experience with 3D printing that can give some real world cost/effort comparisons to just buying premade stuff?
Miniatures are a little different. Conventional wisdom is that you print terrain with filament since it's cheaper and you don't need as much fine detail. For miniatures, you want a resin printer, with at least 4K resolution. You can get decent results with some figs in filament, but the model really needs to be designed for filament printing, plus you really need your printer settings to be dialed in just right. Resin printing gives great results, but there a lot more
While a 4K resolution is better, at 28 or even 32 mm, once the primer is on, you are hard pressed to notice a significant difference. For table play IMO it's nil. Don't feel you HAVE to spend a ton on a high end printer. I've been using an Elegoo Mars for several years now, and the quality is fine for table play.
Quote from: Godsmonkey on August 17, 2022, 11:49:41 AM
Quote from: Kanyenya on August 17, 2022, 11:19:57 AM
Quote from: Monero on August 17, 2022, 10:04:56 AM
Anyone have hands on experience with 3D printing that can give some real world cost/effort comparisons to just buying premade stuff?
Miniatures are a little different. Conventional wisdom is that you print terrain with filament since it's cheaper and you don't need as much fine detail. For miniatures, you want a resin printer, with at least 4K resolution. You can get decent results with some figs in filament, but the model really needs to be designed for filament printing, plus you really need your printer settings to be dialed in just right. Resin printing gives great results, but there a lot more
While a 4K resolution is better, at 28 or even 32 mm, once the primer is on, you are hard pressed to notice a significant difference. For table play IMO it's nil. Don't feel you HAVE to spend a ton on a high end printer. I've been using an Elegoo Mars for several years now, and the quality is fine for table play.
I said 4K since things are starting to move to 8K, so 4K printers are getting cheaper. And I can see a difference between 4K and older 2K prints when I look closely, though it's true that once they're on the table you're not going to be able to see a difference, so for the most part it's personal preference (I've seen people happy with figs they printed with filament even though the layering was horrible; to each their own).
Quote from: Kanyenya on August 18, 2022, 01:52:09 AM
Quote from: Godsmonkey on August 17, 2022, 11:49:41 AM
Quote from: Kanyenya on August 17, 2022, 11:19:57 AM
Quote from: Monero on August 17, 2022, 10:04:56 AM
Anyone have hands on experience with 3D printing that can give some real world cost/effort comparisons to just buying premade stuff?
Miniatures are a little different. Conventional wisdom is that you print terrain with filament since it's cheaper and you don't need as much fine detail. For miniatures, you want a resin printer, with at least 4K resolution. You can get decent results with some figs in filament, but the model really needs to be designed for filament printing, plus you really need your printer settings to be dialed in just right. Resin printing gives great results, but there a lot more
While a 4K resolution is better, at 28 or even 32 mm, once the primer is on, you are hard pressed to notice a significant difference. For table play IMO it's nil. Don't feel you HAVE to spend a ton on a high end printer. I've been using an Elegoo Mars for several years now, and the quality is fine for table play.
I said 4K since things are starting to move to 8K, so 4K printers are getting cheaper. And I can see a difference between 4K and older 2K prints when I look closely, though it's true that once they're on the table you're not going to be able to see a difference, so for the most part it's personal preference (I've seen people happy with figs they printed with filament even though the layering was horrible; to each their own).
I just don't want to dissuade someone who may be fine with a cheaper low end printer from getting into the hobby. However, as you said with 4K printers coming down in price, it's well worth the investment if you like minis on the table. The quality and price point are certainly there. and if you like assaulting your players with hordes of low HD critters, its super easy to take one STL of an orc, print up 20 for pennies each, do a basic speed paint, and have fun.
Resurrection!
I was wondering if any one had any suggestions for a provider of Sword and Sorcery (maybe a combination of Bronze Age/Dark Age) miniatures?
Also, I am looking into armypainter speedpaints as I heard they are awesome.
I like these -- YMMV.
https://ralparthalegacy.com/
http://ralparthaeurope.co.uk/
https://rafm.com/
https://www.reapermini.com/
https://www.effincoolminis.com/
https://heresyminiatures.com/
https://www.wargamesfoundry.com/
https://www.alternative-armies.com/