When 3D printing exploded onto the scene a few years ago, the first thing that really should have been said – before all that was said about the serious difference it would make to prototyping, manufacturing, and production – is “Now we can make whatever toys we want.” At least for kids, the desire to do that is probably up there with wanting to be a superhero. For those who still carry their ‘inner child’ with them, and those who enjoy fantasy gaming with its immersive worlds and characters, 3D printing has given a new way to indulge your imagination. Print your own heroes. And their mounts too!
If you can’t design them from scratch, and most people can’t, no problem. 3D printing toy and figurine services have sprung up across the globe, recognizing this gap between imagining something and actually designing it in 3D. One of the latest to do just that is Imagine3D Miniatures, a company from Madrid, Spain that is about to launch its customizable ‘Mounted Heroes’ service.
The service essentially allows you to choose a standard human or orc, and mount figurine, customize them with accessories and colors, and then 3D print them. Using their miniature creator, you can customize the posture of your 28 mm figure, its facial features, body armor, and even give it a cape. You can then choose from among a set of creature mounts for your figure. They’ve got fantasy dragons, flying dinosaurs, reptiles, horses, and boars to take your pick from at the moment.
The service is still in beta and the website is up and running, with its built-in miniature creator. It gives you a clear idea of what Imagine 3D Miniatures has in mind going forward. With additional funds, they plan to improve their services and expand the number of customizable options, with more races, mounts, accessories and so on. So, to do this, they’re planning to launch their Kickstarter campaign on May 20th. If you want a few free goodies to go along with that plan you have to get your own mounted hero, make sure you’re there when the campaign starts.
It’d be interesting to see to what extent they fully develop their service and what their pricing will be like within this category of 3D printable and customizable figurines. For now though, you can check them out here.
