Hi everyone,

I've posted this in a Facebook group as well so I apologize if you're seeing this more than once but I want to get as much advice as I can!

I have the chance to get a 3D printer and I want to get one that can make smaller items like figures, consuls, objectives, droids, and whatever else I can think of. If it could make terrain as well, that would be fine but it's not the main goal.

I have small kids, so I won't be using resin if that makes any difference for the printer. A buddy is going in on the printer with me and we've already been looking at the Prusa MK3 but I wonder if there are other machines that people are really liking.

Thanks for taking time to respond!

Lack of resin really cuts down on quality.

Love the formlabs form 2. Here is what you can do with it.

Search YouTube for: Creality Ender 3 tabletop gaming

There's a channel that's entirely for 3d printed gaming stuff and he has good vidoes on this.

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out the channel to get some advice about 3D printing!!

I own an Ultimaker 3 Extended and a Prusa MK3, and I'm happy with both machines. The Ultimaker 3 requires less maintenance and provides consistently good results, the Prusa MK3 needs a little more hands-on, but it's also significantly cheaper than the UM3E. If budget is a consideration, go with the Prusa MK3 -- it's a solid choice.

Do not expect to produce great quality miniatures with either of the two devices anytime soon though. 3D Printing still requires a whole lot of experimenting to produce great results, even with printers in the higher price range. And, it's a hobby on its own; without investing some serious time in it, you'll likely run into problems with your prints again and again and again.

I don't own a 3D printer but I am thinking about getting one too. Everything I have seen says the Prusa MK3 is the sweet spot between price/print quality. It won't do high detail small objects and to be honest, for the price of those printers that can, unless you are going to printing thousands of dollars worth of stuff, going to print service like shapeways will save you a lot of money, even if you spend several hundreds on that site.

Also keep in mind, to make your own creations you need to be a 3D modeler. That is actually it's own skill and not one easily obtained. Otherwise you are using other peoples models and again, unless you plan on printing out far more than the printer and plastic is worth, you are better off going with a print service.