So I've been bouncing around the idea of getting a 3d printer for quite some time now, and I think I'm ready to get one. So I'm looking for recommendations for what brands/models would work best (and cost effective) for making terrain for Legion. To start, I'd probably go with buying or downloading .stl files, especially from places like ImperialTerrain and Etsy. Looking for something that can be run in the house, with little to no ventilation needed, it would be set up in my home office, not in a workshop/garage with plenty of ventilation.

I was looking at the Ender 3 Pro or Ender 5 Pro from Creality. I've heard that these are pretty reliable and work well. If I get one of these, is there anything I should get with it to make sure it works best? So I'm looking for some first-hand experience from people who have one of these, or if there is something else that might work well too.

I've literally never used a 3d printer before, so I have no first-hand knowledge of what to look for or what to avoid. I know to use PLA filament in order to meet my lack of ventilation.

I Think an Ender3 pro is a good start. There is plenty of tutorials on youtube on Hardware setup, troubleshooting and how to handle your slicer settings

Its quite straight forward, and I was quite impressed by the print quality even at 0.2 layer height

I did few upgrades in order to reduce noise (Motherboard and fans) and also a Glass bed.

Dont hesitate to invest in quality PLA as it definitely will make difference to your final prints

You can find a lot of free 3D designs in thingiverse (however some of them may require some rework to be printable)

I picked up an Ender 3 a couple of weeks ago, i recommend it if you have some mechanical or machining background. It can be kind of a pain to put together using the instructions they give you, besides the assembly my print results are good and if you can find one for 200$ or less then you should pick one up. If you do then i suggest looking up recommended settings for your cura software and testing out some terrain from thingiverse.

Also interested in this. There are several alternative figure models that would be worth printing as well. If you've got one, tell us what you like or don't like about it and where you get your stuff.

Just got my first printer three days ago, Ender Pro 3. It's great. I have not stopped printing for the last 3 days. So much legion stuff to print.

Answered OP in another thread, but thought I'd post here since a few people are asking.

I do a lot of 3d printing. It has almost totally eclipsed purchasing models or terrain. I picked up an Ender 3 standard edition just over a year ago and since then I've kept it running almost 24 hours a day. At around $180 on sale usually, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this machine as long as you're willing to learn and put in the calibration and tinkering time.

If you play a lot of wargames and like good looking terrain, there is no better investment. It will pay for itself many times over.

Happy printing!

So in light of all of the recommendations for Ender, and doing a bunch of research on Ender 3 Pro vs 5 Pro, and the upgrades already packaged into this bundle, I just ordered this Ender 5 Pro today. It should arrive on Saturday, along with an enclosure to keep dust/pet hair out and maintain temperature, and an extra 2 spools of PLA.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07X9R1TWS/

It the PLA the material you use to print from? Do you plan to replace the table top? That's the one think I keep reading about is the printing beds get warped and everyone replaces them with glass tops or something similarly stable. I would love for you to keep posting your progress for us that are still on the fence.

So for now I don't plan on doing any upgrades. Once it arrives and I set it up, I'll do a few test prints and post about everything here. On Thingiverse.com I found some nice looking crates and other scatter objects I'll use as test runs before I get into doing larger pieces. As time goes on, I'll keep an eye out for any issues that might require upgrades/modifications.

The printer SHOULD be arriving tomorrow via Amazon.

I plan on using PLA as my print medium, mostly because I don't have any really good spot to set up with lots of ventilation, and some other print mediums can be quite smelly/hazardous to breath in enclosed spaces.

I wouldn't say I'm on the fence, but I've been near the fence for a while. I don't really have the time or space to pursue a new facet to the hobby, as much as I wish otherwise. I would love to be able to follow along as you work your way through the learning curve and try things out.

Best of luck, and congrats on the new printer!

Thanks.

Thanks to someone's post on these forums, I got 2 5th Trooper game mats.

Using the Mudlands one ( https://thefifthtrooper.com/product/mud-lands-6x4-gaming-mat-with-carrying-bag/ ) the Imperial Bunker, some river of blood pieces ( https://www.gf9.com/Default.aspx?tabid=348&art_id=6919 ) and some Imperial base files I got from Imperial Terrain, my first thematic table i want to make is an Imperial mining complex/outpost on a volcanic/lava planet (think Mustafar or Sullust).

Using the Beach Front one ( https://thefifthtrooper.com/product/beach-front/ ) I want to make a Battle of Scarif themed table.

But I'm going to start out simple by printing some of these:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2841076

because what battlefield isn't complete without a bunch of crates?

On 6/26/2020 at 9:14 PM, SFC Snuffy said:

I wouldn't say I'm on the fence, but I've been near the fence for a while. I don't really have the time or space to pursue a new facet to the hobby, as much as I wish otherwise. I would love to be able to follow along as you work your way through the learning curve and try things out.

Best of luck, and congrats on the new printer!

I started a new thread where I'll document my printed stuff.