The digital hobby future may be closer than any of us had previously suspected, as hobbyists are creating and printing their own bits in remarkable quality.
The future is coming fast, and hobbyists and companies such as Games Workshop may not be prepared for the digital pivot that’s on the horizon for our hobby.
But why now all of a sudden you ask? Well, it’s a complicated question may have a lot to do with both supply vs. demand, and perceived necessity by hobbyists.
As you know GW kits have notoriously lacked all the bits options for their squads for years, and most notably recently with the Chaos Havocs only coming with one Chaincannon bit, and two of their other weapons. Days and weeks later a glut of quality 3D printed bits but of original and “borrowed” design are hitting the market hard.
In 2019 it’s even easier for hobbyists to source and print bits, perhaps more so than any of us had thought. The undeniable allure is that it’s not too expensive for any person to get into 3D printing in order to monetize and/or supplement their hobby.
3D Printed Bits go for Pennies on the Dollar
Companies like POP Goes the Monkey are designing 3D printed alternative bits for your favorite tabletop games. They understand that sometimes the hobby can get too expensive or boring. They make bits to spice up your models and keep the latest wargear in stock for cheap!
Now in 2019, it looks like at-home 3D printer quality has jumped leaps and bounds in quality and hobbyists have taken note. People are beginning to sell their own products on eBay en masse for a fraction of the cost.
This was spotted on eBay from Kojo1231 going for $4 per bit. The chaincannon is the only thing that’s been 3D printed and you can’t even see the ridges that some cheaper printers are prone to show. The best part is that the seller designed and distributes them himself. At the time of writing this, he’s already sold almost 50 bits.
Hobbyists Can Find Bits To Print Online
This Havoc was spotted originally as a downloadable model online, and as of now, it looks like it’s been taken down. However, there are plenty of other Chaos-looking models that anyone with an affordable 3D printer can print that are still available if you know where to look. 
Legion Elites downloadable model
It’s as Cheap as You Want to Make It
Kojo’s 3D custom printed eBay Chaincannon
The bit from above was made with the Form 2 3D printing kit. It costs about $4,500 which is also probably why we don’t see any of those lines in the bits that we were talking about earlier. But you can still get the same results with a cheaper printer and a little know-how.
ANYCUBIC Photon UV LCD 3D Printers
This printer is only $500 on Amazon! While it’s still expensive, it’s a fraction that some other printers go for. Just keep in mind that with a cheaper printer like this, you’ll probably have printing lines. The good news is that it’s fixable and all it takes is a special primer.
If you do get a printer, like the Anycubic, you’ll probably run into those small little print lines that people hate. This is common in printers around $200-$1,000. However, an easy fix is to use some automotive gap-filling primer that is sandable and works like a charm for those print lines.
The miniatures on the left is a 3D printed model that was just primed with the automotive primer. The model on the right has just a normal primer. Can you see the difference?
This is the same 3D printed model close up. You can’t even spot those lines! All you need to make your own is an original design, and the right equipment.
3D Bit Policing & the Future of the Hobby
Ultimately, it looks like modern times might have finally caught up with big industry mini producers like Games Workshop. While strict policing before 3d printing surges is still a major topic of discussion, there is still the untouchable side of 3D printing, that is, people designing their own stuff.
Now that people are able to print off quality bits and miniatures from their dining room table, we may see the hobby world shift into a new era of all kinds of alternative bits that will always be readily available at our fingertips.
The question is, what will the pivot be from manufacturers who potentially stand to lose revenue from this? From policing their Intellectual property to developing new digital products (and the ways to sell them) there may be some challenging times ahead for the hobby!
Do you have a 3D printer that you use to make hobby prints? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
