So, here we are with another review of 3d sculpts. This time it is actually of a “patreon” – or at least that is where it started for me. When I first got my 3d printer I was rather lost, but somehow I came into contact with Jaycee Fairclough of Red Nebular (RN) miniatures (hobgoblin digital also), and got a lot of help in figuring out how to get the printer running. My attention had quickly been drawn to RN because of joining the “Old School Miniature 3d printing“-group on Facebook and it is one of the 3d sculpt sellers that really hits a style I like – it is somewhat between oldschool and totally new.

Forest Goblins

A while ago Jaycee got the idea to release a range of “forest goblins”. When I saw these guys I was awestruck by the nod to Kevin Adams’ old Goblins that I thought was evident in the sculpts. They are different, that is for sure, and also they have a different style altogether when it comes to gear and so on, but I think the inspiration is clear. I loved it. So I immediately printed 80 goblins… oh dear!

The range, as this is being written, actually covers a lot of ground for the Orc and Goblin connoisseur. In total, there are Spider Riders, Spider-Squigs, actual Squigs, Goblin Spears, Goblin Archers, Shamans and even chariot-sized War Lice (not pictured here), and lately images of Squiggoth sized things have appeared. Then there are also the Orcs and the trolls, but I’ll get back to those.

So far I have printing only the spear Gobins and the archers. But as said, that did give me 80 goblins already. The trick with a printer is to not printer TOO much.

I am very happy about the Goblins that I have printed. I printed them at 200% as these are officially sold as 10 mm models. However, if I were to print them again I might go for 180% or so, to make them fit just a little better with the old school models.

I think the archers and the spearmen are the strongest sculpts in the packs. I have not printed the spider riders, because, sadly, I think they wouldn’t fit the cavalry bases of Warhammer Fantasy in the current roundish shape. The jury is still out on this one, but I have a hard time seeing them on a 25 mm x 50 mm base. I guess it isn’t even that fair a criticism, as these models are intended for 10 mm gaming. I suspect the use in 28 mm is rather niche. Also, I would dare say that the original Warhammer spiders are the ones who got it wrong – clearly a spider is more a square than a rectangle when viewing its footprint.

One thing I disagree with, from a purely 28 mm perspective, is the integral bases. The first lot I printed with them, but they made the Goblins much too tall when placed on a WFB base. So I went back and removed the integral bases. I would urge the sculptor to make the future releases available with or without base if possible. I don’t really know how much trouble it would be, but I have seen many others do it this way. Anyway, it is only a very minor thing on an otherwise spotless product.

Here is the one painted regiment of Goblins I have made so far:

Forest Orcs

I was going to review these separately, but then I thought I might as well bundle it all together.

The Orcs were released all at once in a single file. A massive basher! Again I think these models are the closest you can get to the actual thing, if you don’t want to pay the premium that Savage Orcs go for these days. I actually just saw a lot of 20 go for around €80, which is quite a lot. Of course, 3d printing is not free either, but still it is cheaper and probably more accessible to most people.

I really like the sculpts, but this time I have TWO minor criticisms. One is again the integral bases. I actually circumvented them by adding a square base AROUND the integral base in MeshMixer for my prints of these guys. It worked OK, but not brilliant. Especially the small loin cloth suffered when I printed these. Another, more aestethic thing, is the “Wolf logo” on the front of all the Orcs. I must say that, for me, this is a bit of a “hmmmm”. I don’t really know why all Orcs would have a wolf head, and I am a little sad that I cannot simply have them in just cloth. I guess the sculptor must have felt it was too boring with no details there? On the whole I still really like them.

I printed mine at 240% as scaled after a Citadel Savage Orc. I mix the two in my regiments of course. Since, I printed my Orcs there have been some other sculpts made, with boar (or swine more likely) boyz, and also some mega swine. I have not considered printing these yet, as I have boars already.

Forest Trolls

The idea of “forest trolls” was new to me when Red Nebular first did theirs. I have actually seen two other sculptors picking up the idea since, but I have no idea if it related or inspired by Red Nebular. I have only very few comments on these guys – they’re great. I have printed 12 of them, and I much look forward to fielding them. I think they would fit for Orcs & Goblins, but just as well for Norsca or even Chaos. From my recollection my prints of these were 200% as well, and flawless!

Conclusion

If you own a 3d printer, or have access to anyone printing, and you like the Old School style, I think Red Nebular is a patreon you should not go without. Jaycee pours out a host of miniatures every month and you get accesss to everything once you enter the patreon. I have been part of the patreon since the day I got my printer, and think I will stay on for a long time.