Thunderhead Studio

[strategoslevel3]

**This post has been edited to comply with the Terms and Conditions of the BattleTech Forums**

7 months ago I purchased an Ender-5 3D printer for just under £300 after selling a table of scenery from another game.

I have to say straight out that it was the stunning scenery produced by Thunderhead Studio​ that made my decision!

As soon as I got my Ender-5 and had printed the obligatory dog, I started printing terrain.



Over the next months I printed the Forward Base which turned out great, although taught me a lot  about printing adhesion and bed levelling!
Hours, days and months and several reels of PLA later, I can say that Trinity City is complete.  The city planners have laid the roads and the gardeners have been planting the trees




The buildings and roads don’t just look good, they are cleverly designed to support Mech miniatures in flat Hex bases! The roofs also have small indicators of where the hex corners are (which I have highlighted white) which help you work out what hex your mini’s are on.

This stuff is also great for prize support which we have been giving away at the BattleTech UK SouthEast events!

Most of the buildings were printed at 0.32mm later height with 5% infill using white 1.75mm PLA. I still use the Enders own slicing software, because I’m simple like that!

There were a few failed prints, or prints at the end of reels of PLA but some got recycled as ruins or even converted to a lake!

For painting I go for quick and effective! Primed with a Mechanicus Grey spray can, zenith highlighted with a white spray can.  Lot and lots and lots of windows with Talasar Blue Contrast Paint. Some dry brush edge highlighting.  Picked out roof details in extra colour.  Road’s are primed and then the roadsurface washed with a dilute dark grey.  Road markings and helipads are done using Hobbycraft paint pens!

All was peaceful in Trinity City, and then Clan Jade Falcon has to crash the party!

(Before any clan LoreMasters out there point it out, we earned some of those Omni-Mechs as Isora in Trials of Possession against Clan Wolf! Seyla!)

Luckily the Mayor of Trinity City had a few favours to call in from the Draconis Combine Mustered Society 6th Arkab Legion and hired himself some Mercenaries including the former Capellan’s Raven’s Remembrance! Luckily Duke Ricol (the 3rd) was also on his holidays enjoying the local casinos and pleasure palaces between plots to destroy the GreyDeath Legion.

Follow StrategosLevel on FaceBook, Twitter, Discord or at https://ComStar.home.blog for articles, scenarios and campaigns.

Join our BattleTech Mercenary Company campaign on our Discord at https://discord.gg/4gBTF5

Our local gaming group is in the SouthEast of the UK. Join our FB group at BattleTech UK SouthEast. We run events at The Mug and Meeple (Gravesend), DarkSphere (London Waterloo) and Chaos Cards (Folkestone)

Full Article and Pictures here:
https://comstar.home.blog/2020/06/08/hextech-city-by-thunderhead-studio/

[Red Pins]

 :o

I'm 50 and long gone from playing, but - holy cow!  Freaking magnificent looking terrain.  Absolutely magnificent.  If they ever do another GENCON demo, they should have THIS..  So, the obligatory few questions

If I understand right, the 3d printer medium is black/grey looking - you used standard primer?

Acrylic paint?  How well does it hold?  Did you use a sealer?

The pieces look like they used those little pins to hold together - does it move much when you play on it?

...Any plans to offer painted stuff on eBay or something?  I've got an old player that paints figs professionally, this is something he might want to look into.

Stunning work, man.  Congrats, wish I could join you.

[NeonKnight]

I know! isn't it a WONDERFUL set of Buildings!

[Red Pins]

One more question - what was your outlay?  Printer, material, and 3d designs?  I'm assuming you had your own paints and stuff.

[strategoslevel3]

The are all printed in White PLA and primed with grey spray can Citadel Mechanicus grey and zenith highlighted white. They are all 1 piece prints, no pins.  Paint hold well, no need for sealer.

[quote author=Red Pins link=topic=69729.msg1618227#msg1618227 date=
If I understand right, the 3d printer medium is black/grey looking - you used standard primer?

Acrylic paint?  How well does it hold?  Did you use a sealer?

The pieces look like they used those little pins to hold together - does it move much when you play on it?

...Any plans to offer painted stuff on eBay or something?  I've got an old player that paints figs professionally, this is something he might want to look into.

Stunning work, man.  Congrats, wish I could join you.
[/quote]

[strategoslevel3]

One more question - what was your outlay?  Printer, material, and 3d designs?  I'm assuming you had your own paints and stuff.

The HexTech City STLs is about $75.  The hills $15. Say 4-5 rolls of filament, plus the trees, I’d say at an estimate just over $200

[Red Pins]

Wow.  ...If only I was single, or rich.

I noticed the heads have raised dots around the outside of some of the hexes, I thought they fit under the rims of the buildings.  How do they stay together?

[Two Guns Blazing]

A great looking urban layout! These STL files created by Thunderhead Studio are fantastic, I have the lot of them myself, although have only printed a couple of the buildings so far.

[Daryk]

Amazing!  :o

I almost make enough these days to say "well worth the price"... then I remember I have four children who haven't QUITE graduated college yet...  ::)

[Red Pins]

Lucky you.

My four are still in 5-6, 4, and 2.

[Daryk]

I can only say "It doesn't get easier, only different..."  :-\

[strategoslevel3]

Wow.  ...If only I was single, or rich.

I noticed the heads have raised dots around the outside of some of the hexes, I thought they fit under the rims of the buildings.  How do they stay together?

The raised dots on the road mean that flat hex based mechs can stand on the hexes without being wonky. It’s clever stuff

[Daryk]

Ah, they balance out the curbs... clever!  8)

[Kibutsu]

I don't own a 3D printer but I purchased some of the pre-printed ones from Steel Warrior Studios and they are excellent pieces. It's hard to believe that when I started in this hobby back in the 80s I was spray painting balsa wood to make buildings for CityTech since there was basically nothing available commercially. Now there is so much terrain available that one can't possibly hope to collect and paint it all, though I intend to try :))

Very nicely done on the painting and the presentation.

[DOC_Agren]

very nice
still not able to make that expense plus it been a # of years since I have played games

[kuttsinister7]

I love his work, I am building Luthien based on his work. I will share my links later.

[worktroll]

Lucky you.

My four are still in 5-6, 4, and 2.

Give it another 25 years, and you'll have the time, and more disposable income ;)

[DOC_Agren]

Give it another 25 years, and you'll have the time, and more disposable income ;)

Really
I see the time yes... disposable income...  well that questionable