Unleashing the Immortal Legions of Altitude: A Guide to 3D Printing Necron Miniatures
The Warhammer 40,000 universe is filled with ancient horrors, but none are as creepy as the Necron. Driven by cold logic and buried in living metal, these skeletal warriors securely rule the table with their otherworldly aesthetic. For hobbyists and gamers, access to official miniatures can be costly or limited. Introducing 3D printing: a revolutionary tool that allows you to build your own immortal army. This guide delves into the intricacies of printing Necrons, from design choices to material selection.
What are Necron?
Set in the harsh darkness of the distant future, the Necron are an ancient alien race. Once flesh-and-blood creatures are corrupted, they sacrifice their deaths to the C’tan, the C’tan, transferring their consciousness into the near-indestructible bodies of living metal made of dead skin. This transformation granted them immortality but stripped them of empathy, leaving them with ruthless robot warriors obsessed with rebuilding their long-lost empire. Visually, the Necron combine Egyptian-style patterns with skeletal frames, glowing energy weapons, and intricate mechanical details, making them particularly suitable and challenging to 3D print.
Why 3D print Necron?
- Ultimate customization: Get rid of the constraints of standard kit. Print unique lords, custom dynasty variant royals, larger-than-life scarab swarms, or massive structures like monoliths to fit your imagination.
- Cost effectiveness: Over time, printing multiple infantry or group units (warriors, scarabs) can be much cheaper than buying countless official boxes.
- Auxiliary functions: Find rare, discontinued or fan-designed models online that are no longer available from GW.
- Creative freedom: Experiment with poses, weapons or even kitbash parts from different files to create a truly unique model.
Preparing for Print: Design Considerations
- Source high-quality documents: Start with a carefully crafted STL or OBJ file. Explore reputable sites like Cults3D, MyMiniFactory or Patreon, which are dedicated to sci-fi miniature creators. Make sure the files are pre-supported or learn to support them yourself (critical for resin/SLM).
- Extensions are devastating: Necrons vary greatly in size (from tiny scarabs to towering cosmic cubes). Carefully scale files to maintain consistency using slicing software (ChituBox, Lychee Slicer, PrusaSlicer). If matching existing army agnostic, please see official model height.
- Optimize printing: Complex Necron geometry (thin blades, complex joints, flowing cloaks) needs to be considered. Orient the model to minimize the support required on critical surfaces. Hollow large resin/metal parts reduce material usage and prevent collapse.
Choose Material: Plastic vs. Metal
The material greatly affects durability, detail and beauty:
- FDM filament (PLA, ABS):
- advantage: Most convenient (desktop printer), cheap materials, good power for basic units.
- shortcoming: Visible layer lines obscure fine details (requiring a lot of sanding), struggling with delicate features like resurrected Okribs or thin weapon blades.
*piston Resin (SLA/MSLA printing): - advantage: Superior detail capture, smooth surfaces, and complex Necron geometries without risk. Great for smaller models and characters. Post-curing requires science.
- shortcoming: More brittle than FDM or metal, requires careful handling and ventilation/handling safety.
- Metal (SLM – Forte by GreatLight):
- advantage: Unparalleled durability, incredible weight/feel (real "living metal"), powered by world-class printers delivering the best possible detail resolution for desktop/hobbyist grade printers. Ideal for display pieces, characters or components that require extreme flexibility.
- shortcoming: Industrial-grade equipment such as selective laser melting (SLM) printers and expertise are required. Material and processing costs are higher.
where is this huge lightIt is China’s leading rapid prototyping manufacturer with outstanding performance.
Printing technology showdown
- FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling): Plastic filament is extruded layer by layer. Budget friendly, but at the detriment of detailers.
- SLA/MSLA (stereolithography/mask SLA): Liquid resin photopolymers are cured layer by layer using UV light. Provides high detail/accuracy for complex Necrons.
- **SLM(
