The Great Hobby Detour: Learning to Print Miniatures on an A1 Mini

Wow, it's been over a month since my last blog entry! There are quite a few reasons for that. The UK summer holidays inevitably led to less gaming, with people away at different times and everyone juggling family commitments, holidays, and other real-life distractions. On top of that, we're currently having some work done around the house, which means most of my gaming collection has been packed away and safely stored until the dust settles and normal service can resume.

Oddly enough, I've found the break quite refreshing. The enforced pause has turned into something of a digital detox. I've spent less time doom-scrolling through hobby websites and forums and, perhaps most surprisingly, I've even stopped regularly checking Lead Adventure Forum. After years of making it part of my daily routine, it has been nice to step away for a while and focus on other things.

One hobby-related item that hasn't been packed away is my 3D printer. In fact, what started as a useful tool has rapidly become a hobby in its own right. Over the last few weeks I've been diving headfirst into the world of 3D printing and learning about nozzle sizes, print profiles, support settings, filament types, layer heights, and all the other technical aspects that come with the territory.

The area I've focused on most has been printing miniatures using an FDM printer and standard PLA filament. To say that this particular corner of the hobby is a minefield would be a major understatement. Search for advice online and you'll quickly find dozens of contradictory opinions, settings, and recommendations. What works perfectly for one person can produce terrible results for another.

Thankfully, the FDM Miniatures community on Reddit has been an invaluable source of advice and encouragement. Thanks to the experience shared by members there, I've gradually started to achieve some genuinely impressive results. While FDM-printed miniatures will never quite match the sharp detail and smooth surfaces of resin prints, the gap is increasingly smaller than many people realise. More importantly, the advantages of FDM printing are difficult to ignore: lower running costs, easier handling, less mess, and none of the concerns associated with storing, handling, and disposing of liquid resin.

After a fair amount of experimentation, I eventually decided to purchase the Fat Dragon Games FDM printing profile and guide for my Bambu Lab A1 Mini. That turned out to be money very well spent. The guide provides a solid baseline for miniature printing, cutting down a lot of the trial and error that can otherwise consume hours of hobby time. Combined with the purchase of a low-temperature build plate, it has made the process considerably easier and more reliable.

As for models themselves, I've been sourcing files from a variety of places. MakerWorld has provided plenty of excellent free options, while I've also picked up a number of designs from RavenX. Between the improved print profiles, the new build plate, and a growing understanding of the printer's quirks, I'm now reaching the stage where I'm consistently producing miniatures that I'm genuinely happy with.

There is still a lot to learn, of course. Every successful print seems to uncover two new settings to experiment with, and every improvement leads to another rabbit hole of optimisation. But that's part of the appeal. Although my traditional gaming activities have been largely on hold, the 3D printing side of the hobby has more than filled the gap and given me a completely new set of skills to develop.

Hopefully it won't be another month before the next blog update. With a bit of luck, the house projects will soon be finished, the gaming gear can emerge from storage, and I'll have some actual tabletop adventures to write about rather than nozzle sizes and support settings!