3D printing has started to revolutionise the way that wargames models are designed and produced. Like many other companies, at Brigade we have already started to take advantage of this, using computer modelling to create the masters for a number of our products. However, the final castings of these models are still produced the old-fashioned way by hand-casting in metal or resin, just like we always have.

Mass-produced 3D printing of all of our products isn't here yet, speed and cost of production remaining barriers to be overcome. However, there are still advantages that it offers in terms of producing complex models that would be nearly impossible with traditional techniques. For example, models which are hollow or have significant undercuts, holes or insets can be printed in one piece without the need for complicated or fiddly multi-part designs that are difficult to assemble and delicate when on the gaming table.

We've launched this new range of models to make the most of these advantages. The models we offer would either be near to impossible for us to make by conventional means, or at least would be awkward to assemble and fragile once complete. We've had all of these models printed before they are placed on this page, so you can be assured that we know that they work !

Although we don't have our own 3D printing facilities, there are a number of print-on-demand studios, Shapeways probably being the most well-known. Although these models have been designed here at Brigade, they are produced and sold through our Shapeways shop. All of the items below aren't ordered from us, instead they take you to the appropriate page in our Shapeways shop instead.

Ordering from Shapeways

When you place an order, you place it with Shapeways, not us, so it will be through a different shopping cart system and can't be combined with orders for our other ranges. Shapeways currently take PayPal as well as credit cards, so payment is a doddle, and orders generally take around 2½ weeks to fulfil. If you have any comments or feedback on the designs, please contact us; if you have any queries about delivery or production of your order, you will need to contact Shapeways.

Ordering from us

We are aware that Shapeways' shipping rates have been an issue for some people - their flat-rate structure means that it isn't economical to make small orders, and rates outside North America or the EU are also quite high. So if you wish to, rather than making your own order, e-mail your requirements to us. Once we have enough customer orders to make it worthwhile we’ll put together one big order to Shapeways. Then, when the package arrives, we’ll split it up and send it out individually to the correct recipients. We’ll charge you the same price for a model as you would pay from Shapeways (including any VAT, depending on where you live) but postage will be at our normal rates. You will need to be patient – Shapeways orders take roughly 2-3 weeks to arrive, on top of which will be the time for the individual orders to get to you from us. And we’d have to wait for enough orders to build up to make it worthwhile, so we’d be looking at turnarounds of maybe 4-6 weeks or more. We’ll only send out PayPal invoices when we place the order, so you won’t be paying weeks in advance of items being ordered.

Occasionally we have a few items available for direct sale - we have them in stock and you can order them directly from us if you wish along with any other items from our normal ranges. You can see any items below just by looking for the Add to Cart button.

Buying at Shows

We will endeavour to carry a small number of examples with us to shows - however, we can't guarantee stock. If there is a particular model that you'd like to buy from us at a show, please contact us in advance and we'll endeavour to get one in for you - we will need at least 3 weeks notice to do this.