I was recently contacted by Henry Turner the artist behind many a 3D print Kickstarter including a recent range of 15mm Cold War Soviet troops. He is is back at it again and this time he has a range of NATO forces (Brits and US) to show off.
With the initial pledge range of models at my disposal (showing they are already ready) I fired up my Saturn 2 and filled some space on the build plate. Here are the results in their non painted (contrast adjusted to show detail) and painted glory.
The Kickstarter
The most noticeable thing about the Kickstarter is the huge range of poses and weapons you get. This is one of the key advantages of 3D printing and it’s great that you could make a small platoon with no repeats at all. Also thanks to the files clear labelling (eg standing throwing grenade), you can print exactly what you want to make the bases as dynamic as you see fit. For instance if you want a section prone providing covering fire you could do this and then have another in dynamic advancing poses.
Here are some pics of the full range.
Of course no Kickstarter is complete without stretch goals and this is no exception:
Where weapons are mentioned, these will both be created and posed within the Blender files. Unless specified as being STLs, they will not be exported on models
Alternative versions of select STLs exported carrying M72 LAWs
M60 GPMG STLs
Vehicle Crews STLs
AT4 Launcher posed in Blender Files
M67 recoilless rifle
Pistol poses & 9mm Browning STLs
M72 Firing STLs
Sterling SMG & Re-export of British Carl Gustav Gunners
Redeye Launcher
US 81mm Mortar STL
British 81mm Mortar STL0
.50cal HMG & Team
TOW Launcher STL
M1 Steel Helmet posed in Blender Files
British STLs in Berets
SAS STLs
Sterling SMG-specific Poses
West German Panzergrenadier STLs
French Infantry STLs
US Infantry in NBC Gear STLs
British Infantry in NBC Gear STLs
West German Infantry in NBC Gear STLs
French Infantry in NBC Gear STLs
Henry will also be offering his existing range of Cold War Soviets as an addon, and based on the number pledged these will unlock further goals
Please note that the headgear stretch goals will be added to the Blender file and pre-positioned on each pose, but not exported as STLs.
PKM Machinegunner STLs – 20 backers
RPG-18 STLs (Carrying & Firing) – 30 backers
Dragonuv Marksman STLs – 40 backers
Pistol Pose STLs (Makarovs & Tokarevs) – 50 backers
Czech M53 Helmet – 60 backers
Czech Field Cap – 70 backers
Wz.63 Paratrooper Helmet – 80 backers
Hungarian Field Cap – 90 backers
Polish Field Cap – 100 backers
Polish Berets – 110 backers
Romanian Helmet – 120 backers
Bulgarian M-1936 helmet – 130 backers
Soviets in camouflaged overalls STLs – 140 backers
Soviet Infantry in NBC Gear STLs – 150 Backers
Regardless of how many unlock, I am sure you will agree that this is a huge range of models and will allow you to field a complete range of infantry forces.
Printing experience
I printed my models in 15mm (there will be 10mm STLs as well) using only the pre-supported files. I am pleased to report that all printed perfectly with no fails or missed details. The support placement made them easy to remove with hot water and left no marks on the model. My one concern is the Brit SLRs. The weapon has a very thin barrel and I found a few broke off prior to painting. Whether this was in clean up, curing or spraying I am not sure, but its certainly one to be aware off. That said now I know I could be more careful in the curing and cleaning process.
The style of the models is a little different to BFs. In short they are less chunky and somewhat more realistic. That’s not a knock at the superb BF models, but rather acknowledgement that the BF style is 15mm ‘heroic’ where infantry is slightly larger with greater emphasis on heads, hands etc. That said these will mix with BF no problem.
Painting wise these were a doddle. The clean nature of detail on resin prints makes painting infantry so easy , a key advantage over metal models. I went for Citadel Contrasts as a base with vallejo highlights and splotches for the camo. A lovely balance between speed and quality.
Conclusion
Overall I am really impressed and excited by these models. A friend and I are doing 15mm Northag and these will work really well. For Team Yankee you have what’s needed for a Brit and US force, and with the availability issues most people experience with the Battlefront Team Yankee infantry this is a good alternate option. As always choice and competition is great and only drives people to even greater models.
While I had a couple of damaged barrels I am not worried about this for future prints. As with all printing, most things can be solved by a bit more care, some tweaked settings and the right resin. Personally I would always advice a quality ABS resin, pay the extra its worth it for these tiny models. While something like Anycubic basic resin is cheap, it is cheap for a reason….
The Kickstarter is now live here so if you want to get printing Cold War NATO inf I recommend you head over.