As to pre-painted; I'd still paint em.

Wouldn't buy pre-painted as that's a HUGE part of the hobby for me

What's the potential for scanning a larger figure and reducing it to the one true scale? It could then be used as a master for making a mould, and you'd have metal figures again.

Basically cost FK.

Costs much more to sculpt a larger figure....Then you've got the added outlay of scanning an cutting your new master. (That won't be cheap at all !).
If you're thinking of scanning an existing figure from another manufacturer.......Copyright....Or payment to them to get round that.
All adds up I'm afraid....And not by little amounts.
It all just adds extra 'stages' in the process, that someone's going to want paying for...in time.....or money.
Can't see it being viable for a long time yet.

Cheers - Phil.

It would save your poor old eyes though Phil 

Strike two !!
Cheers - Phil.

This is an interesting video on to the topic.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUndy0j8GX0

It relates to a thread on dakka http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/548621.page about the antics of an alleged serial con artist.

There are a number of things of interest, notably the price. The official Forgeworld model is @£500, to have the 'fan made' model printed would apparently be 3 or 4 times that amount (or taking a month and a half to print the components at home - which is difficult to believe, given that the wording of the offer was that people would have to hurry as the plans may have to be returned at any moment), and yet the hook of the scam was offering the printed model for @£250. Which in a way speaks volumes about people's false expectations of the current state of 3d printing.

If you could get a 3D scanner big enough, you could just wheel a Panzer IV into a warehouse, run the scanner over it, and then you could print it in any scale you wanted!  So all we need is a massive scanner, a working Pz IV in Middlesbrough, someone who knows how to use the various gizmo's... (and a man with a goat?!)

Quote from: Leon on 15 January 2014, 06:55:58 PM
If you could get a 3D scanner big enough, you could just wheel a Panzer IV into a warehouse, run the scanner over it, and then you could print it in any scale you wanted!  So all we need is a massive scanner, a working Pz IV in Middlesbrough, someone who knows how to use the various gizmo's... (and a man with a goat?!)

Or... or... or.... you could get a 10mm PzIV (which I believe are available in Middlesbrough) scan that - probably using an App -, and then get someone with knowledge of the gizmos to print the full size version... perhaps in chocolate.

Though after sincere and semi-serious reflection I think your method may be more practical.

But if you made it out of chocolate, wouldn't there be the danger of the goat eating it ? 
Cheers - Phil.

Theobromine is dangerous for goats, especially when your talking 40+ tonnes needed for a panzer iv.

More if it was a solid cast!

Not if it's the Mutant Star Goat.....That eats planets, doesn't it ? 
Cheers - Phil.

Quote from: Techno on 15 January 2014, 07:37:14 PM
Not if it's the Mutant Star Goat.....That eats planets, doesn't it ? 
Cheers - Phil.

Theobromine is its Kryptonite

All right, who's been 3d printing them pink pills then?

No problem if you print them for yourself, but please do noy share them with half the forum!

Quote from: petercooman on 15 January 2014, 11:53:06 PM
All right, who's been 3d printing them pink pills then?

No problem if you print them for yourself, but please do noy share them with half the forum!

I ship most of mine to FSN

Same here....I thought everybody did that.
Cheers - Phil