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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tomBitonti" data-source="post: 7746500" data-attributes="member: 13107">Dwarven Forge and Reaper Bones are two data points among many.  One needs to extend the data set, else conclusions are hardly meaningful.Other products of note:Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures (Miniatures) (<a href="https://wizkids.com/dnd-unpainted/" target="_blank">https://wizkids.com/dnd-unpainted/</a>)Pathfinder Battles (Miniatures) (<a href="http://paizo.com/pathfinderbattles" target="_blank">http://paizo.com/pathfinderbattles</a>)Hirst Arts (Molds) (<a href="http://www.hirstarts.com/" target="_blank">http://www.hirstarts.com/</a>)And that is just a bare step into the market.Looking at either product mentioned (Bones and Dwarven Forge), there is a large range of prices.  The reaper May collection, at $136, is about 40% less than the miniatures priced individually.  And for Dwarven Forge, the price is about 30-35% less for unpainted (from about $4 a basic piece painted to about $3 unpainted).  Of course, painting yourself has both a material and a time cost.And, commercial products are getting better at the same time that 3D printing is getting cheaper.  Looking at Nolzur's, in particular, the price and quality are quite outstanding -- a lot better than I've seen previously.There are considerations of durability (Dwarven Forge is quite durable; Hirst is too, but only using the right material; plaster works in Hirst molds, but is quite fragile.)The cost of having a manufacturing area, which is a prerequisite for either a 3D printer or for casting miniatures, or for painting terrain pieces in bulk, is considerable.  In particular, if there are any hazardous materials in use.  Space requirements or the need to handle hazardous materials are prohibitive to a lot of folks.Thx!TomB</blockquote>

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