In my previous Hero Forge review I focused more or less exclusively on the “paint job”. In doing this I neglected to properly discuss my thoughts on the quality of the miniature itself. This meant a lot of my friends ended up asking me about the quality. I figured I should share my thoughts here as well.
If you want to read my review discussing the coloring, you can find it here.
If you are unfamiliar with Hero Forge , they are a website which lets you design custom miniatures which they will then 3D print for you. They have a fairly flexible online design tool and a lot of options for parts to include. You pay for the luxury of designing your own mini though, the prices are much higher than off the shelf models.
Which leads to the question, is it worth it?
Overall I am inclined to say “Yes” for special models or if you have your own 3D printer.
Weight
I was surprised by how the model felt when I first picked it up. My initial impression was that it was incredibly light and then it occurred to me that all the weight was in the base. This is partially the pose and equipment the model has, but I expect even with larger weapons it will still be bottom heavy. I have no worries about her losing her balance and falling while playing.
Durability
For such a light model it is very rigid. It’s probably closer to the flexibility of a resin model than your standard plastic or metal. I’m pretty sure if I push too hard on any given part it will snap. This is very little “wiggle” to it. I would be careful when transporting it and would prefer to leave it wherever my game will be hosted.
My Recommendation
Unless you are specifically looking for a color printed model, get one of the other varieties. According to their website, color plastic is the least durable of the minis they offer. If detail is important, I have heard good things about their (very expensive) bronze minis and their premium plastic is supposedly more detailed. If you are concerned about durability, pretty much any of their other options are a better choice. Ultimately I am happy with what I received, though I would have preferred a lower price.
Please share your thoughts and comments below. Have you ordered from Hero Forge before? What are your impressions?
Thanks for reading!
