FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you wanted to know about ordering, shipping, and living with 3D printed miniatures. Can't find your answer? Email us at customer.service@3dtrinketry.au — a real human replies, usually within 1 business day.

Quick answers

Ordering

How do I know my order went through?

You'll get an automatic confirmation email within a few minutes. If it hasn't arrived, check your spam folder before contacting us — order confirmations love hiding in there.

Can I change or cancel my order?

Before we start printing — absolutely, no charge. Just email customer.service@3dtrinketry.au with your order number as soon as you can.

Once printing has started, it gets trickier. Your models are already being made specifically for you, so we can't simply put them back on a shelf. Get in touch anyway — we'll tell you honestly where your order is up to and what we can do. If we've already used materials and machine time, we may need to keep an amount covering that, and we'll tell you exactly what that is before you decide.

Can I add something to an order I've already placed?

If we haven't started printing, yes — email us and we'll either add it or send you a small top-up invoice. If we've started, it's usually faster to place a second order. Let us know and we'll try to ship them together and refund the difference in postage.

Do you offer bulk discounts, or sell to game stores?

Yes, subject to the licenses we have for particular models — we offer trade and wholesale pricing for retailers and gaming clubs, and bulk pricing on larger orders. Email customer.service@3dtrinketry.au with what you're after.

Can I request a specific colour?

Where a listing offers colour options, pick before adding to the cart. Otherwise contact us with your requirements.

Resin options are limited to Ash Grey, Black or Clear/Translucent. FDM terrain and buildings are Ash Grey by default but can potentially be done in dozens of colours, including multiple colours in the same print.

Why are resin miniatures usually grey or beige?

Because that's the colour of the resin, and it's genuinely the best surface for painting. Grey and beige show detail clearly under primer and don't fight your paint scheme. Coloured resins can look great bare, but they're harder to photograph and no easier to paint.

Production times

Why isn't my order shipping straight away?

Because it doesn't exist yet. Almost everything we sell is printed to order — when you place an order, we add your models to a print queue, print them, wash them, cure them, remove supports, clean them up, inspect them, and pack them. That's real hands-on work, and it's why your miniature isn't one of ten thousand identical ones in a warehouse.

How long does printing take?

Currently 2-4 business days before dispatch. That's on top of shipping time.

Longer if your order includes:

• large-format models or terrain
• several different colours or materials
• multi-part kits with a lot of components
• custom work

If your order is going to take noticeably longer than the estimate, we'll email you rather than leave you wondering.

My order is taking longer than the estimate. What happened?

Usually a failed print. It happens to every printer ever made — a support fails, a layer doesn't adhere, a resin tank picks up a flaw — and when it does, we reprint rather than send you something we're not happy with.

We'll email you with a revised timeframe. If the wait doesn't work for you, you can cancel that item for a full refund.

Can I pay for a rush order?

We generally work on a first come, first served basis. If you're on a particularly tight schedule email us and we'll see if we can work something out.

Shipping and delivery

How much is shipping?

Flat rate $10 Australia wide ($15 for Express).

Some of the very large buildings and terrain may incur additional shipping costs, but we'll contact you in advance before processing your order.

How long does delivery take once it's shipped?

Typical times after dispatch:

These come from Australia Post and aren't guaranteed. Christmas, EOFY, zombie apocalypses and big sale periods slow everything down. 

Do I get tracking?

Yes — a tracking number goes out with your dispatch email. Note that tracking often doesn't update for the first 24 hours or so, which is normal and doesn't mean anything has gone wrong.

Do you deliver to PO Boxes and parcel lockers?

Yes. For fragile orders, a parcel locker is honestly one of the safest options — the parcel isn't left in the weather.

What if I'm not home?

Depends on the option you chose at checkout. If you've selected authority to leave, the carrier can leave it at the address, and from that point it's out of our hands — so if you're in an apartment building or somewhere parcels tend to walk off, we'd suggest signature on delivery or a parcel locker instead.

If you chose signature on delivery, the carrier will leave a card and take it to a collection point.

Do you ship internationally?

No. 

Can I pick up locally?

Yes — local pickup is available from Baldivis WA by arrangement. Select it at checkout and we'll email you when your order is ready to collect from The Fox Den, our dedicated gaming room.

My order has several items — will they ship together?

By default, yes — we ship complete orders. If one item is holding everything else up, email us and we'll usually split the shipment at no extra cost.

My tracking says delivered but nothing's here.

Frustrating, and more common than it should be. Try this first:

• Check around the property — behind pot plants, side gates, meter boxes. The tracking info may also include a photo of where the delivery was left.
• Ask housemates, neighbours and building managers.

Still missing? Email us with your order number and we'll open an enquiry with the carrier and sort it out with you.

About 3D printing

What will my miniature actually look like when it arrives?

Unpainted, unassembled, and in the raw colour of the material. It'll look like a raw casting — because that's what it is. Give it a wash and a coat of primer and it'll transform completely.

I can see faint lines on the surface. Is that a defect?

No — those are layer lines, and they're a normal feature of 3D printing. Every 3D printed object is built up in horizontal slices, and you can sometimes see where those slices meet.

On our resin prints the layers are around 0.03–0.05mm — usually invisible once primed, occasionally faintly visible on large smooth curves like a cloak or a shield. On FDM prints the layers are thicker (around 0.1–0.2mm) and more visible, which is why we use FDM mainly for terrain and larger pieces where it reads as texture rather than a flaw.

There are little bumps or rough spots on the underside. What are they?

Support marks. During printing the model is held up by a scaffold of thin supports, which we remove and clean up by hand. We place them on undersides, backs and less visible areas wherever we can, but every model needs some.

A light pass with a hobby knife or a fine sanding stick takes care of any you can still see. It's a normal part of prep — the same thing you'd do with mould lines on an injection-moulded kit.

Is it hollow? What are these holes?

Larger models are often printed hollow to reduce weight, save material and prevent warping. Hollow models need small drain holes so uncured resin can escape during printing — usually tucked underneath or somewhere discreet. They're intentional. Fill them with putty or leave them; they won't affect the model.

Are these as durable as plastic kits from the big brands?

Honestly? Different, not identical.

Resin captures finer detail than injection-moulded polystyrene, but it's more brittle. Thin parts — spears, swords, antennae, outstretched arms, tails — can snap if a model takes a hard fall onto a table or floor. They're perfectly fine for regular careful gaming, but they're not something to throw in a backpack loose.

FDM prints in PLA are more forgiving of impacts, which is one of the reasons we use it for terrain that gets handled every game.

Either way: a foam-tray or magnetised case is a very good investment.

Will it be exactly like the photo?

Very close, but not identical. Each model is printed and finished individually, so there's slight variation between copies — this is a handmade product, not a stamped one. And remember the photos usually show a rendered image or a painted example; yours arrives unpainted.

Can I buy the 3D file?

No. We sell physical prints only, and we don't supply STLs or any other digital files. Many of our designs are printed under licence from independent designers who sell their own files directly — if there's a specific sculpt you'd like the file for, ask us and we'll happily point you to the designer.

Can I make copies of a model I bought?

You're free to paint it, convert it, magnetise it, kitbash it, photograph it, game with it, and sell that individual model on later. What you can't do is reproduce it — no silicone moulding, recasting, or 3D scanning. Recasting hurts the independent sculptors this hobby runs on.

Resin vs FDM

What's the difference?

Resin (SLA/MSLA) cures liquid photopolymer layer by layer with UV light. Extremely fine detail — crisp faces, chainmail, fabric folds, tiny weapons. Rigid and somewhat brittle.

FDM extrudes melted plastic filament through a nozzle. More visible layers, tougher and more impact-resistant, cheaper for large volumes, and softens if it gets hot.

Which should I choose?

Where both are offered on a listing, choose the option before adding to the cart.

Which material is which colour?

Both FDM and Resin prints come in Ash Grey by default unless another option is provided or you make a custom request.

Preparing and painting

Do I need to wash it before painting?

Yes, please do — this is the single most common cause of paint problems. We wash and cure everything before it ships, but a quick clean at your end removes anything picked up in handling and transit.

Warm water, a drop of dish soap, an old soft toothbrush. Rinse well and let it dry completely — several hours, or overnight for a hollow model that may hold water inside. Then prime.

Skip this step and you may get primer that stays tacky or peels in sheets later. It's five minutes that saves an evening's work.

What primer should I use?

Any hobby primer works well on both resin and PLA — Citadel, Army Painter, Vallejo Surface Primer, Stynylrez, or a general automotive grey primer.

Two rules that matter more than the brand:

1. Thin coats. Several light passes beat one heavy one. Heavy primer fills exactly the fine detail you paid for.
2. Don't spray in high humidity. A muggy Australian summer afternoon gives you a chalky, gritty finish. Early morning or an air-conditioned room is much better.

What paints work?

All standard hobby acrylics — Citadel, Vallejo, Army Painter, Two Thin Coats, Scale75, Pro Acryl. Airbrush and contrast/speedpaint styles work fine too. Once it's primed, a 3D print takes paint exactly like any other miniature.

What glue should I use?

Cyanoacrylate — superglue. Thin or medium viscosity, plus an accelerator if you're impatient.

Do not use plastic cement (Tamiya Extra Thin, Revell Contacta, Testors and similar). Those work by chemically melting polystyrene, and neither resin nor PLA is polystyrene — it simply won't bond, and you'll spend an evening wondering what you did wrong.

For larger joins — a dragon wing, a big arm — pin it. Drill both sides and glue in a short length of brass rod or a straightened paperclip. It takes two minutes and it can be the difference between a model that survives transport and one that doesn't.

My model arrived slightly bent. Can I fix it?

Usually, yes, and it's easy:

1. Dip the bent part in warm water — less than 50°C, hot from the tap, not boiling.
2. Hold for 20–30 seconds until it goes slightly flexible.
3. Gently bend it back into shape.
4. Hold it under cold water for 30 seconds to set.

Go gently — force it cold and it will snap. If it's badly warped rather than slightly bowed, don't bother fiddling: send us a photo and we'll reprint it.

Can I magnetise the models?

Yes, and lots of our customers do. Both resin and PLA drill cleanly with a pin vice or a slow-speed hobby drill.

One safety note: wear a dust mask and eye protection, and don't dry-sand or dry-drill resin. Resin dust is an irritant you don't want in your lungs. Keep the area slightly damp or wet-sand, and clean up afterwards with a damp cloth rather than blowing dust around.

Do the models come with bases?

Bases are included — usually an integrated sculpted base or a matching plain round base. Where a model is supplied without a base, the listing will note the base size it's designed for. We also have separate bases available with different designs.

Are they pre-supported? Do I need to remove supports?

No — we remove all supports before shipping. "Pre-supported" is a term for STL files sold to people printing at home. You get a cleaned, de-supported, model that is ready to prime after final prep.

Scale and compatibility

What scale are your miniatures?

Most are 28mm or 32mm "heroic" scale, which is the standard for most tabletop wargames and RPGs. The listing states the scale and the approximate height if available.

A note on hobby scale conventions: "28mm heroic" doesn't mean the model is 28mm tall. It roughly means eye-height on a standard human figure, with slightly exaggerated hands, heads and weapons — the look most tabletop ranges use.

Will they fit alongside my existing collection?

Generally yes for anything in the same scale bracket, though "28mm" varies noticeably between manufacturers — some ranges run visibly larger or smaller than others.

Every listing gives approximate dimensions. If you're matching a specific range and want to be sure, email us with what you're matching and we'll give you a straight answer, including if the answer is "it'll look a bit small next to those".

Can I get a model scaled up or down?

Sometimes. Modest rescaling is often possible, but it isn't automatic — details that print well at one size can become too fine or too chunky at another, and some designer licences don't permit it. Ask us and we'll tell you whether it'll work.

Is this compatible with Dungeons and Dragons / Pathfinder / Warhammer etc?

Our models are sized to work well with common tabletop systems, and listings sometimes mention what a model suits. To be clear, those are descriptive size guides only — we're an independent studio and we're not affiliated with, licensed by or endorsed by any game publisher. All those trademarks belong to their owners.

Something went wrong

My model arrived broken.

Sorry — it happens occasionally with fine detail, and we'll sort it out.

Email customer.service@3dtrinketry.au within 7 days of delivery with:

• your order number
• a photo of the broken piece
• a photo of the packaging if it looks like transit damage

For a snapped weapon or a small component, we'll usually just reprint the part and post it out free. For anything more significant, we'll reprint the model or refund it — your call.

Please don't throw the packaging out until it's resolved; carriers sometimes want to see it.

An item is missing, or I got the wrong thing.

Check the packing first — small parts hide in packing material with real enthusiasm, and multi-part kits are often bagged separately. If it's genuinely missing or wrong, email us and we'll fix it straight away.

It's not quite what I expected.

Tell us what's off. If it's a genuine print quality problem, we'll reprint or refund it. If it's the normal character of a 3D print — faint layer lines, small support marks, minor variation from the photo — that's expected, and there's more detail on that above.

If you'd just rather not have it, see the next question.

Can I return it if I change my mind?

For anything we hold in stock, yes — within 7 days, unpainted, unassembled and in its original packaging. Return postage is at your cost.

For made-to-order and custom items, we generally can't. Your models were printed specifically for your order and can't go back into stock. This is why we'd much rather you ask us a question before ordering than be disappointed after — genuinely, email us, we don't mind.

What about faulty items?

Separate to any of the above, our products come with guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law that can't be excluded. If something is faulty, significantly different from its description, or doesn't do what it should, you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund — a major failure means you choose. That applies regardless of what any policy on this page says. Just email us; we're not going to make you fight for it.

Care and safety

Are these safe for kids?

No — our models aren't toys. They're collectors' and hobby items with small, sharp and brittle parts, and they aren't designed or tested for children. We recommend them for ages 14+, and they should be kept away from young children entirely — small parts are a choking hazard.

Is the resin toxic?

Everything we ship is thoroughly washed and fully UV-cured, and cured resin is stable and inert in normal handling. A small number of people are sensitive to photopolymer materials, so we'd suggest washing your hands after a long session of cleanup or preparation work, and keeping models away from pets who chew things.

The one real precaution: don't dry-sand, cut or drill resin without a dust mask and eye protection. Dust is the hazard, not the model sitting on your shelf.

Can I use printed items with food or drink?

No. Nothing we make is food safe, watertight or dishwasher safe — that includes dice trays, coasters, tankards and anything cup-shaped. Printed layers have microscopic crevices that trap bacteria and can't be reliably cleaned. Please treat everything we sell as display and hobby items only.

Will my models yellow over time?

Bare resin can yellow slightly with long UV exposure. Two easy fixes: keep models out of direct sunlight, or paint them — primer and paint block UV almost entirely. A painted, varnished model will look the same in a decade.

Anything else I should avoid?

Heat. Don't leave prints in a parked car, on a sunny windowsill, or near a heater. FDM prints in PLA start to soften around 60°C, which an Australian car interior in February clears without trying. This is the single most common way people damage prints after delivery, and unfortunately it's not something we can replace under warranty.

Otherwise: store away from direct sun, dust with a soft dry brush, and don't soak models in solvents unless you're deliberately stripping paint and accept the risk.

Custom prints

Can you print my own STL file?

Yes — email customer.service@3dtrinketry.au with your file, the material and scale you want, and we'll quote it.

For STL files from Hero Forge, Titancraft etc, we have a standard product in our catalog for it. 

A few things to know:

• You'll need to confirm you own the file or have a licence that permits commercial printing.
• We'll send you a preview to approve before we print.
• Custom work isn't returnable for change of mind, though the consumer guarantees still apply.
• There are some things we won't print — firearms and firearm components, weapons, counterfeits, and safety-critical or load-bearing parts. This isn't us being difficult: 3D printed firearm files are a serious criminal matter.

Can you commission an original sculpt?

No, we're not 3D sculptors ourselves.

Can you print a model bigger, or in a different material?

Often, yes — see the scale question above. Email us with what you have in mind.

Can you paint a miniature ordered from you?

Yes, one of our team is a keen miniature painter who can take on commissions. Contact us for more information.

Payments, invoices and gift cards

What payment methods do you accept?

Visa, Mastercard and PayPal.

Is my payment secure?

Yes. Payments are handled by PayPal, and card details never touch our servers — we never see or store your full card number.

Are prices in Australian dollars? Does that include GST?

Yes to both. Every price on the site is in AUD and includes GST. Shipping is added at checkout and shown before you pay.

Can I get a tax invoice?

Yes — a tax invoice is emailed to you. Buying for a club, a store or a business? Email us with your details and we'll make sure the invoice has what your accountant needs.

Do you sell gift cards?

Not at the moment, but we may add them in future if there's demand for it.

Do you have a newsletter?

Not currently. We don't expect to get enough requests to generate email spam to warrant it.

Still stuck?

Email customer.service@3dtrinketry.au — include your order number if you have one, and photos if something's wrong. We reply within 1 business day, Monday to Friday.