To see their online store for past releases: https://www.anvilindustry.co.uk/digital-forge
Value 3.5 (Very Good)- Each month Anvil Digital Forge releases a set of miniatures that are modular and in a current theme for the month. The modularity of the miniatures gives you quick print times (the models are not often that tall), and lots of options on how to put them together. On top of the Infantry there are often Ogres in the mix, a couple character/heroes, and terrain pieces like barricades or other types of scatter terrain.
The Monthly subscription for the Digital Forge is $9/month which is just slightly below the price of other 3D patreons.
Lets talk value. I signed up in July which had a real great Renegade set and at the time they were releasing their files at the end of the month and were going to switch to the beginning of the month in August. This led to two releases right away and although a good release (ive printed some of them) was not a solid theme like the other months. However once September was rolling around and into October the releases are not only on time (at the beginning of the month) I feel the value of each release has done nothing but go up.
Lets look at the last 3 (4) months of releases just to get a feel for them.
- July - Armoured Renegades
- August - Motorbikes and More
- September - Modern Post Apocalypse
- October - Drop Troopers
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Armoured Renegades -July
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Motorbikes and More- August
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Modern Post Apocalypse- September
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Drop Troopers - October
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In October check out the Drop Pods on the right of the image as well as the Mech.
Something to look over when you are looking at all these releases is just how much customization you can do. Lots of weapon options, lots of legs, torsos and heads to choose from.
Like others Patreons if you are a member there are discounts to be had for previous months! The current discount is 40% which is substantial and definitely can make up for the cost of the Patreon on any given month. I am not certain the discount is going all the time, but I am imagining if not it will come up again.
Customer Service 4.0 (Excellent)-- Ive only had one real contact with customer service and that is when I wanted to use my Patreon discount on their online store a second time to purchase additional sets. I wasn't alone in wanting this and it did not take too long for the discount code to be fixed. I believe I submitted the question late on a Friday and by Monday the code was fixed.
I haven't yet had any dealings with customer service and those times I have read others dealing with Titan Forge there has been good results. Everything else has been just quietly taken care of so its really hard to rate their customer service.
I have also found them to be rather responsive on their comment sections with very little complaints or problems to be fixed. All good news here.
The Sculpts 4.0- (Very Good)- Lets be honest here... Customization, solid cool themes, lots of options, and whoa... that Mech! Yea I can't get over it and the moment I had the files I was printing it. Ive gotten great detail in printing these miniatures.
Female Miniatures. Yep. One of the wonderful things here is that you can print female versions! Smaller Torso, thinner legs etc making them to scale and not over-sexualized. I really love this about the the releases so far.
Customization: I did print out quite a few of the Modern Post Apocalypse set and spent some time tracking down some shoulder pads from a character model. This worked well and I was quickly on my way to customizing my miniatures on how I wanted my Modern Post Apocalyptic soldiers.
No Bases- The one downside I would have to say is bases. Not that I think every patreon should have monthly bases or that I think Anvil's creative time should go there, but they do not provide bases with their monthly releases like I see in some other Patreons. This means I am looking into other Patreon downloads for bases or using bases I already have. (I don't blame them, bases are a pain to print sometimes).
Extras- Between Mechs and some terrain pieces Ive found that having a few months of a subscription with the Digital Forge gives you lots of extras to print. Ever needed an extra Plasma Gun? Lascannon? Yep this has you covered for a decent price. Again.... that damn Mech.
What extras did I Pick up from Anvil? Some previous month's releases.
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Automata because Robots Rock
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| Trench Coats and Look at the Terrain Included |
Printing 4.0 (Excellent)- Everything from the Digital Forge comes pre-supported (which I love) and Ive not had any real problems with prints related to the sculpts or supports.
One thing to think about when printing small or tiny pieces (like shoulder pads) is that you may need to increase your exposure time if you see any failed prints. A second or two will make all the difference.
What is nice is that because everything is modular you can load up the build plate and print quite a few of everything. Very little is going to be tall, so everything prints rather quickly.
Patreon Tip of the Day: If there is a set of STLs you like from a company on their store, its a good idea to become a Patreon. You get a "Welcome Pack" + the month you subscribe and you get a discount that will make up the cost of the monthly cost getting you quite a few more files. You can always cancel the subscription later.
Sync.com is still where most 3D Printing services are at but many are looking for alternatives to Sync. I think that Anvil's file sizes make up the difference. There is also the part though were someone like Titan Forge or Artisan has 6-7,000 or more Patreons. Anvil Industries will get there, so it remains to be seen as they get more Patreons what will happen.
For Gaming 4.5 (Very Excellent)- We've talked a lot about modularity for Tabletop Wargaming in the past and here Anvil succeeds where many others do not. Releases are cross compatible in many cases and fit with their resin Regiments sets online. Quite crazy what you can build for your infantry.
What would take Anvil over the top? To be honest Infantry is where we have seen most of Anvil's focus and they shine incredibly there. So when making your army you will need to have other miniatures, whether it be transports, tanks, or just more vehicles. They do have lots of heavy weapons available which is nice, but imagining a future where there are tanks, walkers, or other modular sections for them would be outstanding and take the ratings to a 5.0 with a one-stop army shop.
Getting Older Months Sets you Missed 4.0 (Excellent)- Everything is handled here as previous months go up on Anvils store page at a decent pace with discounts appearing for subscribers to the Patreon. Ive picked several sets up myself and have built up quite the library of Stls from Anvil Digital Forge. Once a Patreon you are not going to miss out on anything, even if you want sets that are from the past releases.
Overall 4.0 (Excellent): Anvil Digital Forge sits right up there with the big boys when it comes to who you should be looking at for your Patreon Subscriptions. I high suggest getting into this one if it's only for the bits you might be needing for your armies. I am hoping that they get into some Powered Armor releases as well and that would really round out what is coming out month to month.
Will I be keeping my Anvil Digital Forge Patreon past the 3 months test period for this review. Well if purchasing past releases is any indicator then yes I will. Especially if we keep seeing creative releases like the Mech tied to these releases. More of this please.
This side of our industry is young and in the middle of a renaissance. I find it surprising that their subscribers are not yet exploding in number, but I think its because Warhammer 40k players are often more traditional in their miniatures. The hobby is changing and Anvil Digital Forge is here in the forefront.
Side Note on ratings.... I have been so far reviewing some of my favorites Patreons. So a lot of the ratings have been dead excellent. We will be moving through other Patreons that rate lower over all and yes.... even one that rates higher. It takes me three months of being a part of the Patreon to really get a feel for each company, so these will continue to come out sporatically.
Additional Information for you 3D Printers Out There
Additional Reviews from this series
Specs and background: I have a Anycubic Resin Photon S 3d printer and a Wash/Cure Machine. Using Anycubic Grey resin with an 10 second normal exposure and 15 bottom layers (to be on the safe side for heavier prints) with a 90 second exposure. (I keep altering the bottom layer exposure to reduce it, but some heavier prints are requiring it.)
I am making certain I have 3 months of a Patreon before reviewing (at least for the bigger ones).
I have only had my printer since July of 2020 and have been a printing madman since I got it printing miniatures, tanks, heavy weapons, monsters etc. There are more 3D printing articles onsite, do a search for 3D printing on the site for other articles related to 3D Printing.
Currently working on other Patreon reviews for Makers Cult, Artisan Guild, Anvil Digital Forge, and Cyber Forge which are all in the works. Rotating them in and out to build up a library and get a solid structure for comparison for doing reviews.
