Painting a 3D Printed Hill Giant – Resin Printing and Miniature Painting

My First 3D Printed and Painted Hill Giant

This Hill Giant has been a project of several firsts for me. It's the first proper miniature I've printed on my own 3D printer, my first time painting a resin 3D print, and my first attempt at blending flesh tones across such a large model.

The model is an STL from Loot Studios, and I thought it would make a great addition to my collection of classic Warhammer Fantasy miniatures. A giant is an impressive model at the best of times, but having one this size also gave me the opportunity to experiment with painting techniques that are a little more challenging than those I would normally use on smaller miniatures.

I've included some work-in-progress photographs below, showing the model at different stages of the printing and painting process.

Painting a Large Resin Miniature

One of the things I wanted to try with this model was blending flesh tones. Painting skin on a large creature is quite different from painting it on a normal-sized miniature. There are much larger areas to work with, and the transitions between shadows, midtones and highlights are more noticeable.

I wanted to give the giant's skin some variation and depth rather than simply applying a basecoat and wash. Blending the flesh colours was a new challenge for me, but it was a good opportunity to experiment and learn something new.

This was also my first experience painting a resin print straight from my own 3D printer. It's satisfying to take a digital STL file and turn it into a finished miniature that can sit alongside traditionally manufactured models in a tabletop army.

 

 

 

Why I Chose This Hill Giant

I'm quite pleased with how the model has turned out. I really like the sculpt itself: he has a solid, weighty appearance that makes him feel like a proper giant.

Some giant miniatures I've seen are rather skinny or have exaggerated, oversized feet that give them a more comic appearance. This sculpt avoids both of those things. The proportions give him a sturdy, substantial look, which I think suits the Warhammer Fantasy setting particularly well.

For me, that physical presence is an important part of what makes a good monster miniature. A giant should look as though he could lumber across the battlefield, smash through a line of infantry and cause absolute havoc.

 

 

 

Adding the Giant to My Warhammer Fantasy Army

The plan is to add this Hill Giant to either my Warhammer Fantasy Battle 3rd Edition Orc and Goblin army or my Norse army. I haven't quite decided which force he'll join yet, but he'd make a suitably imposing addition to either.

That's one of the things I enjoy about collecting and painting fantasy miniatures: a model doesn't always have to belong to just one project. Sometimes a miniature can inspire ideas for several different armies or scenarios.

I'm looking forward to getting him onto the tabletop and seeing how he looks alongside the rest of the force.

Have you tried printing and painting large resin miniatures yourself? I'd be interested to hear how other hobbyists approach painting large areas of skin, particularly when blending flesh tones across a monster-sized model.