1) How did you get into gaming?
As a child and into my late teens I was a massive Lego fan - I loved building ambitious, elaborate, highly detailed models but always felt limited with the "courseness" that even the wide array of Lego brick shapes facilitated. I'd always been aware of the various Games Workshop games and mythology but I guess it felt like the entry into them was quite high in terms of skill and money (not that Lego is a cheap hobby to collect!). Eventually a friend of a friend talked me into it so I picked up some secondhand Space Marines and some paints and got started. The rest is history!
2) What is your favorite game?
My primary interest has always been 40k but I'm also a big Battlefleet Gothic fan. However for the past few years I've found myself far more interested in the hobby aspect so the only gaming I get in is the very infrequent bit of BFG.
3) How did you get into resin casting?
This is a long story, the beginnings of which I'm sure will be something you Apocalypse guys can relate to. During my very first game of Apocalypse back in 2008 I realised just how much fun the carnage of big non-competitive games were. But alas my relatively small 1800pt Tau army was severely lacking. I love the Tau because I'm a massive fan of mecha, so the idea of just picking up Tigersharks from Forge World to "Apocalypse-ise" my army didn't really appeal to me. I decided that I wanted a big mechanised walker.
So I embarked on a stupidly ambitious project: the Superheavy Assault Walker (build log: http://www.advancedtautactica.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=8367). This was my first scratchbuild and man was it a crazy project to cut my teeth on! I have a habit of jumping into the deep end with things - I'm a sink or swim kind of guy ;)
Initially the SAW was just a personal project. I had decided that I would scratchbuild just the one leg and then cast copies for the other three. Then somewhere along the line I got talked into casting all of the parts so that a few other online friends could have one too. This leads us into the next question:
4) Why did you start Resin Addict and what is it all about?
Learning to produce quality, bubble-free casts is a VERY steep learning curve. Just a few years back the concept of resin casting was still very taboo in the wargaming community (I think mainly fuelled by fictitious pseudo-legal nonsense by GW) and there wasn't a lot of information around about casting specifically the types of parts that we use in wargaming models. I started out with a tub of silicone and some resin and was soon tumbling down the rabbit hole of figuring out how to prevent those incessant bubbles from forming in the casts. A lot of trial and error led to me perfecting a really good technique that was working well for me.
Resin Addict was created for the primary reason that we wanted somewhere to discuss and share casting techniques for wargaming related subjects. Back then just mentioning that you had cast something in resin would cause a huge furore on most wargaming hobby forums (again I attribute it to naivety and fear of legal bullying from GW). But I honestly feel that casting is a necessary tool for high quality hobby and modelling work, something which I'm all about.
5) What are your goals with Resin Addict?
Initially we just wanted to discuss advanced hobby and primarily casting techniques. We wanted to help lessen that steep learning curve for those interested in trying out resin casting for themselves. But in the past year this has expanded into a secondary direction: facilitating boutique, quality miniatures and models by connecting talented artists and people who can help bring their designs to production.
6) What is next for Resin Addict?
We have just launched the Resin Addict "Co-Labs" concept. Co-Labs is a word play on collaboration, something that has become a big part of my hobby. You see the one thing that I am most proud of about Resin Addict is the network of people I have met through it. We only have a small group of core members but I'm in regular personal contact with many of them and I consider many to be good friends, despite being entire continents away! When you have a community like that collaboration is inevitable, even if it's not formally recognised. I know of several projects that have had invaluable input (relating to both design and physical creation) from others, without any money changing hands. Not that I'm saying people shouldn't be paid for their talent (quite the opposite) but I think it says a lot when such people are willing to do things for others purely for their love of the hobby.
So in many ways the Co-Labs branding helps to promote those collaborations (whether the work was recompensed or not) and thus help strengthen these relationships. But more importantly I'm hoping that it will allow us to create more fantastic wargaming related models for the discerning hobbyist by connecting talented designers with casting services who are involved with the wargaming hobby.
7) How does 3D modelling affect the future of resin casting?
In the past few years this has been the biggest shake up in the model industry. One of our Co-Labs members even has himself a high resolution 3D printer that creates absolutely stunning prints. To answer your question though, 3D printing will only make the resin (and metal) casting industries bigger. Although metal is generally more economical for larger volumes, as a modeller I still prefer resin for its far superior finish and reproduction of detail.
The best 3D prints are in a wax material so need to be carefully moulded and recast in resin to be used for anything. Either way, the availability of economical, quality 3D prints is enabling the realisation of many great boutique designs and for the most part reproducing them in resin is the best way to go. And there are some talented 3D modellers out there!
8) The Fiddler is the first Co-Labs kit. How did it come about?
I've been a fan of Alex Iglesias' work for several years now. Back in 2010 he posted a very cool, original concept piece titled "The Fiddler" and instantly I fell in love with it. Alex is extremely talented when it comes to creating modern, realistic looking mech designs so it's no wonder he got snapped up as a concept artist to help modernise the Mechwarrior designs for Mechwarrior Online!
In late 2011 an equally talented 3D art student named Don Bradford got permission from Alex to render the Fiddler in 3D. He created an insanely detailed 3D model (so detailed in fact that we had to remove some of it for printing!). At that stage 3D printing was becoming a very popular topic on Resin Addict so I immediately knew this was what we had to do. I contacted Alex and Don and negotiated a license agreement. Don then scored a job with Weta Workshop and was unable to complete the task of prepping the 3D model for printing. I was introduced to Chris Wallace and his familiarity with modelling for print was invaluable in finalising the Fiddler model.
It has taken us some time but we've finally entered production and are launching the Fiddler at the White Dragon Miniatures stand at Salute 2013 in the UK. I've just finished assembling my pre-production kit and I must say it's a fantastic model (yes, I know I'm biased). We decided to use brass rod for the main weapon barrels and I'm very pleased with that decision: the result is perfectly straight barrels with no unsightly mould lines.
9) Give us the Fiddler plug
The Fiddler is a high quality, boutique resin model kit consisting of 91 parts (84 resin parts and 7 brass barrels). It stands an impressive 150mm tall and while its scale is specifically 1:35, it will work quite well with 28mm and 54mm wargaming models. The cost is £110.00 including delivery anywhere in the world (discounts apply for orders of two or more). As I said above it's being launched at Salute and is available for purchase online at www.whitedragonminiatures.co.uk.
10) What's next for Co-Labs
Well the Fiddler is a big experiment and if it sells the way we hope then the plan is to bring more of Alex's amazing original/personal mech designs to the physical medium. We may look at producing for other scales like 10mm/15mm too, as there seems to be a growing demand there. Keep an eye on www.resinaddict.com/shop/ for any future products!
Painted buy John Harrison of The Weekend Workshop