Introduction:

Replikant Technologies is one of the most positive surprises for me this year. The company made a big impact on the modeling scene with their 1/35 scale tire sets which all received excellent reviews, however it is their 3D printed accessory sets that are initiating a dramatic change in the model making process.

Usually, 3D printed pieces suffer from several drawbacks, the biggest being printing imperfections. These imperfections are tedious to clean and the process can easily result in fine details getting lost. Replikant Technologies entered the 3D printing world in cooperation with their partners at S&C3D, dedicated to improve the process and reduce printing deficiencies to a minimum. After several technological breakthroughs each resulting in a slightly enhanced printout, Replikant now offers one of the best 3D printed products on the modeling market.

Review:

This review covers two 1/35 scale accessory sets produced by Replikant Technologies: Plastic Chairs (#357001) and Plastic Crates (#357002). Both sets are to be officially launched and Replikant was kind enough to send me samples for a preview. The complete Plastic Chairs set consists of 2 chairs, and the complete Plastic Crates set consists of 6 crates, 3 pieces of each crate type. Also, both sets include a small booklet with info on how to prepare the pieces for painting; a very useful addition for most of us who don’t have any experience handling 3D printed parts.

Upon first inspection, I was overwhelmed. The pieces are small and very delicate with the intricate contours wonderfully delivered in scale, featuring loads of details all around, far exceeding anything possible to produce in resin. The printing lines on the pieces are miniscule and visible only under high magnification, so most modelers might even say there is no need for cleaning the pieces before priming and painting them. However, although the 3D printed pieces look really good, their surface is still not as “clean” as that of pieces cast in resin, and some tiny printing imperfections might show under a coat of primer. That is why I decided to follow the info given on the booklet and get optimal results with the pieces. The procedure calls for light sanding and priming the pieces (I used thinned Mr Surfacer 1200 applied with a soft brush). The second round of cleanup consisted of sanding with finer grit sandpaper and priming again (this time I used an airbrush). After the cleanup, I painted the pieces with Gunze acrylics, applied gloss coat and a thin wash, and finished the paintjob using a matt coat. The end result is very impressive in my opinion.

Conclusion:

Both sets from Replikant Technologies covered in this review are very impressive 1/35 scale accessory sets. Although I had my doubts regarding 3D printed parts, the samples I received proved to be very nice: delivered using state-of-the-art 3D printing technology additionally improved by Replikant and S&C3D to minimize imperfections in the printing process, the pieces feature extremely complex shapes and the level of detail impossible to produce in resin. Although the surface of these 3D printed pieces still has to be prepped for painting, the end result is well worth it.

These sets should be a great addition to any modern day diorama. Also, with 2 chairs in Plastic Chairs set (#357001) and 6 crates in the Plastic Crates set (#357002) and the price of only 9,60 EUR and 8 EUR, respectively, these set present a great value for the money.

A big thanks to guys at Replikant Technologies for this review sample.