Where to Find 40K-Compatible STL Files (and What Next)
Search for 40K print files and you get two completely different kinds of result on the same page. One is a sculptor selling original sci-fi models they designed themselves. The other is a site quietly redistributing files copied from someone else's product. They look similar in a search listing and they are not remotely the same thing.
This is a guide to the first kind: where original 40K-compatible sculpts actually come from, what the licences let you do, how scale and base compatibility works, and what it costs to have a force printed once you have the files.
Where do you get 40K-compatible STL files, and are they legal?
40K-compatible STL files come from independent sculptors selling original designs through MyMiniFactory tribes, Patreon campaigns and their own storefronts, typically $8 to $15 a month for a monthly release of new models. These are original sci-fi sculpts matched to 28mm heroic scale and standard base sizes. Files copied or scanned from Games Workshop models are copyright infringement.
Last verified: July 2026
Key takeaways
- •Compatible means an original sculpt built to the same 28mm heroic scale and base sizes, not a copy of an official model.
- •Miniature subscriptions on MyMiniFactory and Patreon typically run $8 to $15 a month for a monthly release of new models.
- •Neither platform sets a licence: the sculptor does, so terms vary file by file. Personal-use terms are common, and a commercial or merchant licence is usually a separate, higher tier.
- •Legal to print and legal to play are different questions. Most tournaments require official models regardless of how you obtained a printed one.
- •Commissioned resin printing runs about $2 to $6 per infantry model and $25 to $60 for a vehicle, as of July 2026.
What "40K-Compatible" Actually Means
A compatible model is an original sculpt designed to work alongside official models: same rough height, same base diameter, same visual weight on the table. The designer invented the figure. Nothing was copied. That is the entire distinction, and it is a legal one, not a stylistic one.
Games Workshop owns its sculpts, its unit names and its artwork. It does not own the idea of armoured soldiers in a far future, and dozens of independent studios have built real businesses producing original sci-fi ranges that happen to sit comfortably on the same table. Buying from those studios is straightforward and supports working sculptors.
Three signals that a file is not one of those, and you should walk away:
- The listing uses official unit names or product photography of official models.
- The words "recast", "scan" or "ripped" appear anywhere in the description or the community around it.
- A single low price buys an implausibly large library, especially one spanning multiple publishers' product lines.
Where we stand on this
3D Print Bounty does not accept jobs for copyrighted commercial sculpts. If a file is a scan or copy of a model somebody sells, we will not broker printing it, and makers on the platform are expected to decline it. That is not a legal disclaimer bolted on the end. It is the reason our makers can take miniature work at all without wondering whose files they are printing.
Where the Files Actually Come From
Four channels cover almost the entire legitimate market. Each has a different pricing model and a different failure mode.
| Channel | Typical cost | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyMiniFactory tribes | $8–15 per month | Steady monthly releases with a searchable back catalogue | What happens to the back catalogue when you cancel is set per tribe, not by the platform. Read that tribe's own terms before you subscribe |
| Patreon campaigns | $8–15 per month | Following one sculptor whose style you actually want | Patreon sets no file-retention term; whether you keep access after cancelling is the individual creator's choice. Download as you go and organise it |
| Direct storefronts | $3–10 per model, $30–80 per bundle | Buying exactly the twelve models you need and nothing else | Costs more per model than a subscription if you need a whole force |
| Kickstarter | $40–200 per campaign | Large themed collections at the lowest per-model price available | Six to eighteen month waits, and the pledge manager upsells hard |
Long-running sci-fi campaigns worth knowing by name include Titan Forge, Papsikels and Txarli Factory, all of which have shipped original sci-fi ranges for years. Catalogues change constantly, so treat any list as a starting point rather than a recommendation. There is also a free tier to this hobby: One Page Rules publishes free sci-fi wargame rulesets, and Printables and Thingiverse carry a large amount of free, freely licensed terrain, which is where most people should start.
If you have already accumulated files from a subscription and have not printed any of them, our guide to printing Patreon miniature collections covers how to work through a backlog without paying for it twice.
The Licence Question Almost Nobody Reads
Start from the fact that the selling platform does not set the licence. MyMiniFactory, Patreon and Kickstarter are storefronts; the sculptor writes the terms, and they differ from creator to creator. The common shape is personal use only: you may print it for yourself, you may not sell prints of it, and you certainly may not redistribute the file. Commercial and merchant licences exist, usually as a distinctly more expensive tier, and they typically permit selling physical prints while still forbidding passing the file on. The only way to know which you have is to open the licence file that shipped with the download.
The wrinkle that matters here: a print service is a third party. Plenty of personal-use licences were written before commissioning became normal and simply do not address it. Some creators explicitly allow having your own files printed by someone else; some explicitly do not. The workable process is to check the creator's terms, message them if the terms are silent, and keep the reply. A service that never asks about print rights is not being helpful, it is being careless.
If you have files but no printer, the practical options and what each costs are covered in our guide to getting STL files printed when you don't own a printer.
Legal to Print Is Not the Same as Legal to Play
These get conflated constantly and they are entirely separate. Copyright law decides whether you may make the model. An event organiser decides whether you may bring it.
On the first: printing an original third-party sculpt you have licensed is lawful. Printing a file scanned or copied from a Games Workshop model is copyright infringement, and printing it only for yourself does not change that. The commonly repeated idea that personal use makes copying fine is not how copyright works.
On the second: Games Workshop-run events require official models, and many independent tournaments follow the same rule, usually stated plainly in the event pack. A perfectly legal original sculpt can still be turned away at the door. Casual and home games are entirely up to your group, and in practice most groups care far more about whether the model is clearly identifiable than about who made it.
The honest summary: print for your own games, buy official kits if you play competitively, and read the event pack before you commit forty models to a paint scheme.
Scale and Base Compatibility
"28mm heroic" is a convention rather than a measurement. In practice a modern infantry model stands closer to 32mm from the base to the eye, with deliberately oversized hands, weapons and heads. Third-party ranges interpret this differently, so two files sold as 28mm heroic can differ by several millimetres.
Fix this by printing one test model before committing to a squad. If it reads small next to what it will stand beside, scale the file uniformly, usually somewhere between 1.0 and 1.1. Scaling after the fact is free; reprinting twenty models is not.
Base size is the other half. Most modern sci-fi infantry sit on a 32mm round, with 25mm for older or smaller troops, 40mm and 50mm for heavier models, and ovals for anything mounted or sprawling. Many STL packs ship without bases or with decorative bases at the wrong diameter. Check the diameter before you print, because a model on the wrong base occupies the wrong footprint and that genuinely affects play.
What It Costs to Get Them Printed
Resin is the standard process for miniatures because MSLA resolves detail that FDM cannot. The material is remarkably cheap per model; what you pay for is plate layout, support work, washing, curing and support removal, all of which are manual.
Typical commissioned resin printing price by model class
Unpainted resin printing runs about $2 to $6 per infantry model at army quantities, where twenty or more identical figures share one plate cycle, and $25 to $60 for a vehicle or monster. Order five figures on their own and expect to pay nearer the per-figure rate a party of miniatures costs.
| model | Typical low | Typical high |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry (28–32mm) | $2 | $6 |
| Character / elite | $8 | $20 |
| Bike / small walker | $12 | $30 |
| Vehicle / monster | $25 | $60 |
| Large centrepiece | $60 | $150 |
Source: 3D Print Bounty maker quotes and comparable independent miniature printing commissions, July 2026. Unpainted, supports removed, bases not included.
Approximate resin used per model
A 32mm infantry model consumes roughly 4mL of resin including supports, and 3–6mL once pose and hollowing are allowed for, which is $0.09–0.30 of material at standard resin prices of $30–50 per litre.
| model | Resin per model (mL) |
|---|---|
| Infantry (28–32mm) | 4 mL |
| Character / elite | 9 mL |
| Bike / small walker | 18 mL |
| Vehicle / monster | 55 mL |
| Large centrepiece | 140 mL |
Source: Typical model volumes at 28–32mm heroic scale for hollowed models including supports, July 2026. Volumes vary with pose and hollowing; costed against standard MSLA resin at $30–50 per litre, US retail.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I legally get 40K-compatible STL files?
From independent sculptors selling their own original designs through MyMiniFactory tribes, Patreon campaigns, Kickstarter and their own storefronts. These are original models designed to the same 28mm heroic scale and base sizes as popular sci-fi wargames, not copies of Games Workshop sculpts. Subscriptions typically run $8 to $15 a month, and each sculptor sets their own licence terms.
Is it legal to 3D print miniatures for Warhammer 40,000?
Printing an original third-party sculpt you have licensed is legal. Printing a file that was scanned or copied from a Games Workshop model is copyright infringement whether or not you keep it at home. The two are often sold side by side, so the source of the file matters more than what you intend to do with it.
Can I use 3D printed models in a tournament?
Usually not. Games Workshop-run events and many independent tournaments require official models, and event packs state this explicitly. That is a separate question from legality: a legitimately licensed original sculpt is legal to own and print but may still be disallowed at a specific event. Check the event pack before you commit to an army.
Does a print service need permission to print my STL files?
Patreon and MyMiniFactory do not set licences for the models sold through them, so the terms come from the individual sculptor and vary. Personal-use terms are common and are often silent on third-party printing. Some creators permit it if you own the files; some do not. Ask the creator, keep the reply, and expect a reputable service to ask you for proof that you hold print rights.
What does it cost to have a 3D printed army made?
At army quantities, roughly $2 to $6 per infantry model, $8 to $20 per character or elite, and $25 to $60 for a vehicle or monster when commissioned in resin as of July 2026. Forty infantry models therefore land at roughly $80 to $240 unpainted, more once characters and a vehicle are in the list. Small orders of a handful of figures cost more per model, because a resin plate cycle is charged whether it holds five figures or thirty. Resin itself is only about $0.09 to $0.30 per infantry model.
Get Your Files Printed
Post your model list, the scale you want and where the files came from. Makers who specialise in miniature resin work will bid, and your payment stays in escrow until you have approved photos of the printed models. We only broker jobs for files you hold print rights to.