The BUDGET 3D Printer That Makes FLAWLESS Minis

[@billcedarheath387]

In regards to the various printer films. The ACF (Advanced Composite Film) is a newly introduced resin printing film that surpasses the previous PFA (nFEP) and FEP options. With a smoother surface and reduced suction force, the ACF film offers superior performance, resulting in a higher success rate for resin printing, particularly with fast-curing resins. Hope that helps.

[@MSPaints]

That does help! Thank you. Pinning the comment as it’s super useful!

[@noahward9445]

When I replace the FEP in my AnyCubic Photon D2 can I use ACF instead?

[@happybunny1986]

But acf is also known to blur some details. Not horribly but noticeably. Honestly just lower lift speed and increase the distance. How really needs to save this amount of time except buinsesses?

[@billcedarheath387]

@@happybunny1986 Have you ever even used ACF? Your wording suggests you are not. In my experiences with it, I’ve never seen any issues surrounding “blur”. There are so many anecdotal comments on the internet coming from people that have no experience it isn’t funny. Again, from my first hand real experience… “blur” is not a factor and is nonsense to even mention it. Your point on lift speed is accurate and valid for those with suction issues regarding a print. With my use of ACF, I don’t have a failed prints that cause me to adjust lift speeds or have a waste of time and resin from a failed print. Maybe, and this is an anecdotal thought, that those seeing a perceived “blur” are using older printers with lower resolution and that lower resolution can’t overcome what ACF film is bringing to the equation. More anecdotal… maybe they just don’t know what they are doing as I’ve seen loads of comments asking for help from folks that blame the tools when they should be blaming their lack of skills. I’ll leave this link and let people consider it all for themselves. fepshop.com/fep-nfep-or-acf-film-what-to-use/

[@mastafoo886]

@@billcedarheath387 I only have 1 printer to go off of, but on my M5s, i absolutely get sharper details with nFEP than I do with the ACF film it came with. its not substantial, very minor and practically imperceptible without an eye magnifier, but its there. could that be the printer? certainly within the realm of possibility. could an inherently cloudy film (which ACF is) change light distribution and refraction? according to physics, thats not only a yes, but an 'obviously'. the additional light refraction is what causes the reduction in layer lines, its essentially physical anti-aliasing. the real question is not 'does ACF very slightly blur details', physics says the refraction changes and therefore so does the whole of the transmission. The question is 'does the very slightly blurred detail genuinely impact the quality of the print in a negative way', and when the side effect is somewhat reduced visible voxels, id say the answer to that is no, barring *extremely* fine detailed prints.

[@DerfeeUK]

I don't understand how someone can sound so chill and relaxed about the subject matter, but sure ain't slacking on the content, editting and production value. Man puts in the work to appear effortless!

[@MSPaints]

It’s normally because I’m so tired from making the video, hahaha

[@Durer1471]

Dave - loving the sound mix on this. Could be I’m listening to you on headphones for the first time in a while, but this is next level. KZbin ads kicked in after your video and the drop in quality was very noticeable. Everyone justifiably raves about your visuals, but I’d like to take a moment to recognise how great your sound is!

[@MSPaints]

Thanks! Weirdly audio is where I came from, doing dub mixes for film and tv. But working in that field your job is to be unnoticeable. So in a sad way, it’s nice that no one really mentions the sound haha

[@loveminis31]

My wife had MS and like had so much art skill. I don't have fine motor skill problems yet am no where the tablet you have. Keep making art as long as you can. And yes now will get me a printer.

[@shrimp_goddess]

i got the Mars 4 Ultra and a wash/cure station for my first setup back in February and it's been an absolute dream to work with. I've had maybe two failed prints out of a few dozen. Huge recommend. Great video

[@jamesfirth-haydon7381]

That was one of the best 3-D printer reviews, tests and paint jobs I’ve seen. Absolutely loved it. Totally smashed it. Concise and not too tech word heavy. Perfect.

[@bubbadoom1837]

I have been in love with Elegoo since I got my Neptune 2s. I love my Saturn, and my Mercury wash and cure stations. The first gen wash station had a weakness in the base impeller, but they've unprocessed it. They made it stronger.

[@andreasostensson5747]

I would recommend getting a flexplate. Much easier to get the prints of. And removing the supports before curing tends to be easier and leave less marks. And thanks for a great video.

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

Can we talk about this 🔥 music?

[@MSPaints]

Always! I think it’s mostly from Atlantis Lost tales and 7Blades on the ps2.

[@simonsaysmakepaintplay7248]

Should we organise a vat frame drum Jam ?

[@slimehousetv]

Mint work as always man, shot beautifully and the final painted piece looks awesome, also that probe lense 💪🔥

[@simonsaysmakepaintplay7248]

It's really good to have a no BS demystified 3D printing video to show new printing prospects. No gate keeping just showing it to be another useful tool that doesn't have to be a "new Hobby" .

[@shauntaylor9251]

Minus any of the safety procedures you need to take though !

[@MSPaints]

Yeah because safety keeps people watching. Pin me, pay me.

[@gregorycafiero9688]

Been rocking the Mars 3 and pretty happy with it. Glad to see the quality is continuing with Elegoo

[@MSPaints]

Aye aye! They keep it going. Happy to see the H-mount plate too.

[@jinofthesheep]

Always love the cinematography with your videos, feels more of an experience watching them

[@dc345601]

As always, I’m blown away by your cinematography and music choice. Phenomenal job, Dave!

[@anthonysomera9]

Just discovered you recently and been binging all of your stuff. Your style really clicks. Love your work, hope you can keep going for years (if desired).

[@MSPaints]

Hope I can keep going too. We’ll see! Haha

[@DJO_Kosick]

I went with the Saturn 3 Ultra, was very tempted with this but ultimately went with the Saturn for my first 3d printer for the extra volume for printing. I've been pretty happy with Elegoo and everything mistake so far has been self inflicted. This is a great review Dave, love your work mate!

[@cheinamann]

I like your way of doing the oil wash. This will be my motivation to give this a try with my next set of models. Thank you 🙂

[@MSPaints]

No problemo! Takes practice and time to figure out how it behaves, but it’s super forgiving.

[@Will_Forge]

Be sure to do you research on oil paints before you use them, though. Oil paints are extremely harsh and dangerous, over time causing damage to your central nervous system, organ damage, allergic reactions, and can even cause cancer. It's extremely important not to inhale the fumes or get it on your skin in any way that might cause you to absorb the oils through the skin or inadvertently consume the oil paint residue. Be safe! You don't want nervous system failures or cancers. They're some of the worst for reducing your quality of life at an older age. Be careful.

[@Fughley]

Anycubic fan here: good to see reviews in a real world setting with other models. Nice job on the blanchitsu style figure

[@GasolineBoots]

Seems like an honest review and I really appreciate that. Thanks. Please keep up the great work. I love your videos

[@MSPaints]

Thanks! I didn’t over reach on my knowledge on this one. Just what I know and observed

[@raef1240]

Great review and you nailed the Blanchitsu style… 👌🏼

[@cillamccarthy6987]

Nice video, my first printer was an original mars pro it still going now although i have upgraded it to a mono screen. Eleego are a good company have solid customers support as well if you need it. I like the way the mini u printed came out im just starting to play with oils and enamel washes. I love there versatility thou.

[@iangreen4572]

I just took delivery today of an Elegoo Saturn 3 and it's awesome, such a difference from my previous printer. I was about ready to give up on 3d printing.

[@MSPaints]

Aye aye, Elegoo is always a pleasure these days.

[@Slayernuke83]

Great review Dave, definitely making 3d printers looking appealing.

[@GunwitchUK]

Dave, dude, this vid has come at a timely time 😅. I'm after a resin printer and it was a toss up between the mars 4 ultra or saturn 4 ultra with that cur/wash station!.

[@MSPaints]

Choices choices! The Mars is super reliable… definitely switch to proper FEP though. But the Saturn got that siiiiiiiize though hahaha

[@GunwitchUK]

@@MSPaints I think Sat 4 because of ease of levelling and removing the build plate, but Mars 4 Ultra is the way to go for me

[@mikevincent8728]

Impressive print, that. Great video Dave, as per 👌

[@andygorman858]

Looks like we have finally got a ‘production quality’ resin printer capable of extremely fine details and no layer lines. Where it goes from here is any body’s guess but now the home garage kit maker can produce the same quality as the larger production houses. I think it’s time for me to replace my Anycubic Photon Mono 2k 😉 great vid and super useful info…..never thought of John Blanche using the Zorn palette…makes sense now I look at his work now. The things you learn 🙂

[@cymrodave]

Great video Dave, really interesting. Also your oil work on that mini looks fantastic 🎉.

[@JP-dv7rf]

As a guy who primarily uses oils this video is incredibly helpful, thank you!

[@MSPaints]

You’re welcome!

[@kombatwombat6579]

Like for both the content and the improvised drum solo. Edit: And a high-five between Marco Frisoni enjoyers. Edit 2: And a secret handshake for Bangarang product placement.

[@MSPaints]

I got all three ticks today! Haha

[@newworldempire]

My friend hits his resin prints with a thin layer of gloss varnish through the airbrush as part of his priming process. It ends up smoothing the print lines even further and I wouldn't know they were printed if they hadn't shattered into a million pieces when I dropped it.

[@timberry4709]

I picked up this printer about a month ago and am absolutely loving it. You might consider picking up another vat. That way you don't have any downtime when you need to change the ACF.

[@MSPaints]

Thanks! I see the vats aren’t too expensive, and often come with an acl

[@TomsTabletopBunker]

The lighting on this is sick mate 👌

[@dreadknot69]

Good to see you're enjoying printing. May I suggest gloves and a mask.

[@Fox01313]

Great work on the paint job!! I still think I'd be better off here with a filament printer in a small flat but it's great to know the amazing work from this resin printer. Now you just need to 3d print some cue cards for Tony😅

[@MentatOfDune]

Love the paint job, very Souls-like.

[@MSPaints]

Praise the sun!

[@nerdstuffandreviews7578]

There are some many great resources out there for printable minis that the small investment in time and funds to learn the basics is well worth it. Even on my ancient old creality ldr I can still get some really nice prints. When that one finally dies I’ll definitely be upgrading to one like this if you like to proxy, or add custom units to you figures 3D printing is a great way to go.

[@Phyrehawk]

Great vid and I'm glad you've managed to find a printer that you're actually happy with (and enjoy using?) Also - adored the music in this one. It enhanced the video that much more and was super chill. What track is it?

[@MSPaints]

Which track you thinking mate? The first one is from Atlantis Lost Tales. The full soundtrack is on Bandcamp!

[@miwicpmiwicp8074]

The music in this video is so good.

[@jonbauml225]

Dang man. You're good at drumming. Impressive

[@MSPaints]

It’s just a very good drum!

[@lordnovas]

Wash n Cure are great, they make my minis feel great.

[@nicholaswhitby]

Thank you for reminding me about the turntable dance floor at Popworld 😑

[@MSPaints]

Haha, grim memories all round.

[@Indyclone77]

What a lovely frog

[@MSPaints]

He’s a lovely boy!

[@randomtvninja]

Should drop your settings, seems you used the mars 4 ultra with elegoo 8K, I'd love to see toue settings for the layer lines you're printing at.

[@dwarfy2k264]

No gloves? or any PPE? btw the "air purifier" they release only remove the smell, not the VoCs

[@euansmith3699]

Such a beautiful video.

[@MSPaints]

Thanks Euan!

[@TheCountSummon]

Hi, would you mind telling me what you used for basing that werewolf? Looks absolutely stunning!

[@Slurgical_3D_Terrain_Channel]

Awesome video as always

[@Neves1789]

Cool stuff, I've been printing for about 8 months with my Phrozen 8K Mini and had the same feeling you had in this video. No layer lines and very easy to use.

[@MSPaints]

Nice! Heard great things about the Phrozen

[@jiffah]

I have a Mars 3 pro and besides a bigger building plate I wouldn't trade it. good machines. Also: If you use Chitubox which is from Elegoo and set it right (set it for your Mars 4 ultra) Chitubox will tell you how long it will take so you'd know beforehand if you looked in the slicer info :)

[@MSPaints]

For sure, but if I send a batch of files to the printer and set them going through the internal storage then I no longer have that info.

[@happybunny1986]

I can't believe you cures these on the sprues still😂. Deffo try it the other way around for less marks and less chance of breaking parts eith standard resin. I would 100% recommend sunloo abd like resin for minis. Much better shock resistance. Still bot as good as gw plastics but can normally survive a drop ofr two

[@eros5556]

Hey I wanna get into miniatures and making diorama but is it possible for you to make a video on the tools you have. Paint ect

[@SavEthan]

Popworld joke took me back a good few years - weird uni dreams for me tonight

[@EnzoSmithers]

watched for the content, subbed for the topshagger comment - haha!

[@D13Hobbies]

I've got an Elegoo Mars2, never really had an issue with it. I'm interested in the advancement to a 4.

[@gtaiiilc]

lots of hextech on your table there. hope we will see some battletech soon!

[@MSPaints]

Ooooooh yeah soon!

[@bearnecessities9568]

I'm so jelly of all you fine people who have the space available to have 3D printers. *Sigh* One can Dream XD

[@moleculeman27]

I just about have the space, but also a bloody cat and a -large- totally moderate collection of arachnids and such. Any available space is accessible for the cat, will be exposing exotic animals to resin fumes, or is completely unventilated. Bit of a nuisance.

[@jod3000]

Dave.. The lack of gloves is killing me

[@shauntaylor9251]

Don't forget the lack of mask as well , you can avoid getting the resin on your hands but not breathing in the fumes . Needs to be a proper respirator mask not those paper ones . The number of videos on here of people not using the correct PPE is shocking really

[@EntropicEcho]

@@shauntaylor9251 And to add to that: Resin gives off fumes when the printer is not printing too, and the highest amounts of VOC's are when washing the prints.

[@shauntaylor9251]

@@EntropicEcho I've only just stated using my printer and i'm fully PPE'd up at all times i'm in the room where it is , more concerned about the vapour than getting the resin on my skin to be honest , that can always be washed off with an alcohol wipe and soap and water

[@tomsmith5936]

​@@shauntaylor9251Resin is absorbed very easily by the skin FYI

[@EntropicEcho]

@@shauntaylor9251 yeah, the resin isn't directly harmful if you come into contact with it, but you can develop an nasty allergy pretty suddenly. The vapours are scarier because no-one knows the effects. Do you keep the printer in a ventilated room?

[@tomsmith5936]

Gloves and respirator my dude, set a good example for the kids Xx

[@bennyweimer2345]

The reason that the 9k can be higher detail then the 12k is ppi(pixels per inch) basically the 9k pixels are smaller so its higher detail then the 12k that has more pixels over a larger area. Since the pixels are larger it is lower detail.

[@Le_Petomane]

Whats ther chances i just got one of these as a gift, but i didnt know all the gubbiniz i would need to run it safely and cleanly. I for some reason i thought it was well like a conventional printer.

[@Middleagedwhiteguy]

Out of curiosity, where can we get those sweet H&S frog minis? I kind of need those. The Vid is your usual excellent work. Best looking and produced Mini Hobby content out there. Thank you. Keep up the excellent work.

[@Kataki1987]

I only say this because I care, but shouldnt you be wearing gloves with the oils and resin lol?

[@dogma1465]

Oils can be less reactive to the human skin, all depends on the person though, but for resin he should definitely be wearing protective gloves like latex or nitril gloves, as well as breathing protection as resin gives off fumes that if you handle it for long enough can do some very series damage. A simple painters mask from a home improvement store that protects against paint fumes is enough but you should always be mindful of the fumes that even pouring resin into the vat will give off

[@joshconfer209]

OMG uncured models were 3" from an ungloved hand! Next you'll be concerned he didn't sound like he was wearing a mask in the audio lol.

[@dwarfy2k264]

@@joshconfer209 I mean he was literally handling uncured resin models sooooooo. Also if he ain't wearing the basic gloves he ain't wearing a proper mask. People watch these videos see he's not wearing PPE and assume it's safe too. Never underestimate the general public. Too many think the air purifier does anything other then remove smell but leave the VoC's in.

[@juriaan13]

I never use gloves or a maskn

[@shauntaylor9251]

@@juriaan13 then you are pretty stupid then !

[@ludditzthrell]

Oof.. I just checked their site, and found it for around $250 USD. I mean, not bad, but.. at the moment, I can't afford that. I think I'm gonna keep trying to improve my painting skills and maybe slowly sock away a few bucks here and there with the hope of getting it eventually. Still nowhere near your levels, mun; that was a gorgeous paintjob you did, and my best thus far has been kind of.. 'fine' by comparison. It does the job, y'know? Still, gonna keep working at it. Hope my stupid shoulder decides to not go out on me this week. (Severe damage to shoulder-blade as a kid, apparently; I never knew, it didn't hurt that much. Now it just cramps up and makes my entire arm shake when I overuse it. Painting uses your shoulder-blades more'n you think it does, go figure.)

[@MagashiSaizen]

How much would it set you back if you wanted to get into 3D printing and if you wanted to get into the miniature painting hobby?

[@johndoeyedoe]

Bro. N95 at a minimum. Rebreather mask highly recommended. Carbon filters only remove the smell not the VOC in the air. Gloves, please use gloves. If you dont you will develop an allergy and it can become a serious health issue.

[@alexknott1696]

Fucking lovely lighting on this one, so good in fact, I've forgotten to put my mittens on 😂

[@MSPaints]

See?? It happens to the best of us!

[@TonyGrant.]

It would have been nice if you'd filmed a model with the Laowa macro before you painted it. I was expecting to see that. I was looking forward to the the limit of the resolution in close up. I can't understand why you didn't do that. We want to see the printer resolution, not paint resolution.

[@MSPaints]

Just be thankful you got any Laowa Probe Lens action at all.

[@TonyGrant.]

@@MSPaints Yes, it was nice to see it being used. But I would really love to see some high quality images of a raw print made with that thing!.

[@1glenngary]

Cool review. But wait a second, aren't you in England? And there was sunshine?

[@MSPaints]

There was! That’ll be it for the next few months now

[@krisbrooks1825]

oh no man never cure the models on the supports.. crazy hard to get it off that way

[@shauntaylor9251]

Not if you plonk them in hot water , the supports come off easily then . Mind you given his lack of any PPE he'd probably take them off with bare hands !

[@briand208]

Huge Elegoo fan myself, could I suggest removing the prints before curing, it causes less surface damage. Dunk the mini in warm water for a moment and the supports practically fall off.

[@goforitpainting]

Cool 👍

[@drpretzel2086]

It seems KZbin purged me from the subscriber base which would why I haven’t noticed any of your content for a bit

[@MSPaints]

Yeaaaaaaaah it did that for a lot of people for some reason. Fun fun fun!

[@jchamorrob]

What is the exact model of this ? I see different mars 4 models, even for Ultra.

[@tobywilde9816]

😂 Glad it's not just me who hast to turn anything into a drum 😂🙄

[@madlark8458]

Hmmm. Could someone please identify the music at 11:50 and onwards? Sounds a quite a bit like Mechwarrior 2 OST by Jeehun Hwang, but I don't think that's it...

[@bencops]

It’s not the layer lines that put me off its the fumes and resin mess

[@MSPaints]

Fair fair! The air purifier it comes with does a lot to bin the fumes, but it’s absolutely still messy!

[@shauntaylor9251]

@@MSPaintsThe highest amount of fumes are when you are washing the prints

[@tomsmith5936]

Also, those filters just remove smell, not VOCs!

[@jeffholt9437]

Hey, who doesn't like funky little vortices - am I right?!! 😊

[@craigkniffin4948]

I have the first 2 mars printers...i might sell them to buy this one

[@MSPaints]

Aye aye! Definitely feels like a step up

[@jake360flip]

In really simple terms all dpi is refering to is how many pixels per square inch. If a screen is 4k resolution then on a 12 inch screen you'll get way more detail than a 4k resolution on a 20" screen basically it's density of pixels. If you had 1000 pixels to place down and i gave you an a4 sheet of paper and an a2 sheet of paper. Your dots would be way less spread out on the a4. EZ

[@MSPaints]

Thanks for the explanation! You explained it way easier than others

[@kastork82]

Why are you not protecting yourself from breathing in resin fumes and your skin from touching resin and IPA!? Why are you showing people unsafe handling of resin and IPA, this is so irresponsible.

[@shauntaylor9251]

Seems he doesn't give a shit about it either

[@battlebunny88]

Is there any smell to using this printer?

[@MSPaints]

Not especially, no. Just the usual airborne toxins with all resin printers

[@battlebunny88]

@@MSPaints odourless but deadly, thanks man.

[@MiniAxeCrafts]

First it was a paints video when i was browsing paints.. and now a 3d printer video just as i've been browsing 3d printers... Get out of my head buddy. (can we have a full length version from the vat virtuoso?)

[@cory7328]

Sir what is up with this dope music choice?

[@gregorycafiero9688]

For real, the production quality of this channel is unreal.

[@aGentlemanScholar]

I have a Mars Ultra 4 after putzing around with cheap anycubics. This printer is amazing. A couple things: 1. Really recommend ABS-like or "tough" resins. My main issue with minis on the printer is that they can be brittle AF but the ABS like stuff is more flexible and resilient to drops and mishandles. 2. The ACF is supposed to lead to worse details but for me I dont really notice it.

[@MSPaints]

I didn’t notice it either I don’t think. I imagine the details are so minute you’d have to find something so detailed and compare the stl to the finished thing. Thanks for the tip on the ABS like stuff. Always wondered what it meant!

[@ka5141]

damn this music makes me wan tto go play Monkey Island

[@MSPaints]

If only it came from games as good as monkey island! Haha

[@philgee486]

👍👍👍

[@redcoat259]

Maybe time to upgrade from the mars 3 pro…

[@Lopendvuurbengalen]

Ai, remove the supports before curing. You will get a lot cleaner mini that way.

[@jiffah]

Did you cure your supports? lol

[@MSPaints]

For those I did yeah, otherwise they wouldn’t stand up on camera. Everything else I remove supports first.

[@shauntaylor9251]

No PPE then , not a good example to show on a video is it ! Picking up washed only minis with bare hands isn't clever at all The resin is dangerous stuff when it's uncured both the liquid and the vapours

[@MSPaints]

Well you can show us how to do it on your channel, can’t you, peach?

[@shauntaylor9251]

@@MSPaints Not really the attitude is it fella , you are showing dangerous practices in this video . How does that sit with ya ?

[@MSPaints]

@@shauntaylor9251 honestly mate, these videos are so much work, and I have so little time, and remembering to tick every box to avoid getting talked down to in the comments just isn’t a concern. Even if had a hazmat suit on you guys would find a fault with it. I honestly don’t care, haha.