3D printing : the future of miniature gaming?

So I just finished painting 2 Jedi Interceptors at 1/270th scale  from Shapeways designed by Mel_Miniatures.

http://www.shapeways.com/model/984898/interceptor-lledi-1-270.html?materialId=61

Is this the future of miniature gaming?

Maybe.

However right now it is no replacement for plastic/resin models.

This model in Frosted Ultra Detail set me back around 11€, 

which is a bit steep considering the level of detail and it's only 20mm long.

Here is a picture in it's raw state:

And with a black undercoat, to get a better view:

The 2 interceptors on the right have been cleaned before priming while the 2 on the left and the 2 Tie Droids have been primed directly. Pay attention to the small lines on the hull and the grain of the back of the cockpit.

Closeup of the underneath before cleaning:

Cleaned with a white coat, to get a different view: 

So basically it is a great way to get the basic shape of a model, but the level of details (the resolution so to speak) is not there yet compared to a plastic/resin model, even in the frosted ultra detail which is the best level of details you can get from Shapeways.

However I bet it would be a great way to create a main body for detailing in order to create a master for casting.

As is you can get great results with a bit of work, but as you can see most of the details on the model where free handed and that's not everyone cup of tea.

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