“Painted” is a slippery word for miniatures. It can mean a figure an artist has brushed by hand, a print that arrives in colour, or a bare grey model you are expected to paint yourself. At 3DCentral the answer is simple and worth knowing before you order: nothing is painted. Every colour on our custom miniatures comes from solid filament, printed in PLA on our FDM printers in Laval, Quebec. This guide explains what that means, the three colour plans you can choose, how they compare in look and price, and which one suits how you play.
What “in colour” means at 3DCentral
Our printers lay down several solid filament colours in one print, so each colour area of your character (skin, hair, armour, cloak) is printed in its own filament. There is no paint, no primer and no brush work. Two things follow from that:
- Colours sit in areas, not gradients. Each part of the figure is one solid colour. Shading, blended highlights and painted eyes are not part of a filament print.
- Fine layer lines can remain visible up close, as with any filament print. At tabletop distance they read as texture.
Premium resin, which captures finer faces at small scales, is planned for 2027 and is not currently available. A full-colour process with over a million colours is also planned for 2027 and cannot be ordered yet.
The three colour plans
You choose how many filament colours your piece can use. More colours keep more colour areas separate; they do not add finer sculpted detail.
| Colour plan | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 4 colours | Four solid filament colours: enough for a clear character read on the table | The best price |
| Up to 8 colours | More colour areas kept apart: separate skin, hair, clothing and gear | A little extra |
| 9 to 16 colours | The most colour separation, for compatible projects, confirmed with your quote | A bigger extra |
What a custom figure costs
Size, colour plan and the number of characters set the price. Figures of one person or pet start from $39 CAD (4 cm, up to 4 colours), and a couple or two-subject piece starts from $68 CAD. Larger sizes, more colours and each extra person or pet cost more; see the exact price for your piece on our custom design page. Tabletop characters with a specific scale or base are priced by our team after we see your concept. If you are still deciding what size to order, our figurine size guide pairs each size with how you will actually use it.
Which colour plan should you choose?
Answer honestly how the mini will spend its life:
- Mostly on the game table? Up to 4 colours reads well at arm’s length and keeps the price down.
- On the shelf and on the table? Up to 8 colours keeps skin, hair, clothing and gear apart for a cleaner display look.
- A detailed costume with many colours? 9 to 16 colours is available for compatible projects; we confirm it with your quote.
- You paint your own? Ask for fewer colours: a simpler colour plan gives you a cleaner surface to prime.
Matching colours across a party
If several players are ordering minis for the same table, it is worth deciding together whether you want a consistent look. A party printed on the same colour plan reads as a matched set on the map; giving one lead character more colours can make that character stand out, which some groups like on purpose. There is no rule here, but it helps to talk about it before ordering rather than ending up with an accidental mismatch. The same logic applies to size: a party kept at a single tabletop scale looks uniform, while a deliberately larger hero reads as the main character. Decide the effect you want as a group, then let each player pick their colour plan and size within it.
If you want to paint it yourself
Plenty of hobbyists enjoy the painting as much as the playing. Our figures are not painted, so painted shading is something you would add yourself. The general advice holds regardless of where the mini came from: prime it first so paint grips, thin your paints so detail is not lost, build up in layers rather than one thick coat, and seal it at the end to protect the work. The filament colours can also serve as a guide underneath your own work. The point of the colour plans is simply that you do not have to paint if you would rather just play.
Ready to pick your colours?
Decide how the mini will be used, choose the colour plan that matches, and pick a size. You can see how colours and sizes fit together on our tabletop gaming hub, then see the exact price on our custom design page or order on the custom D&D miniature service.
FAQ
Does a custom mini come painted?
No. Nothing is painted at 3DCentral. Every colour comes from solid filament, printed in PLA on our FDM printers, so the figure arrives in colour without paint or primer.
What is the difference between the colour plans?
The number of filament colours your piece can use: up to 4 colours is the best price, up to 8 colours costs a little extra, and 9 to 16 colours (for compatible projects, confirmed with your quote) costs a bigger extra. More colours keep more colour areas separate; they do not add finer sculpted detail.
Are resin and full-colour miniatures coming in 2027?
Both are planned for 2027 and cannot be ordered yet. Premium resin is planned for 2027 and is not currently available, and a full-colour process with over a million colours is also planned for 2027. Today every piece is printed in PLA in solid filament colours, with nothing painted.
How much does a custom figure cost?
Figures of one person or pet start from $39 CAD (4 cm, up to 4 colours), and a couple or two-character piece starts from $68 CAD. Larger sizes, more colours and more characters cost more. Tabletop characters with a specific scale or base are priced by our team. The custom design page shows the exact price for your piece.
Can I paint it myself?
Yes, if you enjoy painting. Our figures are not painted, so painted shading is something you would add yourself. A simpler colour plan gives you a cleaner surface to prime; if you would rather play than paint, the filament colours mean you do not have to.
Which colour plan is best for regular D&D play?
Up to 4 colours. It reads well across a game table, survives handling and keeps the cost down. If you want skin, hair, clothing and gear kept apart for display, up to 8 colours costs a little extra.
