Short answer: Hero Forge is the deeper character builder and the cheaper way in, with physical miniatures from US$12.99 and an STL download at US$7.99. Eldritch Foundry sells one high-detail resin miniature at US$25.00 with a US$7.50 STL, in a more realistic sculpt at a larger 34 mm scale. Both are English-only, both ship from outside Canada, and both quote in US dollars.
What each service actually sells
Most comparisons of these two treat them as file exporters. They are not. Both are storefronts first: you design a character in the browser, and then you choose whether to buy a finished miniature they print and ship you, or buy the digital STL file and arrange printing yourself. Getting that distinction right is the whole decision, because the two paths have completely different costs and completely different wait times.
Hero Forge runs the larger operation. Its site advertises physical miniatures starting at US$12.99 and digital files at US$7.99, and it sells across several materials — a matte grey primed Standard Plastic from US$19.99, a glossy black Premium Plastic, a table-ready full-colour Color Plastic from US$39.99, plus bronze, steel, standees and larger statuettes. Eldritch Foundry is deliberately narrower: one high-detail grey resin miniature at US$25.00, a double-sized version at US$55.00, and the STL at US$7.50. Its colour printing was still in open beta when we checked.
Price comparison, verified 30 August 2026
Every figure below came from the services’ own live pages on 30 August 2026. Prices on both sites change without notice, and both display a bare dollar sign — Hero Forge states US dollars explicitly for shipping, while Eldritch Foundry does not name a currency anywhere we could find. Confirm current pricing on each site before you buy.
| Factor | Hero Forge | Eldritch Foundry |
|---|---|---|
| Entry physical miniature | From US$12.99 | US$25.00 (High Detail Resin) |
| Standard unpainted miniature | Standard Plastic from US$19.99, matte grey, primed, 50 µm layers | US$25.00, grey resin, unpainted |
| Full-colour miniature | Color Plastic from US$39.99, 21 µm layers | Colour printing in open beta at time of writing |
| Oversized option | Statuettes and larger formats offered | Double Sized US$55.00 (68 mm on a 2″ base) |
| Digital STL download | US$7.99 list | US$7.50 |
| Miniature scale | 30 mm; ½”, 1″, 1″×2″ and 2″×2″ bases | 34 mm heroic scale on a 1″ base |
| File formats supplied | Zipped STL, meshes to roughly 100,000 triangles | STL plus 3MF, packaged as full model, body and base |
| Other materials | Bronze, steel, standees | Resin only |
| Site language | English | English |
The scale difference is real and it matters
Hero Forge prints at 30 mm. Eldritch Foundry prints at 34 mm heroic scale. That four-millimetre gap sounds trivial and is not: a 34 mm sculpt stands visibly taller beside a 30 mm one, and if you are assembling a matched party for a shelf or a gaming table, mixing the two produces a lineup that looks wrong. Pick one and stay with it. If you already own miniatures and want the new piece to sit alongside them, measure an existing figure from base to eye level before you order.
How long the wait is, and what Canadians pay on top
This is where the comparison stops being about sculpts. Hero Forge states production of up to four weeks, with non-US transit taking a further 7 to 10 business days, and lists shipping to Canada at US$14.99. Eldritch Foundry states production of four to six weeks plus 5 to 10 business days of shipping. Neither site names Canada specifically in its shipping documentation beyond that.
On duty, Hero Forge is explicit. Its shipping page states, verbatim, that some orders placed outside the United States may be subject to additional taxes, duties, or delivery fees due on arrival, depending on your country’s shipping practices,
and that any such additional costs are not included in quoted prices.
In plain terms: the price you see at checkout is not the price you pay. A Canadian buyer may be handed a bill by the carrier at the door, and neither the amount nor the carrier’s brokerage fee is knowable in advance. Eldritch Foundry made no statement about customs or duties on any page we read, which is not the same as saying there are none.
So a realistic Canadian total for a single Hero Forge Standard Plastic miniature is US$19.99 plus US$14.99 shipping, converted to Canadian dollars, plus whatever appears on arrival — landing five to six weeks after you click buy.
Which builder suits which character?
Hero Forge has the broader parts library by a wide margin: facial sliders, a very large equipment catalogue, pre-set poses with fine repositioning, mounts and familiars, plus extras like render tools and digital miniatures for virtual tabletops. If your character has an unusual silhouette, a specific weapon, or a companion creature, Hero Forge is more likely to have the parts. Its house style is stylized and cartoon-forward, which reads cleanly at tabletop distance and photographs well.
Eldritch Foundry covers most character concepts with a leaner toolkit and a more grounded, realistic sculpt. For a gritty campaign, a serious non-player character, or a piece you intend to prime and paint properly, that realism can be the better base — there is less stylization for your brushwork to fight. It is the narrower tool and it is not trying to be the broader one.
Neither is objectively better. Plenty of hobbyists keep accounts on both and choose per character. The honest test is to build the same character in each free browser preview and look at the two side by side before spending anything.
Where 3DCentral fits in this
3DCentral does not compete with the character builders and has no browser creator of its own. We are the printing half of the equation, in Quebec, for people who would rather not wait five weeks for a parcel that may arrive with a duty bill attached.
The relevant path is the STL one. If you buy the digital file from either builder — US$7.99 from Hero Forge, US$7.50 from Eldritch Foundry — you own a printable model and you are then free to have it printed wherever you like, subject to each platform’s own licence terms, which you should read before committing to anything beyond personal use. Printing that file domestically removes the cross-border leg entirely: no customs declaration, no carrier brokerage fee, no currency conversion on the print itself, and a much shorter transit inside Canada.
Our side of it runs on a 200-plus printer farm in Quebec. You send reference images and describe the piece; we review it for printability, confirm the price and the timing, and print only once you have approved. Nothing is charged before that validation step, which is a genuine difference from paying a builder up front and finding out how it turned out when the box arrives. We print in full colour without hand-painting, we work in Canadian dollars, and we answer in French and English — Quebec French, by people here, not a translation layer. You can start a request at print my character.
The trade-off is honest and worth stating: the builders give you an instant self-serve checkout and we do not. Our process starts with a review and a quote because a file that has not been checked for wall thickness and unsupported geometry is a file that produces a disappointing print. If you want a one-click purchase and are relaxed about the wait, buy the mini from the builder directly. If you want it printed here, in this country, at a price confirmed before you pay, buy the file and send it to us.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hero Forge or Eldritch Foundry better for a fantasy roleplaying miniature?
Hero Forge if you need range — more parts, more poses, mounts and familiars, and a lower entry price at US$12.99. Eldritch Foundry if you want one realistic, high-detail resin sculpt and are happy at US$25.00. Style preference decides it more often than features do.
How much does the STL file cost on each platform?
As of 30 August 2026, Hero Forge lists its digital download at US$7.99 and Eldritch Foundry lists its at US$7.50. Both change pricing periodically and Hero Forge runs promotional discounts, so check the current figure on each site. Eldritch Foundry also sells Eldritch Unlimited, an unlimited-download STL subscription listed at US$10–15 a month on its pricing page the same day — cheaper than two single files if you print often.
What scale are the miniatures?
Hero Forge prints at 30 mm on ½”, 1″, 1″×2″ or 2″×2″ bases. Eldritch Foundry prints at 34 mm heroic scale on a 1″ base, with a double-sized 68 mm option on a 2″ base. They are not interchangeable within a matched collection.
Do I need a 3D printer to use either tool?
No. Both sell finished physical miniatures printed and shipped by them. The printer only becomes relevant if you buy the STL instead, and even then you can send the file to a printing service rather than owning a machine.
Will I pay customs on a miniature shipped to Canada?
You may. Hero Forge states plainly that orders outside the United States can attract taxes, duties or delivery fees on arrival and that these are not included in its quoted prices. Eldritch Foundry makes no statement either way on the pages we reviewed. Buying the STL and having it printed inside Canada avoids the question entirely.
How long will it take to arrive?
Hero Forge states up to four weeks in production plus 7 to 10 business days in transit outside the US. Eldritch Foundry states four to six weeks in production plus 5 to 10 business days shipping. Budget five to seven weeks from order to doorstep for either.
Can I sell prints of a character I built in one of these tools?
Not without checking. Each platform sets its own licence terms for the files it sells, and those terms govern what you may do with the model beyond personal use. Read the licence on the platform you bought from, and if you intend any commercial use, confirm it in writing with them first. 3DCentral prints customer-supplied files on the basis that the customer holds the necessary rights.
What material will 3DCentral print my character in?
We print in full colour without hand-painting, and we confirm the material, size and finish with you as part of the quote before anything is made. Tell us the height you intend to display it at when you send the request — a 30 mm tabletop piece and a 75 mm display figure are different printing jobs and want different settings.
Prices, scales and turnaround times in this guide were verified directly from each service’s own website on 30 August 2026 and are quoted in the currency each site displays. All three companies change pricing without notice; confirm current details on their sites before purchasing. 3DCentral is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a reseller for Hero Forge or Eldritch Foundry.
Recommended age: 14+. Collectible display pieces, not intended for children under 14.