I’m going to disagree here and say 3D printed models and more are just around the corner. The technology is growing by leaps and bounds, and the price of decent printers are continuing to plummet. The only thing really slowing down the industry’s market growth are the US Patents... once those expire, a home 3D printer will likely be just as common as a photo-quality printer.
However, most people probably don’t need something like that at home... so I expect a company like Fed-Ex Kinkos will invest in high-end (high speed, high quality, large volume) 3D Printers, just as they have high-end Large Format Printers.
Further, we’re starting to see 3D Printers that can do a decent job with colors as well. While they can’t match the average hobby painter in detail or total colors right now, it’s just a matter of time until they can produce at that level as well.
There a lot of things you simply cannot do without a 3D printer due to the unique construction technique. Shapes and designs that are basically impossible to mass produce with common sculpt-mold production are surprisingly simple for 3D Printers. These will also get better with time, especially as model designers that were never trained in the sculpt-mold method start hitting the scene and really capitalize on what this technology can do.
Finally, the real nail in the coffin for traditional production is 3D printing will bypass expensive shipping costs. Do you enjoy paying for your models to be shipped across the Atlantic? How about paying the cost of a letter to get a model sent to your house, or an entire army in a box for a couple dollars instead? If you live in or near a decent city, there are probably plenty of high-end 3D Printers within 10 miles of you right now, and odds are those machines have a lot of idle time. Even if they only made $.50 for each model they made for gamers, that’s far better than the $0 for that equipment sitting idle. There will probably be a time when you can buy this time through Shapeways... if it isn’t happening already.
Considering one of the reasons Spartan Games tanked was due to distribution problems, local 3D printing essentially bypasses this entire industry.
For me, it’s simply a question of when... I’ll predict 5 years from now, as that’s when a lot of patents will start expiring, and the price of these machines and thus production will start plumettng.
Here are some top 10 articles to demonstrate where technology is at today;
https://m.all3dp.com/1/worlds-fastest-3d-printer-speed-3d-printing/http://www.toptenreviews.com/computers/3d-printers/best-3d-printers/Color 3D printer:
https://www.xyzeshop.com/us_en/product/daVinciColor?gclid=CP3r1YPR6dYCFdmIswodIw8Pnw
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