Five Parsecs From Home Titan Forge STL Miniatures: Printing and Painting Guide

Quick answer

Print Titan Forge Five Parsecs From Home STLs on a resin printer at 0.03–0.05 mm layer height with presupported files when available, then clean, cure, prime, and paint in subassemblies. If you are new to resin, start with a presupported character or a small set like Cohors Cthulhu - Print at Home - Heroes of the Hidden War Set 1 (STL) before scaling up to full crews.

Five Parsecs From Home is a solo-friendly tabletop game where your crew is the story. Titan Forge STL miniatures give you the freedom to print exactly the crew you roll up, but resin printing and painting sci-fi minis has its own rhythm. This guide walks through the practical steps: choosing files, dialing in supports, printing, cleaning, curing, and painting so your crew looks good on the table and survives handling.

You do not need a workshop full of gear. A resin printer, wash and cure station, a few tools, primer, and a handful of paints will get you from digital file to finished figure. The steps below focus on decisions that actually change your results, with checkpoints so you can catch problems before they ruin a print or a paint job.

Choose the right files and scale before you print

Titan Forge makes 3D print products for Five Parsecs From Home, and many are designed at 28mm–32mm scale. Before you slice anything, confirm the scale listed on the product page and compare it to your existing crew. Mixing 28mm and 32mm in the same squad looks odd, so pick one scale and stay consistent. If a file is pre-hollowed, keep it hollowed; if it is not, hollowing large parts saves resin but adds drain-hole work.

Check whether the product includes presupported versions. Presupported files save hours, but they are tuned to a specific printer and resin. If your first print fails, the supports are the first thing to adjust, not the model. For character minis, presupported is usually the faster path; for terrain or large monsters, you may get better results supporting manually.

• Common mistake: printing a presupported file at a layer height it was not sliced for. Match the recommended layer height or re-slice with your own supports.

Dial in supports and slicer settings

Supports are where most failed prints begin. For 28–32mm character minis, use light supports on small details and medium supports on the base and any heavy overhangs. Angle the model 15–30 degrees so the largest cross-section is not parallel to the build plate. That reduces suction forces and makes supports easier to remove. If you are printing a multi-part set, support each part separately and keep small pieces like weapons or heads on their own supports.

Exposure time is the other big variable. Start with your resin manufacturer's recommended normal exposure and add 10–15% if details are soft. Bottom exposure should be strong enough to hold the print but not so strong that removal damages the plate. Run a small test print, like a single figure or a calibration piece, before committing to a full crew.

• Checkpoint: after the first print, inspect the bottom of the base. If it is warped or has elephant-foot flare, reduce bottom exposure or add a small chamfer.

Print, clean, and cure without losing detail

Print in a well-ventilated space and keep the resin warm; cold resin prints poorly. Once the print finishes, let it drip for a few minutes, then remove it from the plate with a scraper. Wash in two stages if you can: a dirty first bath to remove most resin, then a clean second bath. Over-washing softens fine details, so keep the first wash short and the second wash brief.

Curing is where many painters go wrong. Under-cured prints stay tacky and can leach resin; over-cured prints become brittle and chalky. Cure in a station for the time your resin recommends, usually a few minutes, and rotate the parts halfway through. Small parts cure faster than large ones, so check them separately.

• Common mistake: curing before the print is completely dry. Water or IPA trapped in hollows will bubble and ruin the surface.

Assemble and prime for painting

Test-fit every joint before gluing. Resin parts can be slightly oversized, so scrape or sand mating surfaces until they sit flush. Use cyanoacrylate glue for small joints and a two-part epoxy for heavy pieces. If a part is fragile, pin it with a short piece of paperclip or brass rod. For multi-part minis, consider painting in subassemblies: torso, arms, and head separately, then assemble after painting.

Prime with a thin coat of grey or white primer. Grey shows detail and shadows well; white makes bright colors pop but can hide contrast. Spray in short bursts from 20–30 cm away, and avoid humid or cold conditions. If you are painting a sci-fi crew, a light zenithal prime with white over grey gives you a head start on highlights.

• Checkpoint: after priming, hold the mini at arm's length. If you can still see the primer texture, you sprayed too close or too heavy.

Paint a Titan Forge Skulker and the rest of your crew

Start with a base coat of your main colors, then block in secondary colors. For a Titan Forge Skulker, keep the palette limited: a dark bodysuit, a brighter armor plate, and a metallic weapon. Use a wash to define recesses, then layer or drybrush highlights. Sci-fi minis reward contrast, so push your highlights one step brighter than feels natural. If you are painting multiple crew members, paint them in batches by color step to save time.

Finish with a matte varnish to protect the paint and kill shine. If you want a glossy visor or lens, apply a gloss varnish only to those spots after the matte coat. For tabletop play, a matte varnish is usually enough; for display, add a satin or gloss layer on select details.

• Common mistake: handling the mini before the varnish is fully dry. Wait the full drying time, especially in humid weather.

Step-by-step: from STL to tabletop

1. Pick your files and scale: Choose Titan Forge STLs that match your crew's scale, and decide between presupported and manual supports. If you are new to resin, start with a small set like Cohors Cthulhu - Print at Home - Heroes of the Hidden War Set 1 (STL) to practice. Checkpoint: confirm the scale on the product page before slicing.
2. Support and slice: Angle the model 15–30 degrees, use light supports on details and medium supports on heavy areas, and match your layer height to the file's recommendation. Run a small test print first. Checkpoint: if the first print fails, adjust supports before changing exposure.
3. Print, wash, and cure: Print in a warm, ventilated space. Wash in two stages, then cure fully, rotating small parts halfway through. Do not cure until the print is dry. Checkpoint: tacky or shiny surfaces mean under-cured; chalky or brittle means over-cured.
4. Assemble and prime: Test-fit and pin fragile joints, then prime with a thin coat of grey or white. Paint in subassemblies if the mini is multipart. Use a light zenithal prime for a head start on highlights. Checkpoint: if primer looks textured, you sprayed too heavy or too close.
5. Paint and varnish: Base coat, wash, layer, and highlight. Keep your palette limited for sci-fi crews. Finish with a matte varnish, then add gloss only to visors or lenses. Checkpoint: wait the full varnish drying time before handling.

Products that fit this workflow

• Cohors Cthulhu - Print at Home - Heroes of the Hidden War Set 1 (STL): This 3D print product lets you print six 28mm scale high quality miniatures, including Centurion Marius, Vexilarious Lucius, Druid Suibhne, Sarmation Archer Vita, High Priestess Maeren, and Chieftain Aldegar, designed for use with both the Cohors Cthulhu Roleplaying Game and Cohors Cthulhu: Tactics. A good practice set if you are new to resin printing, because you get six 28mm figures to dial in supports, exposure, and painting before committing to a full Five Parsecs crew.
• Star Trek Adventures - Print at Home - Miniatures TNG Romulan Strike Team - Centurion Male 3: This 3D print product lets you print 1 highly detailed, 32mm scale multipart miniature of Romulan Centurion Male 3 for use with the Star Trek Adventures tabletop roleplaying game. Files have been pre-hollowed where possible, and all files include supported versions. If you want to test a 32mm multipart print with presupported files, this single figure is a low-risk way to check your printer settings before printing a whole squad.
• Fallout: Miniatures - Raiders: The Disciples: This miniatures set is compatible with both Fallout: Wasteland Warfare and Fallout: Factions, as part of the Nuka World wave for Wasteland Warfare and Season One of Factions. A physical alternative if you would rather paint existing minis than print your own, and a useful source of sci-fi raider bits for conversions.

Printing and painting your own Five Parsecs From Home crew is a rewarding way to make the game yours. Start with a small, presupported set to learn your printer, then scale up to a full squad. Keep your supports and exposure consistent, cure carefully, and paint in batches. Your crew will look better and survive more tabletop battles.