Guide to Printing and Painting Your Warhammer Orcs with 3D Resin

The perfect resin for your Warhammer orcs depends on how you're going to use them: for massive armies where speed is everything, water-washable 3D resins are the way to go; for a hero or elite unit where detail is king, an ABS-Like or high-definition resin is your best bet.

What is the best 3D resin for printing Warhammer orcs?

Choosing the right resin is the first step to making sure your Waaagh! looks and holds up the way it needs to on the tabletop. Not all resins are created equal — each one has specific advantages for the bulky, detailed designs that orcs demand. In my experience, the most practical approach is to think about the role of the miniature.

For troops and massive armies

When you commit to printing a horde of 50 Boyz, post-processing — cleaning and curing all those parts — can quickly turn into a nightmare. That's exactly where water-washable 3D resins become your best friend.

• Speed above all: Being able to rinse parts straight under the tap, without dealing with isopropyl alcohol, speeds up the whole workflow dramatically.
• Convenience: They produce less of a harsh smell, which your nose will definitely appreciate during long print sessions. 😉

That said, they do have a weakness: they're a bit more brittle. The axes, spikes, and other thin parts on your orcs could snap if dropped. That's why I mainly use them for basic infantry, where sheer numbers matter more than individual durability.

Pro tip: To add a bit of extra toughness, I've had good results curing minis slightly longer than usual. An extra 30–60 seconds under the UV lamp tends to harden them up noticeably — just don't overdo it or they'll become brittle.

For heroes and elite units

For an imposing Warboss, a Mek loaded with gadgets, or a squad of Meganobz, you're looking for two things: incredible detail and serious durability. This is where ABS-Like resins are, in my opinion, the clear winner. They mimic the properties of ABS plastic, giving your prints a flexibility and impact resistance that's well above standard resin. They hold up much better to the rough and tumble of regular gaming sessions.

If you really want to push detail to the absolute limit, check out our high-definition resins or 8K/12K options. They're incredible for capturing every last crack in a suit of armour, though they do come at a higher price point. To help you decide, here's a handy comparison table.

As you can see, every resin has its time and place. The key is balancing your detail requirements, budget, and how much time you want to spend on post-processing. If you'd like to dive deeper, I'd recommend taking a look at my complete guide to 3D printer resin.

How do I get a perfect 3D print of orcs?

The secret to a perfect print lies in the slicer — the software that prepares your 3D model. Getting this right accounts for 90% of the work and will save you hours of cleanup and wasted resin. This is where you decide whether your Warhammer orcs end up display-worthy or a pile of frustration.

The first thing I learned through trial and error was to stop printing minis completely upright. My golden rule is to always tilt them 45 degrees backwards. Why? It's simple: doing this keeps support marks in low-visibility areas like the back or underside of the arms, protecting the parts that matter most — the face, chest, and weapons.

Supports: your best friends (when used right)

This is where a lot of beginners come unstuck. It's not about plastering the mini with supports wherever you feel like it — it's about building a smart structure that holds everything in place without leaving ugly marks. The trick that never fails me is mixing support thicknesses.

• Light Supports: I use these for almost everything. They're brilliant for fine details — fingers, teeth, the edges of a loincloth — because they snap off cleanly and leave virtually no marks.
• Medium/Heavy Supports: These are your load-bearers. I place them at key stress points that need to carry the weight, like boots (the first part to print) or those massive axes some orcs are wielding. A couple of solid supports here and you can be confident the print won't detach mid-way through.

If you want to master this technique, I'd highly recommend checking out my guide on how to improve supports for resin 3D prints. There are a few extra tricks in there worth knowing.

Print settings and the often-overlooked FEP film

With supports sorted, it's time for the critical part: dialling in your exposure settings. These values vary quite a bit depending on your printer and resin, but here are some numbers that consistently work well for me as a starting point.

• Standard Resin (grey, for example): I typically work with 2 to 3 seconds per layer, at a layer height of 0.05 mm.
• Opaque Resins (black or white): Watch out with these — they block more UV light. I bump the exposure up slightly, to around 3 to 4 seconds per layer, to make sure everything cures properly.

And finally, something I can't stress enough: look after your FEP/nFEP film. That transparent sheet at the bottom of your vat is one of the most common causes of failed prints. If it's scratched or damaged, you're going to run into problems. If it looks cloudy or marked up, don't risk it — you'll find FEP/nFEP replacements in my store.

How do I properly wash and cure orc miniatures?

Getting post-processing right is essential if you want to avoid a sticky, brittle miniature with clogged details. This is where you wash away the excess liquid resin and give the piece its final hardness under UV light. Nothing's worse than an orc that doesn't look the part — so let's get it battle-ready!

The classic isopropyl alcohol (IPA) method

This is the traditional method and, in my opinion, still the most effective for the vast majority of resins. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is an incredibly powerful solvent that leaves prints spotless. I always recommend using two separate containers:

1. First wash (the dirty bath): Submerge the freshly printed piece and gently agitate it for 1–2 minutes. Use a soft toothbrush to carefully scrub away the bulk of the resin.
2. Second wash (clean IPA): After the first wash, transfer it to a second container with fresh alcohol. Just 30 seconds here is more than enough.

This two-bath system is a great way to extend the life of your alcohol. If you want to know more about working with IPA safely and effectively, don't miss my complete guide to using isopropyl alcohol in resin 3D printing.

The quick method with water-washable resin

When you're printing a whole mob of Boyz, every minute counts. In these cases, water-washable 3D resins are an absolute lifesaver. The process is very similar, but you swap out the IPA for plain tap water.

That said, a word of warning: never pour resin-contaminated water down the drain. The right way to dispose of it is to leave it in a clear container out in sunlight. The UV light will cure any resin particles, and you can then filter them out and bin them with your regular waste.

My golden tip: Remove supports AFTER washing the print, but BEFORE the final cure. At that point, the resin is firm but still has a slight flexibility to it. This makes supports snap off much more easily, reducing the risk of snapping off fine details.

The final cure: don't overdo the UV

Once your mini is clean and completely dry (and I mean completely dry!), it's time to give it its final hardness. UV curing (hardening resin using ultraviolet light) is what fully solidifies the resin. Over-curing is just as damaging as under-curing.

Over-curing is one of the most common beginner mistakes. Leave your mini under the UV light for too long and the resin becomes excessively hard and brittle. Keep a close eye on your times and your Waaagh! will be ready to cause mayhem.

What painting techniques do I use to bring my Orks to life?

The secret to making your Warhammer Orks truly come alive is contrast. I love pairing bold, vibrant green skin with grimy, weathered clothing and rusted metals. At the end of the day, it's all about getting your hands dirty and enjoying the process. Let's get stuck in!

Priming is a non-negotiable step. It creates a base coat with perfect adhesion and brings out details you didn't even know were there. For me, the airbrush is king, and I'm a huge fan of Vallejo's Surface Primer range. If you want to dive deeper, I've put together a full guide on how to prime miniatures like a pro.

With the mini primed, the fun really begins. For this stage, nothing beats having a solid selection of Vallejo paints on hand.

How to paint the iconic green skin of orcs

The skin is the soul of an orc. Getting that tone to look realistic and full of depth is easier than you think if you follow a logical process. Here's my personal recipe:

1. Base Coat: I apply two thin coats of a mid-green like Goblin Green.
2. Shading: I apply a wash of dark green or black ink, like Green Wash, letting it settle into all the recesses.
3. First Highlight: Once the wash is dry, I go back to Goblin Green and paint the raised muscle areas, leaving the shadows visible.
4. Final Highlight: I mix the base green with a touch of yellow (Livery Green) and apply a final highlight only on the most prominent points: knuckles, tip of the nose, etc.

This layering process adds incredible depth and volume. If you want to go further, I recommend my article on colour theory for miniatures.

Rusted metals and worn leather

Any self-respecting orc carries gear that's completely beaten up. For their weapons and armour, I always go for a heavily rusted metallic look.

I start with a base coat of a dark metallic like Gunmetal Grey. Over this, I apply a generous wash of Black Wash and, while it's still wet, I add touches of Umber Wash (a brown tone) to simulate rust.

My trick for jaw-dropping rust effects: For an even more striking result, I reach for pigments. An orange or reddish-brown applied dry with an old brush and sealed with matte varnish gives a spectacular finish. Give it a try!

For leather, the formula is simple: base coat of Leather Brown, a black wash to define the stitching, and finish by highlighting the edges with a lighter tone like Beasty Brown.

My essential colour palette for Warhammer orcs

Here's a table with my personal selection of Vallejo Game Color paints. For me, these are the must-haves for painting any orc warband or clan from scratch.

If you prefer working with an airbrush, the Game Air range is fantastic for achieving ultra-smooth blends on skin or creating OSL effects on weapons in a fraction of the time. Don't be afraid to experiment!

Frequently asked questions about printing and painting Warhammer orcs

What do I do if my orc miniatures are sticky after curing?

A tacky mini is almost always down to a poor wash or incomplete drying. Make sure you give it a thorough rinse in isopropyl alcohol and, crucially, that it is completely dry before putting it under the UV curing station.

How do I stop thin spears and axes from snapping?

Here's a pro tip: remove the supports right after washing, but before fully curing the miniature. At that stage the resin is firm but still retains a little flexibility, so the supports snap off cleanly without breaking fragile parts.

Is it better to use a brush or an airbrush to paint orc skin?

It depends on the finish you're after — neither is better than the other. A brush gives you precise control for a textured look, perfect for muscles, while an airbrush is king for smooth blends and saves a huge amount of time when painting armies.

Conclusion:

We've reached the end of the road, and I hope you're now feeling more inspired than ever to build your own Warhammer orc army. We've covered everything from choosing the right resin to bringing your models to life with paint so they command respect on the tabletop. There's no magic formula — just practice and a willingness to experiment.

One last bit of advice from one maker to another: don't be afraid to experiment. Those so-called "mistakes" are just lessons that toughen you up for the next project. I've seen people who had never even heard of resin end up leading a jaw-dropping Waaagh! Now it's your turn!