Greetings one and all,
Today it is my great pleasure to write this spotlight piece on one of the best providers of 3D printed parts for Titanicus, Battle Bling.
Some of you out there might be asking; who are Battle Bling, what do they do, and what products do they offer? Well rest assured that I’ll cover all of that with some help from the team at Battle Bling itself.
To put it simply, Battle Bling designs and creates highly detailed upgrades for your Titanicus models, everything from weapons to heads, arms to name plates, for both your titans and your knights. They have plenty of designs inspired by the Titanicus of old and some unique designs that really help to add to your models.
I reached out to Johnny Corps of Battle Bling to ask a few questions and he was kind enough to respond.
Tell us about yourself and your background?
Wow, where to start. I've worked in the hobby for about 20 years, I've done GW retail, a little games design here and there, opened my own FLGS chain and then had a break for a couple of years before covid hit. During which time I got a positive test and my good friend Jon sent over a Titanicus starter set and a few of his own designs. I was hooked! Together with Jon we started work on more and sought out like minded sculptors who would join our little endeavour. We launched Battle bling with 10 products in Feb 2021, we now have around 200 lines of products and growing as well as an amazing team of sculptors from around the globe.
How do you get the ideas for your products?
So initially, ideas were easy. There’s a massive community of players from back in the day that still play epic and Armageddon who haven’t had any support or releases for a while and we wanted to start plugging the gaps of weapons and kits from yesteryear. Now though, we look to what hasn't been done but hinted at in novels and artwork and think about what our versions of big stompy robots might look like. We’re also branching out into new ranges and essentially, we end up making the models we’d love to use ourselves.
Which product is your favourite?
My favourite product is the little Reaver Rotary carapace cannon. It's a tiny kit. It was our first and it’s essentially what began this awesome journey we’ve found ourselves on.
What is your best seller?
Magnet arms. They’re so bloody useful!
What programs and equipment do you use?
We have just under 20 machines at the moment with more on the way with newer tech. We love the Any Cubic and Elegoo ranges as that's where our journey began, we also have access to a lot of high end printers when the need arises. In terms of programs, I’d say we use them all across the team. Our newer sculptors love Blender and I've played with that myself, it's great fun and a good entry point for new enthusiasts and then we have Rhino for our experienced modellers which is where most of our core range is created.
Any future plans you can share?
Loads, we have a proper website on the way, 40k compatible kits on route, Gaslands products incoming, an absolutely huuuuuuuuge kit on the way, events and hopefully more collaborations with clubs and sculptors. There's tons and that's just what I can remember from the top of my head.
As well as answering my questions, Battle Bling was kind enough to send some items for me to review.
Battle Bling Magnet Arms compatible w/ Adeptus Titanicus Reaver Titans
These arms are almost my favourite product that Battle Bling do. They are wonderfully detailed with a slot for placing a 5mm x 1mm magnet that is already incorporated into the design. Obviously in a game like Titicus, it helps to be able to change weapon loadout in order to get the most out of your Titans and kits, and this really gives you the opportunity to do so.
Battle Bling Magnet Arm Upgrade compatible w/ Adeptus Titanicus Warhound Titans
Being a loyal member of Legio Solaire, Warhounds are my bread and butter, and so this is by far my most used product. It's also my favourite because, well, the sheer number of warhounds I have. As with the Reaver arms, there is a slot for a magnet (this time 3mm x 1mm) which is incorporated into the design. So, for anyone that ever tried to drill a hole for a magnet into the Gamesworkshop provided arms, save yourself the trouble and get these, your fingers and sanity will thank you.
Old Painless compatible with Adeptus Titanicus Warhound Titans
Is there anything better than a minigun? Yes. Two miniguns, strapped together and then scaled up to fire bolt rounds. Old painless is the more retro gothic version of the Vulcan Mega Bolter, and is quite frankly beautiful. The level of detail is stunning.
Carapace Plasma Weapon Upgrade compatible with Adeptus Titanicus Reaver Titans
Now we reach the first of the multi part kits. The Carapace Plasma Weapon (Yeah I'm gonna be shorting a couple of these names while reviewing them) is a four piece kit consisting of the main body, barrel, armour plate, and mounting. Each part is highly detailed and it’s very clear what part goes where. I especially like that the barrel of the Carapace Plasma Weapon is mirrored on both sides, so it doesn't matter which way you place the barrel into the main body. And as the barrel already has holes in it, it means no need for drilling. Overall, it’s a nice piece and a great way to add a Plasma Blast Gun to your Reaver.
Twin Missile Carapace Weapons (pair of 2 guns) compatible with Adeptus Titanicus
Another multi part kit consisting of two parts each. In this case, the main body, and the mounting. These again fit together really well, (well throughout and detailed designs are going to be a theme here), and certainly fit the Warhammer aesthetic of really big guns…or in this case, missiles. Seriously, if you told me these were surface-to-orbit I’d believe you.
Ten Titan name plates
I was lucky enough that my partner got me a set of ten of these for Christmas. During the ordering process, she was able to pick more or less any font she liked with any wording she liked (within reason, the entirety of War and Peace might be a touch too much). The name plates themselves come in a couple of different styles, so depending on your allegiances, there will be a style that suits you. As with any thin pieces of resin though, my nameplate came slightly flat, and wouldn't easily fit the curve of the base. But this was easily fixed by leaving them in so hot water to soften a tad, and they could then be bent into shape. I really love this product. It adds so much character to our beloved stompy god machines.
Battle Bunker scenic objective compatible with Adeptus Titanicus games
One of Battle Blings newest items, this is a highly detailed bunker that comes with a removable turret. The turret can be replaced with any of the Reaver Carapace weapons, and the main base is incredibly detailed with pipes, generators, and shutters clearly represented on the model. This is a nice piece of terrain to really bring life to your board and give your Titans something to fight over.
Carapace Rotary Cannon Weapon Upgrade compatible with Adeptus Titanicus Reaver Titans
The first product Battle Bling created and one of Johnny's favourites. The Carapace Rotary Cannon Weapon is an alternative type of Vulcan Mega Bolter, and is a six part kit consisting of two barrels, the main body, main body back, armour plate, and mounting. It’s clear from just looking at them how the parts fit together and each part is very detailed. (Seriously, the barrels already have holes in them, it’s great!) Honestly, I can see why this would have been one of the first products that Battle Bling would make. Titanicus players have always been crying out for more weapons to strip those shields cheaply, and a Vulcan Mega Bolters the perfect weapon for that. A great little kit wholeheartedly recommended.
Havoc Axe arm weapon compatible with Adeptus Titanicus Reaver Titans
When Titans were first designed, I highly doubt the idea of getting in close to bash something with a great big chainaxe was really on their mind. But this is Warhammer, and if you can mount a really big chainaxe (or any melee weapon for that matter) to anything, then the machinus will do it. This is a highly detailed seven piece kit that incorporates a shoulder mount and articulated elbow and wrist joints that are fully posable, and make your titan look like it’s comfortably wielding an axe that’s almost as wide and as long as the Reaver itself. It’s also very well detailed, with the wrist piece alone designed to incorporate plate armour similar to the armour of the rest of the Titan, so it doesn’t look out of place. The Havoc Axe really fits the retro feel of a number of Battle Blings other kits and wouldn’t look out of place being used in place of a chainfist. On top of this, if you really like your Titans stomping around wielding big axes and chainfists, then Battle Bling do a whole range of melee weapons that all fit using the same posable arm kit, so magnetising is a good possibility if you want to have an axe today, but tomorrow you’d like a hammer or a mace.
Grav Cannon Weapon Arm compatible with Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Titans
Battle Blings Grav Cannon Weapon is one of most complex kits that I've been sent, and honestly, I love it. Every piece of this eight part kit is incredibly detailed, and the amount of detail on that maw of a muzzle of the weapon in particular is just amazing. You really get the feeling that it can fire some kind of unseen energy at the enemy. It’s as chunky as a Reaver leg with its armour on, and is easy enough to put together, though you have to be a little careful when slotting the back section of the weapon into the main body as the five shielding flaps are quite thin and delicate, and as meaty as the mighty canon is, you don’t want to be losing any of it when trying to piece it together. As far as I am aware, there aren’t currently rules for grav weapons in Titanicus, but I’m now hoping and waiting for the day that there are.
Personal thoughts and experiences
I’ve been ordering from Battle Bling for my own Titans for close to a year now (almost from when they first opened their shop on etsy) and their products are reliably top notch. I’ve only ever had a single reason to contact them due to an issue with an order, and it was simply because they had forgotten an item among the many from that order. A replacement was sent right away…which Royal Mail then lost, so the team at Battle Bling instantly sent out another replacement with no questions asked. They were polite and professional throughout all my dealings with them, and it was this brilliant level of customer service as well as the shere quality of the products themselves that really made me want to write a piece about them.
As of writing this, Battle Bling has since launched a new website. There you can view the whole range that’s seen on their etsy and eBay stores, as well as all their newest products now available in one place. https://battleblingstore.co.uk/
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