Photo: MAGFest 2020

ABOUT US

Block Sprites began in 2010 as a hobby; we frequent dozens of conventions across the east coast every year!

Our goal is to bring retro gaming and fandom characters to life, keeping them true to their original, low-poly form so you can hold a piece of your childhood (or adulthood; let’s be real) right in your hands.

“Return / exchange policy?”

To put it simply: intricate 3D prints are fragile! Although we go to extensive lengths to protect the models during shipping, things do happen, and we will work with you to resolve it in the event that something arrives damaged or is not what you expected.

“What materials do we use?”

Depending on the model, they are either done via an SLS printer using nylon powder, or on your typical FDM printer using PLA plastic.

The SLS printing process is extremely detailed and—you guessed it—expensive! The result is some incredibly beautiful figurines that blow other 3D printed figures like the ones you see on Etsy, etc. out of the water. The average SLS printer runs around $50K+ and printing material is somewhere in the neighborhood of a few hundred dollars per quart.

PLA printing allows us to do much larger, though slightly less precise, models such as the 24”+ figures. It also allows us to affordably print small items like keychains, etc. with excellent durability.

“What about custom orders / commissions?”

Short answer: nope :(

Longer answer: 3D modeling for printing isn’t easy! It’s a pretty tall order to try and create any new character or element, let alone one that may be fairly obscure or just a one-and-done printing. I would recommend you get in touch with someone who has some 3D modeling talent, and work with them to make something that you can then print yourself via a 3D printing service.

“Can I order out-of-stock items?”

So! Anyone who has been following us for any length of time has probably noticed that we are perpetually out-of-stock on some figures. For better or worse, demand has greatly exceeded our actual ability to produce new models. Block Sprites is run by basically one person who already has a full-time job, so managing a back log of requests and pre-orders can prove really challenging.

Even once printed, the average model takes anywhere from 3 to 10 hours to paint and finish. We try not to make any commitments or promises that can’t be kept, so at this time, it’s not possible for us to take requests for out-of-stock items.

“I saw an article on Kotaku about a guy who was making these and SE sued him or something!”

Somebody tells me about this article like every ten minutes at every convention we attend. :)