The future of modelling?

Speculation over the possibilities of 3D printing for modellers is probably old news by now, but I'm still very excited when I see an example of what might be achieved. Take this absolutely fantastic piece which was featured on one of my favourite popular culture blogs (Boing Boing), it may be a fantasy figure but actually I think that fantasy subjects can be a lot more complex that real ones...

It is printed in white nylon and then hand painted. It is amazing to think that one day we might be able to print out exactly what models and model parts we want, something I appreciate as I struggle to lay my hands on some of the rarer vehicles that were in service with the Finnish army in WW2.

Of course, we should not forget that however 3D printers evolve over the next few years you will still require adept 3D designers to crete the software models first. I've tried to get into 3D design and I appreciate that it is an art in itself.

Above: My feeble attempts at 3D modelling. I created this Vickers tank some years ago now and found even this simple shape very time consuming and I haven't even added a lot of the smaller details.

Link: Shapeways 3D printing - Amazing Hand Painted, 3D Printed Miniatures