3D Printed Conversion Bits for Sci-Fi Wargaming: Build a Custom Grimdark Army

Nobody paints an army to look like the army in the box. The point is the game, and the other point is the models being yours. Conversion bits make that possible without starting from scratch: swap a head, change a shoulder pad, arm a squad with chainblades instead of lasguns, and suddenly a kit everyone owns looks like something only you own. We stock a growing range of 3D printed conversion bits at 28/32mm from Grey Tide Studio and DakkaDakka.Store, and if you've not used bits before, this guide is where to start.

What are conversion bits?

They're separate components: heads, helmets, shoulder pads, weapon arms, backpacks. Designed to go onto existing models, or to help build new ones part by part. Hobbyists have been kitbashing for decades. 3D printing just made it dramatically cheaper and wider in scope than hunting for out-of-production metal parts or paying over the odds on secondhand sites.

Resin is worth choosing over FDM at this scale. The fine detail on a pauldron rivet or a helmet grille comes through properly in SLA resin; FDM printing struggles at 28/32mm without post-processing that most hobbyists would rather skip. We print all our resin bits to order, clean and cure them before shipping, so they arrive ready to prime.

Building an infantry core

Conversion bits work best when they're going onto something solid. Two DakkaDakka.Store infantry ranges cover different aesthetics well.

The Dawnguard Infantry Squad is a clean-lined human sci-fi unit: five fighters including a leader at £12.99, or ten at £20.99. Proportions are consistent with most modern 28/32mm kits, so they sit on a table without looking like they've arrived from a different scale.

For something rougher, the Vultures Gang has more of an underhive or mercenary character. Seventeen models for £28.99 as a full set, with five-man and ten-man options if you want to mix them in with other units rather than running a pure Vultures force. The two ranges share proportions, so they work on the same table if you're building a disparate warband rather than a uniform army.

Head swaps, shoulder pads and 3D printed conversion bits

Grey Tide Studio's conversion bits are where individual squads start to read as yours rather than a box set. They make parts for several distinct ranges: Eternal Pilgrims, Primal Hounds and Crimson Lords. Each has its own visual character, though all build to the same scale, so mixing across them is straightforward.

Head swaps are the cheapest and most effective starting point. The Primal Hounds Big Helmets Pack gives you ten helmets in five styles for £8.99. The Eternal Pilgrims Heads and Helmets Pack 11 adds more variety at the same price. Two squads with identical bodies but different helmets come off the table looking like separate factions, which is useful if you're building anything with multiple unit types or sub-factions.

Melee weapon swaps are the next step up. The Toothed Swords (Primal Hounds) run from £6.99 for five to £9.99 for ten. The Two-Handed Toothed Swords are priced the same. Useful for assault units or any squad where the weapon posture signals purpose before the game even starts.

For a fuller conversion in one purchase, the Crimson Lords Core Upgrade Pack (£19.99) and Sacred Upgrade Pack (£18.99) bundle heads, shoulder pads and weapon options together. More economical than picking individual packs when you're converting a full squad at once.

DakkaDakka.Store's Pactum Aeternum Knight Shoulder Pads and Warden Shoulder Pads were designed to sit alongside their infantry kits. Ten pads per pack at £8.99, with mixed or single-style options. The different chapter aesthetics mark out specialist or command units without needing completely different models.

Which game systems do these suit?

The 28/32mm scale covers most popular sci-fi systems. Warhammer 40,000 and Kill Team are the obvious targets for this aesthetic, but the same parts work for OnePageRules Grimdark Future, Stargrave, or any setting that uses human fighters in battered armour. These are independent designs, not licensed GW parts. They're compatible by scale and proportion, not by brand.

Grey Tide Studio design with that in mind. See the full Eternal Pilgrims, Primal Hounds and Crimson Lords ranges on their MyMiniFactory profile. DakkaDakka.Store take the same approach across their infantry and bits ranges; their full catalogue is at dakkadakka.store.

Where to start

If you've not bought bits before, start with heads. A pack of ten helmets under £9 is a low-stakes way to try the process. Prime them, match them to whatever you're already painting, and see how they sit. One head swap on a finished squad tells you quickly whether this approach suits the project.

Building from the ground up, the practical path is a DakkaDakka Dawnguard or Vultures unit as the infantry core, then Grey Tide Studio parts for heads, weapons and shoulder pads. Same scale throughout, different enough across ranges to read as a distinct army rather than a factory output.

Browse Grey Tide Studio and DakkaDakka.Store on-site. If you've got a specific project in mind and aren't finding the right parts, get in touch. We handle custom orders and can usually help.