You're a scale modeler and you have decided to buy a 3D printer, this article will help you choose between FDM filament printers and SLA resin printers.
First, here is our conclusion:
SLA resin printers are more suitable for printing 90% of scale models, which are small to medium scale models that requires extremely high precision for details (1:72 to 1:12 scale vehicles, figures etc.).
SLA resin printer FDM filament printers can be cheaper and more convenient for large size models that requires less accuracy (1/8 or larger figures, 1/35 or 1/72 dioramas, R/C models).

After this short answer, let's dig into the pros & cons of both FDM and SLA printers.
SLA resin printer pros & cons
SLA resin pros:
1) Level of details: 10 micron resolution (0.01mm or 0.004in) precision that surpasses the detail level of traditional plastic injection kit models.

2) Less sanding: Since precision is higher, less sanding is required for large / smooth parts like car or aircraft body.

3) Easier support removal: Resin supports are very thin, the contact point between the tip of the support and our models can go down to 0.2mm (0.008 in), so you can easily remove the supports using your bare hands. The support removal process is less likely to damage thin / detailed parts.

4) More reliable: resin printers are mechanically extremely simple. There is only one single motor (Z-axis) moving the build plate up and down. On the contrary, FDM printers have at least 5 motors (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, extruder, extruder fan) and more probability for things to go wrong.

5) Small and medium printer size price: you can get a very good medium-sized resin printer for the $200-300 price range.

6) Same printing speed when your build plate is full: Unlike FDM printers where a single nozzle have to travel over the build plate, resin printers' UV screen covers the entire build plate. This means that you can jam up your build plate on a resin printer without increasing printing time.


SLA resin cons:
Large size resin printers cost: Large size resin printers with more than 10L print volume can be costly

Liquid resin handling: you need to be extra careful when manipulating resin to avoid spilling the liquid, and also wear gloves and a mask

Extra steps for post-processing: You need a wash and cure station to wash the resin then cure it to solidify your print.

FDM filament printer pros & cons
FDM filament pros:
1) Larger print volume at affordable price: You can print very large dioramas in one piece.

2) Easier to handle: FDM filaments are solid plastic wires that are easier to handle, you can touch them without gloves and it won't spill like liquid resin

3) Wider range of material: FDM printers can handle standard PLA, PETG materials. But there are also more exotic materials like carbon fiber nylon that are extremely light and can resist shock, perfect for R/C models.

4) Multi-color prints: We printed this Zelda figure using a FDM multi-color printer.

FDM filament cons:
1) Visible layer lines: a lot of sanding and polishing are necessary to reach an acceptable level for scale modelers

2) Hard to remove supports: Supports for FDM printing is constantly improving, the tree supports makes support removal easier. However, compared to resin supports, tree supports are still very thick and hard to remove. You're very likely to break small detailed parts while removing supports

3) Top layers not smooth: for FDM you need to activate ironing option to make the top layer smooth

Final verdict: You should own both a FDM filament and a SLA resin printer
FDM and SLA are suitable for different type of scale models. You should own both types of printer and use them for their most suitable purpose. You should use FDM filament printers for your dioramas or R/C models. You should use SLA resin printers for your static vehicles and figures.
However, if you really have to pick one over the other, we would say that resin is more suitable for scale modeling, because we care about detail accuracy and only resin printers can reach that level of pickiness ;)
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