The fight for Maraud miniatures

Chubby dragon se regale d'un beignet.

Maraud Miniatures: When a small, handcrafted range

ale creates a large community (even when it's difficult)

There are projects that emerge like fireworks: spectacular, noisy, visible for miles.

And then there are the others.

Those who start in a corner of the workshop, between two pots of paint, a tired brush and a good dose of raw passion.

Those who advance in small steps, in stealthy mode, like a goblin thief a little too noisy to be truly discreet.

Maraud Miniatures is one of them.

It's not just a line of figurines.

It's a handmade universe, with charming imperfections, overflowing ideas, and a creator who perseveres at all costs, even when the feeling of being alone in the cave is persistent.

And yet…

Even a small community can change the course of history.

A world sculpted by hand: where polymer clay smells of sweat (and a little bit of magic)

Creating fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and sci-fi figurines by hand is a strange sport. It's neither truly classic craftsmanship nor truly industry.

It's something in between: a kind of modern sorcery where creatures, warriors, mutants or star travelers are summoned… hoping that the fate of the critical audience doesn't turn out to be a double ace.

Sculpting, cutting, cleaning, reworking, starting all over again… Those who have never tried it can't imagine the time it can take to make a single figure, let alone an entire small range. And yet, every piece from Maraud Miniatures bears that invisible signature that enthusiasts immediately recognize: the human hand.

The real one.

Not the “made by human AI” version that we see everywhere.

No.

The hand that trembles, that groans, that has been holding a cold coffee for three hours, but that continues to sculpt because the idea is too good to wait until tomorrow.

Les rats attaquent le gang de vilains gobelins...

Finding an audience: a more difficult quest than an Elden Ring run .

When you launch your own handcrafted universe, you sometimes think (secretly) that all you have to do is show your figurines for people to fall in love.

After all, they are unique, handmade, full of personality… why not have a tidal wave of fans from the very first post?

And then reality rears its ugly head.

A rather ugly face, actually, like a badly shaven troll.

Finding an audience for a small, artisanal product line often means:

– Post on social media… and get 3 likes: his mother, his cousin, and a suspicious bot.

– Answering strange questions like “You make this with a 3D printer?” when your table is literally covered in modeling clay

– Meeting people who ask for a 12cm figurine, fully painted, for less than the price of a kebab.

– Participating in events where 90% of visitors come “just to watch”. It’s a somewhat thankless job, yes.

We work a lot, we earn little, we often doubt ourselves.

We give a lot... to receive... sometimes just a nice comment and a few sales scattered throughout the month.

But these little signs, these little encouragements… sometimes that’s all that allows you to stay afloat when the sea is rough.

The small community that changes everything ;

Because amidst the noise of the world, there are others.

People who see what you actually do.

Those who understand that behind each Maraud Miniatures figure, there are hours of work, an imagined universe, artistic choices, failed attempts, discreet but precious successes.

Those who know that craftsmanship is not a sprint: it is a long walk, like a stalker patiently advancing through the mist.

The community, even a small one, plays an enormous role:

– She shares your work without you asking.

– It stimulates you to create even when you are tired.

– She buys not because she is looking for a figurine, but because she wants to support Maraud Miniatures.

– She asks questions, proposes ideas, creates connections.

Some people quickly become more than just customers:

allies, friends, fellow travelers.

When you doubt yourself, they become a kind of mini support guild, always ready to cast a motivation boost spell.

Passion that doesn't lie

There is something beautiful in continuing to create even when it is not profitable.

Even when it's tiring.

Even when the numbers don't follow.

And in miniature crafts, the reality is sometimes brutal:

Each new Maraud Miniatures product costs me money even before it goes on sale.

To produce a new model, I need to arrange for at least 30 castings from my mold maker.

A significant investment, a necessary step to bring a figurine to life. And sometimes, out of those 30 models… I only sell 2 or 3.

It's a bit like summoning a major demon by sacrificing all your resources... only for the summoned creature to sneeze and disappear immediately.

But despite everything, Maraud Miniatures continues to move forward, because deep down, the project doesn't exist for the numbers.

It exists because each figurine tells a story:

– an idea born one evening when inspiration overflowed,

– a sculpture reworked ten times,

– a desire to add a character, even if their existence is not profitable.

True passion is not measured by sales, but by perseverance.

To that little inner voice that says:

“Okay, it costs me more than it earns me… but I still have a good idea for the next figure.”

And tomorrow?

The future of Maraud Miniatures does not depend on an algorithm, a trend, or a marketing miracle.

It depends on the same things that gave rise to it:

– Passion.

– Work.

– From the community, however small.

– People who like what you do.

– Of those who will arrive tomorrow and say:

“Hey, why didn’t I discover this sooner?”

A handcrafted product line doesn't explode overnight.

It grows slowly, like a close-knit guild accumulating experience, one fight at a time.

Perhaps Maraud Miniatures will remain a small project.

Or perhaps the community will continue to expand it, piece by piece, until it becomes a truly recognized little universe.

In any case, the story continues.

And she is beautiful.

Conclusion: The strength of small communities, the strength of small figures. Creating in the shadows is not simple.

Being a craftsman today is often thankless, unprofitable, and a source of doubt. But it is also an act of resistance, passion, and creativity.

And when a community forms around a project like Maraud Miniatures, even if it is small…

It can provide more energy than a thousand advertising campaigns.

Because passion is recognizable.

It's contagious.

And that brings people together.

So to all those who follow, support, share, buy, comment or encourage: you are part of the adventure.

And thanks to you, Maraud Miniatures is not just a range of figurines.

It's a world under construction.

Thank you!

Alex