After just releasing our latest, more affordable range of desktop Gizmo 3D Printers, we've been looking for 3D models we could print to show off the machines' high speed and high-resolution capabilities.
That's when we discovered the astonishingly high detailed figurine models offered by Tony Schilling on his Kickstarter campaign that's currently LIVE to support - Click here to check it out.
Tony describes himself as "a model-builder, tinkerer and 3D printing nerd."
His Kickstarter project is called "The Cursed Cult of Cthulhu" and is a collection of over 50 (so far) models inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
3D printed figurines designed by Tony, printed on a Gizmo 3D printer
"Lovecraft popularized the "Cosmic Horror" genre; basically, the fear we feel when confronted with entities beyond our comprehension, whose scope extends beyond the normal field of human affairs and boasts of cosmic significance.
Many of Lovecraft's stories involve disturbing, tentacled monstrosities that transcend time and space. This includes his most recognizable creation: Cthulhu, the spooky, winged, Octopus-like monstrosity that slumbers in his undersea city of R'lyeh, biding his time until he is awoken by his devotees, in order to rise and wreak havoc on all existence!
3D printed figurines designed by Tony, printed on a Gizmo 3D printer
Fortunately, you don't have to worry about the ritualistic awakening of Cthulhu and go mad, like the protagonists in many of Lovecraft's stories. You can just print off miniature versions of his cosmic horrors in my Kickstarter project!
Other cosmic monstrosities included in the collection are Nyarlathotep—one of the "Outer Gods" from Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, several Shoggoths—creepy, cosmic monsters described in several stories, an Elder Thing—the ancient, extraterrestrial inhabitants of Antarctica from Lovecraft's famous story "At the Mountains of Madness" and many others.
3D printed figurines designed by Tony, printed on a Gizmo 3D printer.
As the name of my project suggests, many of Lovecraft's stories center on deranged cultists, who serve Cthulhu, or other spooky, Lovecraftian cosmic entities. Other models in my collection include related miniatures and terrain pieces inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos, perfect for tabletop games, including the RPG "Call of Cthulhu". I've included a number of shrines, markers, altars, ruins, 1920's houses and vehicles and other pieces that fit the theme.
3D printed figurines designed by Tony, printed on a Gizmo 3D printer
This has been a really fun project, which started out as a small diorama and morphed into quite a bit more!"
We love how Tony's 3D models fire up our imaginations. Kobus from Gizmo 3D Printers had a bit of fun adding special effects with Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro to one of the photos he took of one of the models he printed from Tony's Kickstarter for example. Adding special effects to a photograph is something he'd never done before, but he felt so inspired by these 3D models, he gave it a go!
Here's the before photo and after video:
Photo of 3D printed house designed by Tony, printed by Kobus on a Gizmo 3D printer
Effects added to a photo of a 3D printed house designed by Tony, printed by Kobus on a Gizmo 3D printer
If you're wondering how Tony became so skilled at 3D modeling, he shared, "I've loved building model planes since I was little, mostly World War 2 aircraft and other historical vehicles. I got my first 3D printer about 3 years ago, eager to try and make my own models! I started learning Fusion 360 and started making my own designs fairly quickly. I could get my models to look pretty nice, with some sanding and priming, but I wanted a higher level of detail and decided to add a resin printer to my collection. The quality improvement blew me away and I started improving my sculpting skills so I could make more organic models like miniatures and creatures. Of course, making my own models was always the end goal. So I almost always paint my prints and often use them to make cool dioramas."
When asked what 3D printers Tony is currently using to print his creations on, he mentioned that his collection so far includes 3 3D printers: Creality Cr-10, Ender 3 and Anycubic Photon.
"I love 3D printing, and what I like about all my printers is the ability to bring my own designs to life. My FDM printer is great for creating larger models, such as the buildings and terrain pieces included in my Kickstarter. My Photon is great for fine details, like miniatures or the model planes I like to print.
While my Photon can achieve great, fine details, the build volume is fairly small, as is the case with most consumer printers. As a result, I'm often forced to split models into separate parts if I want to make something bigger. Oppositely, my FDM printer can make some pretty big models, but the level of detail just can't come close to what resin printers can achieve. In addition to that, my Cr-10 is a few years old now and requires a fair amount of tinkering in order to get good prints."
We printed 3 of Tony's Cthulhu model sized 60mm tall, at 25 micron Z in less than 3 hours and asked him how long it would take to print that many on his printer/s.
3D printed figurines designed by Tony, printed on a Gizmo 3D printer
"3 hours is insanely fast for my Cthulhu model! Most hobby printers take a long time at that height, which is why I usually only print at .5 mm. That same print would take almost 12 hours on my Photon!
All the print pictures Gizmo has sent me have looked awesome, and I'm sure they're even cooler in person! (At least in my experience, photos don't always do a good print justice!) I'm especially excited to see the Innsmouth House I designed. Due to its size I had to print it in FDM and also had to print it in several parts, to minimize supports and potential failed prints...not to mention the fact that the prints took close to 70 hours in total."
Innsmouth House designed by Tony, printed on a Gizmo 3D printer
"I've got to say, I'm pretty impressed with everything I've seen from Gizmo so far! A super-fast, large build volume resin printer is definitely something I wish I had.
The biggest issue with low-cost printers is probably the amount of tinkering required to keep things running smoothly. To some extent, that's part of the fun of the hobby, but it definitely gets very frustrating at times.
I would definitely add a Gizmo printer to my collection if I were to start selling my models as a printing service. Replacing FEP's is definitely a hassle. And it would be wonderful not to be constrained by build volume or print times.
Ideally, I wish I could print my larger terrain pieces in resin; but due to the fairly small size of my resin printer's build plate, I'm stuck with my FDM printers and their much longer print times! My Kickstarter has done pretty well so far, and I hope to do more next year. So hopefully, there's a printer upgrade in my future!"
Thanks very much for having a chat with us Tony!
Click here to purchase a 3D print of one of the models by Tony Schilling printed on a Gizmo 3D Printer.
