We here at Phrozen sat down with Mark Tayag, the founder of "Papsikels Miniatures," who creates all sorts of cool, and fantasy-style cyberpunk 3D printable miniatures.
Mark walks us through his journey of switching from FDM 3D printers to resin 3D printers to create highly intricate miniature 3D models. He also talks about the challenges he faced while learning to use resin printers and how he learned to overcome them.
Let’s learn about his experience with 3D printing, his inspiration in designing 3D printable miniatures, and how he came up with “Papsikels Miniatures.”
Please tell us a little about yourself and how you began your 3D printing journey
My name is Mark Tayag. I’m the Founder & Creative Director at "Papsikels Miniatures." I actually only started with resin 3D printing last year, but before that I was using FDM 3D printers. I realized that the quality of the prints weren’t great. Now, with resin printers, the level of details and quality of prints in the miniatures I create is very impressive.
When and how did you get interested in designing miniatures?
As an artist, I really love digital sculpting. Throughout my years of work, I have accumulated a ton of 3D models that I wanted to turn into tangible and physical objects. That is when I decided to leave the video game industry and create my own 3D printable miniatures.
When and why did you decide to start “Papsikels Miniatures?”
Photo Courtesy of Mark Tayag
The idea for “Papsikels Miniatures” was conceived in January 2020. At that time, I was working in the gaming industry as a 3D artist for a well-known company.
After finishing up a game for the company, I decided to set up my own miniature creation studio which was completely different from what I was doing at the time. I decided to name my company “Papsikels Miniatures” as I used to be called “Papsikels” in the office, which means “Papa” and “Cool,” like a cool dad. “Papsikels” can also be a play on the word “popsicles,” a sweet iced candy.
What was your inspiration?
Ever since I was young, I have always been fascinated with small toy figures. I used to see my friends playing with those toys, but I could not get them. It was hard for me to purchase those toys or win a game to receive those toys as a prize.
Your miniatures have a lot of personality to them. Where do you get your ideas from?
Photo Courtesy of Mark Tayag
Most of my inspiration comes from the movies and video games that I watch.
Also, I listen closely to my patrons for their suggestions and their 3D printing ideas and I make sure to incorporate their feedback on my designs. Lastly, I imbue my own personal characteristics in my minis :)
What keeps you going? What is your motivation?
What keeps me going is my desire to turn all my ideas and planned 3D printing models into miniatures so that I can share it with the world. I have so much inspiration that sometimes I cannot keep up. I always get my motivation through the community who enjoy my creations.
Could you share your experience with using Phrozen LCD 3D Printers with our viewers?
As a matter of fact, I currently own 2 Sonic Minis and 1 Sonic Mini 4K. What I love about Phrozen 3D printers is its reliability and consistency. Once you’ve nailed your printer settings and resins that work best for you, you’ll never have any problems with Phrozen 3D printers.
What kind of print failures have you faced in the past? How do you set out to solve them?
I usually face problems when I have the wrong support set up. It’s not the machine’s fault, it’s due to human error. I thoroughly study the pre supporting areas and that is how I set out to solve the problem.
Could you share some of your printing tips with us?
Do not rely on auto supports. Always make sure to manually check your supports for islands (areas that aren’t supported) before slicing. Before you print, make sure to shake the resin bottle (or stir the resin in the resin vat) very well.
Have you ever thought about using a larger printer to print out large-scale models? Why or why not? What do you think about Sonic Mega 8K?
Large printers aren’t required for printing miniatures, but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t love to print with a large-scale printer! I would love to be able to print lots of miniatures at the same time in one session with Sonic Mega 8K’s large building plate! Also, I would try to print my miniatures at maximum scale on the Sonic Mega 8K, because why not! :D
Where do you think the resin 3D printing market is heading in the next 2-3 years?
I truly believe that in the next 2-3 years, resin 3D printing will become as ordinary as having a washing machine at home. Resin 3D printing has become so much more accessible and budget-friendly, while operating these devices has become easier too.
Anything new and exciting coming up on your Patreon page that you would like to share with our audience?
I mostly do a lot of cyberpunk stuff, but I’m currently working on a lot of alien-inspired miniatures, space crew and soldiers. I’m also planning to do a miniature collection on an advanced space hunter race. I will also explore the idea of creating one for an advanced alien creator race. I have lots more that I want to create but I can’t reveal anything just yet!
Photo Courtesy of Mark Tayag
Check out my Patreon page and join my Facebook group to follow all the latest developments.
I would also like to take the time to thank my Patrons for continually supporting my work. I am very glad to have them. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to create all these awesome things each month :)
Could you provide us with any feedback regarding our products/services or anything in general?
Phrozen 3D Printers are the best on the market. It’s my go-to test when printing out my prototypes. Phrozen does a great job of working with artists and creators and reaching out to customers. Keep up the good work and continue on improving your services and products.
To learn more about which Phrozen 3D printers are best for beginners, please click here.
