Egyptian Company Lurking Figures Can 3D Print Any Custom Model You Put Your Mind To

Still using printers to make dinky sheets of paper with words on them? Wake up! The future is here, people; 3D printing has become more accessible than ever as consumers get to enjoy the trickle-down uses of the revolutionary technology, and this Egyptian company provides one such service to show you the benefits of three-dimensional thinking. If you've ever looked at a photo of yourself on the shelf and thought, dude, I look way too 2D here, I wish there was like a mini statue of myself instead, or if you are obsessed with a certain character from a movie, series or game and can't find any figurines for it, OR if you ever dreamed of becoming a superhero in a movie, series or game so that you could have dope figurine of yourself to put up on that very same shelf then THIS IS FOR YOU.

Lurking Figures was founded by 31 year old Egyptian animator Islam Fouda and aims to create 3D printed custom toys/figures/statues however you like them.

"I studied Animation in Higher Cinema Institute in Egypt before studying 3D modeling and sculpting on my own," Fouda told CairoScene. "It has been my dream for so long to see my work in real life as figures and statues. Then 3D printing started to evolve and when I managed to get my first printer I decided to start my small studio, and that's how 'Lurking Figures' was born."

In order to create the figures, Fouda or members of his design team begin with the concept before sculpting the 3D model on the computer. They then slice the model into pieces to make them printable, which then leads to the cleaning process (sanding/filling holes, etc.) before assembling and manually colouring the final model. All in all, the process for a custom piece takes around 3-6 weeks on average depending on the design and sculpting requirements, however they do have some set designs promoted on the page, with new items to be released that would take only 1-2 weeks to copy and deliver.

The prices for custom figures vary depending on design but it can start from EGP 3000 and go up to EGP 9000. With existing models, for example the Mulan figurine, the cost is around EGP 1500.