Oyma 3D Celebrates Don Quixote’s 400th Anniversary with 400 3D Printed ‘Rocinante’ Sculptures

The heroism and character of Don Quixote–buffoonery included–has certainly stood the test of time. A character sprung from the expansive and clever mind of Spanish author Cervantes in 1605, Don Quixote stars as a classic and eternal study in classrooms from elementary school into college lit courses. Often portrayed as a humorous tome featuring an insane dreamer in pursuit of unattainable chivalry and accompanying silliness, the story has endured as nearly every culture has found appeal in the Spanish novel over generations.

One of the most translated books in the history of literature, Don Quixote is now celebrating its 400^th anniversary. While many consider this to be one of the most important works in the world’s vast and ever-growing catalog of famous books, Egyptian entrepreneur Mahmoud Al-Swedy is taking his admiration to a new and elevated level in celebrating the fictional work’s anniversary.

In his mission to celebrate in a different manner altogether, Al-Swedy, founder of Oyma 3D, sculpted and 3D printed his own version of the famous knight’s horse, ‘Rocinante.’ Completed this year after nine months of effort, the piece is intricate, unique, and complex, serving as not only as a thing of impressive geometric beauty, but also as great symbol for the intricacies of Cervantes’ writing, complete with allegory and symbolism galore.

“I have been profoundly influenced by this deeply amusing and truly compelling book, and wanted to create something that reflects my admiration,” says Al-Swedy.

Not content with just one large 3D printed sculpture of Rocinante, Al-Swedy proposes through his just-launched Indiegogo campaign that 400 3D replicas of Rocinante be created as limited editions.

“It took me quite a while to decide what is the best way to honor a gentleman like Don Quixote de la Mancha, until I figured out that giving him the horse of his dreams is the best gift we could ever give him–particularly if the horse design is very complex to the extent that it can be made only by professional 3D printers,” said Al-Swedy.

Not limited to just the local arena, these 400 limited editions are part of a worldwide effort coming together from vendors and artists from Egypt, Spain, Holland, as well as the US.

“It’s no surprise that a book globally revered would have a team from across the world working together in its celebration,” states Al-Swedy on his Indiegogo site.

With sketching provided by an artist in Egypt, 3D modeling and bronze casting in Spain, and prototyping in Holland, the final 3D printing is slated to be finished in the US. The horse statues will be 3D printed in white nylon and feature a ‘slightly grainy’ texture.

The Oyma 3D Indiegogo campaign was launched by Al-Swedy in the hopes of raising a modest $1,000 in a flex-fund campaign ending August 7th. Rewards for pledges are pretty awesome before even reaching the point of ordering the 3D printed statues, with promises of t-shirts ($40) bearing the striking Rocinante design, along with the designer wall clock ($60), and canvas prints that would look pretty spectacular on any vacant wall ($125-$150), and are certainly worth carving out a spot for.

The 3D printed statues, which arrive with a certificate of authenticity bearing their print number, begin at $199. Shipping is free worldwide. It’s important to note that only 100 are available at that price. After that, the next 300 prints are exactly the same but lacking the ‘early bird’ label, their price jumps to $235. All statues are the same size at 4.71″ x 8.15″ x 9.30″. A larger bronze statue is also available if you’d like to open the wallet for a cool $5,000 in support of this noble campaign.

With all development and prototyping complete, the only thing left to do once orders are in is to begin manufacturing and fulfilling rewards.