Jul 24, 2017 | By Benedict
Metropole, an event management and 3D printing company based in Paris, has 3D printed a life-size replica of Corto Maltese, the titular character of Hugo Pratt’s Italian adventure comic Corto Maltese. The 3D printed sea captain was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the comic.
Widely seen as one of the most beautiful and literary comics of all time, Corto Maltese has, for half a century, entertained readers in a number of languages across a number of formats.
In July 1967, a serial titled Ballad of the Salt Sea was published in the magazine Sergeant Kirk, kicking off the Corto phenomenon that grew exponentially in the following years. 50 years have now passed since that debut appearance, and people rightly want to celebrate the charismatic sea captain.
French company Metropole has just delivered what might be the most impressive homage to Corto yet: a life-size (4.3 foot tall, sitting) 3D printed replica of the sea captain printed on a giant Massivit 1800 3D printer.
Metropole described the model as “a special way to pay tribute to one of the most famous cartoon characters in the world.”
Naturally, such a special tribute took its time to come to fruition. More than 70 hours of printing were required on the Massivit 1800, whose Gel Dispensing Printing technology combines FDM and SLA-type printing, extruding a polymer from a nozzle before curing the printed item with UV light.
The Corto Maltese model was printed in sections and later assembled. The huge model was also polished, lacquered, and painted at Metropole’s studio.
The 3D printed Corto Maltese statue was unveiled on June 29 as part of the “Corto Maltese, 50 years of adventures” exhibition being held at the Gare de Paris Austerlitz, one of the six large railway stations in Paris. Corto sits unassumingly on a station bench.
Metropole describes itself as the only company in France to offer large-format professional 3D printing. The Paris-based company also specializes in large-format 2D posters for events and advertisements.
And the company's creation is sure to delight locals and tourists alike: commuters passing through the Gare de Paris Austerlitz can have a coffee or take a selfie with Corto until October 31, when the exhibition wraps up.
Although Corto creator Pratt died in 1995, a new installment of the comic was released in 2015, made by writer Juan Díaz Canales and artist Rubén Pellejero. The comic, titled Sous le soleil de minuit (Under the midnight sun), takes place in the year 1915; the original stories took place between 1905 and 1925.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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